บท 35: Desperate struggle
Sniff! Sniff! Logan's nostrils flared, picking up the faint scent of gunpowder in the air and the subtle rustle of movement high above. As Psylocke struggled to hold onto consciousness, Jean focused, using her waning telepathy to trace the sniper's locations. Her eyes met Logan's, and in an instant, she transferred a rough map of their positions directly into his mind.
"Logan," she managed through gritted teeth, "they're stationed above. Three snipers, spread out along the mezzanine. You need to take them out."
Logan's lips curled into a feral grin. "Just what I needed—a little hunt."
Without another word, he sprinted, launching himself up to a ledge before hurtling over to a rusted staircase. Gunshots cracked in the air, and Logan could feel the bullets rip through his skin, but his healing factor surged immediately, knitting his wounds shut almost as fast as they appeared. Unfazed, he climbed higher, adrenaline and fury driving him forward.
As he neared the first sniper's position, he caught sight of a shadow moving to reload. Logan leaped forward, landing directly in front of the shooter. The man barely had time to gasp before Logan's claws plunged into his chest, silencing him in a single strike. Logan pulled his claws out and moved on, leaving the body slumped in the dark.
Shots rang out from behind him—another sniper had caught onto his approach. Logan twisted, feeling a bullet tear through his side before his healing kicked in again, closing the wound. He snarled and launched himself into a sprint, dodging erratic shots as he reached the sniper. Without hesitation, Logan slashed downward, disarming the man in a brutal arc before hurling him off the ledge to the ground below.
The third sniper, seeing Logan's ferocious approach, abandoned his position, bolting toward an emergency exit. But Logan was faster. In a matter of seconds, he closed the distance, grabbing the man by the collar and throwing him hard against the wall. The sniper struggled, raising his weapon, but Logan's claws slashed through the barrel, rendering it useless.
Logan leaned in, growling, his eyes gleaming with fury. "Big mistake aiming at my team." He smashed his claws into the sniper's chest, instantly killing him.
..
The X-Force had fought with everything they had, but they were losing ground fast. Reinforcements swarmed into the warehouse like a wave, the new mutants flanking their sides and cutting off any route of escape. Psylocke knelt, struggling to keep her balance as her blood-soaked fingers pressed tightly to her shoulder wound. Kitty and Jean stood back-to-back, both visibly exhausted, while Scott, stripped of his visor, clenched his eyes shut, trying to keep his energy at bay.
Logan growled low, claws ready, standing protectively between his teammates and the advancing mutants. Blood matted his sideburns, his own injuries barely healed before new ones appeared. Yet, he held his ground, a primal force refusing to back down.
"Give up already," sneered Sabretooth from the edge of the melee, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "Your little team's barely holding on."
"Shut up and get over here," Logan growled. "I ain't through with you."
Sabretooth's grin widened. "Gladly." He signaled to his team, who surrounded the weakened X-Force. Logan slashed at a nearby enemy, teeth bared, but their sheer numbers overwhelmed him. Blows landed from all sides, forcing him down to one knee.
Jean staggered, clutching her head as a fresh wave of psychic suppression crashed over her. Blood trickled down her nose, her vision blurring as she struggled to fight through it. "I… I… I can't hold on…"
"Jean!" Kitty tried to grab her. "Jean, hang in there!"
But she could no longer stand. She crumpled to her knees, vision swimming as the suppressor drained the last of her strength. Psylocke staggered beside her, barely able to lift her psionic blade.
Amid the chaos, a sudden shift in the air froze the battle. The last of the reinforcements halted, stepping aside, as a dark figure entered through the main warehouse doors. Sebastian Shaw, with his impeccably tailored suit and a sly, confident smile, surveyed the battered X-Force.
"That's enough," Shaw commanded, his tone laced with a calm authority. The remaining fighters held back, allowing him to step closer, his gaze cold and calculating as he studied each of them.
Shaw stopped a few feet away from the team, his eyes settling on Scott and Jean, taking in their weakened state. "It's truly impressive to see the legendary X-Force fighting with such...tenacity. But unfortunately, it's over." He paused, letting the silence draw out. "I have an offer. One of you will go free, back to your headquarters. All I ask is that you deliver a message to Aron."
Logan clenched his fists, blood dripping from his claws as he glared at Shaw. "You think we're just gonna walk away? After what you did?"
Shaw chuckled, unfazed. "Walk away? No, not quite. I expect one of you to leave—to bring Aron to me. I have no interest in keeping you all." He looked pointedly at Jean and Kitty. "But I think you'd rather avoid a fight you can't win, given the...condition your team is in."
Psylocke stepped forward, grabbing her bleeding shoulder. "And if we refuse?"
Shaw's smirk grew. "Then I'll have my men continue until you're all...incapacitated. But I'd prefer to avoid unnecessary mess. I'm only interested in Aron, after all." He folded his arms, waiting for an answer.
Jean glanced at her teammates, taking in their battered appearance and exhausted expressions. Then she turned to Logan, meeting his gaze. His eyes softened slightly, and Jean knew they were thinking the same thing: 'They can't handle much more. Should I use my Phoenix Force? But what if it goes out of control again?' Then she remembered what Aron said before they were leaving. He told them to give him a call if they were in trouble. But would it be a wise choice to bring Aron into this mess? Shaw wants him and if she calls him right now, Shaw might capture him.
However, Jean remembered that night... Their first date night, when Aron showed her his power to control Phoenix Force and the fact that he took down three omega-level mutants alone, not to mention, dismantled Stryker's operation alone.
'No. He can do it. I just know it...' She reached out for her phone in her pocket and pressed the speed dialer. 'With the Professor's help. He should be able to find us in no time.'
Just then, Psylocke stepped forward. "You think we'll sell out our friend just because our lives are in danger?" she growled. "If that's what you think, then you've made a fatal mistake." She threw three psionic daggers at Shaw in the hope of at least one of them hitting him but to her surprise, the daggers were absorbed by him.
Shaw just laughed. "I'm sorry, but you'll need to try harder than that." He pointed his finger at Psylocke and unleashed a burst of kinetic energy at her.
Logan quickly jumped in front of Psylocke, shielding her with his body as Shaw's attack hit. The force sent them both crashing backward into the wall. Logan coughed up blood. "Damn...bastard..." he growled.
"Logan!" Kitty called out. 'Damn it!'
Psylocke crashed hard against the wall. Her head was spinning as her consciousness faded. 'Why...' she thought to herself as everything around her became hazy. 'I can't die here! Not like this!'
"Enough. I'll give you one more chance. I want that clone at any cost. So, please, don't make things difficult for me," Shaw said with a hint of irritation in his tone.
Suddenly, the temperature plummeted, chilling the air almost to a painful degree. A frost crept over the ground, forming intricate, glistening patterns across the concrete floor. Within moments, a light flurry of snow began to fall inside the warehouse, casting a ghostly haze around them. Outside, snow swirled from a sky that had been clear only moments before, the flakes swirling as though pulled by an unseen force.
"You all are so fucked..." Jean said with a large grin.
Logan, Kitty, and the others shivered involuntarily, feeling the unmistakable aura of ice energy filling the room. Shaw's grin widened, his eyes glinting with an unsettling confidence as he clenched his fists, barely able to conceal his excitement. "So, he decided to show up after all," he said softly, eyes scanning the room for any sign of the newcomer.
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