Chapter 18

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"Has the blast not broken through yet?"

Colonel William Stryker stood just outside the central control room of the underground base, his expression darkened by frustration and rising anxiety. Despite several concentrated explosions, the reinforced entrance to the control chamber remained stubbornly intact. Ironically, Stryker himself had been responsible for this dilemma. In a bid to ensure absolute security, he had ordered that a small quantity of Adamantium be fused into the door's structure, an alloy he now realized had turned the door into a near-impervious barrier.

His recent decision to allow what he believed to be Wolverine, his most prized and fearsome creation, back into the base had proven a grave miscalculation. The man he saw through the surveillance monitors had indeed appeared identical to Logan, but once "Wolverine" entered the facility, it became evident too late that he had been deceived. It was not Logan at all, but rather Mystique, the shapeshifter, who had assumed his likeness and infiltrated the command center. There, she had promptly sealed off the control room from the inside.

"Colonel, even if we keep blasting, it might take over a dozen more charges to breach this door," reported the demolitions commander. "We'll need to significantly increase the payload."

"No," Stryker said sharply, his brow furrowed.

"If the explosive force grows any stronger, we risk compromising the structural integrity of the dam itself. If the lake breaches and floods this facility, none of us will survive."

Realizing he was out of time and options, he barked a new set of orders. "Abandon this front. Redirect all remaining resources to the Cerebro Chamber. Initiate the mutant extermination protocol immediately."

"But sir," one of his subordinates hesitated,

"the machine has only just been installed. It hasn't undergone calibration or testing. If something malfunct—"

Stryker raised a hand to cut him off mid-sentence. "There's no time. If Mystique is already here, then Magneto can't be far behind."

He knew Magneto too well, It was precisely this intimate knowledge that filled him with dread. Erik Lehnsherr's capabilities, were nothing short of catastrophic. Stryker's soldiers wouldn't hold him back for more than a few minutes.

Indeed, before they had even managed to retreat far from the sealed control room, news arrived over the radio, the guards stationed at the spillway had all been eliminated. Not one remained.

"Stop them at any cost," he commanded, voice grim.

"Delay them for as long as possible. Every second counts."

Meanwhile, guided by Magneto's immense powers, Mark and four others advanced through the corridors of the base with relative ease. Their progress was so rapid and unopposed that Mark couldn't help but feel that, if it weren't for their need to use the Xavier School's jet and Jean's psychic abilities to pinpoint the location of Cerebro, Magneto and Mystique alone could have likely carved a path through the entire facility unaided.

Stryker's private military force, no matter how well-armed or trained, posed no genuine threat to Erik. Furthermore, the female mutant known as Deathstrike, who served as Stryker's personal bodyguard, was among the few enemies that Magneto naturally countered due to his manipulation of metal. Her Adamantium enhancements were a liability in his presence.

"Have you located Charles?" Magneto inquired as he approached the door of the control room.

With a mere wave of his hand, he tore the door from its hinges and sent it clattering to the side. He looked directly at Mystique, who was seated calmly before the main terminal.

Mystique's fingers moved fluidly across the keyboard in a display of practiced efficiency. Within seconds, a holographic projection of the base's architectural layout materialized in the air. One specific chamber near the far end of the base pulsed with a red highlight.

"I think I got him, most of the facility's current energy output is being redirected to this room," Mystique reported. "It's likely the Cerebro Chamber."

"Can it be shut down remotely from here?" Storm asked immediately.

Mystique shook her head. "No. It's on an independent circuit with a separate control system. We'll have to disable it manually at the source."

At that moment, Mark noticed Wolverine silently slipping out of the control room. A glance at the monitors revealed Stryker making a hasty retreat through the facility's interior passageways.

Mark understood instantly. Logan had seen him and was now in pursuit.

Stryker had once shot Wolverine in the head with an Adamantium bullet, erasing over a century's worth of memories. That single act had condemned Logan to a life of confusion and amnesia. Above all else, Logan longed to uncover the truth about his past, to reclaim the memories that had been stolen from him.

"Piotr" Mark called out, turning to Colossus.

"Go with Logan, He's emotional and might do something brash. Make sure he captures Stryker. We may need him alive later."

Colossus hesitated momentarily, glancing toward Storm for approval. When she gave a small nod, he wordlessly followed after Wolverine.

Mark's rationale for this order was pragmatic. Against someone like Magneto, neither Wolverine nor Colossus would be of much use, since Erik's magnetism rendered both their powers nearly irrelevant. But in pursuing Stryker, they could be effective, and it was imperative that the Colonel not be allowed to escape. Stryker posed an existential threat to mutantkind, and leaving such a man alive and unaccounted for would only court future disaster.

Moreover, Deathstrike, whose healing factor and Adamantium skeleton rivaled Logan's, stood as a potential adversary. In the films, Logan only defeated her through a clever ploy involving the injection of molten Adamantium into her body. In this encounter, such a strategy might not be available. For all Mark knew, it could be Logan who ended up on the receiving end this time.

Given how drastically events had already diverged from the cinematic universe canon, Captain America had already become the "Captain Britain" of this world Mark knew better than to rely blindly on what he remembered from film or comic lore. Precaution was paramount.

In addition, Mark had grown fond of Logan. The man's gruff demeanor masked a principled soul. Losing such a comrade in this mission would not only weaken their strength but also rob him of a kindred spirit.

Storm's acceptance of the plan was also telling. She had come to trust Mark's intellect and foresight, and since she now suspected that Magneto might turn traitor the moment the mutant crisis was resolved, it made strategic sense to keep Logan and Pitor away.

"I was forced to reveal the construction schematics of the Cerebro Chamber while imprisoned," Magneto said suddenly.

"I know how to disable the system."

He then turned toward Mystique.

"Mystique and I will go retrieve Charles. The rest of you can focus on neutralizing the remaining soldiers and securing the facility."

But Storm narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "No. We'll go together."

Magneto paused and exchanged a glance with Mystique. Both of them showed a flicker of surprise. Storm's wariness was unexpected and inconvenient.

Still, Magneto forced a smile. "Very well."

Now was not the time to force a confrontation. The priority remained to eliminate the threat to mutantkind. Any betrayals would have to wait.

Meanwhile, Mark quietly activated one of his system. 'Load Goku template.'

From this moment forward, he would remain in a heightened state of readiness. With Magneto's betrayal a looming possibility, he could no longer afford to hold back.

As his hair spiked and his aura flared with newfound energy, his uniform shifted to a martial arts gi, and the signature staff materialized across his back.

"You remind me of another mutant," Magneto remarked. "A young woman named Psylocke."

(T/N: I hate her and Spidey on Marvel rivals TT)

Psylocke was known for her formidable psychic weapons and enhanced combat prowess. Magneto's analytical mind surmised that Mark's abilities, especially his energy manipulation and conjured weaponry, suggested a similar classification.

"Is she strong? If so, I'd love to spar with her someday!"

Mark's eyes lit up with the enthusiasm of a Saiyan warrior, Goku's personality from the template now asserting partial control over his emotions.

Magneto chuckled.

"She's quite powerful, yes. But she isn't part of my Brotherhood. She serves a mutant trader named Caliban."

"Are you strong too?" Mark asked bluntly.

"We should spar sometime!"

The look in his eyes was not one of aggression, but pure, unfiltered eagerness. Magneto, taken aback, found himself momentarily amused.

"Challenge me? You may yet have the opportunity," he replied with a cryptic smile.

Together, the team pressed forward through the dimly lit corridors of the base. After dispatching several groups of guards with relative ease, they arrived at the periphery of the Cerebro Amplification Chamber.

Suddenly, a burst of red laser energy blazed toward them from the side.

"Watch out!" someone shouted.

The beam sliced through the air with surgical precision. Cyclops had entered the fray.