A/N: Don't own these character's so don't sue me.
Many thanks to the talented and incredible DaisyJane for the awe-inspiring beta! The main villains are almost completely shown now.
Sorry about the long delay, but as I've stated before this is one of the hardest stories I've written. Way to many characters to keep track of, never again will I have so many heroes and villains in the same story! lol Well maybe not, how knows. :)
Enjoy all.
Dark Claw 2: Sentinels Hellfire Rising.
Chapter 12: Magneto.
"Eric Lensherr..." Logan hissed in disbelief as Ororo grabbed the list to see the name with her own eyes.
"Magneto is working with them? I can't believe it," she said, clearly surprised as Logan started to pace angrily. Spiderman's body stiffened as well at the news that Magneto was part of the Hellfire Club. Diana looked at Batman in confusion.
"From your report Batman, Magneto is in charge of Genosha. A haven for mutants, correct?" Diana asked Bruce. Bruce nodded his head to answer her but frowned and wondered why Magneto would partner with the Hellfire Club.
"The man is hell bent on destroying humanity. Maybe he thought an alliance with the Hellfire Club would help to quicken his plans," Logan said momentarily interrupting Bruce's train of thought.
"Magneto's motives are always hard to read," Batman stated. "We most likely will not know what he is planning until it happens." Everyone that knew the enigmatic Eric Lensherr had to nod their heads in agreement.
"So what do we do next besides waiting to see what Magneto is up to?" Spiderman asked.
"I'm afraid we are going to have to delay getting the supplies to your group as the information on this drive needs to be decrypted first. It may contain vital information," Batman stated stoically.
"I understand and my people can survive a few more days without them," Spiderman replied.
"Good, you can return to them but take this," Batman stated as he pulled out a communicator from a pouch and handed it to Spiderman. "Use it to contact us in twenty-four hours. Do not leave the line open for more then thirty seconds, any longer and the Sentinels will be able to triangulate the signal and your location. We will be able to locate you in that time."
"Where are we going?" Wolverine asked.
"Back to the command center, I need the computer there to decrypt this data," Batman stated.
Spiderman waved his hand before he back flipped over the building's edge and disappeared. Diana pulled out her lasso, Ororo forced her way to the front of the lasso. Diana raised an eyebrow in question as it seemed that Ororo didn't want to be near Logan but Ororo ignored her. Bruce was second and Logan was last to wrap the lasso around his body. Diana lifted off with the three bats dangling under her.
Scott are you there? Please respond to me, a voice seemed to call out to him and Scott groaned in his sleep.
Leave us alone! a female voice stridently yelled back.
J'onn continued to try to hold onto the mental link he had created with Scott while also communicating with the woman. Why are you keeping him drugged? J'onn felt a strong wave of desperation in the female's thoughts.
Because I love him and she does not deserve him! she mentally hissed at him.
So keeping him hostage is how you show love? J'onn calmly questioned, trying to understand her twisted reasoning. He felt another wave of confusion and desperation from the female.
I love him, he needs me!... I need him..he should be mine, she stated begging for his understanding.
I know about love and loss and this is not love but obsession. If you truly did love Scott you would let him go, Emma. You would let him be happy with the woman that he truly loves, J'onn stated. He felt another wave of emotion from her and this time it was mostly fear mixed with painful longing. He could tell that Emma desperately wanted to be loved and he tried to send compassionate thoughts to her. Suddenly J'onn's mind screamed with pain as the link was forcefully broken with a hard psychic blast from Emma.
"Are you okay J'onn?" Captain America asked him as he watched the large Martian rub his head.
J'onn's eyes stopped glowing as he responded, "Yes, I just ran into a road block trying to locate Scott Summers. So how are all the teams doing?"
Captain America looked at a few displays. "They all seem to be holding up pretty well, no other teams besides Superman's have been attacked and they have found a new place to hide for now. Iron Man is currently working with Black Canary and Banshee on a weapon. I hope they can create something useful soon," he said as he gave J'onn a weary look.
J'onn nodded his head but his eyes started to glow again as he received a mental message. "Batman and his team are returning here, they have some data to decrypt and they have been able to contact Spiderman and update him on our progress."
Captain America rubbed his chin and said tersely, "I hope Batman has a good reason for coming here when they should be gathering intelligence in the field."
J'onn stared at Captain America before stating in an almost amused tone, "Batman always does, I can guarantee that." Captain America smiled and shook his head at J'onn, he liked the green skinned Martian. He was quiet, efficient and absolutely honest and probably the nicest guy he'd ever met.
"Okay I want both of you to project your sonic cries again at the metal box," Tony stated as he worked in the control room. They were running many different tests trying to isolate the frequencies needed to destroy the artificial kryptonite. The box was made from a metal similar to the armor encasing the Sentinels and there was a chunk of the artificial kryptonite inside of it. He looked down at the two vocal powered mutants and continued, "Start out low at first we don't want to destroy the room and I want to get a reading of the lowest amount of power needed to break down the kryptonite." Black Canary and Banshee nodded their heads in acknowledgement as they turned to the metal box.
They had been testing different frequencies and power levels all day. Tony had tested to see if either one could destroy the kryptonite without the other. The room was designed to handle one hundred eighty decibels and both vocal heroes had nearly broken that limit without even really trying, but neither could shatter the artificial kryptonite inside the metal box without the other's help. So then he tested them together asking them to increase and decrease the power behind their combined sonic blast. The sound of their combined screams was eerily haunting and raised goosebumps on Tony's arms.
They both took a deep breath and slowly started to send the lowest sonic waves that they could manage at the metal box. Tony had the room set up to record from all directions in the large lab. He would need find out what sonic frequencies were needed to shatter the artificial kryptonite so he could create a machine to mimic their combined cry.
Suddenly Tony felt a little nauseous and the glass in the control room started to wobble as they slowly increased the strength of their sonic blasts. Soon the video display showed the kryptonite exploding violently inside the box. He clicked on the mic and yelled, "Enough!"
Black Canary and Banshee stopped their screams and each took deep breaths needing to replace the air they had just expended. Tony, in the mean time, studied all the readings on the many displays and analyzed the data from the previous experiments. The readings were a bit erratic but after so many tests he was able to isolate a range of frequencies where the artificial kryptonite broke down. He smiled as he looked down at the two and give them a thumbs up.
He uploaded the frequency data to a make shift sound generating rifle he had created. It was large and cumbersome but would do for a prototype. He had a smaller and more practical design for the actual weapons but this rifle would allow him to test and see if it was possible to copy their vocal patterns effectively enough to create a usable weapon. He picked up the large device and walked down to the two heroes.
"Banshee get another piece of artificial kryptonite and place it inside the metal box," Tony requested as he entered the large room. Banshee walked to the next room to comply with his request while Tony double checked to make sure all the connections were correct and that the gun was reading the right frequency range.
"So you think that will mimic our voices enough to destroy the kryptonite?" Dinah asked.
Tony smirked as he turned his attention to the blond bomb shell momentarily admiring her legs in the black fishnet stockings. "If It doesn't sweetheart I'll buy you dinner. Hell I'll buy you dinner even if it does," he said with a wink.
Dinah rolled her eyes at Tony's behavior but returned his smile. He was a hopeless flirt like Ollie but she could tell he was harmless. And Dinah had to admit that her ego had received quite a boost since coming to this universe.
"As I've already stated, I'm spoken for," she said sweetly as she placed her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look though her eyes twinkled a bit as she looked at him.
Tony laughed merrily. "You can't blame a guy for trying, honey, especially with a woman as fine as you."
Banshee returned with another piece of kryptonite interrupting their banter. He opened the door on the metal box and placed it inside then closed it and walked over to where the others were standing. Tony flicked a switch on the rifle and it started to hum.
"Computer record," Tony said out loud.
The computer replied back, "Recording."
Tony aimed the device at the metal and pressed a button near where the trigger should be. Black Canary and Banshee saw the air in front of the device distort. They also could hear a sound similar to their own combined screams emitting from it. Tony's eyes moved from the rifle to a few display monitors near him watching to see it the rifle was effective.
Tony suddenly smiled and he released the button as he saw the kryptonite explode. "It works, computer stop recording!"
"Recording stopped," it stated.
"Good, so how are ye goin' ta manufacture these devices, laddie?" Banshee asked in his thick Irish brogue.
Tony smiled as he placed the makeshift rifle down on a table next to him. "Computer, mass produce Sound Rifle Design A and program them to produce the sound frequencies located file test-1-20 on the sound boards memory."
"As you request, Mr. Stark. How many would you like produced," the computer asked.
Tony looked at his two companions in question. "Does one thousand sound okay to you?" Banshee shrugged his shoulders as he was not sure how many they would need and Dinah nodded her head in agreement with Tony's number. "One thousand will do for now. How long will it take and how many more can be created with the supplies we have available?" he asked the computer.
The computer replied, "It will take twenty three point six hours to complete one thousand rifles to your stated specifications. We have enough supplies to create ten thousand two hundred thirty-one more sound rifles."
Tony rubbed his hands together. "Good, continue to produce as many as you can but tell me when the first one thousand are completed."
A few beeps from the intercom system could be heard then a mild rumbling could be felt.
Under the lab a massive automated manufacturing plant started to come to life.
Tony turned to his two companions. "Hungry?" he asked them as they walked out of testing room. Dinah and Sean fell into step with Tony.
"Whah doesn't tis place 'ave?" Sean asked Tony.
Tony eyed Dinah and sighed dramatically before replying, "Not enough single and beautiful women." Which earned him a laugh from both of his companions.
Diana carefully deposited Ororo, Bruce and Logan on the ground before landing herself. She wrapped her lasso back into a loop and folded it before placing it in the compartment in her suit that Bruce created just for her lasso.
Batman walked into the mobile command center with the other three in tow. Captain America and J'onn greeted the team.
"J'onn tells me you have some important information," Captain America stated. Batman's only response was to walk to a computer terminal, sit and slip the drive into an open port. Captain America was stunned for a moment by Batman's lack of response then shook his head and chuckled. Clearly he was a man of few words just like he outlined in his report on himself.
Diana smiled brightly at J'onn. "Any news from the others?" she asked.
"Yes Iron Man has been able to replicate Black Canary and Banshee's combined scream and program it into a weapon. They are just waiting for them to be manufactured," J'onn related to the newly arrived heroes. J'onn felt extreme sadness and realized he was picking up Storm's feelings.
Are you okay Ororo? J'onn asked her telepathically.
Sorry J'onn, it's personal and I would rather not go into it, she responded.
Understood but I am here for you if you need to talk to someone, he conveyed.
Ororo gave him a wan smile and thought, Thank you J'onn, you are sweet and you remind me so much of Professor Xavier. I'll let you know.
"So what's the plan now that we have this new weapon?" Logan asked Captain America interrupting J'onn's telepathic conversation with Ororo.
Captain America said, "If Iron Man's sonic rifles work the way we need them to then we attack. Too many people have died or are suffering for us to stay put and do nothing."
Logan flashed a feral smile showing his canines and let out a happy growl at hearing this news. He was a man of action and this sitting around and waiting for the right opportunity was making him nuts.
"About fuckin' time, I'm gettin' tired of hiding. Let's make these bastards pay!"
The group was interrupted by Batman standing back up. "Nothing on the files is of importance to us," he said in a hard tone frowning in disappointment. He hated wasting time on dead ends. "We should return to New York and plan our next move. We will be waiting on you, Captain America, to inform us on the status of the rifles and your plan of attack." Batman swiftly left the trailer with Logan right behind him.
"Bye J'onn," Diana said as she gave him a quick hug before leaving her friend and joining Bruce and Logan outside. J'onn looked at Ororo as he still sensed her melancholy.
I am here if you need me, he said to her telepathically. He had seen the sad way she had looked at Logan.
I know, she replied as she looked at J'onn and gave him a small smile before leaving the trailer.
Sometimes love can be hard for humans especially when they are hard headed and stubborn, J'onn thought to himself before he returned to his work.
Eric Lensherr sat on a throne in a large open room. His head was resting against the cushioned back as he relaxed in his quiet court room. Wanda his daughter was on the other side of the island country known as Genosha working on defenses against the Sentinels and her brother Pietro was fortifying the defenses on this side of the island. Magneto knew that Sebastian Shaw would betray him sometime soon so being prepared and ready for an attack was a high priority.
Lately, Eric had exploited several of Shaw's weaknesses but Sebastian's most powerful weapon, Jean Grey, Magneto could not get close enough to take out. Sebastian watched and protected her like his own life depended on it. Which it did. Eric had been secretly gaining more allies within the Hellfire Club than Sebastian had at the moment.
The only thing keeping Eric from moving against Sebastian at the moment was the Sentinels as Sebastian had total control over them for now. Eric knew he could destroy several Sentinel's without breaking a sweat, but he could not take them all on even with the many mutants that followed him. He also could not interfere with their programming since there CPU's were crystal and not metal based.
When Sebastian had come to him about joining the Hellfire Club and told him of his plans, he had readily agreed thinking that this could be the time to finally remove all humans from the planet. But after he found out about the injuries that Sebastian's actions had inflicted on his old friend Charles, he'd become furious. He knew that once the humans were gone that he and Charles would have no further conflict. Eric demanded that he be allowed to care for Charles. Sebastian knew of Eric's past friendship with Charles. Eric also knew why Sebastian had allowed him to take Charles. Sebastian thought Eric would be too concerned with Charles' well being to focus on Sebastian.
Eric smiled at that thought. If Sebastian only knew what Eric was doing with Charles he would never have allowed Eric to take Charles. He felt a tinge of regret for what he had ordered his scientists and physicians to do to his dearest and oldest friend but it was for the good of all mutant kind and he knew how much Charles prided himself on helping mutants.
Charles might or might not have survived without the operations, but now Eric had the perfect host for his technology. Charles had always had the silly belief that mutants and humans could co-exist peacefully. Eric new that was rubbish and now he was using his friend to eliminate them. Eric was brought out of his reverie when the massive double doors to his court opened.
A being the was half man and half machine walked into the room. He stopped several feet away from his master's throne, knelt and bowed his head. "Lord Magneto the operation was a success, Charles is now totally under your control. His cybernetic implants have been tested and he can take over the network once you plug him into it." His metal face conveyed no emotion.
Eric nodded his head slowly as a sinister smile spread across his face. "Excellent, go now and get him prepared to leave." Eric returned to his brooding ways, tacitly dismissing the metal man who turned and walked away. He could almost taste his victory. Soon humanity would be an after thought, mutant kind could live without persecution and he could rule over them all.
