Thanks for the powerstones!
I'm motivated now!
Yosh!
***
As the team reached the location, the other rebel armies were already waiting, gathered in a makeshift camp.
"Viktor!" A booming voice rang out from inside a tent as a hulking man walked toward Viktor and the others. A mixed group of men and women followed close behind him.
"Dragan." Viktor gave a curt nod.
"This must be the cautious kid?" Dragan turned to Mark with a wide smile, clapping a heavy hand onto his shoulder. "Don't worry, we've prepared! Nothing can go wrong!"
Mark nodded quietly.
Dragan turned back to Viktor. "Come on, I'll fill you guys in on the plan!"
He led the group into a main tent, where he spread a crude map across the table.
"Here is our target." He pointed to a mountainous region on the map. "They have the high ground, which gives them the initial advantage. Even for us mutants, breaking through head-on would be a hassle and cost us too many casualties. So, we go silent. We'll divide into three groups. Group One—my men—will take explosives and plant them on the power grid behind the facility. Once those detonate, it'll shut down the technology inside and draw their attention away."
His fingers shifted to another section. "Group Two will use that distraction to sneak through the ventilation shafts, assess the interior, and open the main doors from within. Then Group Three—which is us, the heavy hitters—will wait outside. The moment the doors open, we strike."
Viktor frowned. "How do you know the layout so well?"
Dragan folded his arms and smirked, nodding toward a girl playing with a butterfly nearby. "Milicia. During these past two weeks, we haven't been idle. Even if we couldn't breach the facility, she had animals scouting the entire perimeter."
Dragan scanned the faces in the room. "Any questions?"
Seeing none, he grinned. "Then let's fight!"
***
Being part of the final assault force, Mark and the others waited patiently back at the camp.
"Mark, what's on your mind?" Wanda asked, sidling up closer to where he sat.
"Nothing." Mark shook his head, then turned his gaze to her. "But promise me something. If things go south, don't hesitate to turn and run. Don't look back, and don't wait for me."
"What—"
"Promise me," Mark interrupted, his tone dead serious. "I promised Pietro I'd bring you back in one piece. So promise me you'll run the moment things go haywire."
Wanda looked down at the ground for a second, then gave a subtle nod. "Okay. I promise."
"Good." Mark offered a faint smile, but before they could say anything more, Dragan rushed out from his tent.
"Get ready! It's our turn!"
***
Beside a massive steel gate, two men in suits held their weapons tensely, their eyes warily scanning the surrounding treeline.
They had heard the distant explosion moments ago. Even though no orders had come down from their superiors yet, both guards kept their guns raised and ready.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a massive rock arced through the air from the dense forest, crashing directly into one of the guards. Moving far too fast for him to react, the sheer force slammed him against the wall. He slid down limply, his chest dead still.
The remaining guard spun around and opened fire toward the trees.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With the heavy sound of clashing metal, a huge man coated entirely in silver stepped out from the shadows. The bullets ricocheted harmlessly off his metallic skin.
The guard's eyes widened in terror. He kept pulling the trigger until his gun let out a hollow click—his magazine was empty.
The weapon slipped from his numb fingers, and he dropped to his knees, staring up at the silver titan with a desperate plea in his eyes. Dragan ignored it completely. His fist tore through the air, striking the guard's head and shattering it like a watermelon.
He turned back toward the woods and flashed a thumbs-up.
Stepping out from the foliage were Mark and the rest of the assault team.
Dragan turned back to face the heavy structure. With a loud, pneumatic hiss, the metal door slid open, revealing thirteen men and women standing in the brightly lit hallway. Every single one of them bore a completely blank expression.
"Surrender," one of them said coldly, "or die."
"Surrender?" Dragan's grin turned wild. "In your dreams!"
Boom!
The ground beneath his feet caved in as he launched himself forward. His fist cut through the air toward the speaker, who met the blow with a fist of his own.
BOOM!
A fierce gale whipped through the hallway from the sheer force of the collision.
The people standing beside the lead guard didn't retreat; instead, they leaped forward, diving straight into the rebel group.
With a deep roar, Boris's heavy body contracted and surged with muscle, transforming him into a towering brute as he charged. Bone spurs violently erupted from the skin of his attacker, who deftly weaved around his massive frame, slashing at him from all angles. She left shallow, bleeding cuts while effortlessly dodging his crude attempts to grab her.
Nearby, Peter faced off against an ice manipulator, slowly being pushed back under a relentless frost. Vera's foe was a mutant capable of controlling light, illuminating the corridor and rendering her invisibility useless. Viktor was locked in a brutal clash of raw power against another strength-type mutant.
The already cramped hallway grew even tighter as twenty-six mutants collided in all-out chaos.
Swoosh!
With the sharp sound of rushing air, an elongated arm shot directly toward Mark. He stepped to the side, dodging the blow, grabbed the extended limb, and yanked the attacker toward him. Mark slammed a heavy punch straight into the man's face, his fist sinking deep into the rubbery flesh without tearing through it.
Boom!
The impact sent the attacker flying back like a cannonball. But Mark didn't drop his guard. Sure enough, from where he had crashed, the man scrambled back to his feet, his stretched limbs wobbling slightly as they snapped back into shape.
"It seems," Mark muttered, a dry smile creeping onto his face, "they were really prepared for us."
***
[A/N: There was a mistake in the location so I've changed it already.]