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Just moments before, a sense of crushing pain had consumed Clark. He was trapped, sealed in a metallic film, his super-hearing tormenting him as he listened to Jean Grey's desperate struggle.
A massive, shadowy metal hand held her tightly beneath the water. Her violent thrashing had become weak, her gurgled cries for help fading into silence as her heartbeat slowed. Clark heard it all, a clear, horrifying sound in the darkness of his confinement. He could feel Jean's life force slipping awayâshe was dying, and he was right there, utterly helpless.
His strength was nothing compared to Magneto's. Though Clark could shatter steel with a single punch, he was powerless against a magnetic field capable of subverting the world. He hadn't given up, relentlessly firing his heat vision at the metal binding him, but the surrounding water cooled it down too quickly. He couldn't heat the metal enough to disrupt Magneto's control. He could only wait for death to claim Jean.
Then, a sudden change. The magnetic field holding him weakened significantly.
"The machine is active! Did Logan and the others fail?!"
There was no time for shock. While it meant his allies had failed, it was his one chance. Clark gathered every ounce of his power, releasing the solar energy stored within his body.
BOOM!
A brilliant light erupted beneath the water. The metal and magnetic field that had trapped him finally shattered, and the Son of Krypton was free.
Magneto, caught off guard by Clark's escape, couldn't react in time. The iron hand holding Jean was easily broken, and she was rescued. Clark shot upward, Jean in his arms, bursting from the water in front of the horrified mutants.
"You little brat, I showed you mercy, why are you still causing trouble?!" Magneto roared, manipulating the magnetic field with fury. He intended to tear the entire Statue of Liberty into countless fragments to use as a weapon.
But this was not the same Magneto as before. While Rogue could sacrifice herself in his place, the machine still required a massive amount of Kryptonite energy. Having funneled most of his power to the device, Magneto's control of the magnetic field was significantly weaker. Even tearing apart the statue seemed like a monumental effort.
"Let Rogue go!"
Clark gently set Jean down, then charged at Magneto without a word. His heat vision continuously forced the normally composed Magneto to roll and dodge to avoid the blasts.
"Don't get cocky, kid!"
Magneto was still a formidable opponent. Even weakened, he was far from helpless. He formed a sharp drill from a piece of iron ripped from the statue and launched it at Clark.
This time, Clark didn't dodge. He hovered in place and braced himself, his muscular chest forward.
BANG!
In the collision of metal and flesh, the Kryptonian's invulnerable body was superior. The drill, created by a weakened Magneto, not only failed to harm Clark but shattered into countless pieces.
Clark saw his opening and lunged, aiming to destroy the machine and free Rogue. But in an instant, a wall of metal solidified in his path, blocking his advance.
"Are you truly committed to this plan?"
"What do you know, you brat?! This is my life's work! Perhaps you haven't been persecuted by humans, but for the sake of other mutants, sacrifice is necessary!"
"Even if sacrifice is inevitable, you don't get to decide who makes it!" Clark bellowed.
He understood sacrifice. Having fought countless battles in the DC universe, he knew that heroes died to save the day and that people sacrificed themselves for a better future. But those were their own choices. If Rogue had willingly agreed, Clark would have stayed out of it. But this was a forced act, and he wouldn't allow it.
"You have no right to make this decision for someone else!"
Clark flew forward, crashing against Magneto's metal wall again. Neither could gain an advantage. But time was running out. The machine was nearing completion, and Rogue was nearly unconscious. There was not enough time...
"Logan! Now!" Jean's voice cut through the chaos. She had woken up. Mustering all her strength from her near-death experience, she used her telekinesis to loosen the metal bars binding Logan.
"Got it!" Logan gritted his teeth. The only thing holding him back now was his own body. The claws in his hands were positioned backward, and he would have to tear through his own flesh to free them. But for Logan, pain was nothing new.
"It's just pain. I'm used to it!"
With a savage grunt, he forced his claws forward, nearly slicing his chest open to reveal his beating heart and silver-white adamantium skeleton.
"Aghh!" The pain was immense, but his movements were swift. He immediately rushed to Cyclops and used his claws to slice through his restraints.
Freed, Cyclops's first instinct was to find his ruby-quartz glasses.
"Where are my glasses?"
"Who knows?! Can't you open your eyes without them, 'one-eye'?"
The battle between Magneto and Clark was fierce. A storm of metal swirled around Magneto. Logan knew he'd only be a liability with his metal skeleton, and Storm was afraid of hitting either Clark or Rogue with her lightning. That left only one person who could turn the tide: Cyclops.
"Fine. Help me aim."
Logan stepped forward, grabbed Cyclops's head, and aimed his eyes directly at Magneto.
"Now, blink!"
Without the restriction of his glasses, Cyclops's optical blast erupted without reservation. A beam of pure energy, almost as thick as a man, shot from his eyes.
"You fools!"
Magneto saw what they were doing, but he was too weak, consumed with fending off Clark's attack. He couldn't stop them. When the blast came, he desperately tried to form a metal shield to block it.
That single moment of weakness was all the Kryptonian needed. Clark shot forward like a blue blur and crashed into Magneto with devastating force.
BOOM!
When Clark stood up, he was holding the unconscious body of Magneto. They had finally defeated their powerful foe.