Chapter 90: Chapter 90: One Against Many
"Shit, they really have clones of Erik."
Wolverine gritted his teeth against the pain of steel rods piercing his body and shouted out the window:
"Kid, what are you waiting for?"
"Chill, furball. I'm on it."
In the high skies outside, Iron Man's suit deployed a specialized weapon from his back. After Jarvis locked onto the positions of the nine Magneto clones, nine non-metallic bullets were fired simultaneously.
"Perfect!"
Each bullet struck a Magneto clone squarely in the head, killing them instantly.
Clones, after all, are not the real deal. Working together might amplify their magnetic control, but each of them individually was barely at a level 3 mutant's power.
If the real Magneto had been there, he could have controlled Iron Man even from that altitude. Tony Stark wouldn't have had the chance to fire those bullets. Even if attacked, Magneto could have easily drawn together a metal shield to protect himself.
It was akin to nine children pooling their strength—perhaps they could match a strongman's power in theory, but against a real fight, they'd stand no chance.
"How is this possible? And what is that thing?"
Dr. Rice stared at the tablet in shock, watching as the robotic figure entered through the window and freed Wolverine from his restraints.
But Rice quickly rationalized the situation.
Of course, Wolverine wouldn't be stupid enough to attack their base alone—he had reinforcements. And chances were that Experiment 757 was among them.
"Activate all mutant clones except for Clone 101! Leave one of each class behind to guard me; send the rest to kill Wolverine, Experiment 757, and that robot!"
As mutant clones began emerging from their pods and rushing toward Wolverine and Iron Man, George quietly infiltrated the base from the rear.
"Footsteps Revealed!"
"Immobilize!"
"Alohomora!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Using a combination of tracking and freezing spells, George navigated through the base.
Unlike his earlier spells that only pointed in the right direction, this new tracking spell revealed precise footprints on the ground, allowing him to locate his targets with ease.
Wherever he encountered cameras, he froze their images temporarily. High-tech fingerprint doors? Easily bypassed with unlocking spells. Guards? Paralyzed and dispatched with a flick of his blade—quick, silent, and leaving no survivors.
The infiltration was seamless. Before long, George reached a cavernous hall and spotted Rice and Donald standing on an elevated platform.
Bang!
With a single shot, a bullet curved through the air and struck Donald squarely in the head.
George needed Rice alive to extract his memories and locate all the research materials, but Donald was expendable. The poor commander, who had once dreamed of exacting revenge on George, didn't even see him before meeting his end.
"Well, hello there, Dr. Rice!"
George spread his wings and flew to the platform, greeting Rice with a grin.
"It's you! How do you have the powers of an angel?"
Rice, panicked by Donald's sudden death, stumbled behind his guards. He recognized Experiment 757 immediately but couldn't recall ever adding angelic DNA to the subject's genome.
"Kill him!"
Without waiting for an answer, Rice ordered his men to open fire.
But George was faster.
While flying up to the platform, he had already sent a swarm of razor-sharp blades to circle behind the guards. The moment they raised their guns, the blades struck.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Blood sprayed as every guard fell to the ground.
Just then, two thin red beams shot toward George from below, aimed directly at his head.
Thanks to his psychic precognition and cat-like reflexes, George bent backward in a perfect bridge, dodging the attack with ease. He glanced down at the source.
"Well, well. You held a few back."
A group of stark-naked mutant clones stood below: younger versions of Magneto, Professor X, Phoenix, Storm, and others. The recent attack had come from a clone of Cyclops, though his beam lacked the devastating force of the original's.
Turning his attention back to Rice, George noticed the scientist had been teleported to safety by a clone of Nightcrawler, now standing behind the group of mutants.
"Experiment 757, you're just a level 2 mutant with a mix of Magneto's and Xavier's genes! These clones are all close to level 3. Let's see how you survive this!"
Rice's confidence had returned now that he was shielded by his creations.
"Let's find out, then."
George's calm demeanor didn't falter.
This scenario was precisely what he had anticipated.
Tony's diversion had worked, but Rice wasn't foolish—he had kept a reserve force for his own protection. A final confrontation was inevitable.
But George felt confident.
Rice's knowledge of his abilities was outdated, limited to his level 2 magnetic and psychic powers. Meanwhile, George had a detailed understanding of the clones' capabilities, which were far weaker than their originals.
The earlier attack by the Cyclops clone confirmed that these clones were just as unimpressive as he had expected.
"Obscuro!"
With a flick of his wand, the hall filled with thick smoke, obscuring everyone's vision. George fired a bullet directly at Nightcrawler's position.
Eliminating the teleporter was critical. If Rice escaped, it would waste precious time tracking him down again.
Caught off guard, the Nightcrawler clone dropped dead before it could react.