Logan shifted uncomfortably beside Rory in his suit. "You actually go outside in these things?"

"Well, what would you prefer, yellow Spandex?" Scott replied with disinterest.

Jean looked to Logan before giving him a light grin, to which he returned. Rory smirked at the two, almost placing a silent bet with herself that the two would end up together before long.

Suddenly, Logan unsheated his claws, seemingly testing out their mobility. The team rolled their eyes at him.

"Okay, there's the bridge I'm taking her down." Scott says, "Storm, some cover, please."

Storm creates a hazy fog around the jet, shielding them from unwanted eyes.

Scott begins to land, making a fault and sending the jet into shallow water.

"Sorry"

"You call that a landing?", Logan begins.

"Enough", Rory begins, shutting off any arguments before the true battle begins.

The team climbs up the bank, reaching the surface of the island.

----------

The team entered the Statue of Liberty, where a small TV was broadcasting the latest news updates. As they navigated the interior, an unexpected alarm blared when Logan set off a metal detector, derailing their stealthy approach.

Logan promptly smashed the alarm, drawing a disapproving glance from Scott. In response, Logan shot him a defiant look, extending his claws in a gesture of irritation. Scott, undeterred, simply offered a wry smile. Clearly, their tension was palpable.

"There's someone here," Logan said, his senses alert.

"Who?" Scott pushed.

"I'm not sure. Just keep your eyes open." Logan replied.

"Logan," Scott muttered, exasperated. "Damn it."

Scott turned back to Logan as he returned from his search. "Anything?"

"I know there's someone here, but I can't pinpoint them," Logan answered.

Suddenly, Logan was tackled by a duplicate of himself, creating a surreal and confusing scene. Rory, overwhelmed by the chaos, began losing control of her powers, causing the lights to flicker and sway. Scott quickly moved to her side.

"Rory, look at me," Scott said urgently, his eyes glowing red through his visor. "You need to stay focused. We're close to finishing this. I'll breathe with you. Let's get through this together, and I promise, I won't let anything else put you in danger."

Rory met his gaze, finding solace in his sincerity. The lights stabilized almost immediately with his reassurance.

"There you go," Scott said softly. "All better."

The team then rushed to the struggling Logans, only to be halted by the eerie sight of both moving in perfect sync. One of the Logans shouted for the group to wait before using his metal claws to slam the door shut, isolating them from the others.

"Back up! Back up!" Scott ordered, trying to regain control and blast the door.

Before Scott could act, Toad swung in using his elongated tongue, sending Scott crashing into a glass wall. Toad then lashed out at Jean, Storm, and Rory with his legs, knocking them all to the floor.

Toad grabbed Storm by the legs with his mutation, lifting her high into the air before slamming her down onto a glass railing on the upper floor. He then turned his attention to Jean and Rory, his grin wicked.

Leaping toward Jean, Toad was halted mid-air by her telekinetic powers. Rory, anticipating the need for Jean's abilities, stepped in front of her, taking a glob of crystallized spit to the face that blocked her airways.

Toad, distracted momentarily, climbed up the pillars to confront Storm, who had managed to rise. He kicked her face and continued to force her back until she fell into the elevator shaft. With a final sneer, he slammed the door shut.

Scott used his optic beams to blast open the compression doors and rushed to Jean, who was attending to Rory, still struggling to breathe.

"Don't move," Scott said, his voice urgent as he prepared to clear the obstruction from Rory's face.

He adjusted his visor, breaking the crystallized substance and allowing Rory to breathe freely. She coughed violently as air filled her lungs, and Jean quickly moved to her side, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Scott also approached Rory, placing his cool hands on her face, ensuring her breathing was steady and her condition was stable.

Meanwhile, Storm, recovering from her fall, summoned a fierce wind and dense fog. Toad, groaning in frustration, clung desperately to the metal railing with his tongue.

"Do you people ever die?" Toad complained.

Storm responded with a powerful gust of wind, propelling Toad outside. He clung for dear life to the railing with his tongue.

Storm, determined, declared, "Do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else."

With that, Storm flung Toad off the balcony and into the vast sky, ending the confrontation.

Scott wrapped his arm around Rory's waist, providing her with stability despite her repeated assurances that she was fine. As they turned a corner, Logan swung open the door.

"Hey, hey, it's me," Logan announced.

"Prove it," Scott replied, his grip on Rory tightening as he prepared to protect her from any potential threat.

"You're a dick," Logan retorted with a smirk.

"Okay," Scott said, letting go of his defensive stance as the group moved on.

The team of mutants ascended the statue via a series of dimly lit stairwells, with Rory and Scott sticking close together.

Suddenly, Logan broke the tense silence. "Everybody, get out of here."

"What is it?" Storm asked, her voice filled with concern.

"I can't move," Logan said just as he was thrown against the wall and restrained by a metal bar.

Storm was next, trapped by restraints around her throat and waist. Scott tried to use his powers but was yanked back with force. Rory was soon restrained as well, face-to-face with Scott, the bars around their waists binding them together. Jean was last, pulled backward to become strapped beside Logan.

"You know, sweetheart," Scott said with a wry grin, "if it were any other situation, I'd be thrilled to be in this position."

Rory rolled her eyes, though a faint blush crept onto her cheeks despite herself.

Just then, Magneto descended gracefully toward the group of mutants. "Ah, my brothers, welcome," he greeted with a sinister smile. He then turned his attention to Logan. "And you—perhaps you should keep those claws pointed in a safer direction," he added, his arms spread wide in a gesture of mock surrender.

Sabretooth landed heavily beside Magneto, his eyes locked onto Rory and Scott. With a malicious grin, he approached them quickly. "You should close your eyes," he taunted as he yanked Scott's visor from his face, leaving Rory exposed and vulnerable if Scott were to open his eyes.

Scott clenched his eyes shut, refusing to endanger Rory. "Storm, fry him!" he called out, desperation evident in his voice.

Magneto chuckled, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Ah, yes. A bolt of lightning into a giant copper conductor. I thought you lived at a school?"

Magneto's voice crackled through the intercom, breaking the tense silence. "Mystique? Mystique?"

Jean spoke up suddenly, her voice strained. "I've seen Senator Kelly."

Magneto's tone was contemplative as he responded, "So the good senator survived his fall and the swim to shore. He's become even more powerful than I could have imagined."

"He's dead," Jean clarified.

Storm nodded in agreement. "It's true. I saw him die. Just like those people down there will if we don't stop this."

Magneto's voice carried a hint of skepticism. "Are you sure you saw what you saw? Why do none of you understand what I'm trying to do? Those people down there, they control our fate and the fate of every other mutant. Soon, our fate will be theirs."

"You're so full of it," Logan growled, his voice filled with disdain. "If you were really that righteous, you'd be the one in that machine."

Rogue's desperate cries for help echoed through the chamber as Magneto levitated through the massive hole in the roof. Her voice grew fainter as he ascended.

Logan, with a sudden surge of strength, broke free from his restraints and crashed to the floor with a heavy thud. For a moment, he lay still, the others staring at him in uncertainty. But he was far from unconscious; in a flash, he lunged at Sabretooth, sending them both hurtling through the roof.

The two fought fiercely until Sabretooth turned his attention back to the others. A sinister grin spread across his face as he approached Storm. "You owe me a scream," he taunted.

Logan reappeared, his voice cutting through the tension. "Hey, bub. I'm not finished with you yet." He glanced toward Jean. "Jean."

Jean quickly relayed telepathic instructions to Rory. "Scott, when I tell you, open your eyes."

"No," Scott responded immediately, his voice firm.

"Trust me," Rory urged.

Meanwhile, Logan held up Scott's visor, taunting Sabretooth. "You drop something?" He tossed it into the air, and Jean froze it mid-flight, guiding it back to Scott's eyes.

Rory, focused and ready, gave Scott the signal. As his eyes opened, red energy surged through the visor, blasting Sabretooth through the roof and into the night sky.

"Thanks," Scott said, still catching his breath as Logan freed them from their metal restraints.

"Don't mention it," Logan replied. "We gotta get her out of there. Cyclops, can you hit the machine?"

"The rings are moving too fast," Scott replied, frustration evident in his voice.

"Just shoot it!" Logan demanded.

"I'll kill her!" Scott shot back, his voice tinged with desperation. He turned to Storm. "Can you get me up there?"

Storm shook her head, regret clear in her eyes. "I can't control it like that."