Whoosh!
Controlling two knives, George ambushed and slit the throats of two guards before reaching a fork in the hallway.
Based on his observations and eavesdropping over the past days, he knew the right path led to the cafeteria, which then connected to the rooms where the mutant children were held. The left path, however, led straight outside the facility.
If he took the left path, his current strength made it highly likely he could escape safely, steal a vehicle, and drive to the city. Once among the crowds, freedom would be within reach.
The commotion caused by the mutant children would draw most of the guards' attention, leaving few to pursue him.
"Ahhh!"
As he lifted his foot to step toward the left path, a child's terrified scream echoed from deep within the right hallway.
George froze, lowering his foot again.
Sigh, he thought. Looks like I'm not as rational or ruthless as I thought.
After a brief hesitation, he turned and headed right.
There were fifty mutant children in the facility. Based on what he remembered from the movie, fewer than twenty, including X-23, ultimately escaped. That meant more than thirty would die during the breakout.
George didn't consider himself a saint, nor did he think of himself as a villain. He was just an average person with a typical moral compass.
Logic dictated that letting the children act as a distraction while he slipped away was the safest choice.
But humans aren't machines; cold logic doesn't always win.
If it had been adults screaming, he might have steeled himself to walk away—after all, he had no connection to them.
But these were innocent children, many of whom he saw every day. While he had never spoken to them, their faces were familiar.
Still, George knew his limits. I'll help if I can, but if things get too risky, I'll prioritize my own life.
In the cafeteria, Gabriela watched in despair as three children—Laddie, Veil, and Ellie—were gunned down while trying to block the pursuers. Tears welled in her eyes once again.
After discovering the research facility's true purpose—breeding mutant assassins rather than developing a cure for cancer—she and a few kind-hearted colleagues had secretly planned to help the children escape.
But before they could act, the lab's higher-ups decided to execute the children en masse.
Forced to flee prematurely, the children, despite their extraordinary abilities, were no match for the experienced guards armed with cold steel and bullets.
By the time they reached the cafeteria, several of Gabriela's colleagues had died protecting them, and more than a dozen children had been killed. She feared even more would perish before they could escape.
"Laura!"
Gabriela's heart sank as she saw X-23—the strongest of the children—slay six guards before being restrained mid-air, her limbs pinned.
Grabbing a submachine gun from a fallen guard, Gabriela turned to the remaining children and said, "Go to the entrance! Aunt Isha will take you to safety."
Isha, the last surviving colleague, usually drove the supply truck for the facility. She had parked it at the entrance, ready to help them escape.
"What about you and Laura?"
A slightly older boy, Rictor, looked at her with a worried expression.
Although they lacked common knowledge due to their upbringing in the lab, the children were not naive.
"Rictor, you're the oldest. I'm entrusting everyone to you. Take them to safety and wait for me there. I'll bring Laura to you."
Gabriela's tone was gentle yet firm. Then she opened fire wildly, aiming to create an opening for the children to escape.
Her poor aim caused chaos among the guards restraining X-23, allowing her to break free from one of her restraints. Using her Adamantium claws, she brutally stabbed a guard through the eye, temporarily freeing herself.
But reinforcements were closing in from the other side of the corridor.
Rictor gritted his teeth, leading his "siblings" down the hallway toward the exit.
Before they had gone far, four guards armed with rifles blocked their path.
"Everyone, attack!"
Terrified yet determined, the children prepared to fight for their lives.
Bang! Bang!
Before they could act, two guards suddenly collapsed, blood spurting from their necks. The remaining guards turned in alarm, only to be shot down by two precise bullets.
"Are you all okay?"
George, having eliminated the guards, felt a slight sense of relief as he looked at the stunned children.
Thirty-four children were still alive. He had arrived just in time.
"Subject 757!"
Rictor was momentarily surprised to see the usually silent Subject 757 coming to their rescue. But his relief quickly turned to worry.
"Aunt Gabriela and Laura are still in the cafeteria!"
"I've cleared the guards behind you. Keep heading for the exit—I'll get them."
Without hesitation, George discarded his empty submachine gun, picked up two from the fallen guards, and rushed toward the cafeteria.
"What the...?"
George burst into the cafeteria just in time to see Laura atop a guard, savagely clawing his skull until it burst open. The gruesome sight left even the surrounding guards momentarily stunned.
Despite her ferocity, Laura's small frame was vulnerable. A volley of suppressive fire forced her back, and while her healing factor kept her alive, she was knocked down, retreating under relentless pressure.
Gabriela, out of ammo, was pinned behind cover, unable to assist.
"Damn it!" George cursed.
He knew that relying solely on his knives wasn't an option here. Unlike Laura, he lacked a healing factor and couldn't afford to face that many guns head-on.
If I can't kill them all quickly, I'll be torn apart.
Gripping the two submachine guns, George infused his magnetic powers into the bullets. When he opened fire, the bullets didn't follow their standard trajectories. Instead, they curved mid-air under his control, targeting the guards' vital points with deadly precision.
A storm of gunfire with near-sniper accuracy tore through the guards.
This was George's true ace—his reason for risking everything to help.