章 13: Chapter 12: The Dilemma – To Save or Not to Save?
"Whoosh!"
George, controlling two knives, swiftly took out the throats of two guards, moving silently through the facility until he reached a fork in the hallway.
Based on the information he had gathered during his time in the base, George knew that the path to the right led to the cafeteria, and beyond that were the rooms where the mutant children were held. The left path, however, led toward the exit of the laboratory.
If he chose the left path, given his current powers, there was a high chance he could safely sneak out, find a vehicle, and make his escape. Once he reached the city, with all its people and chaos, he'd be free. The children would create a significant distraction, drawing most of the attention away from him, meaning his pursuers would be fewer in number.
"Ahhh!!!"
Just as George was about to head down the left path, a heart-wrenching scream echoed from the right side of the hallway. It was the voice of a child, filled with terror and pain.
George hesitated, his foot faltering in mid-step.
"It's none of my business. I don't know them; I don't need to risk my life for strangers. Besides, they'll probably find a way to escape on their own," he thought to himself.
After a moment's pause, he once again lifted his foot to take a step toward the left.
"Ahhh!!!"
Another scream, this time from a different child. The sound stabbed at his conscience.
There were around fifty mutant children in the entire facility. Based on what George had seen in the movie, in the end, only about twenty—including X-23, the young girl—managed to escape. This meant that more than thirty children perished during their attempted breakout.
"They may be just children now, but if they grow up, they could become formidable allies. If I could bring them under my command, it would be a solid layer of protection in this dangerous Marvel world."
He paused for a moment, weighing his options. "Besides, fortune favors the bold. A little risk now could be worth it for the future. If it gets too dangerous, I can always retreat."
With that, George shifted his foot from the left path to the right.
At that moment, he wasn't even sure whether his decision was truly driven by the rational thoughts he had just formulated or simply by the lingering echoes of those children's desperate cries for help.
Sometimes, people don't really know what they'll choose until the moment arrives. Some might think of themselves as selfish, but in critical situations, they end up sacrificing themselves for others. Conversely, others who speak loudly of moral righteousness might be the first to flee when danger strikes.
George didn't consider himself a hero, but he wasn't a villain either. He saw himself as an average person with an average moral compass. If saving others required him to sacrifice himself, he wouldn't be able to do it. However, if he could help others—especially a group of children—without risking his life too much, then perhaps it was worth a try.
"Raddy, Will, Ellie..."
In the cafeteria, Gabriella's tears fell once again as she looked at the lifeless bodies of three children who had been shot while trying to stop the advancing guards.
After realizing that the purpose of this genetic research facility wasn't to find a cure for cancer but to breed mutant killers, Gabriella and a few compassionate colleagues had devised a plan to help the children escape.
However, before they could put the plan into action, the higher-ups decided to execute all the children. Forced into a premature breakout attempt, even though the children had extraordinary abilities, they were no match for the cold, experienced guards armed with deadly weapons.
By the time they reached the cafeteria, several of Gabriella's colleagues had already been killed while protecting the children. Out of the fifty children, over a dozen had already been gunned down, and many more would likely fall before they reached safety.
"Laura!" Gabriella screamed, seeing the strongest child, X-23, caught mid-air, her limbs restrained, unable to break free. Desperate, Gabriella grabbed a machine gun from the body of a fallen guard. She turned to the remaining children and shouted:
"Run! I'll hold them off!"
"You need to head to the entrance. Aunt Isha will take you to the destination."
Isha was the last remaining colleague of Gabriella's, still alive. She usually drove the large truck that delivered supplies from the city to the base. After receiving their signal, she had already positioned the truck at the entrance, ready for pickup.
"But what about you and Laura?" the eldest of the mutant children, a boy named Rictor, asked with a worried expression.
Although they had lived their entire lives in the lab, devoid of much knowledge about the outside world, they weren't ignorant. They could sense the danger.
"Rictor, you're the oldest among them. I'm entrusting everyone to you. Lead them to the destination. Wait for me there. I promise I'll come for you with Laura."
Gabriella spoke softly, handing responsibility over to the boy before raising the machine gun she had picked up and firing wildly in the direction of the guards. She hoped to create enough of a distraction for the children to escape.
Her aim wasn't particularly good, but the barrage of bullets was chaotic enough to cause confusion among the guards, who were trying to restrain X-23, the young Laura. The distraction allowed Laura to free one of her legs, and with a swift motion, she drove her adamantium-coated claws into the eye of one of the guards, momentarily breaking free from her restraints.
But Gabriella could see that more guards were quickly approaching from down the corridor.
Seeing the growing danger, Rictor clenched his teeth and led the remaining children—who were not related by blood but had become his family—down the hallway, running as fast as they could.
However, they hadn't gone far when four guards armed with guns blocked their path.
"Everyone, fight together!" Rictor shouted, his voice trembling with fear but filled with determination. Despite their fear, the children prepared to fight the guards in a desperate struggle for their lives.
But before any of them could unleash their powers, two of the guards suddenly dropped to the ground, blood spraying from their necks. The remaining two guards barely had time to react before they, too, were struck down by precisely aimed bullets.
"You kids alright?" George asked, stepping forward after dispatching the guards. He felt a small sense of relief seeing the children safe, albeit shaken. He had arrived just in time.
In front of him, thirty-four children were still alive. He hadn't been too late.
"Number 757!" Rictor gasped as he recognized their savior as the quiet mutant known only as Number 757. Though momentarily stunned, he quickly blurted out, "Aunt Gabriella and Laura are still back in the cafeteria..."
"I've cleared the guards behind us. You all keep heading towards the exit. I'll go back and rescue them," George replied without hesitation. He tossed aside his now-empty machine gun, picking up two fresh ones from the fallen guards, and sprinted toward the cafeteria.
"What the hell..." George muttered under his breath as he burst into the cafeteria, witnessing a feral Laura—X-23—straddling the shoulders of a guard, repeatedly stabbing him with her claws until his skull burst open, brain matter splattering across the floor. The gruesome sight even caused the remaining guards to recoil in horror.
However, Laura's small stature left her vulnerable. As soon as the guards regained their composure, they opened fire, pinning her down with a barrage of bullets. Though her healing factor made it impossible for her to be killed, the sheer force knocked her from her perch and sent her staggering backward.
Nearby, Gabriella had run out of bullets and was pinned behind cover, helpless to assist.
"It's time to show them some real skill," George murmured. He knew that simply relying on his ability to control knives wouldn't be enough this time—he didn't have Laura's healing powers and couldn't afford to take the brunt of the guards' gunfire. If he didn't eliminate them quickly, he'd be overwhelmed by their relentless firepower.
Raising both machine guns, George focused his magnetic powers on the bullets in their magazines, preparing for his next move. As he pulled the triggers, bullets sprayed out, but instead of following their typical trajectories, they curved mid-flight under the influence of his magnetic control, arcing through the air and striking the guards squarely in their foreheads with deadly precision.
Machine gun fire with the accuracy of a sniper rifle—that was the ace up his sleeve, and the reason he dared to come back and help.
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