chapter 34

Chapter 34:

– Valerie –

The mind-controlled mutants rushed forward as a single terrifying unit. I barely had time to brace myself before Magneto flung out his hands. An invisible force yanked my beloved revolver clean from my hand, and Seras lost her assault rifle the same instant.

"Crap," Seras muttered under her breath.

I only managed a grunt of agreement before diving aside to avoid a streak of lightning that Storm hurled our way. The bolt sizzled across the concrete, leaving the acrid scent of ozone in its wake. I skidded on my knees, my palms scraping against the rough concrete bunker floor. 

Then Wolverine was on us, moving with a vicious speed I'd only glimpsed back at the mansion. His claws slashed in a blur. I jumped back, but not fast enough—white-hot pain flared as his adamantium claws gouged into my shoulder.

"Fuck!" Blood sprayed from the wound, the searing agony making my vision swim. I staggered back and lashed out with a powerful kick, catching Wolverine's jaw and sending him stumbling a step. But that was it. What the hell was he made out of? I felt like I just kicked a truck.

He recovered instantly, his savage snarl sending a chill down my spine. He lunged, roaring like a rabid animal.

"Logan, snap out of it!" I shouted.

Behind me, Seras let out a startled yelp, followed by a thud. I risked a glance and saw Mystique slamming her into the wall. Before she could recover, Jean fired a bolt of psychic force, forcing Seras to stumble into Scott's line of fire. A crimson laser beam tore past her, melting the wall where her head had been just seconds ago.

All the while, the Weapon X commander cackled. "Magnificent! Keep pushing them, my loyal slaves! These vampires are fascinating creatures! I want to see the limits of their abilities!"

I gritted my teeth, dodging Wolverine's next swipe—only to be blindsided by a sudden arc of lightning.

Storm's attack struck me square in the chest. My body convulsed as electricity surged through me. My ribs cracked, my skin burned, and for a few agonizing seconds, my vision went white. I hit the ground with a dull thud, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I clenched my jaw against the pain, forcing my limbs to move. My healing kicked in, but not fast enough. Not in a fight like this.

Every time I healed, I burned through precious reserves of life force. If I let them tear me apart too many times, that would be the end.

A few yards away, Seras took a brutal punch from Mystique, sending her sprawling. Her police girl uniform now hung in tatters, deep scratches knitting back together almost as fast as they formed.

I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the dull ache in my chest. 

Scott and Jean turned their attention to me next, while Magneto, Storm, and Mystique tried to finish off Seras.

A massive laser came flying straight for me. I barely dodged, only to get hit by Jean's red psychic blast. Fire seared through my nerves as I crashed into the wall near Seras. My vision blurred for a moment, my ears ringing.

"We're… getting our arses kicked," Seras muttered, weaving around Storm's next attack. She managed to dodge the lightning strike, but a side swipe from Wolverine knocked her clean across the room. She crashed into a bank of steel cabinets, denting them on impact. She looked up, hair plastered to her face with sweat and blood.

"Yeah… this sucks!" I whined, forcing my aching body upright.

"Valerie, do you have a plan?" Seras called out, shakily getting to her feet. She couldn't take much more of this.

Yeah… I had a plan. I guessed I was going to have to fight mind control with mind control.

With Seras halfway across the room, Wolverine lunged at me again. This time, I let him slash into my arm. I bit down on the pain as more blood spilled, reeling away just long enough to extend my still-dripping arm toward Magneto, who was midair, weaving thick chains together to capture us.

I wasn't going to let him finish.

I had enough blood to use as a catalyst for a powerful spell.

Dark magic.

The darkest kind.

"Imperio!" I roared, unleashing a beam of white light.

The effect was instant.

I felt him thrashing inside my mind, like an animal caught in a snare. This wasn't hypnosis—this was something so much worse. My magic sank into Magneto's psyche, twisting around his mind like coiled serpents. He fought, his will strong, resisting with everything he had.

For a split second, doubt nearly broke my hold. This was wrong. Every instinct screamed for me to stop. But I couldn't. Not now.

Desperation fueled me. I pushed deeper, forcing my will upon his. He snapped under the weight of my magic.

Magneto froze. For a second, time seemed to slow.

Seras staggered, wiping blood from her lip. "Bloody hell..." she whispered, staring at me in shock.

Wolverine hesitated, confused, and turned to see Magneto now standing eerily still.

The Weapon X commander took a step forward, his grin faltering. "What...? How are you—?"

I felt Magneto's mind in my hands.

I swallowed hard.

Everything in my training with Rowena told me this was wrong. This was the darkest side of magic—the kind that destroyed lives. But I had no choice.

"Magneto," I ordered. "Subdue them. Now."

His glassy eyes flickered, as if he was still trying to resist. But the spell held firm. His body moved against his will, his hands raising ever so slightly. Then, with a twitch of his fingers, the room shifted.

Metal screeched as the air became a storm of flying steel. Jean's psychic aura flared in an attempt to shield herself, but Magneto's attack was relentless. A wall of metal slammed Scott to the ground, pinning his arms at his sides before he could fire another optic blast. Mystique leapt at me, shifting mid-air into a tiger, but a chain whipped out of nowhere, snapping tight around her neck.

Wolverine let out a furious growl, charging forward. Magneto flicked his wrist. Logan hovered midair for half a second before he was flung into a pile of scrap metal. Shackles snapped shut around him instantly.

Storm summoned a gust of wind, trying to disrupt the attack. Magneto clenched his fist, tearing apart the air ducts above her. Chunks of the ceiling came crashing down.

Seras leapt forward, dodging debris before tackling Storm to the ground.

The Weapon X commander stared. His cocky grin was gone. His mouth opened, but whatever order he had planned died in his throat as Magneto turned towards him next.

Holy shit Magneto was OP as hell! 

This old guy just soloed all these powerful mutants in only a couple seconds! I'm glad the Weapon X commander was trying to test us and didn't order Magneto to instantly do the same to Seras and I.

"Holy shit, Val," Seras whispered as she knocked out Storm. "What did you do?"

I clenched my fists, breathing heavily.

"Something I shouldn't have… but had to anyway."

I turned toward the Weapon X commander, my fangs bared. "It's time for you to die!"

"No it isn't! Get me out of here!" the Weapon X commander screamed into the air, his voice laced with desperation.

Seras and I barely had time to react before a swirling portal crackled open behind him. Without hesitation, he leaped through it, disappearing in an instant like the coward he was. For half a second, we just stood there, stunned. 

"I think he has more mutants helping him…" Seras pointed out and I growled in annoyance.

Then my ears caught something—distant, rhythmic explosions. The ground beneath us shuddered, dust raining from the bunker's ceiling.

Seras' eyes went wide with realization. "Holy shit! He ran off and—oh my god, I think he's blowing this place up! He's a full-on, real-life supervillain! We're gonna be buried alive!"

My pulse spiked as I scrambled for a plan. I had seconds—maybe a minute—before everything caved in. My gaze snapped to my revolver lying across the floor, knocked aside in the fight. I bolted toward it, dodging falling debris as the bunker's walls trembled around us.

Magneto's resistance was growing. I felt his mind pressing against my control like an earthquake waiting to erupt. I didn't have much time before he broke free and started attacking us again. Whatever mind control he and the others were under was a lot more devious and less direct than the Imperio spell. It's like someone had gone into his mind and seared loyalty and obedience into his psyche to the Weapon X program and I didn't have the time or experience to remotely deal with it!

I turned on my heel and sprinted to the rows of metal cages where the imprisoned mutants were trapped. My revolver pressed against the first lock as I muttered, "Alohomora."

The latch popped open. I barreled past the stunned teenagers and ran up to Charles. Blood matted the side of his bald head and he had an inhibitor collar around his neck.

I touched the collar with my revolver. "Alohomora."

The device sparked and unlocked, falling away. But Charles barely reacted, his head lolling to the side. He was messed up, probably had multiple concussions.

I pressed a hand to my chest and summoned the Healing Grail. It materialized in my palm, the golden chalice filling instantly with rich, crimson blood. There was no time to explain—no time for hesitation.

I tilted his head back and forced the rim of the cup against his lips. "Drink," I ordered.

He weakly swallowed at first. Then, suddenly, his entire body tensed. His breathing hitched, and I could almost hear the rapid repair of tissues inside him. Then—snap!—a sharp, unnatural sound filled the air. His spine.

I barely managed to keep my shock in check as his fingers twitched, then gripped the armrests of his wheelchair.

His eyes fluttered open. "What… happened?"

"Not the time!" I cut in. "The bunker is collapsing, Magneto is about to break free and murder us!"

The entire room shook violently, cracks splitting across the ceiling as pieces of debris crashed around us.

Charles' gaze sharpened in an instant. "Understood."

I felt the instant Charles took control of Magneto's mind , and I let go of my spell willingly. 

Magneto, now under Charles' influence, straightened abruptly, his eyes flickering with awareness. Without hesitation, he raised his hands, and the entire room responded. Metal groaned and twisted, bending to his will as if it were alive.

"Quickly! Everyone inside!" Charles called out. He instinctively stood up from his wheelchair. "What…?" His eyes widened as he looked down at his own legs, disbelief written across his face. He took a hesitant step forward, then another.

"I—" he began, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the massive sphere of solid metal Magneto had constructed. "No time for that, Professor! Move!"

We all sprinted toward the makeshift escape pod, the bunker groaning ominously around us. Seras and I hauled the still-subdued but mind-controlled mutants into the metal enclosure.

Then the ceiling cracked.

Chunks of concrete and steel rained down, the tremors intensifying. My heart pounded as I silently prayed Kitty had gotten all the kids out in time. If she hadn't—no, I couldn't think like that.

A deep, metallic grinding sound filled the air. "Hold on!" Charles shouted. "I'm having Magneto drill us back to the surface!"

Darkness swallowed us as the metal sphere sealed shut, plunging us all into nervous silence. Then, with a powerful jolt, we lurched upward, the entire structure vibrating as Magneto's abilities carved a path through the collapsing bunker. The walls groaned, debris scraping against the exterior as we ascended rapidly!

The shaking came to an abrupt stop as we finally broke through to the surface. The moment Magneto's metal sphere ground to a halt, the hatch groaned open, and we all spilled out onto solid ground, gasping for fresh air.

I turned back to glance at our makeshift escape pod and let out a low whistle. The entire top of the metal sphere had been reshaped into a massive drill, its edges still glowing faintly from the heat of carving through the earth.

"That was way too close," Kurt muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. His vampire girlfriend clung to his arm, nodding silently, her eyes still wide with lingering fear.

"We almost died," Rogue added, crossing her arms as if that could contain the shiver running through her body.

"But we didn't," Charles interjected, his voice filled with quiet relief. He was still staring at his legs, taking hesitant steps as if each one might be a dream. "And I'm glad everyone is okay."

I scanned the clearing until I spotted movement near the tree line. Kitty and the kids were waving at us, some jumping up and down with excitement. They must've bolted the moment the ground started shaking, smart choice—there were gaping holes where the bunker had collapsed beneath us.

Seras stood nearby, looking exhausted. Her yellow uniform was in tatters, hanging off her frame in shreds. I walked over and wrapped my arms around her. She hugged me back just as tightly.

"You did good, Valerie," she murmured, pressing a quick kiss to the top of my head.

I chuckled, still a little high on adrenaline. "That was definitely a close one." Reluctantly, I pulled away and turned toward Charles. "What do we do about them?" I gestured to the group of chained-up mutants who were still under whatever psychic hold Weapon X had placed on them.

I didn't like seeing Ororo like that…

Charles exhaled. "William Stryker… That's the man responsible for all of this. He had a mutant son with psychic abilities. Whatever he did to them, I have no doubt I can undo it, but it will take me a few hours."

"And in the meantime?" I pressed.

Charles folded his arms. "For now, we need to figure out how we're all going to get out of here. I could have Magneto construct something and fly us out if necessary."

Before I could respond, my ears picked up the low hum of approaching helicopters—several of them.

I smirked and turned back to him. "I don't think that'll be necessary…"

…

Kitty had come through. She managed to get in contact with Integra, and as the roar of multiple military helicopters filled the air, she handed my phone back with a relieved sigh.

The heavy thrum of rotor blades sent gusts of wind whipping through the clearing, kicking up dust and loose debris. Soldiers poured out of the aircraft, their movements efficient but cautious as they surveyed the wreckage of the collapsed bunker.

Just to be safe, Charles reached out with his mind, brushing against the thoughts of the pilots and soldiers. After a few tense seconds, he exhaled and turned to me. "They aren't connected to Weapon X. They were told they were rescuing abducted civilians from a terrorist organization. They don't even know the people they're saving are mutants--or vampires." he said with a relieved chuckle.

I ran a hand through my hair, still on edge. "And you can make sure they don't find out?"

Charles nodded. "I can ensure they forget that part entirely once we're safely en route. They'll believe they extracted innocent hostages, nothing more. I'll wipe their minds once we get back to the mansion..."

That would have been reassuring if not for one crucial problem.

The mansion.

The mansion that was still covered in bodies…

Crap.

I muttered a curse under my breathe. The place was a war zone. The last thing we needed was the military landing in the middle of it and asking about all the dead people.

Logan and Ororo were both totally out of it. They weren't going to be much help.

With no other option, I pulled out my phone, thumbs flying over the screen as I sent a quick message to Alucard.

"Need a fast cleanup please..."

– Selene –

…Selene's gaze swept over the carnage before her, disbelief etched into every feature. "This is a school?" she asked, her voice laced with incredulity.

Scattered across the grounds were the lifeless bodies of soldiers clad in black tactical gear. The scene was something out of a war zone, not an academic institution.

Alucard chuckled darkly beside her. "It seems my daughter has been quite busy."

He had received an urgent message from his daughter and wasted no time rushing here, bringing Selene along for the ride. She couldn't say she minded—there was something intriguing about a man who prioritized his family. It had been a long time since she had anything resembling one.

As she studied the aftermath, she couldn't deny the brutal efficiency of Alucard's daughter. The apple clearly hadn't fallen far from the tree. 

If "Valerie" was anything like her father, then this level of destruction was simply second nature. Not that Selene had any sympathy for the fallen men. If they had truly attacked a school, then they had sealed their own fates. 

Then, something caught her attention. A pitch-black aura, tinged with dark red, seeped from Alucard's body, spreading across the ruined grounds. Everywhere the sinister mist touched, bodies, blood, and remnants of battle dissolved, absorbed into Alucard's very being as if they had never existed.

Selene swallowed hard, feeling a shiver run down her spine. In all her centuries, she had never seen such a thing. The sheer power of it, the unnatural control—this wasn't just vampirism. 

This was something beyond.

Alucard must have sensed her reaction because he turned to her with a smirk. "No need to look so shaken, my dear. In time, I'll teach you what it means to be a true vampire. That is, if you still wish to return to my homeland with me."

Her cheeks warmed just a tiny bit-it was hard for vampires to fully blush after all-and she hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "You helped me hunt down those beasts, and, well… I don't exactly have anywhere else to go." She glanced at him curiously. "What's your daughter like, by the way…?"

"I think you two will get along great! Maybe she'll even call you mom!"

XXX

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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:

The Fallen Gamer ch 319-323

The Titan 28

The Fox Hole 60

Thunder and Black Wings 11

The Blood Queen 36

The Fox Hole 59

The Titan 27

The Fox Hole 58

The Blood Queen 35

The Fox Hole 57

Thunder and Black Wings 10

The Fox Hole 56