Chapter 23: The Human Condition

“Magneto huh…” Chris whispered when suddenly all he and Rocket’s metallic weapons were flung from their holsters and unsheathed and tossed aside.

The master of magnetism saw it unfit to let them keep their weaponry.

“Oh Logan!” Magneto laughingly said. “Always relying on the same old tricks.”

“You too bub!”

“Yes I suppose. But against you they’ll never fail to work.”

Nilin’s metal arm, Wolverine and X-23’s adamantium skeleton. They were completely immobile in the face of Magneto. Chris now saw just how powerful this mutant really was. In one swift motion he and Rocket were disarmed, and his three most powerful fighters rendered useless. He had to do something.

Laura told me that in her world mutants and humans hated each other. And I can tell by the glare in his eye… that no mutant hates us more than this one… Chris thought.

“What a cheap trick!” Chris taunted. “Too afraid to fight like a man!?”

Magneto smirked. “I know what you’re trying to do human filth. It’s not going to work.”

“Oh yeah?” Chris said as he cracked his knuckles. “Those fancy powers of yours can’t stack up if you ask me. You don’t have power. No, you’re just a sickness. Like any other virus I’ve dealt with. Just… like… Wesker.”

Jill and Barry who’d been sitting on the sidelines feared for Chris. Feared he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Chris… Don’t… Jill had thought in the back of her mind. She knew he’d been through a lot, but this?

All the while Wolverine and X-23 had been struggling to get control of their bodies to no avail. Nilin on the other hand had a different plan. Noticing that Chris’ words were starting to get under Magneto’s skin. She just had to create an opening. She disengaged from her metallic arm freeing the rest of her body.

“Jill! Barry! On me!” Nilin yelled.

“On your six!” Jill yelled.

“Right behind you!” Barry told Jill as they rushed to Nilin.

The three of them made way for the Sentinel control room. The Red Skull awaiting them on the other side. Nilin wasn’t sure what three unarmed humans would do when they reached Red Skull. But if she was lucky, Magneto would be distracted enough by Chris no to think about that too much.

“Fools!” Magneto yelled. Taking his eyes off Chris to use his magnetism to remove square metal plates from the wall. Moving them to block the sliding security door separating them from Red Skull and access to the Sentinels.

Bingo Chris judged the situation as he rushed Magneto. Running faster than the mutant master could imagine before sucker punching him. In that moment Magneto lost control of the metal plates as well as our beloved X-Men. Wolverine and X-23 dashed for the door.

“Rocket!” Chris roared.

In that moment Rocket Raccoon had snuck up behind Magneto. Crawling up his back and restraining his arms. Chris then began gut punching Magneto over and over. Magneto coughing from the pain of each heavy strike. He even began to feel his ribs crack after a moment. X-23, Wolverine and the others were about to go confront Red Skull. X-23 then looked back at Chris as Chris caught her glance from the other side of Magneto. She looked worried.

Chris smiled. “Don’t worry about me! I got this.” He told her.

She looked away trying not to worry, and with ushering from Wolverine as if were saying I get it, but we have a job to do… she finally entered the control room.

“Oh do you?”

Magneto then caught a glimpse of Rocket’s belt bucking. An incredibly metallic and ferrous object. After calming down and catching his bearings he lifted Rocket into the air with only his mind.

“No Flarking way!” Rocket raged as he hovered above the two.

“Goodbye.”

Rocket had been flung across the room his reflection blurred against bright, reflective silver floors before smacking the wall with an immense *THUD!*

“Rocket!” Chris feared for him, but had to react fast Magneto was free, and like Chris had taunted about, it was now mono e mono.

It was then that those metallic square panels had begun swirling around Magneto like a magnetic tornado had been swinging them about. Chris bobbing and weaving to avoid them as he rushed into battle. Magneto then fashioned a pair of brass (steel) knuckles out one of the panels as he bent them into place around his fingers. This trick caught Chris off guard as Magneto punched him square in the jaw. Chris feeling his cheek bone crack and swell a bit from the strike.

In the other room Wolverine and X-23 had come face to face with the Red Skull.

“I see you’ve come. And it would seem the Wolverine brought his little Fräu·lein clone too Ja?” Red Skull had said with a thick German accent.

“You’re damn right! We’re here to put a stop to this you Hydra Gutter Trash!” Wolverine snarled as he unleashed his claws. Laura doing the same.

“Oh Sicherlich… And how will this be any different than when you and Captain America fought me all those years ago?” Red Skull reminding Wolverine of an encounter long since past.

“I ain’t the same Wolverine bub! Lost too many friends. Won’t lose anymore!”

Wolverine and X-23 went to battle with the Hydra leader as Nilin ran straight for the computer. She, Jill and Barry looked at the monitor as they noticed something odd. Villains and Heroes fighting together against a common enemy. This enemy was Vergil. Who was no infused with the power of the Phoenix Force…

“What the hell?” Jill said quietly.

“I know him.” *Barry coughing before continuing* “T-that’s Vergil. One of Magneto’s finest generals.

“Well what’s he doing fighting everyone?” Nilin asked.

“It would seem he’s found a way to gain the power of the Phoenix from that mutant girl… Wesker had me spy on him while he still had control of me. He didn’t trust him.”

“Well it looks like for good reason.” Nilin said. “Let’s see how many Sentinels are left. We’ll change their prime directive to hunt Vergil, and only Vergil…”

In an effort to put a stop to this once and for Nilin began hacking into the system to gain control and help her teammates outside of the fortress. All the while Red Skull was fighting a losing battle in the background against a fierce combination of Wolverine and X-23.

Back in the adjourning room Chris was still duking it out with Magneto. Matching his punches in strength and surpassing them in speed. And Chris didn’t have any fancy mutant abilities to aid him. A factor that may have made Magneto overconfident. Chris swung away as Magneto began slowing down from the fight. Finally Magneto was spent.

“A… a filthy human beat me…”

Chris grabbed Magneto by the collar. “Yeah. I did.” Then with one final punch a battered Chris knocked the mutant master out cold. He then grabbed Rocket and slowly walked to the control room. After about two minutes of walking across the hall with Rocket slung over his shoulder, he turned to face Magneto one last time. He was gone…

Once he entered the room he was met with the sight of Laura and Wolverine finishing off The Red Skull. Claws pierced front and back as the two snarling warriors retracted them. Laura noticed Chris then felt ashamed. Chris smiled and walked up to her. Putting his hand on her shoulder he simply said

“Sometimes war isn’t pretty. You lose people on both sides, and good or bad it’s always tragic. But it must… be done.”

She stared into his eyes as he stared back. Seeing her for her, and not for the monster she was made into. She smiled back then looked away bashfully.

“Well said bub…” Wolverine said.

Laura let Chris’ words stew for a moment. Finally ending with “Thank you.”