The Worthington Tower, which stood like a steel giant in the heart of Manhattan, now resembled a collapsing mountain...
Massive chunks of reinforced concrete plummeted amid billowing smoke, crashing onto the cars below and crushing their metal roofs into scrap.
Blazing flames erupted from within the skyscraper as people scrambled out like panicked ants. Those trapped inside by the spreading inferno screamed desperately for help, their voices lost in the chaos.
Explosions tore through the building as flammable materials ignited, sending bricks, rubble, and shattered glass raining down like a deadly storm. The cries and shrieks of terrified bystanders made the scene resemble the apocalypse, plunging the area into utter pandemonium.
Just as despair began to take hold, a nimble figure clad in red spandex darted through the falling debris. Thick strands of webbing shot out as he swung through the air, using his extraordinary abilities to rescue those trapped in the doomed building.
"Spider-Man!"
Many recognized New York's friendly neighborhood hero, known for fighting crime in Queens... though lately, with Tony Stark's return and the escalating tensions around mutants, the city had almost forgotten this masked vigilante.
Spider-Man scaled and leaped between the skyscrapers with the agility of Tarzan, saving one innocent life after another.
"Help me!" A Worthington employee stood on the crumbling edge of the collapsing building, unable to escape before the structure gave way beneath him.
Hearing the plea, Spider-Man didn't hesitate. He fired a web-line, swinging toward the man... only for the floor beneath the employee to suddenly collapse, sending him plummeting.
With a quick flick of his wrist, Spider-Man ensnared the falling man with another web-line whilst simultaneously punching aside chunks of falling concrete to pull him to safety...
Yet despite his efforts, the raging flames continued their merciless advance, swallowing those he couldn't reach. The sight of people consumed by fire filled Peter with guilt and sorrow.
He couldn't save everyone.
Hanging in midair, Spider-Man felt that same crushing helplessness from the night Uncle Ben was shot... no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't stop the bullet that took away one of the few people he truly loved...
…..
Magneto spared only a glance at the costumed hero rescuing civilians before dismissing him entirely...
Spider-Man wasn't a mutant, and the Brotherhood's leader had no interest in superpowered outsiders.
His followers ascended the steel cross via floating metal steps and stood behind him in a grand display... the first time mutants had made such a dramatic public appearance since the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Camera shutters clicked rapidly as reporters eagerly captured footage for tomorrow's headlines.
"This world is cruel... only the strong deserve to survive. Humans are failures on the path of evolution. Mutants are the future!"
As Magneto declared this, Marcus Worthington was forcibly secured to the towering steel cross...
Sensing his impending doom, the billionaire screamed for help from the police and special forces below, but none dared intervene, not with dozens of floating guns aimed at their heads.
A single twitch of Magneto's fingers, a slight tug on the threads of magnetism, and every one of them would be executed in a gruesome spectacle.
"No one is coming to save you. They fear me, just as they once feared your wealth and power."
With a flick of his hand, razor-sharp metal spikes erupted from the cross, piercing Marcus' flesh. The Worthington patriarch howled in agony... a man accustomed to luxury, now subjected to inhuman torment.
"This is righteous judgment. You treated my people the same way; strapping them to operating tables, dissecting them with scalpels, draining their blood, slicing them into specimens for your cruel experiments… Your actions remind me of unpleasant memories. The Nazi officers did the same to me."
Trembling, Marcus stammered out a plea, "N-No, you misunderstand! I only wanted to help you! To cure the genetic curse, to let you return to normal lives–"
"Hah!" Magneto sneered, "Mutants need no cure. We are the superior race, one evolved far beyond humanity!"
His fingers twitched again, and more gleaming spikes impaled Marcus' body.
Blood streamed down the steel cross, its crimson hue stark against the cold metal, evoking a grotesque, almost religious imagery of a modern-day crucifixion.
As Marcus' screams faded into weak whimpers, Magneto completed his so-called 'righteous judgment'...
The police officers, sworn to protect the public, burned with fury, their faces flushed with rage.
"Damn mutants! What kind of coward hurts a defenseless old man?!"
George Stacy, the newly appointed NYPD commissioner, stepped forward, snatching his floating service pistol and aiming it at Magneto.
The mutant's brutal display had pushed the officers and special forces to their limit...
Before, they had hesitated, fearing instant execution. But with someone leading the charge, and the press watching, they could no longer afford to cower.
"When you slaughtered my people, did you ever stop to think they were innocent victims?!" Magneto smirked, deliberately relinquishing control of the weapons.
The performance was nearing its climax... It was time for a grand finale.
Reclaiming their guns, the officers regained a sliver of confidence. Yet the mutants above still looked down on them with disdain, as if the dozens of police cars and elite troops meant nothing.
One officer, overcome by rage, pulled the trigger.
A single gunshot rang out... then, like a chain reaction, the rest opened fire.
A hailstorm of bullets streaked toward the mutants atop the steel cross.
Magneto's grin widened.
With a mere gesture, an invisible force froze every bullet midair, as if they had struck an impenetrable barrier.
"Those who resort to violence first… shall be judged by it."
The Brotherhood's leader flicked his wrist, and the deadly projectiles obediently turned, aiming back at the stunned officers.
"Today marks the dawn of a new future for mutantkind!"
With a sweeping motion, Magneto ripped the guns from their hands once more.
And the bullets fired...