?

"Tell me I got shot, I'm under anesthesia… and this is all just a hallucination," Castle said, rubbing his eyes several times.

"There's never an easy price for eternal life," I replied.

"Damn it, demons are the last thing we need…" The Punisher cursed, throwing a quick glance at Daredevil.

"Step back… I'll handle him," I said firmly, taking a step forward.

Not a second passed before I lunged at the demon, full of confidence in my strength.

THUD.

"How's that going for you?" Castle asked, running up to me.

I slammed into the wall, the air leaving my lungs with a wheeze. A hot trickle of blood slid down my lip. I hadn't expected that kind of power…

"Kh-kh… I have the strength of a demon that has devoured thousands of souls. I cannot be stopped," the Silvermane figure growled, his voice deep and layered, like a chorus from hell.

I felt my strength draining too fast. Damn it… This was the worst possible time for a fight. I hadn't planned on using everything I had left.

"Alright…" I hissed, wiping the blood from my lips. "Then… we'll do this another way."

I gathered every last drop of power left in me, recalling every skill I had.

And I went on the attack.

I dodged the demon's wide strike, slipping to the side. A sharp punch straight to the skull, knocking him off balance. A follow-up hook to the jaw, a knee to the ribs, not letting him catch his breath. Seizing the moment, I brought both hands down like a hammer, slamming him into the floor. A sickening crack echoed his skull fracturing under my strength.

"Enough!" the demon roared. From his maw erupted fire not ordinary flames. I didn't feel heat… but something far worse. A force of pure destruction.

Power Level: 20,000.

Not enough… Only my Sun could harm him, but my allies were too close.

"Get out… I'll handle this!" I shouted, diving straight into the heart of the inferno.

Without hesitation, Castle grabbed the wounded Daredevil and rushed toward the exit. He understood there was nothing they could do to help.

A surge forward. A strike.

The demon's claws tore through my chest a sharp pain, hot blood. I pushed forward, slamming my fist into his jaw and sending him crashing into the wall.

And then…

"You shouldn't have come here, demon… As long as I stand, there's no place for your kind on this earth," I growled.

A blinding sun flared to life in my palm so beautiful, yet so terrifying. I let it loose.

And then, the sun exploded.

A searing blaze engulfed everything, consuming all in its path. Fire devoured everything.

"Child of the Sun…" the demonic voice whispered.

Before I could even process what was happening, everything around me turned to ash.

****************

Project "Sentinels"

For weeks, they had been unsuccessfully trying to decipher Bolivar Trask's research. His genius though undeniably mad had created a masterpiece within the limits of his resources and capabilities. To move things along, they brought in Justin Hammer. He wasn't a genius, just a mediocre businessman running a weapons manufacturing company, but he had resources. And he had people.

Deciphering the Sentinels' programming was pure hell so many directives, protocols, and interwoven systems. Even understanding and launching what was already functional proved to be a challenge. Still, some problems were easier to handle. The few Sentinels that had been brought in had already passed their first tests. The only real issues lay within their software and operational stability.

Hammer wanted to create a suit similar to Tony Stark's armor. He outright refused to follow the original plan of fully autonomous machines.

Security had long lost faith in Hammer's ideas and intelligence. And so, in secret, they passed the project to someone else a scientist who had once changed the world… and nearly destroyed it.

[image]

The Arms Race

For decades, the world had been caught in an arms race not just for new weapons of mass destruction but for ways to make a human being deadlier than ever. With each passing year, new ideas emerged, each more ambitious than the last, all seeking to enhance human capabilities and surpass biological limitations.

Oscorp did not stand idly by. They entered the race with their own super-soldier serum project. The military funded the research, and the first results had already begun to surface. They looked promising.

But that was not all the corporation was working on. Other ambitious projects were in development. One of them was under the direction of Dr. Otto Octavius.

"The power of the sun… in the palm of my hand," the scientist whispered, studying the blueprints of his latest endeavor.

Before him lay data on a mutant named Escanor. His solar-based abilities were a revelation to Octavius. Throughout his career, he had sought new energy sources, believing them to be a distant dream, something that would only become reality in the far future. His technology simply wasn't advanced enough.

But here was a man who already wielded the power of the sun itself.

So why should his own limitations hold him back? Why should he accept the failures that once kept him from completing his grand design?

The world had entered a deadly dance, where the only question left was who would make the final move?

*************

Secret Prison

Deep underground lay a facility designed to completely neutralize Magneto's powers. Without them, he was nothing more than an ordinary, helpless man. Every trace of metal had been eliminated there wasn't a single gram of magnetic material in the entire complex.

The only elevator leading down was guarded by an intricate security system. A keypad lock, biometric identification one wrong move, and the lift would immediately lock down, trapping everyone inside or keeping anyone from entering.

Despite everything Erik had done, Charles had decided to visit his old friend. Ororo and Cyclops accompanied him. The government had granted him a single opportunity for this meeting.

After a thorough metal scan, they were allowed to descend. The elevator doors opened, and several guards were already waiting for them at the bottom. A narrow corridor led to a transparent cell standing at the center of the room.

"Charles…" Magneto murmured as he noticed his old friend.

"Erik…" the professor responded quietly, stepping closer to the door that led to the cell.

A guard unlocked it, allowing Charles inside. He carried a chessboard, carefully setting it on a small table. They had played countless times before, and now the pieces stood frozen, as if waiting for the next move.

"I've done a lot of thinking… And to be honest, I was wrong," Erik admitted, his gaze downcast.

"It's too late now. There's no undoing what you've done," Charles replied.

"I know that. But do you remember how I once tried to live like everyone else? How, more than anything, I wanted that? But it never worked. They always despised me. Feared me. Made me suffer… over and over again."

"I know. Better than anyone." Charles studied him carefully.

Magneto had been given so many chances to walk a different path, but every time, something or someone pushed him back toward hatred and vengeance.

"Do you know what I dream of now?" Erik said softly. "A place for mutants. Somewhere far away. Somewhere safe. Where no one can hurt us. Where we can live the way we were meant to."

"A paradise for mutants?" Charles tilted his head, watching him closely.

"Yes. Like your school… but not here. Far from people," Erik said.

"I wish I could help you… but it's too late to change anything." Charles looked at him with quiet sorrow.

"You're right." Magneto lowered his head, drained physically, emotionally. More than anything, he just wanted peace.

Then, suddenly.

PSSSSHHHH.

A sharp hissing noise filled the room. Thick smoke began pouring from the ventilation ducts. The guards tensed, but before they could react, the emergency lockdown system activated. The only exit sealed shut with a loud clang.

"Gas!" Cyclops shouted, rushing to the doors. He fired an optic blast, but the reinforced metal barely even dented.

Kh-kh…

Within seconds, breathing became difficult. The smoke spread fast, seeping even into Magneto's cell.

Charles tried reaching out with his telepathy to warn the X-Men, to call for help but… nothing. The prison had been designed to block even his abilities.

Then, a voice echoed from the speakers. Cold. Calculated.

"When we considered how to neutralize you, this seemed the most efficient way to subdue the world's most powerful mutant. Controlling minds, seeing people's deepest thoughts and intentions your abilities are truly remarkable. Someone like you is nearly impossible to catch off guard. You would sense it immediately. That's why this was the only real option. And before you lose consciousness, know this your precious school is next."

Charles' vision blurred. Darkness closed in.

"It's time."

The voice was calm. Certain.

Stryker stepped away from the microphone. He had waited for this moment for so long… To wipe out the mutant threat in one decisive move using their own strength against them.

Yes, Trask had built weapons to fight them.

But now, he had a weapon of mass destruction.

Charles Xavier's mind.

All it would take was a single thought.

And it would all be done.

For the greater good.

For humanity.

**********

Xavier's Mansion

"Can't sleep?" a voice cut through the quiet kitchen.

Logan turned lazily, spotting the kid Robert Louis Drake, better known as Iceman sitting at the table, sipping a soda.

"Where's all the booze?" Wolverine grumbled, rummaging through the fridge.

"Gone. School rules only non-alcoholic drinks now," Bobby shrugged.

"Damn," Logan muttered, grabbing a can of soda. The chilled drink only added to his irritation. He handed the can to the kid.

Bobby exhaled on it, and a thin layer of frost spread over the surface.

Logan took a sip, but his mind was elsewhere. The dam. The past.

Something kept clawing at the edges of his memory. Shadows. Voices. But every time he reached for them, they slipped away.

And now, the professor was leaving to see Magneto. Logan thought it was a mistake. Not now. Not when the whole world knew what they were. The school needed to be protected.

His instincts screamed danger, but he couldn't tell from where.

He glanced out the window, peering into the still night.

"Something's wrong," he murmured, frowning.

He yanked the window open, inhaling deeply. The scent hit him instantly metal, gunpowder, weapons.

His face hardened.

"Get everyone up. Now," he ordered Iceman.

But before the kid could move, something struck Logan in the chest. A dart.

Then gunfire.

Bullets tore through his shirt, staining it red.

"Move! Sound the alarm!" Logan roared, ripping the dart from his skin.

The sudden shatter of glass split the night. The assault had begun.

Logan bolted down the hall. The kids he had to get to them.

But as he rounded a corner, black-armored operatives emerged from the shadows.

"RRRAAGH!"

Metallic SNIKT! his claws unsheathed. Logan lunged.

The first strike was instantaneous one soldier barely had time to react before his chest was shredded apart, splattering the walls.

Rage took over. The next operative fell just as fast, torn to ribbons.

The doors to the children's rooms were close.

Then he saw it.

A fight was already raging ahead. The older students were holding the line, shielding the younger ones.

Colossus stood in the hallway, his steel body gleaming under the moonlight a wall between the soldiers and the kids.

"Get them out of here! Iceman, freeze the hall buy us time!" Logan barked.

Ice spread rapidly, sealing off the corridor. But then Logan saw a face one that jolted something deep inside him. A memory. A scar.

Most of the children had already escaped through a hidden passage. Colossus was the last to enter, casting Logan a final glance.

"We'll hold them off. Get the kids to the garage. Get them out."

Logan didn't hesitate.

He smashed through a wall, leading the escape. Bullets riddled his body, but he kept moving, tearing through soldiers as Iceman froze the paths behind them, creating icy barricades.

Then he saw them.

"Rogue? Jean?" His voice caught in his throat.

The two girls lay unconscious on the ground.

"Damn it," Logan exhaled sharply. "Grab them. We're leaving."

"What about the others?" Bobby asked.

Logan gritted his teeth. He knew the truth. He couldn't save them all.

But he would save as many as he could.

"We need to get the hell out of here," Logan said firmly.

His healing factor wouldn't save them all. The bullets lodged in his body were slowing him down. The tranquilizer seeping into his bloodstream made his limbs feel heavier with every step.

They burst into the garage. No time to pick and choose.

"This is Cyclops' car, isn't it?" Iceman glanced at the dashboard.

"We're just borrowing it," Logan growled, ripping out the ignition cylinder. A few sparks later, the engine roared to life. Tires screeched as they shot out onto the darkened road.

The operatives outside raised their weapons, but a blast of ice locked their arms in place before they could fire.

The car tore through the empty highway, but Logan felt it his vision blurring, his body sinking.

"I'm going under…" he muttered, forcing himself to brake before he blacked out. He staggered out of the car, stumbling to the passenger seat.

"I can't drive!" Bobby protested.

"Now's your chance to learn," Logan rasped before his body finally gave in.

Everything went black.

************

Hours later, consciousness returned in pieces. He felt something soft beneath him. Voices distant, muffled. The steady hum of a television.

His eyes fluttered open. The screen showed a news broadcast.

"The mutant group known as the X-Men has been declared fugitives and are to be detained immediately. They are highly dangerous, each possessing deadly abilities. If spotted, citizens are urged to avoid contact and report them to authorities."

Logan groaned, pushing himself up. "Where are we?"

"My house," Bobby answered, rubbing his eyes. "My parents are out of town. I didn't know where else to go."

Logan looked around. They were deep in the woods, far from the city. At least some good news. Judging by the light filtering through the windows, it was well past dawn.

"The professor… has he reached out?" Logan's voice was tense.

Bobby shook his head, his expression tight. "No."

Logan's jaw clenched. That meant they were captured too.

"Rogue? Jean?" he asked.

"Still out cold," Bobby sighed.

Logan exhaled sharply. "We need a plan."

Memories fragments of something buried surfaced in his mind. A name. A face.

"Stryker."

Bobby stiffened.

"I remember now," Logan continued, fists tightening. "The dam… the facility beneath it. That's where it all leads. That's where Stryker is. And that's where we need to go."

Bobby swallowed. "Then… we go?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah. But first, we get our strength back. We can't fight like this."

His eyes burned with determination. "And we find our team."