"We should come up with code names," Raven suggested, catching Sophia's attention.

"We're government agents now—we need secret identities," she added with a grin. "I want to be called Mystique."

"Damn, I wanted to be Mystique," one of the guys chimed in.

"Well, too bad. I called it first," Raven said, laughing.

Raven shapeshifted into Sean, mimicking his voice perfectly. "Damn right, I'm way more mysterious than you," she said, crossing her arms in an exaggerated pose.

Everyone burst into laughter and applause, amused by her spot-on impersonation.

"What about you, Darwin?" Raven asked with a grin.

"Well, Darwin's already a nickname, and it kind of fits," he replied. "Adapt to survive and all that."

He stood up, walked over to the fish tank, and dunked his head in. His face began to morph, sprouting gills.

Everyone burst into laughter, impressed by his demonstration. "Thank you, thank you," Darwin said, bowing as the others clapped and cheered.

"What about you?" he asked, turning to Sean.

"I'm going to be... Banshee," Sean declared with a grin.

"Why name yourself after a wailing spirit?" Hank asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You might want to cover your ears," Sean warned with a smirk.

Sophia quickly did as told, just in time to see Sean let out a high-pitched whistle. The next moment, the window shattered, and the room erupted in laughter and cheers of amusement.

"Your turn," Sean said, nodding toward one of the girls.

"My, uh, stage name is Angel. Kind of fits," she said with a smile. She turned around, and it was as if wings suddenly unfurled from her back.

"You can fly?" Raven asked, amazed.

"Uh-huh. And..." Angel added, spitting forward, hitting a statue, and singeing the top of it with her acidic spit. Everyone laughed, impressed.

"What's your name?" Angel asked Hank.

"How about Bigfoot?" one of the guys joked.

"Well, you know what they say about guys with big feet," Raven said playfully, though there was a hint of defensiveness in her tone. "And, uh, yours are kind of small," she added, teasing Alex.

"Okay, now," Alex replied, laughing along with everyone else at the banter.

"Alex, what's your gift?" Darwin asked, curious. "What can you do?" he added, leaning in slightly.

"Uh, it's not... I just can't do it. Not in here," Alex hesitated.

"Can you do it out there?" Darwin suggested.

"Why don't you just do it out there?" Raven encouraged.

"Come on," Angel chimed in.

"Alex! Alex!" Darwin started chanting, and soon the others joined in. Finally, Alex sighed, setting his drink down and standing up.

"Get down when I tell you," he warned, stepping out through the broken window. The group leaned out to watch him.

"Get back," Alex cautioned them again. They obeyed for a moment before sneaking another peek.

"Get back!" he repeated, more urgently this time, but they stayed put, curiosity winning out.

"Whatever," he muttered. Sophia had no idea what he was about to do, but the air around him seemed to crackle with energy. Suddenly, his chest lit up, glowing with a fierce, almost blinding light. In an instant, the light exploded outward, sending a powerful wave of energy surging from his body and slicing the statue in the middle clean in half.

Everyone erupted in applause and cheers, shocked and impressed by the display. Raven grabbed Sophia's arm, and the two of them jumped up and down, caught up in the excitement, cheering along with the others.

After the excitement died down, Raven turned to Sophia. "What about you, Sophia?" she asked.

Sophia looked around, a bit unsure. "Oh, um, I hadn't really thought of one, actually. I mean, I'm not a mutant or an agent, so it didn't really cross my mind," she said with a small shrug.

Raven smiled at her. "Well, that means you get to have the coolest name," she said. After a moment of consideration, she suggested, "You should be Spectra."

Sophia laughed a bit and nodded. "Okay, Spectra it is," she said, accepting her new code name with a grin.

After a while, boredom set in and they decided to turn on some music. Sophia, who wasn't very outgoing, found the atmosphere fun but remained seated. She sat on the couch while Raven danced on it, laughing at her antics. Raven, catching Sophia's eye, grabbed her hand and tried to coax her to join in.

"What are you doing?" Moira called out, hands on her hips. Everyone froze, surprised to see them.

"Who destroyed the statue?" Moira asked, pointing at the wreckage.

"It was Alex," Hank said, quickly ratting him out.

"No, it's Havok now. That's his name," Raven corrected, walking over to where Charles, Erik, Moira, and Isabella stood. She still held Sophia's hand, guiding her along.

"And we were thinking," Raven continued, "You should be Professor X," she said, pointing at Charles. "You should be Lumina," she said, pointing at Isabella. "And you should be Magneto," she finished, pointing at Erik.

"Exceptional," Erik said, nodding approvingly.

Moira gave the group an unimpressed look and then glanced at Sophia before walking away.

"I expect more from you," Charles said to Raven, clearly disappointed.

Sophia let go of Raven's hand and hurried after Moira. "Moira, I'm sorry," she called out, trying to catch up.

Sophia caught up to Moira in the hallway, out of breath. "Moira, please wait," she said, placing a hand gently on her arm.

Moira stops and turned, her expression softening slightly. "What is it, Sophia?"

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble," Sophia said earnestly. "I just wanted to fit in and have a good time. I didn't expect things to get so out of hand."

Moira sighed, looking at Sophia with a mix of frustration and understanding. "I know you're trying to find your place here, but this is a serious situation. We can't afford distractions."

"I understand," Sophia replied, nodding. "I'll do better. I just... I want to be part of this, to help however I can."

Moira studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Just remember, this is bigger than any of us. We need to stay focused."

Sophia gave her a small nod.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Sophia sat on the couch, her legs crossed, feeling the boredom of being confined to one room. She glanced out the window and noticed two men standing outside, their attention clearly focused on the activity inside.

"Oh, I didn't know the circus was in town," one of them said, a hint of mockery in his voice.

"Hey, come on, honey, give us a little, uh," he continued, making fluttering gestures and moving his hands up and down.

"No? Come on, let's see the foot," he said, lifting his leg in a suggestive manner.

Hank, visibly annoyed, stood up and moved towards the window. "There it is, come on Bigfoot, let's go," the man outside said, trying to provoke him further.

Hank reached out to close the curtains, clearly unimpressed. "Hey, come on. Hey!" the man called out, but Hank continued to close the curtains, blocking their view.

Sophia's eyebrows furrowed as she watched the scene unfold. She felt sympathy for the mutants, realizing for the first time how harshly people could react to their abilities. She had thought their powers were fascinating, but she hadn't fully considered how others might view or mistreat them because of them.

"They're just guys being stupid," Raven said dismissively.

"Guys being stupid I can handle. I've dealt with that my whole life," Angel responded, her voice tinged with frustration. "But I'd rather have a bunch of guys stare at me with my clothes off than the way these guys are looking at us," she added.

Raven glanced down, feeling the weight of her words. "At us," she corrected softly.

Suddenly, a distant explosion shook the room. "What was that?" Darwin asked, his eyes wide.

More explosions followed, growing louder and closer. "I don't know, but something doesn't feel right," someone said urgently.

The group quickly moved to the window, opening the curtains to see what was happening outside.

They all stared up and saw something falling from the sky. "What is that?" one of the guys asked, his voice trembling.

Suddenly, someone landed with a heavy thud right outside the window. Sophia jumped back, panic in her voice. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with fear.

The group watched in shock as more figures began to fall from the sky, hitting the ground outside with loud impacts.

Agents rushed in, slamming against the window. "Get back, get back! Do not leave this room. We're under attack!" they shouted urgently.

Sophia's heart raced as she saw someone materialize in front of the agents. Panic erupted among the group, screams piercing the air as they pointed out the new threat. The agents started firing, and the group scrambled behind the couch for cover.

The chaos intensified when a gunshot shattered the window. Sophia let out a terrified scream. Peering cautiously from behind the couch, she saw a tornado forming outside, its powerful winds twisting and churning violently.

The group watched in horror as the security outside was systematically taken down by an unseen assailant. "Stay here, my ass. Let's go!" Darwin shouted, breaking from cover. The rest of the group followed him, scrambling out from behind the couch and charging into the hallway.

"Get back!" one of the security officers yelled, trying to hold them off.

"We can help! We can help!" Darwin shouted, attempting to push through. Angel, too, tried to force her way past but was held back.

Sophia stood hesitantly, her heart pounding. She had no idea how she could contribute in this chaotic situation, feeling helpless amidst the crisis.

The group dashed back into the room, their panic mounting. The tornado outside roared louder, and the chaotic sounds of gunfire and destruction continued. Sophia could hear Raven sobbing near the window as the storm drew closer. A man was thrown through the window, crashing into the room and shattering the glass. Sophia screamed, and Raven let out another cry when they saw the last security officer fall.

Two figures emerged, approaching from both sides of the room. Gunshots rang out from the hallway, heightening the sense of imminent danger.

"Wait, wait! You want the mutants? They're right through that door!" someone shouted from outside.

"Just let us normal people go. We're no threat—" Another body fell, and a new figure entered the room.

"Where's the telepath?" the man asked with a commanding tone.

"Not here," one of his accomplices replied.

"Too bad," Shaw said, removing his helmet. "Good evening. My name is Sebastian Shaw."

Sophia shrank back behind Raven, hoping to remain unnoticed and avoid revealing that she wasn't a mutant.

Shaw continued, "I'm not here to hurt you. My friends, there's a revolution coming. When mankind discovers who we are and what we can do, each of us will face a choice: be enslaved or rise up to rule."

He moved closer, his gaze intense. "Choose freely, but know that if you're not with us, you are against us. So you can stay and fight for those who hate and fear you, or you can join me and live like kings and queens."

Sophia watched in disbelief as Angel walked toward Shaw and took his hand. "Angel?" Raven's voice trembled with hurt. "Are you kidding me?" Sean's voice was laced with frustration.

"Come on, we don't belong here," Angel said, her tone resolute. "And that's nothing to be ashamed of."

Darwin reached out to Angel, but she turned away, joining Shaw. "We have to do something," Raven said, desperation in her voice as she watched Angel and Darwin walk away.

"Stop, I'm coming with you!" Darwin called out, moving toward them.

"Good choice," Shaw said approvingly. "So tell me about your mutation."

Darwin took a deep breath. "I adapt to survive."

"Excellent," Shaw responded, smiling. "I like that," Shaw said, nodding in approval.

Alex stepped forward, preparing to act. "Alex, do it," Darwin urged.

"Get down!" Alex shouted to the remaining group as he attacked Shaw. But Shaw effortlessly absorbed the attack, barely flinching.

"Protecting your fellow mutants?" Shaw mused, his voice smooth. "It's a noble gesture. Feels good, doesn't it?"

Darwin tried to strike Shaw again, but Shaw blocked the blow with ease. He grabbed Darwin's face, his expression cold. "Adapt to this," Shaw said, his voice dripping with menace.

Sophia watched in horror as Darwin's form shifted, first turning into metal, then stone. He glowed momentarily and he was gone.