Marvel: Master Of Role-Playing-Chapter 161: Kids in Gotham

Logan tried to ask more, but Jean turned and walked away.

"Return immediately, huh?"

He was already uneasy about leaving Rogue alone. Now, after hearing Jean's words, Logan became more determined than ever. If he found even the smallest chance, he'd rush straight back to Westchester without a second thought.

A few minutes later, he climbed into a vehicle with Beast, and the two set off toward Liberty Island.

....

Around the same time, a group of mutant students, angered and acting on their own, arrived in Gotham. The place where nearly half of their kind had been buried.

"Lorna, Bobby, are we really okay taking action without permission? Even teacher Azazel died in this city," Kitty spoke, her voice filled with worry.

"That's exactly why we have to do this," Lorna replied firmly. "Too many of our people were buried here."

As the youngest daughter of Magneto born over a decade ago, some parts of her personality were clearly inherited from her father. She leaned toward using force when handling problems. Maybe that had something to do with her awakening the same power of control over magnetic fields.

"If my brother and sister were here, they'd definitely make the same choice I did."

The others around her stayed quiet. Truth was, none of them had ever met the siblings she spoke of. They'd all heard Magneto had two daughters and a son, but aside from Lorna, they hadn't even heard the names of the other two.

"Enough talking. We've just entered Gotham."

The one driving the school bus, John Allerdyce, Pyro, cut in and stopped the conversation. His face was full of excitement. To him, this was a chance to let loose and fully unleash his powers.

Back at the academy, he was always surrounded by his companions. His ability to control fire never had the chance to truly grow. But now, in Gotham, he could finally do whatever he wanted.

What these young mutants didn't know was that even without Reid's psychic abilities, the Gotham surveillance network in the Batcave—powered by sonar tech—had already locked onto them the moment they entered the city.

....

Inside the Batcave, 'Batman' was watching the mutant students through the countless cameras spread across Gotham, observing the actions of the group.

"Not gonna lie," he muttered, voice tinged with pity. "If these kids don't go off the rails, a few of them are actually pretty interesting."

It was clearly Reid's personality speaking.

Among the group was Kitty Pryde, also known as Shadowcat. Ignoring her movie portrayal, something about the comic version's art style just matched Reid's taste. So even though she didn't have much screen time in reality, she stood out unusually clearly in his memory.

But that didn't matter now. In this world, any mutant tied to either Professor X or Magneto had no place. Reid wouldn't let a single one of them live.

Even if Kitty's comic-style charm caught his eye, it made no difference.

"Joker. It's your turn now."

...

Meanwhile, just as 'Batman' began putting his plans into motion, the group of mutant kids ran into their first obstacle on the way to Wayne Manor.

The Joker Gang had taken over an entire street, throwing one of their infamous nighttime parties, loud and chaotic. Their celebration completely blocked the road ahead, forcing the school bus to a stop.

"Looks like this is it," John said, rising from the driver's seat.

The rest of the students stood up with him, readying themselves.

"John, we could try to circle around," Bobby suggested, unsure. "Maybe there's another route."

"Bobby, are you really going to gamble that we can sneak past all the Joker Gang checkpoints scattered through Gotham's streets before Bruce Wayne, the so-called king of this city, notices us?"

Bobby didn't want to cause a big scene, but he couldn't argue with John's logic either. In the end, his attempt to persuade him fell flat.

With the decision made, John led the group of mutant kids off the bus, stepping into the streets where the Joker Gang's twisted celebration was in full swing.

A few of the gang members spotted them and sauntered over, eyes gleaming with mockery.

"Well, well... Look what we've got here. A bunch of kids. Don't tell me this is a school field trip to Gotham?" one man said.

Another member laughed and elbowed him. "If this is a field trip, their school sure picked the best destination. The Joker Gang's real good at entertaining kids."

Despite the joke, a shiver ran down his spine as he involuntarily recalled Joker's chemically-altered nightmare babies. Creepy stuff.

Still, he walked over to the group, stopping in front of John.

"Hey kid, look around. We're in the middle of a party. Gotham at night ain't a playground. I'll give you three seconds. Get lost."

As he spoke, he began counting.

"Three... two... one... You deaf or just stupid? Why are you still standing there?"

John didn't move. Instead, he calmly pulled out a lighter from his pocket.

The thug scoffed. "A lighter? You trying to offer me a smoke in Gotham, kid? Please. We've got stuff way stronger than that here."

Up until now, he hadn't even bothered to properly look at the group of mutant kids.

But in the next second, with a click, a small flame ignited from the lighter in John's hand. Then, with a wave of his arm, that tiny flame exploded into a blazing inferno, setting the entire street around them ablaze.

"Now! Bobby, take everyone and move!"

At his shout, the rest of the mutant kids launched their attacks on the Joker Gang members ahead.

Some summoned powerful gusts of wind with a flick of their wrists. Others soared into the air. A few grew extra limbs, while others relied on brute strength alone. Using their individual powers, they tore open a path through the Joker Gang's blockade.

Bobby jumped back into the school bus and drove off, taking a few of the academy's strongest students straight toward their real target—the Wayne Manor.

"Everyone, go all out with your powers! This might be the last chance we get!" John yelled at the top of his lungs.

They'd indeed acted on impulse coming here, but they weren't fools. Gotham was the kind of place that had buried even someone as powerful as Magneto. What chance did they really have?

Even though they'd managed to overpower this group of thugs, more reinforcements would be coming soon. Other crime families. Gotham's official forces. Maybe even Joker and Harley Quinn.

From the moment they stepped off that bus, their fate had already been sealed.

"We know, John! But Lorna and the others... they'll definitely kill that damn Batman!"

One of the students shouted back, trying to stay hopeful. But John didn't respond.

"John? John!"

Sensing something was off, the student quickly turned around—only to see John's headless body collapsing to the ground.

A split second later, the sound of a sniper rifle echoed across Gotham's night sky.

John couldn't create fire. But he could control existing flames, shaping them, changing their temperature, adjusting their range. The potential of his ability was limitless.

But no matter how powerful the flames he wielded were, a single bullet, fired from beyond visual range and faster than sound, was all it took to end the life of a mutant who had yet to reach his full potential.

And this... was only the beginning.

Their so-called noble sacrifice meant nothing. To the sniper watching from afar, these mutant children weren't heroes.

They were just foolish.

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