Chapter 12: Choice – To Save or Not to Save?
Two more guards dropped to the floor without a sound, their throats slit cleanly by George's flying daggers. He moved quickly through the hallways of the lab, keeping close to the shadows. When he reached a fork in the road, he stopped and took a breath.
He knew this place well by now. To the right was the cafeteria, and past that, the holding rooms where the other mutant children were locked up. The left path led to the exit of the lab—the way out.
George looked left.
If he took that path, he could probably get away safely. With the chaos the other children were causing, most of the guards would be busy chasing them down. That meant fewer people would be hunting him. If he got outside and found a car, he could disappear into the city. Once he made it to a crowded area, he'd be free.
He was about to move when he suddenly heard a scream echo down the right hallway. A child's scream.
George froze.
His foot, which had started to step left, lowered back to the ground.
"…Damn it."
He sighed, then turned and ran down the right hallway.
"I guess I'm not cold enough to leave them behind."
There were about fifty kids trapped in the lab, and from what George remembered of the story, fewer than twenty made it out alive. That meant over thirty of them were probably going to die.
George didn't think of himself as a hero, but he wasn't a monster either. He considered himself just a normal person. Maybe he wasn't brave enough to save everyone, but if he could help even a few of them, he'd try. He knew all their faces. They weren't strangers.
Still, he was clear about one thing: he would not throw away his life unless he had no choice.
Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, things were going badly.
Gabriela, a nurse who had secretly planned to help the mutant kids escape, was crying as she held the bodies of three children—Lady, Weir, and Ellie—who had just been shot.
She had once believed this lab was trying to cure cancer. But she learned the awful truth too late: they were creating mutant assassins. Along with a few kind coworkers, Gabriela had started planning to sneak the kids out.
But before they could act, the lab decided to execute all the children.
Their only choice was to run.
Some of the kids fought back, using their powers, but they were up against trained guards with real guns. Even with magic or mutations, they were outmatched.
Just to make it this far—to the cafeteria—Gabriela had lost several coworkers, and at least a dozen children had already been killed.
Now, the strongest of the children—Laura, also known as X-23—was surrounded. She had already taken out six guards, but now she was caught mid-air, trapped by metal restraints holding her limbs apart.
Gabriela saw her struggling and grabbed a submachine gun off a fallen guard.
She turned to the rest of the kids behind her. "Go! Run to the front gate. Isa's waiting for you with the truck!"
Isa, another lab worker, was their last hope. She drove the supply truck that came and went from the lab. Gabriela had secretly contacted her earlier, telling her to be ready at the gate.
"What about you and Laura?" asked a boy named Ricotto, the oldest among the kids. His voice shook.
Gabriela smiled gently and handed him a small keycard. "You're the oldest. Get them out of here. I'll bring Laura and meet you there, I promise."
Then she turned and opened fire, spraying bullets wildly at the guards holding Laura.
Gabriela wasn't a good shot, but her attack threw the guards into panic. One of them lost grip on Laura's leg, and she broke free just enough to slam her foot—adamantium claw extended—into the guard's eye. He dropped with a scream, buying her a few precious seconds.
But more guards were coming from the other side of the hallway.
Ricotto didn't wait any longer. He shouted for the others to follow and led the group down the back corridor.
But just as they reached the hallway past the cafeteria, four more guards blocked their path.
The children froze. They were scared, but ready to fight.
"Let's do it together!" Ricotto shouted, raising his hand to use his powers.
Before anyone could move, two of the guards suddenly collapsed. Blood sprayed from their necks.
The other two spun around—only to be hit by two well-aimed bullets.
Ricotto blinked. The kids stood in stunned silence.
George stepped into view, lowering his weapons. "Everyone okay?" he asked, scanning the group.
They nodded slowly. Ricotto stared at him.
"You're Number 757…"
George didn't waste time. "Gabriela and Laura are still in the cafeteria. I've cleared the back route. Take everyone and keep moving. I'll get them."
Without waiting for an answer, he dropped his empty weapon and picked up two fresh submachine guns from the fallen guards. Then he ran back toward the cafeteria.
When he entered, the scene was brutal.
Laura, covered in blood, was on top of a guard, punching him over and over again. His skull caved in under her adamantium claws. But as deadly as she was, she was still a child. Thin, small—and now exposed.
The remaining guards raised their guns and fired.
Laura was knocked back, tumbling across the floor. Her healing factor kept her alive, but she was badly hurt.
Gabriela was crouched behind a table, her gun empty. She had no way to help anymore.
George ducked behind cover, his heart pounding.
"This won't work," he thought. "I can't just rely on daggers anymore. I'm not invincible like Laura."
He needed to take out the guards quickly—all of them—before they had a chance to fire at him.
He took a deep breath, then held the two guns tightly. Drawing on his magnetic powers, he focused everything he had on the bullets themselves. Not just the guns—the bullets.
Then he popped up and opened fire.
The bullets curved through the air like guided missiles, each one twisted by magnetic force to strike a vital spot on a guard. Heads. Hearts. Necks.
His aim wasn't perfect, but the magnetic control made every shot count.
The guards dropped one after another, confused and terrified by the impossible trajectories.
A few bullets flew wide and hit walls, but most found their mark.
George didn't stop until his clips were empty.
When it was over, the cafeteria was silent again—except for the heavy breathing of Laura and Gabriela, still alive.
George lowered his guns and finally let himself relax.
******
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