November 22nd.
Another press conference was held, offering new updates and clarifications on the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Unlike their previous statements—which were skewed and deliberately misleading due to political considerations—this time, the authorities admitted to having manipulated public opinion. They had stoked emotions and misled the people, resulting in a widespread, distorted perception of mutants.
One that could only be described as deeply prejudiced.
But after witnessing the horrific plight the mutants had been plunged into as a result of that manipulation, some officials found themselves wracked with guilt.
So, after long and serious deliberation, they decided to do something incredibly rare in the political world: tell the truth, and admit their mistake.
> "In truth, it was those mutants who intervened—and their actions are the reason a missile crisis didn't escalate."
> "Yes, the world didn't descend into nuclear war. World War III didn't break out. And for that, we all owe those mutants our thanks."
> "But at the time, we were terrified—terrified of the overwhelming power the mutants displayed. It was a force unlike anything we'd ever seen before, something that completely shattered our understanding."
> "It was a power that rendered our weapons useless. Our fleets, our planes, our tanks—none of it would matter against that."
> "So we panicked."
> "We feared this powerful new group."
> "And the other Nation felt the same. They were just as afraid as we were."
…
This explosive speech was broadcast live across every major TV network in the United States.
In that moment, nearly the entire country came to a halt. People stopped what they were doing, gathering in front of television screens, eyes locked on the flickering images.
The nation was stunned.
Every single viewer sat frozen, jaws slack, unable to believe what they were hearing.
> "Bullshit. This is absolute bullshit!"
Thousands—perhaps millions—of people were outraged. They yelled at their screens, refusing to accept the reality presented to them.
It was infuriating.
Just days earlier, the White House's inflammatory rhetoric had turned mutants into the nation's scapegoats, the villains of the story, the focus of widespread public rage.
People had condemned them with passionate fury. Some took it even further—hurling insults, attacking, even beating mutants whenever they were found.
Police officers arrested mutants on sight. Any resistance was met with gunfire.
Mutants had been pushed lower than even the most marginalized groups.
And now, they were being told that the mutants weren't at fault after all? That it was all political manipulation? That they, the people, had been used like pawns?
What the actual hell?
No one could accept this.
> "So this… this is the truth?"
> "A bunch of morons raised on horse shit! Mutants could've been our strongest allies, and now we've forced them into becoming our enemies!"
Some turned their fury toward the government.
A group powerful enough to annihilate an entire naval fleet—if the U.S. had brought them to its side, how could the other Nation possibly compete?
The U.S. could've easily surpassed the other Nation and cemented its position as the undisputed global superpower.
But no. The idiots in charge had taken a royal flush and played it like a pair of twos.
…
> "Professor! Look!"
At Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Charles, banshee , Havok, and Darwin were gathered around the television like everyone else in the country, eyes fixed on the screen.
Their faces were flushed with emotion, Havok even shouting out excitedly to Charles.
Mutants had become pariahs overnight, and Charles had been beside himself with grief.
He had even begun to resent Erik and Alex. If not for their reckless actions, would things have spiraled into this mess?
Charles had been agonizing over a solution, racking his brain for a way to change their fate.
But nothing had worked. The situation seemed utterly hopeless.
And yet, within days, everything had changed.
The narrative had flipped. Public opinion was swinging back in their favor!
Still… how? Why now?
> What's the angle?
Charles didn't buy the "guilty conscience" excuse for a second. Since when had those people ever had a conscience?
He fell into deep thought, confused by this unexpected shift.
Even so, no matter the reason—it was good news.
And Charles, for the first time in a long while, allowed himself to feel a flicker of hope.
…
> "Erik! Come quickly! The narrative's changed!"
Elsewhere, at another hidden base, Erik and his group watched the broadcast with elation.
For the first time, their people were finally being treated with fairness and justice. It filled them with genuine joy.
But like Charles, they too couldn't understand why this change had happened.
> What had prompted such a radical reversal?
Could someone behind the scenes have orchestrated this?
If so… who?
…
> "So… both our nations agreed: we would use our fleets to launch missiles and wipe out all the mutants."
> "But we didn't anticipate the mutants' counterattack."
> "They sank our fleets."
> "What happened in Cuba was a tragedy—born of misunderstanding and rash decisions."
> "And we… we were the ones who made it happen."
> "We owe the world the truth. And we owe the mutants justice."
As the speech came to a close, it felt like the entire world had been struck by a nuclear bomb.
A magnitude-8 political earthquake shook the globe.
The United States just admitted fault?
Impossible.
Even if the sun rose from the west, this was still something no one believed could happen.
And yet… it did.
The world was rocked. No one could stay calm.
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