Having dealt with Apocalypse, Hawking’s four giant ape clones vanished as their energy depleted. Exhausted, Hawking himself descended to the ground.
Releasing all his energy at once was taxing, even in his Great Ape form. However, the recovery ability of this form was stronger, and he had plenty of chakra and magical power left.
Just as he began to let his guard down, a cold glint shot up from the ground, appearing behind him.
“Slash!”
In an instant, his tail was severed.
“Not good!”
Realizing his tail had been cut off, Hawking’s expression changed drastically. Losing his tail meant he would immediately revert to his normal form and would be unable to transform back into the Great Ape until his tail regrew.
“Hawking, Hawking, I told you many times to join my Brotherhood, but you wouldn’t listen. Nonetheless, I must thank you for dealing with that self-righteous Apocalypse for me.”
As Hawking’s body shrank back to human form, Magneto slowly floated over with his hands behind his back.
“So it was you!”
Now back to his normal human form, Hawking looked gravely at the approaching Magneto.
The enhanced Magneto was the only one capable of silently cutting his tail with metal control. Besides, few knew that cutting his tail would force him out of the Great Ape form.
“Where are Storm and the others?”
Earlier, he had sent Storm and the others to pursue Mystique and stop Magneto from controlling the Earth’s magnetic field. Now, only Magneto was here, indicating they had failed.
“I don’t like being filmed.”
With a wave of his hand, Magneto shattered all the cameras the reporters were using for the live broadcast near the X-Jet, ending the global broadcast abruptly.
“Bring them up.”
Following Magneto’s command, Mystique and the Brotherhood members brought forth Storm and the others fitted with special collars.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t killed any of them. But if you resist, they will all die.”
Magneto landed in front of Hawking, smiling.
Hawking raised an eyebrow. “How did you subdue them in such a short time?”
“I used some human-made weapons, which worked remarkably well. Your three non-mutant friends were a bit troublesome, but they have their weaknesses. One fears fire, and two fear poison. Once I contained them, it was easy.”
With a wave of his hand, a dozen syringes with metal needles floated around him.
“So you collaborated with Hydra?”
Seeing this, Hawking immediately understood.
It was clear that the syringes contained a serum that could temporarily nullify mutant abilities. The collars on Storm and the others were likely designed to suppress mutant powers as well.
When Storm and the others went to stop Magneto, they must have fallen into his trap and been injected with the serum, which turned them into ordinary humans and left them defenseless.
The origin of the serum and collars had to be Hydra, as S.H.I.E.L.D. would never provide such items.
“No, Hawking, you misunderstand. This isn’t a collaboration—it’s exploitation. Once I deal with you and Captain Marvel, I will eradicate Hydra. In the end, only mutants will remain on Earth. But if you surrender now, I will spare your family and friends.”
Magneto spoke with sincerity.
Although Hawking had reverted from the Great Ape form, he was still strong. Magneto knew that after the battle with Apocalypse, Hawking must be weakened. If he gave his all, he could capture Hawking.
However, he feared Hawking might flee. If Hawking decided to escape, Magneto might not be able to stop him. If Hawking recovered, he would be a major threat. Thus, he used Hawking’s friends and loved ones as leverage, hoping to make him surrender willingly.
“Think carefully. You’re in no condition to win. If you escape, I assure you, they will all die.”
Metallic blades hovered behind Storm and the others’ heads as Magneto threatened.
Hawking sighed theatrically. “Alright, I agree.”
He had indeed just exited his Great Ape form and was somewhat weakened. Instead of resisting, he decided to bide his time, hoping to recover enough to confront Magneto later.
“Good. Stay still and do not resist.”
With a thought, Magneto directed a syringe to inject its contents into Hawking, who then allowed Mystique to place a collar and cuffs on him.
“As long as you behave, everything I promised will come true.”
Seeing Hawking comply without resistance, Magneto beamed with satisfaction. With Hawking out of the way, only Captain Marvel remained. Once she was dealt with, no one could stop him.
“Charles is not on the jet.”
Moments later, Mystique emerged from the X-Jet with this news.
Magneto, unsurprised, chuckled. “If he’s not, he’s not. I injected a serum into him before the transfer attempt. He’s now just an ordinary person and won’t regain his abilities for at least a week. By then, human civilization will have reverted to the Bronze Age, and he will have no choice but to accept it.”
“It seems Nightcrawler took Professor X to a safe place.”
Hawking realized. Nightcrawler’s task was to save Professor X and keep him safe. Seeing the situation outside, he likely teleported the Professor to safety.
“Hawking, it’s our fault. We were careless and got you caught.”
Storm, looking at Hawking with guilt, sighed. The other mutants were also filled with self-blame.
“It’s alright. Don’t worry. It’s not over yet. Who will be the final winner is still uncertain.”
Hawking winked reassuringly.
He wasn’t a mutant, so the serum, collar, and cuffs had no effect on him. He was pretending to be captured to lull Magneto into a false sense of security and buy time.
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