"Charles Xavier was born into a wealthy family, attended Oxford University, graduated with honors, and holds multiple doctorates in genetics, biology, and psychology. He is, by all accounts, a representative of the elite class."
Stryker flipped through the documents...
S.H.I.E.L.D. had long since investigated the two mutant leaders thoroughly, compiling detailed records of these individuals deemed high-risk targets.
"Unlike Erik Lehnsherr, another mutant radical, Charles Xavier harbors no hatred for humans. He is a morally near-perfect hypocrite. To deal with someone like him, I don't even need guns or bombs. He'll walk right into the trap on his own."
Out of caution, Stryker skimmed over the specifics of his plan, focusing instead on Magneto.
The colonel knew all too well the Brotherhood leader's terrifying power over magnetic fields...
Modern weaponry; high-powered artillery, precision-guided missiles... all of it would be rendered useless against him. Even the slightest trace of metal could be turned against them, becoming instruments of their own slaughter.
To counter this, the Department of Defense had procured a batch of polymer-based weapons from Stark Industries. No matter how formidable Magneto's abilities were, he was still flesh and blood. If exposed to weapons crafted from non-metallic materials, he could bleed. He could die...
Stryker had devised an exhaustive strategy for this war of mutant eradication. Whether it was Professor X or Magneto, he had a plan to neutralize them.
Even Nick Fury, a top-tier strategist, couldn't help but acknowledge Stryker's deep understanding of mutants after hearing his methods. Professor X, the telepath, appeared invulnerable... but his compassion and moral code were precisely what made him vulnerable.
As for Magneto, with his control over metal, the key was to avoid dense urban centers. Engage him in open terrain with minimal metallic presence, armed with polymer weapons, and he wouldn't be nearly as unstoppable as imagined.
Though the one-eyed director disliked Stryker's radical ideology, he agreed with the underlying premise... Humans evolved over millennia to dominate this planet. What gives mutants the right to replace us? Some primitive superpowers like throwing rocks?
Listening intently on the side, Sean nodded inwardly. William Stryker hadn't earned the title "Mutant Butcher" for nothing...
No wonder, in the original timeline, both mutant leaders had nearly fallen to him. The colonel's ruthlessness and insight into mutant psychology and weaknesses were unmatched.
"Sean Cyphers..." Stryker glanced at the silent young man after outlining his strategy, "My team includes top scientists who've dissected more mutants than you've seen lab rats."
Sean smiled faintly, "Yet they haven't found a way to strip Magneto, or any mutant, of their powers permanently."
His presence in this office, his involvement in Stryker's Mutant Defense Plan, wasn't just due to General Ross's recommendation...
The real reason was Umbrella's takeover of Worthington's research... extracting serum from the boy Jimmy to develop mutant power suppressants. That was why the military and White House had such confidence in this war.
Stryker's pupils contracted slightly. He reassessed the young man with the faint smile, discarding his earlier dismissiveness. Anyone who could carve out a piece of Worthington's collapsing empire was far from harmless.
The colonel knew one truth... To judge a man's mediocrity or brilliance, first look at the seat he occupies. No one reaches the top of the pyramid by being a docile lamb...
After two hours of deliberation, the President approved Stryker's plan... though, as a seasoned politician, he reminded the colonel to minimize casualties and public fallout. The debate over mutant rights remained divisive.
Nick Fury pledged S.H.I.E.L.D.'s full cooperation, while the low-profile Sean nodded along, promising Umbrella would expedite production of the mutant suppressants.
With comprehensive support secured, Stryker was satisfied...
He knew he was just a pawn in the hands of greater powers. But so what? If it meant exterminating those damned mutants and erasing his hatred, he'd sacrifice anything.
As Stryker exited the Oval Office, Fury caught up to him. The one-eyed director fixed him with a cold stare, "Do you truly want to start a war, Colonel Stryker?"
The colonel's brisk stride didn't falter, his smile vanishing, "I know you were an outstanding soldier. But when you were still a spook, I was already leading special ops in Vietnam. So don't lecture me about war. The horns sounded long ago, the moment they first appeared on the world stage..."
"...The Cuban Missile Crisis, the Paris Peace Summit, Worthington Tower in Manhattan... Mutants have never faded away. They've gone from scattered individuals to two factions. If we don't strike hard now before they unite, what will we face? A separate species operating outside human society!"
Behind his glasses, Stryker's eyes gleamed with icy intensity, "You all think mutants are just a threat? No. They're a bomb capable of reducing modern civilization to rubble."
Watching Stryker's retreating figure, Fury sighed inwardly. He'd let the colonel handle the mutants. He had his own agenda, recruiting Tony Stark for the Avengers Initiative, then scouting other candidates.
The young man dubbed New York's Prodigy passed by, offering a faint smile. The one-eyed spymaster frowned. He'd heard of Sean Cyphers. After the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom incident, the boy had landed on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s watchlist.
Two months of surveillance had yielded nothing. Reports indicated the young man rarely left Umbrella's labs, with no suspicious calls or online activity. As Coulson put it, "He's so clean he doesn't even browse porn sites."
DNA analysis of hair and skin samples showed no anomalies. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four had confirmed that genetic mutation was probabilistic, not everyone exposed to cosmic storms would develop powers.
With doubts dispelled, Fury had withdrawn the surveillance team, and refocused on Tony Stark.
Exiting the White House, Fury watched Sean's car pull away. A spy's intuition nagged at him... There something hidden beneath that youthful smile.
The thought flickered and faded. It was probably just his professional paranoia...
He had scrutinized the file. Aside from a teenage entanglement with gang violence, there was nothing noteworthy. So there was no need to obsess over him.
Gazing at the sky, Fury noted the gathering storm clouds... They were thick and leaden, spreading like ink across the horizon, and casting a pall over the earth.
A downpour was coming...