Chapter 48: What Are You Doing Here?

The air in the hallway was thick with dust and silence as the Vanguard moved carefully down the corridor labeled Isolation Room B. They had expected this part of the hidden military facility to be empty, cold, and sterile. Instead, they found warmth—faint traces of life. The hum of security systems long since dead buzzed faintly from the walls, and the scent of sterilizers and copper lingered in the air like a faded echo.

Adrian led the group, his hand ready at his side, his senses sharpened. Behind him, Peter clicked the trigger on his web shooter, Cassie floated in the low light with her shadow tendrils twitching, Bobby had his hand on his custom grappling hook, and Sage walked in silence, her fire axe slung casually over her shoulder.

Inside the room, through the thick reinforced glass of a containment cell, a boy was curled into himself. Thin. Pale. Shaking. A ghost of a child huddled against a wall like the darkness had eaten him alive.

Cassie stepped forward slowly. "Hello there… Are you okay?" she asked softly.

The boy jerked awake, eyes wide, and with a panicked cry, the air around him twisted. The metal floor buckled with a shink—a dozen matter spikes burst from the ground like a sea urchin erupting.

"Whoa—whoa! We're not here to hurt you!" Adrian raised his hands, careful not to spook him more. "Calm down. You're safe. I promise."

The boy's breath came in shudders. His wide eyes darted between them—until they landed on Sage.

He blinked. Recognition bloomed across his features.

"Miss Sage?" he whispered. "It's… it's really you?"

Sage gave a soft smile and took a step closer. "Yeah. It's me, kid. I'm sorry it took so long. But we're here now—to get you out."

Elio looked with hesitation.

"I… I can't leave," Elio said softly, shrinking back again. "They told me I have to stay here. I'm not allowed to leave."

"They lied," Bobby said gently, kneeling. "They're not here anymore. We're not them. You're free to go, kid. For real this time."

"You'll protect me?" Elio asked.

"Every step of the way," Cassie said.

Elio reached forward slowly. His small hand touched the glass wall… and it warped like clay. With a soft shimmer, the barrier dissolved. He stood frozen for a moment, unsure. Then, with trembling feet, he stepped out.

Adrian watched quietly, his heart heavy.

"I haven't seen the sky in years," Elio said, looking around. "I've been… I've been eating food I made myself. I changed metal into bread. Sometimes I turned the dirt into water. I didn't know if it was healthy… but it kept me alive."

Peter looked horrified. "That's… that's horrible. I'm sorry you have to deal with that Elio."

Cassie placed a hand on Elio's back gently. "We're here now. You don't have to survive like that anymore."

Adrian gave a firm nod. "Let's move. We need to contact the X-Men and get out of here befo—"

BOOM!

The far wall exploded inward in a torrent of burning red energy.

Elio screamed as the shockwave threw dust and debris across the room.

From the smoke, a dozen shadows emerged—tall, imposing, deliberate.

Magneto stepped through the collapsing frame, metal swirling around him in jagged, hovering shards. To his right, the Scarlet Witch floated with a ghostly glow in her eyes. Beside her stood Mystique, cold and calculating. Toad grinned from the ceiling above them, his tongue twitching. Pyro twirled a lighter in one hand, already sparking flames. Blob stomped in with earthshaking weight. Quicksilver appeared with a whoosh, standing inches from Elio before anyone could react, smirking casually.

"Well," Quicksilver said, glancing at the boy. "Found him."

Adrian shoved Elio behind him instinctively.

"Get behind us, Elio!" he barked.

The Vanguard formed a line instantly. Peter crouched low, hands raised in a tight boxer's stance, eyes flicking to each enemy. Bobby's hands sparked with spatial energy, shifting the gravity beneath his feet. Cassie's cloak spread wide, her shadow blades already forming and floating around her like satellites. Sage took the front, spinning her fire axe as a translucent barrier shield flickered into place around them.

Adrian took a slow breath.

He activated 20% One For All, lightning dancing along his limbs. His arms and legs glowed faintly from hardening, and smoke screen began leaking from his back like a shadowy mist. His face half-dissolved into Warp Gate energy, concealing have his face with crackling distortion.

Magneto raised his hand.

"Step aside. The boy belongs with us now."

"No fucking chance," Adrian said.

Silence hung.

The room pulsed with tension. Every muscle tight. Every breath shallow.

Elio, shaking, clung to Sage's arm.

Scarlet Witch's hands crackled with reality-warping energy.

Pyro's lighter flared to life.

Mystique unsheathed twin blades.

Adrian planted his feet. "You're not taking him."

Quicksilver cracked his knuckles. "Well then… let's dance."