In his sprawling New York mansion, Val lounged on the couch, a view of his expansive garden laid out before him. He found himself aimlessly gazing at the ceiling, his mind occupied with thoughts of failed plans. 'Such utter nonsense!', he mused, 'Plan A for dealing with Shaw and the Hellfire Club is down the drain.

The original idea was to get Charles and Raven onboard to hunt down Shaw. Despite my first-hand experiences with the Hellfire Club, which, contrary to its comic and X-Men Cinematic Universe counterparts, is full of watchful eyes, with Shaw being quite the master at concealment. My investigation within the ersatz Hellfire Club led to no sign of mutants or suspicious characters - only a surfeit of drugs, alcohol, and scantily-clad women.'

As he stroked his chin, he pondered, 'Nonetheless, I was able to acquire a few photographs of Azazel, Riptide, Shaw, and Adrienne Frost by greasing the palms of some unscrupulous characters. The mention of Adrienne Frost brings to mind the fact that this universe, though echoing the cinematic universe, has characters drawn from the comic books, such as Sihing, Orson Randall, Fat Cobra, and others including Adrienne Frost herself. I recall in the film, Shaw was romantically linked with Emma Frost, yet in this universe, as evidenced by the photo I have, it appears to be Emma's older sister, Adrienne, who shares a romantic relationship with Shaw. This implies the likely existence of Emma Frost within this universe as well.'

Val mused, 'It's an intriguing contrast – in the movies, the Hellfire Club was blatantly active, with regular visits from Azazel, Riptide, and others. However, here, it's nothing more than a literal club. This leads me to surmise that the genuine Hellfire Club may be clandestinely located elsewhere, with Shaw manipulating the course of events from the shadows.'

Reflecting on his encounter with Charles and Raven, Val released another sigh. 'I originally wanted to avoid entanglement with other mutants before I had developed my own mutant abilities. As such, my initial plan prioritized my personal experimentation with mutation. However, due to an insurmountable mental blockade, I've been forced to postpone this pursuit,' he ruminated. 'The current unfolding events now necessitate my attention, and so I needed Charles and Raven on my side. With Charles' potent mind-invasive abilities and Raven's shape-shifting capabilities, we could have easily located Shaw. Alas, when I visited the supposed location of Shaw's villa from the film, I found nothing but an expanse of desolate land.'

Rising from the couch, Val made his way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He pulled out a bottle of water, took a long drink, and set the bottle down on the counter. His mind raced as he contemplated his options, 'Think! Think! Could I search for Erik? Unlikely. Attempt to reconnect with Charles and Raven? Nearly impossible now that the CIA has engaged them. They're likely being tasked to assemble a team to track down Shaw.'

His fingers drummed rhythmically on the counter as he peered out the window at the setting sun. A sudden inspiration struck him, and he found himself nodding in firm agreement with his own thoughts. 'That's it! Screw this! I'm going to concentrate on my mutant experiment. I made a promise to myself not to get entangled in the mutant affairs until I become one, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.'

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With renewed determination, he strode toward the basement.

...

At the C.I.A. Headquarters in Langley, Virginia,

Charles concluded his presentation before an audience of C.I.A. agents and the agency's director. "The dawn of the nuclear era could have spurred on the mutation process," he postulated. "Those possessing exceptional abilities might already be walking among us."

A smattering of applause came from some of the agents as Charles concluded his talk, while others simply rolled their eyes, seeming unimpressed.

Moira rose from her chair, clapping enthusiastically for Charles and smiling broadly. "Thank you very much," she beamed.

Observing Moira's animated response to Charles, the C.I.A. Director expressed his skepticism. "Agent MacTaggert, do you truly expect that the theories of a so-called scientist will convince me of the existence of sparkling women and vanishing men? You've just earned yourself a one-way trip to the typing pool."

He cast his gaze over the other agents, declaring, "This meeting is over."

Catching sight of Moira, who was grinding her teeth and shooting him a deadly glare, he commanded, "Sit down, Agent MacTaggert."

Charles noted the C.I.A. Director's dismissive attitude and, maintaining his composure, responded, "I didn't anticipate you to take my words to heart, especially as your mind seemed preoccupied with pondering the day's dessert selection throughout my presentation."

Observing the Director's eyes widening in surprise, Charles added, "You were hoping for apple pecan pie, weren't you?" Turning towards the rest of the agents, he elaborated, "One of the many fascinating abilities my mutation grants me is the power to read your thoughts."

One of the agents at the table retorted with sarcasm, "I've seen this act before, in a magic show. What's next? You'll ask us to think of a number between 1 and 10?"

Charles returned a smug smile and retorted, "No, Agent Stryker. However, I could bring up your son, William, who seems to be on your mind right now, quite endearing. But I think I'm more interested in discussing those Jupiter missiles America is presently stationing in Turkey."

Stryker bolted upright from his seat, pointing an accusatory finger at Moira as he bellowed, "He's a damn spy! You've let a damn spy into our midst!"

Keeping his smirk intact, Charles retorted, "How's that for a magic trick?"

The C.I.A Director commanded in a stern voice, "I want them removed from here. Keep them in custody until I can decide on a course of action."

A man, donned in a sleek black suit, rose from his chair, stating, "I'll take responsibility for them. I have an off-site facility," he beckoned Charles and Raven to follow him.

As they trailed behind the man in the sleek black suit, leaving the edifice, Charles leaned in to whisper to Raven, "I discovered something about Mr. Haller."

Raven, curiously asked, "What did you uncover?"

Charles's face morphed into a scowl as he murmured, "He's a liar!"

Raven echoed in disbelief, "What?"

Charles quietly explained, "Throughout my presentation, I searched the minds of the Director and every agent in the room but found no trace of him or the organization he claimed to represent."

Raven's eyes bulged in shock as she whispered, "But, he took your blood!"

With a resigned sigh, Charles admitted, "We've been played, Raven."