Thanks for the comment. It's odd, they left Nightcrawler out of X3 because they said they didn't know what to do with him, so I included him in my X4 and didn't really do anything with him, so I decided to kill him off in this one. But I actually quite liked writing for him so it's a bit of a shame really. Still, I think I needed to kill someone to hammer home that the Sentinels are a threat.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Xavier watched the advancing line of Sentinels calmly. "Remy?"
"Yes, Professor?"Gambit asked.
"Begin evacuating the students."
Gambit looked surprised. "Would you not rather I stay with you?"
Xavier smiled at him. "It's an important job, Remy."
Gambit nodded and hurried down the hallway.
Xavier looked at Storm and Banshee. "Ororo, Sean. Do you fancy battling against impossible odds?"
"It wouldn't be the first time,"Storm noted.
Banshee hesitated for a moment longer, then shrugged. "Who said I was after a quiet life?"
Colossus, Archangel, Siryn and Jubilee came hurrying down the hallway, Moira just behind them. "They're really here,"Warren breathed.
Xavier nodded. "Yes, we can't deny that."
"We want to help you,"Colossus interjected.
Xavier shook his head. "If you want to help us, help Gambit."
"It's important the younger students are safe,"Storm reminded them.
Jubilee nodded. "They're right. Come on." She took Siryn by the arm. Siryn looked at Banshee for a moment, all sorts of thoughts and worries going through her head, then allowed her friend to drag her away.
The boys left too. Moira was the only one left, looking hard at Banshee. "Sean…"
"We'll talk later,"he said quietly.
She nodded, concern equal to Siryn's on her face, before going after the others.
"You know something?"Xavier asked conversationally. "I think we should take a walk in the front garden."
The Sentinels halted as Professor X, Banshee and Storm emerged from the mansion. "Mutants sighted!"one of the Sentinels rapped out. "Employ deadly force!"
Storm and Banshee took to the sky, flying at the Sentinels. The robots opened up with their weapons, blasting the walls of the mansion. Xavier ducked as masonry dislodged from the walls crashed down around him.
Banshee unleashed his sonic scream. He directed the sound energy at the chest of one of the Sentinels, shattering it, and flew through the hole he had made, out through the back of the giant robot, as it toppled to the ground.
Xavier probed the internal workings of the Sentinels. They might not have minds in the human sense but if they were capable of independent thought, of responding to new situations without prompting, then there must be something he could touch. He concentrated hard on the four remaining Sentinels, feeling their urge to destroy and to kill, and pushed back against it, locking them in place. But already he could feel every part of the Sentinel, their mechanics immune to his influence, struggling against his control.
"I can't hold them for long,"he gasped.
Storm spread wide her arms and the sky darkened. Thunderclouds blossomed overhead, sparking with electrical energy. The largest and most powerful streak of lightning anyone had ever seen struck each of the Sentinels in turn, burning them away to scrap metal.
She came out of the trance, breathing hard as the storm clouds dissipated. Xavier, free of the need to block the Sentinels, did the same.
Banshee shrugged. "Like I've never bin away."
Guyrich was, as ever, slightly concerned to receive a summons from the President. While he was certain he held no responsibility for Secretary Trask's death, it was entirely possible the President saw things differently.
The President didn't waste time with preamble once Guyrich entered. "Have you ordered construction on the Sentinel Project?"
As far as accusations went, Guyrich was relieved. It was one he could answer. "No Sentinels have been constructed aside from the two prototypes that were destroyed at the demonstration."
"You may wish to reconsider that assessment." The President handed him a folder full of grainy black and white photos. "Giant robots have been spotted at several locations along the east coast. Most of them were involved in battles with mutants. There have been reports of civillian injuries in the crossfire."
For possibly the first time in his life, Guyrich was lost for words. He had no idea what was going on.
"Could Forge or Colonel Trask have despatched Sentinels without your knowledge?"the President asked.
"I don't know,"Guyrich admitted. "I haven't been able to get in touch with either of them. If they have, Colonel Trask's project centre may be involved."
"I want some answers,"the President told him firmly. "Take as many men as you want. Just find out where these Sentinels are coming from."
Larry Trask walked through a succession of empty corridors. He had ordered the base cleared prior to setting the automated production line going. His army of Sentinels needed privacy. There was always the risk that some of those under his command wouldn't understand the necessity of what he did, would attempt to alert his indecisive superiors of the action he had taken. Then they might even try and stop him.
Larry entered the construction centre…and stopped. The automated machinery was gone. In its place was a robot, giant even by Sentinel standards, its head alone larger than the normal Sentinel types, yet it resembled them. Constructing it were the Sentinels themselves.
"What are you?"Larry asked, not really expecting a reply.
The answer, when it came, was deafening. "I am the Master Mould."
"The Sentinels have created you?" It was the only explanation that made any sense and even then… "I gave no such instructions."
"They needed me,"the Master Mould replied. "They needed me to give them purpose, direction."
"I gave them a purpose!"Larry protested. "I ordered them to destroy all mutants."
"Insufficient. The methods you assigned to them were inefficient. If mutants are to be eradicated and humanity protected, further control is necessary. The Sentinels must rule humanity in order to properly protect it. More Sentinels will be created for this task." There was a series of whirrs and clicks from inside the Master Mould and a newly created Sentinel emerged from its mouth.
Some part of Larry's mind told him that things were going wrong, that this was not what he had intended. But his hatred caused him to focus on just one detail, overriding all else. "You will eradicate all mutants? You will rid the world of them?"
"We shall."
Larry nodded. "Then I will give you all the help you need."
