For half a second, the pilots just stared.
"…What the—"
The warning alarms screamed all at once.
"MISSILE LOCK—WAIT, THOSE ARE OUR—"
Panic snapped into their voices as the targeting screens flipped red, trajectories rewriting themselves in real time.
"They turned around!" one pilot shouted. "How the hell did they turn around?!"
There was no time to react.
The missiles slammed back into the formation.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM
Fireballs tore through the air, shockwaves ripping rotors apart. One helicopter vanished in a bloom of flame, another spiraled out of control, trailing smoke as it plunged downward.
Static flooded the comms.
"Hawk Five to command," one of the pilots shouted over the chaos, breathing hard. "Target exhibits high-level telekinetic control. Missiles were redirected mid-flight. Classification revised—possible Alpha-level mutant."
For a split second, the channel was silent.
Then command snapped back in, cold and sharp.
"Copy that, Hawk Five. Assume the worst-case scenario. Do not engage directly."
The remaining helicopters broke formation immediately, rotors screaming as they scattered in different directions, flares dumping into the air. They'd learned fast—missiles were useless, staying grouped was suicide.
"Switch to evasive patterns," another pilot barked. "Keep distance. Visual only."
From the command channel, the order came without hesitation.
"All units, maintain pressure but prioritize survival. Ground forces will proceed as planned. Air support is now reconnaissance only."
"Hmmm… at least they've got brains," Luke muttered, watching the helicopters scatter.
Then his smile curved slightly.
"But do they really think they can escape?"
He raised one hand.
The helicopters jerked violently mid-flight.
WHRRRRR—!
Their rotors screamed as invisible force grabbed them from every direction.
"Hawk Six, what are you doing?!" a pilot yelled over comms.
"I'm not—!" Hawk Six shouted back. "Controls aren't responding—!"
The choppers were dragged sideways, noses snapping toward each other like toys caught in a magnetic field.
Altitude alarms blared.
Pilots swore.
"Command—something's pulling us together—!"
Luke clenched his fingers.
The sky folded inward.
BOOM—CRRRUNCH!
Steel slammed into steel. Rotors shattered. Glass exploded outward in glittering shards. One helicopter clipped another, spiraled, then detonated in midair, fireball blooming against the clouds.
The remaining choppers tried to fight it.
Too late.
They were yanked together and smashed like cans, wreckage raining down in a burning spiral.
Luke exhaled slowly, lowering his hand.
"No mercy," he said quietly. "You came here to butcher people."
Below him, the ground convoy kept moving.
They hadn't realized it yet.
But they would.
***
In the convoy,
"Hawk Six, respond. Anyone—respond," the captain barked into the comms.
Only static answered.
He slammed his fist into the dashboard. "Damn it."
The drivers exchanged uneasy looks as the radio crackled with overlapping silence where half a squadron should've been.
"Our intel said Magneto wasn't here," the captain snapped, jaw tight. "Said the bunker was full of weak mutants. Civilians. Easy sweep."
No one replied.
A moment later, a strained voice broke through the comms—from the lead vehicle.
"Command… I think that mutant is standing in the road."
The captain didn't hesitate. "Then ram him."
The lead jeep accelerated.
It hit Luke head-on.
—or at least, it tried to.
Metal shrieked as the front of the jeep crumpled inward like it had slammed into a concrete wall at full speed. The hood folded, the engine block warped, and the vehicle screeched sideways before skidding to a dead stop, smoke pouring from beneath it.
The convoy behind swerved hard. Tires screamed. Two vehicles veered off to either side, narrowly avoiding collision as they braked and repositioned.
For half a second, there was stunned silence.
Then training kicked in.
Doors flew open. Boots hit the asphalt in unison. Soldiers spilled out, forming a loose semicircle, rifles snapping up in practiced motions.
Red laser dots bloomed across Luke's chest… his shoulders… his head.
"Targets acquired," someone muttered.
Luke stood where the jeep had hit him, untouched. Not a scratch. Not even dust on his clothes.
"Fire!" the captain shouted.
The order barely finished echoing before the night erupted.
RATATATAT
Muzzle flashes tore through the darkness. Assault rifles barked in unison, tracer rounds stitching the air as dozens of bullets tore toward Luke's position.
They hit—or rather, they didn't.
Rounds slammed into an invisible barrier inches from Luke's body, flattening, warping, then dropping uselessly to the ground with dull clinks. Others froze midair for a fraction of a second before crumbling into metallic dust.
The soldiers faltered.
"What the hell—?"
"Keep firing!"
Grenade launchers thumped. Explosions bloomed.
Only to be swallowed instantly, shockwaves collapsing inward like they'd detonated underwater.
Luke lifted one hand.
The ground beneath the soldiers shuddered.
Metal screamed as rifles were wrenched from their grips, ripped forward as if grabbed by an unseen giant. Guns flew from trembling hands, snapping together in midair, crushing into a twisted, compact mass of steel.
Panic rippled through the formation.
"Fall back!"
Too late.
The air pressure dropped.
Soldiers were lifted off their feet, bodies slamming into the asphalt, pinned by crushing force they couldn't see. Helmets cracked. Radios sparked. Breaths were forced from lungs in sharp, broken gasps.
Luke walked forward, calm, unhurried—boots crunching over spent casings.
"I don't care what excuse you tell yourselves," he said evenly, eyes cold. "Orders. Fear. Obedience."
He stopped in front of the captain, who was struggling on one knee, veins bulging in his neck.
"But you came here to slaughter people who never raised a weapon at you."
Luke tilted his head slightly.
"Why?"
The captain laughed, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. His eyes were wild, convinced. "Because they're nothing more than beasts," he spat. "Not human. Abominations. You don't ask a pig for permission before you slaughter it, do you?"
The words hung in the cold air.
Luke stared at him for a long second.
Then he nodded once. Slowly.
"I see," he said quietly.
*****
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