Garus followed Xerion to his home, a dipidated residential area near a demolition zone. The deafening roar of machinery echoed constantly. How could anyone live here without losing their sanity?

  "I'm back, Mom!" Xerion shouted, dashing up the creaky wooden stairs.

  Hearing the door open, Xerion's mother sat up, concern etched on her face. "Xerion, you're home so early. Did you skip school again?"

  Xerion ignored the question, instead grabbing her hands joyfully. "Mom, we’ve found a way to treat your illness!"

  "What?" She looked at him, puzzled, before shifting her gaze to Garus. "And who is this?"

  Xerion introduced him without hesitation. "Mom, this is Garus, the owner of Azeroth Technologies. He’s the one willing to help us."

  "You’re a company owner? You look so young."

  "Your son possesses unique abilities, and I have my reasons for helping him," Garus expined, sensing her wariness. Turning to Xerion, he added, "You don’t need to hide anything. Go ahead and tell her, but first, we need to leave this pce."

  Xerion hesitated before saying, "I’m sorry, Mom. There’s something I’ve kept from you. I’ll expin everything ter."

  Xerion’s mother eyed them suspiciously.

  Garus was about to open a Death Gate when a noise from outside caught his attention. Moments ter, two men dressed in bck smashed through the window.

  "Who are you?" Garus stepped forward, shielding Xerion and his mother.

  The intruders raised their guns, but Garus acted first. Summoning the power of Death, he used Death Grip to pull the men toward him, incapacitating them with a single blow each.

  Crouching, he searched their unconscious bodies but found no identifying marks.

  "They’re here for me," Xerion said, his voice grim. "Yesterday, my powers activated, and someone must’ve noticed."

  Mutant awakenings had been happening more frequently, and the government had secretly been gathering information on them. The newly elected president, eager to make his mark, had intensified these efforts.

  Garus contempted the situation. He had an understanding—more of a threat, really—with the president, so it seemed unlikely the government was involved. Then it hit him: the Scarlet Witch’s Chaos Magic could compel these men to reveal their identities.

  In front of Xerion and his mother’s astonished eyes, Garus opened a Death Gate.

  "We need to go," he said. "It’s clear someone has their eyes on you."

  Xerion hesitated only briefly before pcing his mother in a wheelchair and following Garus through the portal.

  On the other side was Naxxramas, the floating fortress. Unlike its foreboding counterpart in Azeroth, this version was more welcoming. Streetmps lined the roads, and mutant children strolled and chatted happily. Upon seeing Garus, they greeted him warmly.

  Garus dumped the unconscious men onto the ground and made a quick call. "Pietro, I’ve got two captives. Bring them to your sister and find out who they are. I’m at the teleportation hub."

  "No problem," Pietro replied, appearing almost instantly.

  Pointing to Xerion and his mother, Garus said, "They’re new here. Get them settled. I have other matters to attend to."

  After ensuring they were taken care of, Xerion’s mother finally broke her silence. "Xerion, is there something you want to tell me?"

  "Sorry, Mom," he said, this time revealing everything he had kept hidden.

  Meanwhile, in a Hydra boratory...

  The facility was visited by a striking woman cd in a green bodysuit—Madame Viper, one of Hydra’s leaders.

  "Dr. Zo," she said, entering a room where the robotic scientist was tinkering with machinery. "Baron Zemo is dead. Did you know that?"

  Without looking up, Zo continued his work. "Of course. What’s your point?"

  Madame Viper smirked derisively. "Zemo’s research on mutants proved they could be powerful weapons. Imagine a mutant with enhanced mental abilities controlling your thoughts. Do you think you’d still be able to transfer your consciousness or escape from one who maniputes metal? Your research would be meaningless."

  Zo, irritated, put down his tools. "Since Zemo’s death, we’ve lost all research data on mutants, and the mutants themselves were rescued by that mysterious figure."

  Madame Viper shook her head. "Not all of them. I just received a government file from Pierce. It includes details on a mutant with precognitive abilities. With him, we can locate Hive."

  Zo, whose loyalty to Hydra was tepid at best, had little interest in retrieving their revered leader.

  "What do you need me for? Don’t you have enough manpower?"

  Madame Viper sighed. "That mutant was taken by Garus. We missed him by mere moments."

  "Then you’ve come to the wrong person. I’m no match for him, and I’d rather not rebuild my robotic frame again."

  "Rex," Viper said confidently. "I have my methods. The president has been intimidated into keeping mutants’ existence a secret, but we’ll expose them. I need you to release this list to every website."

  Information warfare was Zo’s specialty.

  "And," Viper added, "I want your Zo Algorithm to locate the precognitive mutant. That’s my main reason for coming."

  The Zo Algorithm analyzed vast amounts of data from digital activity—phone calls, emails, and more—to pinpoint a person’s location and habits.

  "Are you sure about using the Algorithm now? We might need it for more critical threats ter."

  "Strucker, Pierce, and I agree this is the top priority."

  Zo bristled at their uniteral decision but relented. "Fine. But you’d better protect this facility. I have a feeling they’ll find us soon."

  -----------------------

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