X-Men — Dark Phoenix

Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr are sitting in a quiet room of the former Xavier's school — now called "Delta." The walls still hold echoes of former coziness, but the air is thick with tension. On a low table sits a chessboard, the pieces frozen in a half-forgotten game. Neither of them is in a hurry to make a move: words are more important than the game right now.

They watch the television screen in silence. The report is playing without sound, but the subtitles speak for themselves: "The US government is launching mass production of Sentinels — protector robots designed to shield ordinary citizens from the threat of aggressive mutants." The footage changes: factories, rows of metallic giants, officials with solemn faces.

Charles frowns slightly, his fingers gripping the armrest of his chair almost imperceptibly. He believes in the possibility of coexistence, but reality whispers more and more insistently that the world is not ready for it. Erik, by contrast, sits motionless, as if carved from stone — his gaze reads a bitter "I told you so." To him, these robots are not protection, but a sentence, a sign that humanity will never accept mutants.

— Do you think they truly believe this will solve the problem? — Charles asks softly, without taking his eyes off the screen.

Erik smirks, but there is no amusement in that smirk.

— They believe in the power of iron and code. In the idea that a threat can be locked in a box and a button pressed. But fear does not disappear, Charles. It simply finds new forms.

A statement from the Secretary of Defense appears on the screen: "Sentinels are a guarantee of security for every citizen." Erik snorts and turns away, as if unable to watch any longer.

— A guarantee of security... for them. For us, it is a countdown.

Charles slowly shifts his gaze from the screen to his friend — an old friend, with whom their paths have diverged so many times.

— We cannot allow them to decide everything for us. If the Sentinels become the law, if they begin to dictate who is worthy of living freely and who is not... we must be ready.

Erik finally makes a move in the chess game — sharp, confident.

— Ready?