Washington D.C., inside a luxurious private estate.
"Kevin Robert is dead?"
The woman's voice was sharp, her features striking and pale as she furrowed her brow. "Damn it. How did he die?"
The man standing across from her replied quickly, "FBI got him. Raven, I think he might've gotten too bold—he drew too much attention."
"You know how he was. All that trauma from his childhood, the way life treated him… he developed a real hatred for humans. From what I gathered, he's killed quite a few civilians recently."
"F***ing idiot," Raven Darkholme hissed through clenched teeth.
"I warned him, didn't I? I told him to keep a low profile until we figured out where Erik was being held. We need to break him out before we even think about making moves on U.S. soil."
Leaning back in her chair, Mystique turned to the man. "Tell the rest of the Brotherhood—no more action. Everyone goes underground for now."
"No problem. But… Kevin's death—shouldn't we avenge him?"
"Hmph. He got himself killed. That's on him."
Raven's expression darkened as she continued, "The military hasn't stopped hunting us. Especially that bastard Stryker—he's still on our trail. The last thing we need right now is to provoke the FBI."
"Smith, get the message out. Everyone lays low. Nothing happens until I get Erik out."
"Understood," Smith replied, nodding. "Some of the Brotherhood have taken merc jobs on the black market to survive. I'll warn them to stay cautious."
He turned to leave but paused at the door. After a brief hesitation, he looked back.
"Raven… about the real Lina…"
"You're still thinking about her?" Raven's voice turned icy. "Don't forget—her husband is one of the loudest voices pushing for mutant suppression. He's one of them."
Smith didn't answer immediately. After a long silence, he said, "When I was a kid, she was the only one who ever treated me kindly. She played with me, laughed with me… even knowing what I was."
"I still want a future for mutants. A real one. But Lina… she's the only light I ever had."
Raven looked at him for a moment, then offered a small smile. "Relax. She's alive. I'm just using her identity for something."
"For your sake, I won't hurt her. But her husband—Senator Terence—he's not walking away."
Smith gave a quiet nod to the woman who wore Lina's face, then turned and walked out.
"Federal Bureau of Investigation…"
Raven repeated the name in a whisper, eyes flickering with something sharp and dangerous.
---
The Next Morning
"Well done."
James Duke beamed at Lynn Hall, who stood at attention in his office.
"I knew you'd pass the Brotherhood's test—but I didn't expect you to handle it so decisively."
He reached across the desk and slid a small box toward Lynn. Inside was a sleek, metallic pin—HYDRA's insignia gleamed ominously.
"From this moment on, you're officially one of us."
A notification flickered in Lynn's mind—James Duke's favorability had just increased to 7. The system awarded 10 XP.
Lynn gave a polite smile. "Thank you, Director."
He pocketed the pin with no visible hesitation. Just as he expected—once Duke believed Lynn was destined to be part of HYDRA, the man's attitude shifted entirely. So did his affection level.
"Director," Lynn said smoothly, "Kevin Robert used to be a member of the Mutant Brotherhood."
"According to our intel, he kept in close contact with other Brotherhood members. Should we—"
"Leave them for now," Duke cut him off with a casual wave. "Lynn, understand this: people may be on different sides, but that doesn't mean we can't use them."
"A dog that obeys can be fed. One that bites the hand—well, you know the saying. You put it down and skin it."
"We're the ones who decide who eats and who doesn't."
Lynn nodded, absorbing the deeper message. "Understood."
Duke grinned. "Get back to work. Once I make Director of Central HQ, this office will be yours."
"I said it before—after you brought back Tony Stark from the Middle East, I knew you were ready to move up."
He handed over a folder. "I've filed the paperwork. You're being promoted to D3."
"And next year, once Rich retires from his 'consulting' gig, that seat's yours."
"I appreciate your trust, Director."
Lynn gave a gracious nod before exiting the office. But the smile on his face faded the moment he closed the door behind him.
So… HYDRA has ties to the Mutant Brotherhood?
When Duke spoke of "disobedient dogs," he was clearly referring to Kevin Robert.
Then what about the obedient ones?
Were there compliant members in the Brotherhood working for HYDRA?
And more importantly—Duke never once implied that HYDRA was partnering with the mutants.
In fact, he made it sound like HYDRA controlled them.
So Duke and his branch of HYDRA are using certain mutants as pawns?
Lynn leaned back in his chair, thoughtful.
His current rank was still too low—both within the FBI and HYDRA.
If he were higher up, he could fully exploit both roles to manipulate favorability ratings among mutant factions.
Both positive and negative ones.
His eyes lit up as an idea took shape.
The Brotherhood is hard to reach right now… but what about the X-Men?
That might be a goldmine.
The X-Men were always in a precarious political position—misunderstood, distrusted, often hunted.
People like them needed allies in power.
Maybe I can get them to approach me willingly… to see me as a friend.
To "chase" my favor.
His mind raced with strategies—how to appear like a valuable contact without revealing his cards.
But before he could go any deeper, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen—and smiled.
"Lynn, tomorrow's the weekend. You promised you'd come home. I'm off for summer break, and you still haven't followed through on anything you said!"
Gwen's voice burst through the speaker, full of playful frustration.
Lynn leaned back and laughed.