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Clark? Where did Magneto throw him?"
As the three of themāStorm, Cyclops, and Loganādealt with the remaining enemies, Jean Grey raced to the river, searching for Clark. From the fighter jet, she had seen Magneto ensnare Clark in metal and hurl him into the water. She knew he had to be somewhere nearby.
"I can use telepathy!" Jean suddenly realized. Using her psychic abilities was the most logical way to find someone. She focused, and a wave of mental energy radiated from her mind, spreading across the river and plunging deep into the silt. Sure enough, she found Clark buried in the riverbed.
With such an intense surge of brain power, she wondered if a Kryptonian with psychic abilities would become the most powerful psychic in minutes.
"Clark, I'm coming to find you now."
With his location confirmed, all that remained was to get to the bottom of the river. Jean knew how to do it. While her telekinetic powers weren't great for pure destruction, they were more than enough to part the water and allow her to safely reach the riverbed.
She extended her hand, enveloping herself in an invisible telekinetic field, and jumped into the river. The water parted around her, and she descended directly toward Clark.
But things were going too smoothly.
As Jean neared Clark, Magneto sensed her. Their suits were designed to resist Magneto's magnetic field, but the human body still contains some metal elements. While too few for him to manipulate, they were enough for him to sense.
This was how he maintained his incredible reaction speed against fast-moving mutants. Even if he couldn't see them, he could always sense the metal within their bodies, never losing track of his target.
So, as Jean approached the bottom, Magneto struck. The riverbed was filled with countless metal particles, which he now wielded as weapons. The mud and sand surged, forming a giant black hand that lunged at Jean.
"Metal grit? Oh no!"
Jean finally understood why Magneto had thrown Clark into the river instead of keeping him close. The iron-filled riverbed was a fortress for him. But she was already too deep to escape. She had no choice but to use her telekinesis to fight the massive metal hand.
The result was predictable.
Her telekinetic shield shattered on the first impact. Unprotected, Jean was instantly swamped by the river water. Panic flared as she began to drown. The metal hand seized her, pinning her to the riverbed.
"Help... help..."
Her cries for help turned into frantic gurgles. No one could hear herāexcept for Clark, who was trapped nearby.
"Ms. Grey? Oh, no!"
Clark realized Jean was in danger because of him. He strained to break free, but the metal wrapped around him was too strong. Magneto's control over the magnetic field far surpassed his own strength.
Meanwhile, atop the Statue of Liberty, Logan, Cyclops, and Storm arrived to find Magneto positioning the device on Rogue.
"Magneto, let the kid go!" Logan yelled. Without a second thought, he popped his claws and used the side of the statue as a launching point, charging at Magneto.
"Logan, damn it!" Cyclops muttered. He wanted to tell him not to act so recklessly, but now that Logan had charged, he had no choice but to follow. He fired a laser from his ruby-quartz visor, aiming for Magneto's vital points. Storm, however, hesitated.
Everything around her was metal. If she used her lightning, she might not hit Magneto, but she would certainly kill Cyclops.
It was in this moment of hesitation that they lost their chance.
Magneto simply raised a hand, and a sheet of metal torn from the statue blocked Cyclops's laser. As for Logan, with his metal skeleton, he was powerless. His claws were forced back into his body and then pinned against the statue's outer wall. To break free, he would have to tear himself apart.
Cyclops and Storm were subdued the old-fashioned way. The moment Cyclops's laser failed to connect, Magneto retaliated, binding them both with metal sheets. Cyclops was now a captive, his eyes aimed at Storm's head, ready to fire at any moment. And Storm, if she summoned lightning, would surely kill Cyclops.
"Logan! Everyone!"
Rogue cried out from within the machine, but her pleas were useless. Her rescuers fell one by one, and Magneto had achieved his goal.
"Now, no one will disturb us."
He walked over to Rogue and spoke softly. "I promise you, the future of mutants is here."
But Rogue was terrified. Magneto was no longer the kind old man she knew; he was a monster who had hurt her friends.
"No! I don't want any future," she sobbed.
Her begging had no effect. Magneto fixed her hands onto the device and gripped her arm. Black lines instantly spread from her palms, and Magneto's power was rapidly absorbed by her mutant ability.
Now imbued with Magneto's power, Rogue lost all control, and the machine that would turn humans into mutants was activated. A pale light began to gather, destined to become a radiation wave that would change the world.
"The futureā¦ has arrived," Magneto said, opening his arms and looking up at the blinding white light, as if welcoming a new age.
At that very moment, the river exploded. A figure rose into the sky, holding an unconscious Jean Grey, and appeared before everyone.