In the underworld of high-tech militarization, few names were whispered with the same mix of awe and dread as Trask Industries.
Their influence spanned governments, think tanks, and military R&D. Publicly, they worked in defense systems.
Privately, they collaborated with the Weapon Plus Program — a joint black-ops endeavor responsible for some of the darkest experiments in the history of super-soldier creation.
Trask Industries, the corporate face of mutant suppression and military augmentation, had unknowingly made him a target.
A week prior, Sahil had received a veiled message: a formal proposal from Bolivar Trask himself, requesting collaboration between Trask Industries and Hamato LifeTech.
Recently, Sahil Hamato's growing reputation — as both an industrial prodigy and an underground juggernaut — drew their attention. Trask reached out, extending an offer to collaborate on "next-generation integration projects," including adaptive exosuits and AI-weapons synchronization. Sahil declined. The message had the usual corporate polish, but Sahil saw through it. Trask wasn't interested in helping the crippled or advancing bio-mechanical ethics—he wanted to exploit Sahil's technology to fuel his growing Sentinel program and further militarize humanity against mutants.
He briefed Nick Fury.
"Trask reached out," Sahil said, arms folded as DETROIT displayed files across a holographic array in their private war room. "He's more involved than we thought. His facilities are running deep Weapon Plus protocols."
Fury raised a brow. "And how do you know this?"
"Because I infiltrated his servers."
DETROIT harvested encrypted data from within Trask's deepest databases, before it was eventually detected and purged by an old AI signature that Sahil recognized: Arnim Zola— or rather, what remained of his consciousness in Trask's systems — detected the breach. The once-living Nazi scientist, now a living algorithm, deployed countermeasures that forced DETROIT to evacuate. But before being purged, DETROIT managed to extract a core dump.
Enough intel to confirm the collusion between Weapon Plus, Trask Industries, Ross, and Stryker.
"Zola's still active. His consciousness runs part of Trask's adaptive defense systems , this means AIM and Trask are collaborating. He threw DETROIT out, but not before we got everything we needed."
Sahil displayed a list:
Weapon Plus Initiatives: Projects I(Captain America),X(Wolverine), XI(Garrison Kane), XIII(Fantomex), and ongoing trials under Ross and Stryker
Active cloning efforts with mutant DNA
Sentinel Mark X schematics with adaptive learning AI and
The embryonic phase of Project Sentry.
Fury studied the screen. "So Ross and Stryker are back in the game."
General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross and William Stryker were among the program's top civilian liaisons. Stryker was actively contributing his research from earlier mutant suppression work, and Ross had secretly obtained samples of Bruce Banner's blood years ago.
"They're experimenting with Bruce Banner's blood," Sahil said grimly. "They've also revived Emil Blonsky The Abomination.
The monster had been reawakened. Covert logs showed controlled tests — Blonsky had been moved off-site to a gamma-hardened bunker, in a separate division, hidden even from most Weapon Plus logs. And they've pulled in Trask to mechanize everything Ross is clearly preparing for something massive."
Fury exhaled slowly. "And you're sure you don't want to work with Trask?"
Sahil shot him a sharp look. "He wants total control. He sees mutants as threats, not people. I won't build tools for genocide." What Fury didn't say — but clearly understood — was that the intelligence confirmed Sahil's strategic value beyond even SHIELD's top agents. Sahil wasn't just a threat to AIM or Hydra anymore. He had Trask's attention — and that meant escalation.
Unknown to Sahil at the time, someone else was already watching Trask Industries from the inside—Mystique.
In the disguise, Mystique had seen strange signs. Advanced biotech systems that didn't match Trask's known blueprints. Gamma-reactive shielding materials. She had sent word to Charles Xavier.
"There's another player," her message read. "Not mutant, but powerful. Hamato LifeTech. Their founder, Sahil Hamato, refuses to cooperate with Trask. His tech is years ahead of Stark or Richards in certain areas. He could be an asset."
Professor X responded swiftly. "If he's opposed to Weapon Plus and Trask, then he aligns with our goals. Initiate discreet contact."
The X-Mansion stood serene beneath a pale sky, its gothic spires rising above Westchester's green, manicured hills. Birds chirped. Students laughed in the courtyard. It was, by all accounts, a peaceful sanctuary.
And it made Sahil Hamato uneasy.
He stepped out of his custom stealth transport, flanked by two cloaked drones trailing in passive reconnaissance mode. His black coat, armored and elegant, caught the light as he adjusted his collar. DETROIT fed him information about power signatures, energy fields, electromagnetic barriers, and psychic frequency inhibitors layered deep within the building.
Xavier had nothing to hide. Which meant he had everything to protect.
Professor Charles Xavier himself awaited him at the door, hands folded behind his back, expression composed. To his right stood Hank McCoy — Beast — in a tailored vest and glasses, radiating curiosity and warmth.
"Sahil Hamato," Xavier greeted. "Thank you for accepting our invitation."
Sahil nodded. "Given our common enemy, it seemed... appropriate."
Inside, the halls of the Xavier Institute were alive with subtle tension. Students passed, whispering. A few paused to stare — not out of fear, but recognition. Sahil Hamato was becoming a name even mutant kind respected.
They entered a circular meeting chamber. Beast offered Sahil a handshake.
"I must say, I've followed your biotech publications with interest — particularly your neural AI interface models. They're brilliant, if a bit unorthodox."
Sahil smiled. "Likewise, Doctor McCoy. I appreciated your work on adaptive genome modulation. Though I think your retroviral suppression model could be upgraded with Chitauri resin-based coding sequences."
Beast blinked, intrigued. "You've isolated that?"
Sahil nodded, glancing around. "In the field. Under extreme conditions."
Xavier chuckled. "Two minds at the edge of science. It's a pleasure to witness."
But then Xavier's tone shifted. He gestured for Sahil to sit.
"Let's speak plainly. Trask is escalating. His partnership with AIM, and Zola's influence behind the scenes, pose a direct threat to mutants. Weapon Plus is no longer just a hidden military operation. It's a breeding ground for abominations."
"I know," Sahil said simply. "I've seen what they're building. Sentry protocols. Mutant harvesting. Brainwave control and recombinant gene-forging. Trask thinks he's ahead. He's wrong."
Xavier's fingers tented. "Which brings me to the real reason I asked to meet. You've shown a willingness to act against them. But you've also remained... independent."
"I have reasons."
"I don't doubt it," Xavier said. "But your technological sophistication and intelligence-gathering capabilities rival even our own. I'd like to offer something — an alliance, in spirit if not in permanence. The X-Men have faced Trask before. We will again."
Sahil studied him. "You want me to share everything I've uncovered. But you're still gauging whether I'm ally or threat."
Xavier gave a gentle nod. "I'm a telepath, Sahil. Forgive the instinct."
In that moment, Xavier's pupils dilated slightly. A flicker of psychic focus surged through the room like a ripple.
And nothing happened.
Xavier blinked in confusion, his psychic probe dissipating into a mental labyrinth of mirrored code, metallic walls, and shimmering interference fields. There were patterns there — rhythms like thought, but not quite human. Sentient but synthetic. Nanomachines, evolving and adapting in real time, had formed a shield around Sahil's consciousness. Not just a wall — a living, learning fortress.
Xavier gasped softly. "I... I can't read your mind."
Sahil looked at him. Smirked. "Nanomachines, son."
There was a long pause.
Beast gave a startled laugh, then clapped his hands once. "Extraordinary! Your neural defenses are… reactive? Organic-synthetic hybrids?"
"Exactly," Sahil replied. "My mind is my last stronghold. No offense, Professor. But I've had to build it that way. Weapon Plus isn't the only thing out there trying to hijack thought."
Xavier exhaled. "Impressive. Unprecedented. I wasn't trying to violate your privacy, Sahil — only to understand the scope of your defenses."
"Ill let it slide cuz I was prepared," Sahil said, standing.
He paced slowly to the center of the room.
"I oppose Trask not because I care about public sentiment or mutant rights — not directly, at least. I oppose him because the future he's building is one where control replaces evolution. Weapon Plus isn't about protection. It's about dominion. No race — mutant, human, or otherwise — should be farmed like data."
Xavier looked at him with something new in his eyes: respect… and wariness.
"Then we stand on the same side of the line," the Professor said finally.
"For now," Sahil replied. "But I don't follow banners. Not SHIELD. Not mutantkind. I follow outcomes. And if the X-Men help me get the right ones, we won't be strangers."
He turned to leave, his drones hovering silently to flank him.
As he exited the mansion, students peered from the windows again.
Now, with knowledge of Weapon Plus, Sentry, and Trask's role in escalating the arms race against mutants and powered individuals, Sahil knew war was inevitable