[8] Sneaky Handwork

Chapter 8: Sneaky Handwork

—

Magneto stepped forward, each movement unhurried, deliberate. The maroon of his cloak barely flickered with the wind, and the metal around him bent in anticipation of his will. He was a large man—nothing like the skinny old man from the movies.

Behind him, Sabretooth prowled, shoulders rolling as he sniffed the air. His wild eyes narrowed as he looked at me in confusion. No way, can he smell Ghostfreak?

"Looks like Anna is having trouble hearing…” Magneto said, looking at me. He was definitely irritated hearing ‘Rogue’ call him a terrorist. “Victor, take care of Logan," he said, and the beast jumped ahead without waiting.

Sabretooth launched himself at Wolverine with a feral roar. Their bodies collided in a tangle of claws and fury, tumbling through the debris of what used to be the sporting goods section. The sound of metal against bone echoed through the ruins.

I stood frozen in Rogue's body, my mind racing. If I revealed myself, Magneto would crush everyone instantly. I’d be fine as Ghostfreak, but I doubted that I could take over his body as long as he had that red helmet of his.

But if I played along, I'd have to actually capture Animo and hand him over to a terrorist. Neither option seemed great. I looked at Grandpa and Gwen; the former nodded at me softly, as if telling me to quietly observe things for now.

Magneto raised his hand toward Cyclops, who was already adjusting his visor for a blast. "Your little light show won't help you today, Scott."

The metal floor beneath Cyclops's feet suddenly twisted upward, wrapping around his legs like tentacles. With a flick of Magneto's wrist, Scott's arms were pinned to his sides, the metal constricting tighter.

"I don’t understand why you guys always keep going against me despite knowing the result. The metal in this building," Magneto continued calmly, "in your weapons, in the very ground beneath us... it all answers to me."

I felt a chill run down Rogue's spine. Magneto wasn't just fighting—he was putting on a demonstration of power.

This is my chance. While everyone was focused on the battle erupting around us, I carefully stepped behind Magneto. Much of Four Arms’ red color had vanished off Rogue's body, but some remained. That meant I still had more power than the regular Rogue. I could make this work.

Just as I was about to leap into battle and attack Magneto, the ruined entrance to the Walmart filled with a new presence.

"That's quite enough, Erik."

Another calm, authoritative voice cut through the chaos. Professor Charles Xavier rolled forward in his wheelchair, pushed by a tall, elegant redhead whose eyes seemed to glow with inner fire. Jean Grey—or more accurately, the Host of the Phoenix.

Why do they keep making their appearance as if they were waiting behind the curtains? I complained in my head.

"We don't need to escalate this situation further," Jean announced, her voice carrying an unnatural resonance that made the air itself vibrate. "This stops now."

The fighting paused as everyone turned toward the newcomers. Even Sabretooth and Wolverine separated, though they continued circling each other like wary predators.

Magneto smiled thinly. "Charles. Always showing up uninvited to parties that don't concern you."

"A mutant using his powers to cause public destruction concerns me greatly, old friend," Xavier replied, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. "Dr. Animo belongs in proper containment, not as another pawn in your endless chess game."

"Chess game?" Magneto's voice hardened. "This is no game, Charles. This is our survival. With Animo's mutation-enhancing abilities, we could finally reform this planet into the utopia that our kind deserves."

The Professor's expression remained calm, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. "By forcibly mutating humans against their will? That's not evolution, Erik. It's tyranny."

"I've heard your sermons before," Magneto dismissed with a wave. "They grow tiresome. Rogue," he turned slightly toward me, still keeping Xavier in his peripheral vision, "take care of Jean. I'll manage everything else."

“...Sure thing,” I said, and my eyes met Jean, who scowled. Magneto was in front of me, so to approach Jean, I had to pass by him. This was my moment.

With everyone's attention split between the Professor and Magneto, I moved as if my destination was Jean. However, when I was right behind Magneto, I swiftly reached out a hand and removed the helmet from his head.

“...?”

The helmet clattered to the ground with a metallic ring.

Charles blinked. Magneto froze, his eyes widening in shock and betrayal as he spun to face me. "Anna? What have you—"

His breath hitched, his pupils shrank, and his body trembled. The great Master of Magnetism slammed to his knees, his fingers clawing at his skull.

Jean's voice cut through the chaos. "Stay down, Erik."

He didn't have a choice.

A second later, he toppled forward, unconscious.

"NO!" Sabretooth roared, abandoning his standoff with Wolverine to charge directly at me. "You traitor!"

Six and a half feet of feral mutant barreled toward Rogue's body like a freight train. I didn't flinch. Instead, I channeled every ounce of Four Arms’ strength that Rogue still had in her system, along with Captain Marvel's strength that she had permanently, and met his charge with a perfectly timed uppercut.

– BAM!

My fist connected with his jaw with a sickening crack. Sabretooth's head snapped back, his eyes rolling up as momentum carried him several feet into the air before he crashed down beside his master, equally unconscious.

A heavy silence fell over the ruined store. I squared Rogue's shoulders and faced the X-Men defiantly, ready for whatever came next.

“What’s going on, Anna?” Jean asked, a little surprised.

Professor Xavier wheeled forward slowly, his penetrating gaze fixed on me. "It's not... Anna," he said carefully. "I don't know who it is, they're blocking my mind reading."

Jean blinked and seemed to try something similar, frowning a moment later as she seemed to confirm Xavier’s words. I didn’t know why that was the case; was it because there were two minds in this body or because I was Ghost Freak?

A moment later, Xavier turned toward Gwen and Grandpa Max, who had remained huddled protectively near each other throughout the confrontation. He realized they must be involved with me since they were still near Animo’s body.

His fingers subtly twitched as if reaching out.

I immediately recognized that motion.

"I apologize for what I'm about to—"

"You read their mind," I cut in sharply, my voice like steel, "and I beat the living shit out of all of you."

His fingers froze mid-motion.

Anna’s Southern drawl made the threat sound even more menacing. All eyes fell on me as I glared at Professor X. "Leave. Now. I can’t believe you’re about to mess with people’s privacy, people who’re helping you Mutant kind from ruining their own reputation, with a simple ‘sorry.’ Fuck off. Take the unconscious people and leave us alone. I'll leave this body somewhere safe."

“...”

Silence fell across the ruined aisles. Xavier studied me for a long moment before nodding slightly. He looked at Jean, who returned the nod.

With a flick of her finger, the three unconscious forms—Magneto, Sabretooth, and Animo—rose into the air, suspended by her telekinesis.

I could trust Animo with them. Even if hypocritical, Charles Xavier wasn’t an outright villain.

The X-Men began filing out. Wolverine cast an odd glance my way but followed without argument. Cyclops hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with leaving an unknown entity in possession of their former student.

Iceman followed next. But he paused at the edge of the destruction, his eyes fixed on Rogue's face with a mixture of regret and longing. I felt a strange twist in my borrowed chest—not my emotions, but Rogue's, still present beneath my control.

Jean Grey was the last to leave, but unlike Iceman, her gaze didn't seem to be directed at Rogue. Somehow, she was looking past the physical form, her eyes meeting mine directly. A curious look played at the corner of her eyes before she turned and followed the others out.

Once they were gone, Grandpa Max and Gwen rushed toward me. "Ben, that was—" Gwen began, but stopped short as a familiar beeping sound interrupted her.

The Omnitrix symbol, hidden beneath Rogue's clothing, began flashing red. My time was up. I felt Ghostfreak's essence being pulled back into the watch, and my Ghostfreak form was yanked from Rogue's body like a fish on a hook.

[Image Here]

With a flash of red light, I was returned back into my own body, which materialized a few feet away. Rogue collapsed to the ground, unconscious but breathing steadily.

I groaned, the disorientation of the sudden transformation making my head spin. "That... was intense."

"We can talk about the details later. Let's leave before things become dangerous again," Grandpa quickly said, already helping me to my feet.

With one last glance at Rogue's unconscious form, we hurried from the ruins of what had once been a perfectly ordinary Walmart, leaving the chaos and destruction behind us.

Even as I ran, I couldn’t believe it.

I’d not only defeated Rogue, but I’d even captured Magneto.

**

**

**

Author Note: That's the 8th Chapter, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I have written 38 chapters by now, with 8 posted here, and 30 posted in my , and considering it all, I love how the story has unfolded. I'm down to taking suggestions and rewriting things if I think they're better than what I've written already, though, so the stocked chapters aren't a bad thing. I think most readers will enjoy it.

Shameless plug, visit .com/Master4thWall for 20+ chapters from here at any time. Since uses the 30-day model now, if you sub today on 15th June, you only have to pay again in 15th July. For those unfamiliar with me or my work, ultimately my is a donation service with the benefit of quicker access to chapters, and the chapters will NEVER become pure paywall locked, as they'd always be released in free sites. Just according to the regular schedule. The schedule right now is a chapter every day (with bonus sometimes) except for Saturday. It'll change after the first month.