Liam didn't slow down. Carrying Polaris on his back, he moved forward without hesitation, and within moments, he reached the main gate of the detention center.
By then, the entrance was completely surrounded.
Dozens of Sentinel agents stood ready, weapons raised, forming a tight perimeter. The air was thick with tension, every eye locked onto him as if they were staring at something they couldn't quite understand.
And then—
the mutants behind him suddenly collapsed.
One after another, they dropped to the ground without warning, their bodies going weak as if something had been cut off entirely.
Liam paused, glancing back. "What's going on?"
"I… I don't know—my ability's gone!"
"I can't use anything… it just stopped working!"
"Someone's interfering with us!"
Their voices were filled with panic, confusion spreading rapidly through the group.
Liam's expression shifted slightly.
So it was happening already.
The only one capable of this… had to be Gus.
Thunderbird's brother—the mutant who could suppress the abilities of others entirely.
Once caught in his field, most mutants became no different from ordinary humans.
But Liam felt nothing.
The interference didn't even touch him.
Vector control operated automatically, rejecting anything that posed a threat to him. Whatever effect Gus was generating—it simply couldn't reach him.
"Drop your resistance and surrender now," a voice echoed through a loudspeaker. "Or we will open fire."
The Sentinel agents had clearly noticed the sudden collapse of most of the mutants. Confidence returned to their posture, though none of them dared to approach Liam directly.
They had already learned that lesson.
Liam glanced at the fallen mutants behind him.
He could leave.
A simple spatial jump, and he'd be gone in an instant.
But his gaze lingered for half a second longer.
Then he sighed.
"Guess I'll deal with this first."
His eyes swept across the field, scanning.
It didn't take long.
In an instant, he locked onto Gus.
There.
If that guy wasn't taken out, the mutants behind him wouldn't be able to escape at all.
The next second—
the temperature dropped.
Liam activated his freezing control at full force, and frost exploded outward from beneath his feet. It surged across the ground like a tidal wave, racing toward the Sentinel agents.
"Fall back!"
The agents reacted quickly, retreating as fast as they could.
But they were too slow.
The frost reached them.
In an instant, ice climbed up their boots, locking around their ankles and freezing them solid to the ground. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't move.
"Fire!"
With no other option, the commanding officer gave the order.
A barrage of stun weapons discharged at once.
Arcs of electricity surged toward Liam.
He wasn't worried about himself.
But the people behind him wouldn't survive that.
So he moved.
With a simple wave of his hand, a wall of ice rose instantly in front of them, thick and solid, forming a barrier.
The electric current slammed into it—
—and spread.
Ice conducted the charge.
The electricity flowed through the frozen surface and surged back along the frost covering the ground, redirecting itself straight into the immobilized agents.
Screams erupted.
The Sentinel agents convulsed violently as the current surged through them, their own weapons turned against them in an instant. The frost continued to spread, locking more of them in place.
Within seconds, the entire front line was neutralized.
And just like that—
the interference vanished.
The pressure on the mutants lifted, and their abilities returned.
"Alright," Liam said casually, glancing back. "Run."
That was all the instruction they needed.
The mutants scrambled to their feet, activating whatever powers they had left, fleeing in every direction.
Liam didn't stay.
In the same instant, he disappeared.
Space shifted—
—and he reappeared directly beside Gus.
Before the man could react, Liam grabbed him.
Then space folded again.
Both of them vanished.
The entire sequence lasted less than a second.
The Sentinel agents, still frozen and incapacitated, could do nothing as the remaining mutants escaped.
Not far away, Thunderbird, Clarice, and the others stared in complete disbelief.
No one spoke.
They had just watched one man walk into a fortified detention center, dismantle its defenses, and walk out—carrying the person they came for.
Effortlessly.
And then—
something even more shocking.
A figure appeared behind them.
"Hey. Time to go."
Liam's voice.
Everyone jumped, turning around instantly.
There he stood, grinning, Polaris still on his back—and Gus in his grasp.
"I don't know if you recognize this guy," Liam said, nudging Gus slightly. "But his ability's pretty impressive. Shutting down other mutants like that… not bad."
Thunderbird froze for half a second before rushing forward, his expression shifting rapidly.
"I know him," he said, his voice tight. "That's my brother. Gus."
He took Gus from Liam carefully, emotion flickering across his face.
"He was captured before…"
"Yeah," Liam said casually. "And he's probably been modified. Controlled somehow. You'll want to be careful."
He didn't need to explain further.
Everyone understood.
An ability like that couldn't be left in Sentinel hands. If it were used on a larger scale—even someone like Professor X could be affected.
"Lorna!" Clarice rushed forward, her attention shifting to Polaris. "Are you okay?"
"She forced her powers against the collar," Liam explained. "The shock knocked her out."
"As long as she's safe…" Thunderbird exhaled deeply, tension finally leaving his shoulders.
"Thank you—give her to me," Marcos said quickly, stepping forward.
Liam adjusted slightly, preparing to lower Polaris.
Then he paused.
"…Huh."
He couldn't.
Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck.
"She's not letting go," Liam said, a little surprised.
There was no response from Polaris.
But the grip didn't loosen.
Thunderbird glanced around the area, his expression sharpening again. "We need to move. This isn't a safe place to stay."
That settled it.
Marcos hesitated, then stepped back as everyone quickly got into the vehicles.
The engines roared to life, and within seconds, they were gone.
Inside the car, Liam finally looked down at Polaris again.
Her eyes were open.
He blinked.
So she'd been awake.
"Guess I was right," he muttered.
Polaris shifted slightly, brushing a strand of green hair back before extending her hand toward him, her expression calm despite everything that had just happened.
"My name's Lorna," she said. "Thank you… for saving me."
Liam smiled, taking her hand. "Liam."
Up close, he could see her clearly now.
Young—barely eighteen or nineteen.
Her features were sharp but soft at the same time, her skin smooth, her presence striking without being overwhelming. It was the kind of beauty that didn't need effort.
Even by his standards, it was hard not to notice.
For a moment, Liam understood exactly why Polaris had left such a strong impression on so many people.
....
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