"Well, do we have any countermeasures? Any defense against them?" the President asked suddenly.
"I was waiting for you to ask that," Trask replied, handing over a document to the President.
"That's an experimental program, sir,strictly off the books," the Secretary of Defense added.
The President scanned the document, speaking as he read. "You're telling me that these mutants are out in the world… and our best defense is… these giant metal robots?"
"Many of these mutants look like ordinary humans," Trask said. "My machines are special,they can distinguish them from civilians. And I already have prototypes ready. They're built from space-grade polymer,not an ounce of metal on them."
"I want a demonstration," the President said. "Show the world that we can protect them. What do you need to get these things operational?"
"Well, it's going to cost a bit to get them fully operational," Trask said. "I'll prepare a list of requirements."
"Whatever you need," the President said.
Trask's expression darkened slightly. "Oh, and one more thing. If we do manage to capture them, I'd like to have these two," he said, pointing at Raven's and Nathan's photographs. "For research purposes of course."
A day later
Winchester – Charles' Mansion
Nathan's eyes fluttered open as he stared at the ceiling of the room that had been designated to him,at least until they "saved the mutant race."
Just another day in this new world.
He hadn't really played a major role in anything lately. Honestly, he'd expected everything to spiral out of control the moment he arrived. That's what movies and shows about time travel had taught him,one new variable and the timeline collapses.
But so far? Nothing catastrophic.
Technically, he could sit back and let things unfold the way they had before.
But his paranoia wouldn't allow it.
Raven could still kill Trask. That single possibility meant he couldn't relax. He had to see this through.
And then there was the upcoming confrontation with Magneto.
Nathan exhaled sharply.
What was he supposed to do with rock powers against a man who controlled metal? Of all abilities he could've gotten… it had to be this. Heat vision? Teleportation? Telekinesis? Any of those would've been more useful right now.
Sure, he had regeneration. Enhanced strength. Durability.
But against Eric? That barely felt like enough.
There was potential in his earth manipulation But unlocking it would take time and a lot experimentation to realize it.
And time wasn't something they had.
'Who am I kidding?' Nathan thought as he sat up on the edge of the bed. 'Things have never been easy for me. Why would they start now?'
He rubbed his face and let out a slow breath.
No use complaining.
The least he could do was come up with a few tricks or something that might catch Eric off guard,emphasis on the word "might". And if he got the opportunity to go after Raven instead of facing Magneto directly, he'd take it without hesitation.
Then another thought crept in.If they still fail in the end…
He'd join the winning side.No hard feelings to Charles and Logan.
Because let's be real,he stands a much better chance of surviving longer on Eric's side. It would be mutants against the world at that point. No holding back like Charles would insist on.
And maybe the situation could still be salvaged if they managed to destroy all data connected to the Sentinel research.
Shaking off the dark thoughts,Nathan opened the window and looked outside. The morning breeze brushed against his face, cool and steady.
Then he glanced down.
Vertigo hit instantly. Heights,his oldest enemy, right up there with maggots. He'd had a problem with both since he was a kid, and clearly that hadn't changed just because he'd landed in another universe.
Still, something had been on his mind since yesterday.
When he'd jumped from two stories up, he'd barely felt the impact. His body had handled it far better than it should have.
So now he was curious. How much could he actually take before it started to hurt?
With that thought, Nathan grabbed his small bag of pebbles,his usual backup,and climbed onto the windowsill. He swallowed, forcing himself not to look down again.
'Three stories. Not that high right?'
He took a slow breath.
And jumped.
He hit the ground rolling, just like yesterday, but this time he felt it,a sharp, dull twinge in his knees.Nathan grimaced, testing the sensation as he stood, and flexed his knees carefully.
"Okay," he muttered to himself. "A little less graceful than yesterday… but nothing I can't handle."
Nathan opened his bag and focused on the pebbles. They lifted out, hovering around him in a loose orbit. There were twenty in total. He held out his palm and turned toward a tree fifteen meters away.
He isolated one pebble, took careful aim, and flicked it as hard as he could. It shot out like a bullet, nicking the tree. He tried to stop it before it flew too far, but it was moving too fast,it left his fifteen-meter radius, slipping beyond his influence.
Nathan gritted his teeth, then isolated another pebble. This time, he aimed carefully and flicked it again. It struck the tree dead-on, sinking deep into the bark.
A sudden idea came to him. He clustered the remaining pebbles into a rough ball shape and shot them forward. Some peeled off mid-flight, but the core struck the tree, causing it to shudder. Nathan thrust his hand forward to drive them deeper, then raised it, attempting to pull them back. The tree shook, but the pebbles were lodged too deeply.
He frowned, adjusting his approach. He imagined tugging on an invisible rope, changing his stance, and pulling with all his strength. The tree shuddered with every tug.
"No way," Nathan muttered. He could feel the force transfer now,his feet pressing hard against the ground as if there was a rope connecting him to them.
"Wait a minute, if I can do this,then could I?" Nathan muttered to himself,a bold idea coming to mind.
End of Chapter