Chapter 13: George's Final Gift
Ever since George learned that his mutant powers were capped at Level 2, he'd been thinking hard about how to make the most of them.
He couldn't control entire missile systems or bend steel bridges like Magneto. He couldn't fly by riding Earth's magnetic field or stop bullets in mid-air with just a wave of his hand. Compared to the legendary mutant, George's magnetic powers seemed limited, even small.
But even small powers could be deadly—if you used them smartly.
He always thought the instructors at the lab were too narrow-minded. They'd trained him to kill using magnetically-controlled daggers, but that felt primitive. Why bother with something so crude when a needle would do the trick? Needles were smaller, faster, and could be controlled in larger numbers. They might not deal as much damage, but if aimed at soft spots—the eyes, ears, throat—they could be just as lethal.
Still, after all his experiments, George had come to one conclusion: guns were best.
There was simply no comparison. Bullets were fast and deadly. With even a little control over their trajectory, he could turn any ordinary firearm into a precision weapon. A normal sharpshooter needed years of training—he could achieve better results instantly with magnetism.
At the moment, he was only using lightweight submachine guns. But in the future? If he could strengthen his abilities enough to guide the bullets from a heavy machine gun or even manipulate them mid-flight from afar, he'd be unstoppable.
A true one-man army.
As he finished off the last of the guards in the cafeteria, George lowered the guns. The floor was littered with bodies. Blood pooled around the boots of fallen men. Smoke hung in the air, the smell of gunpowder thick and sharp.
Gabriela stared at him, stunned. Laura, the young mutant known as X-23, looked equally confused.
George gave a short nod. "Come on. Let's go."
Gabriela blinked, then ran forward, grabbing Laura's hand. She didn't know much about Subject 757—he wasn't like the other mutant children. He hadn't needed nurses or caretakers. The lab had kept him separate, under tight supervision.
But she could tell one thing: he was on their side.
The three of them ran through the halls and soon caught up with the other children. But George didn't relax. If anything, his focus sharpened.
He knew this escape wasn't over yet.
The guards they'd encountered so far were just the first wave. The base was large and heavily protected. Reinforcements were surely mobilizing by now. And who knew what other weapons they had stored deeper in the facility?
Sure, he'd looked impressive—mowing down guards with magnetic-enhanced bullets like a scene out of an action movie. But he wasn't invincible. Laura had drawn most of the fire; he'd just taken advantage of the chaos.
If they sent a sniper next time, things could go very differently.
Especially if it was a Barrett .50 caliber rifle. George had heard about those. They could punch through solid concrete from a mile away. If someone aimed one of those at him, he wouldn't even get a chance to react. His magnetism wouldn't help much against a bullet moving that fast.
So no, this wasn't the time to get cocky.
Luckily, the rest of their escape went smoothly. No snipers. No backup troops. And no sign of X-24, the lab's most dangerous mutant weapon.
Soon, they were outside.
The truck Gabriela had arranged was waiting near the loading bay. Isa, the driver and their last remaining ally on the inside, was behind the wheel, ready to go.
George helped the children into the back of the truck. Then he turned to Gabriela, who was catching her breath.
"Do you know where the main labs and data storage rooms are?"
Gabriela blinked at him, surprised by the question. But she quickly pointed toward two separate buildings near the center of the base.
"There. And over there."
George gave a tight smile. "Perfect."
He slung his backpack onto the ground and unzipped it. Inside were grenades—more than a dozen, taken from the bodies of the guards he'd killed. There were other supplies too: cash, maps, food. He'd planned for escape, but now he was thinking of something more.
"Let's leave them a gift," he said.
Gabriela's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure they won't come after us too fast."
George reached out with his magnetism, lifting the grenades into the air like juggling balls. Then, using his power with careful precision, he launched them in arcs toward the two buildings Gabriela had pointed out. As they flew, he pulled the pins from each grenade using magnetic force.
Seconds later, twin explosions rocked the base.
The labs went up in flames. Data storage rooms were shredded into rubble. Smoke billowed into the night sky.
George turned back to the truck and climbed aboard. Gabriela just stared at him, mouth hanging open.
He gave her a shrug. "If I'm lucky, some of their leadership just died. If not, at least they'll be scrambling to figure out what they've lost."
And with that, the truck sped away into the night.
Back at the base, chaos ruled.
Dr. Rice, covered in dust and ash, stormed through what remained of the underground lab. He reached the command center and slapped Commander Donald across the face.
"You idiot!" he screamed. "I told you to handle it! Now more than half the children are gone, my research is in ruins, and you let them blow up our most critical labs!"
Donald didn't flinch. He kept his head bowed.
"If X-24 had been injured," Rice growled, "I'd have had you cremated already."
"I… I take full responsibility," Donald mumbled. "I didn't expect the nurses to turn against us. That was the key mistake."
Rice took a slow breath, trying to calm himself. "I don't care about your excuses. Just find the escapees. And do it before anyone else does."
He paused.
"Especially S.H.I.E.L.D."
Donald stiffened at the name. Everyone knew about S.H.I.E.L.D. If they got wind of this mutant experiment, things could get very bad very fast.
"If they find any of those kids, they'll trace it back here," Rice said. "And then we're finished."
He turned toward the observation deck. Below, behind a glass wall, was X-24. The clone stood silently in its containment cell, watching with emotionless eyes.
"If you need backup, take X-24," Rice said. "We can test its combat performance in the field."
Donald nodded. "Yes, sir."
Later, as he left the ruined lab, Donald met with one of his officers.
"Any leads?"
"Yes, Commander. Based on the evidence, it seems the mutant known as Subject 757 was behind the attack. Surveillance was destroyed, but our forensics team found enough to link him to the cafeteria ambush and the grenade attack."
Donald narrowed his eyes.
"Subject 757…? But he's just a Level 2 mutant. How could he wipe out an entire squad of trained guards?"
The officer replied, "Most of the guards were shot with pinpoint accuracy—headshots, chest shots. Classic marksman kills. Except a few who were stabbed. It's like he turned into a sniper with submachine guns."
Donald frowned. "That's not his ability. He's supposed to have weak telepathy and limited magnetic control. No enhanced vision, no speed…"
The officer shrugged. "We don't know how he did it. Maybe he's smarter than we thought."
Donald scowled, but said nothing more. He was already planning the next steps. Whatever Subject 757 was becoming, he couldn't be allowed to stay free.
*******
If you want to read more there's 50 chapters there of my written fanfictions and translated works in my Pat.Reon.
patreon.com/DukeUldurath