Revealed part 2
Peter and the others pulled up to the gates of the mansion as they surveyed the area.
"So how do we get by the defences?" Peter asked.
"That's the thing Peter the mansion is in DEFCON 4, its maximum setting, any attempt to breach the perimeter and the mansion's defences activate."
"Is there any way around it?" Amara asked as Tabby helped her out of the jeep.
"We could try the hangar bay but no one could climb it." Scott said when he heard Peter clear his throat.
"No one except for me that is." Peter said he turned on his bike and was about to take off when he heard the mansions loud speakers blast out.
"Warning mansion self-destruct is active t-minus 5 minutes."
Peter shut his motorcycle off there was no way he could drive his bike to the other side of the mansion climb the cliff face infiltrate the mansion and shut off the system in 5 minutes.
"Great, just great" Peter said in frustration "there is no way we can shut the system down in time if we go that way." Peter dropped his head into his hands and noticed the self-destruct button on his bike and looked over at the metal covered door.
"Scott how strong is that metal?" Peter asked.
"Strong enough to withstand an armour-piercing round from an A1 tank, why what are you thinking?" Scott replied. Peter gunned the engine and blasted through the front gate.
"KEEP UP GUYS WE WON'T GET A SECOND CHANCE AT THIS!" Peter yelled as he drove away. Scott jumped out of his car and hopped in with Tabby and Amara and the trio followed behind Peter.
Peter gunned the engine and hit the self-destruct button.
"Sorry to do this to you baby but you're my only hope." Peter said aloud and then activated the overdrive system and the bike began to accelerate to 200 MPH instantly. Peter began counting down from ten in his head as he neared the sealed door. He hopped to his feet and prepared to jump.
"7 6 5 4" Peter counted aloud and then when he reached 3 he jumped and let the bike take off on its own "2 1" the bike exploded as it impacted the metal screen tearing the metal from the door. Peter had mis-timed the jump and he got caught in the shockwave of the explosion. He hit the ground hard and rolled a few feet; he looked up and saw a plasma cannon pointed directly in his face.
"Crap" Peter said but just as the cannon powered up to fire it exploded Peter looked to his left and saw Scott standing in the back of the jeep his hand on his visor as he blasted a swath of cannons leaving behind a pathway through the mansions defences. The trio quickly jumped out of the jeep and grabbed Peter and ran through the hole in the wall.
"Man, that was awesome, stupid but awesome." Tabby said to Peter.
"I agree next time tell us before you go running off half cocked." Scott admonished Peter for his reckless behavior.
"Didn't have time to explain; besides it worked didn't it." Peter said as he rubbed his aching head.
"Ok so now what do we do?" Amara asked holding her damaged arm.
"Mansion security breached activating internal defences." The mansion computer sounded and then several hidden panels opened revealing cannons and rocket launchers all targeting the small group.
"CRAP!" Peter said as his spider sense went off like an air raid siren inside a concrete bunker. The canons all began to power up when a blast of electricity surged through multiple turrets and as it did the cannons began to explode.
"Guys over here!" Ray shouted and the group quickly ran to the electro-kinetic boy.
"Ray, are we glad to see you." Amara said gratefully.
"Follow me." Ray took the group and led them to a safe area the rest of the students had managed to create.
"What's going on around here? It's like the mansion is possessed." Jubilee said as she dodged a rocket sailed by her head.
"No time to explain, where's Forge and the others." Peter asked.
"All the senior students are gone on a mission as well as the teachers, Forge and Jessica are down in the lower levels and the rest of us are pinned down in this spot." Rahne said in her Scottish brogue.
"We need to get to the lower levels and shut down the computer." Scott said as he blasted another rocket out of the air with his optic blast.
"We tried the elevator has been sealed and we can't get close enough to pry open the doors." Jamie said.
Peter started looking around and saw a little glimmer of hope.
"Scott can blow a hole in the grate over there." Peter asked Scott looked where Peter was mentioning and saw the ventilation system.
"We can't fit in that Peter." Scott said.
"Maybe you can't but Jubilee Rahne and I can." Peter said.
Scott fired his optic blast and cleared the grate away.
"Go get to the computer and shut everything off if you need a password try lambda alpha 200876."
Peter nodded and the trio took off into the vent.
"Come to New York have a few drinks and couple laughs." Peter said as the group crawled through the vents
"Did you just quote Die Hard?" Jubilee asked.
"Seems appropriate don't you think." Peter said as the group made their way through to the lower levels.
Meanwhile the X-jet and velocity landed on the outskirts of town near the abandoned warehouse district.
"Alright everyone every one break up in to separate group's one brotherhood member and one X-man and be on the look-out for any sign of Wolverine, if you find anything contact us and we will converge on your location." Charles said as he and storm rolled off in their direction. Pietro went with Kitty, lance with beast, Frank went with Kurt and Toad went with Rogue and the group separated. Little did they know that they were being watched.
"Dr. Trask we have a small group of bogey's on the surface sir." A voice sounded through the complex below. Trask had just finished brokering the deal for his sentinel's mass production in Genosha, when he answered the call.
"This is Trask. What's going on?"
"Sir we have multiple bogey's in the main testing ground of the complex sir. They all read as mutant's sir." The security officer answered.
"Have you confirmed this?" Trask asked
"It is confirmed sir."
"Activate the sentinel and move it to the testing grounds have it engage with extreme prejudice." Trask ordered and turned back to his Genoshan benefactor.
"Is there a problem doctor?" the man asked.
"No problem, just an unexpected arrival probably the test subjects friends looking for him I have ordered the sentinel to eliminate the threat."
"And you are sure it can handle so many targets at once?"
"In a group probably not but they are scattered, the sentinel will target each group and eliminate them accordingly." Trask boasted pride in his ultimate weapon.
"What if they destroy the prototype I don't want to go back empty handed Dr."
"You won't, you will have me. Besides I am the one you really need you would never be able to build the sentinel without this wonderful brain of mine. The Prototype is expendable I am not." Trask turned around and made his way over to his office and grabbed his emergency travel bag. He then keyed in a series of numbers on a computer console and brought up the sentinel's command screen. Trask keyed a series of commands telling the sentinel to self-destruct upon elimination of the mutant's on the ground or in the event of critical systems failure.
"What are you doing Trask?" the man from Genosha demanded.
"I am ensuring that A)those mutant freaks are destroyed no matter what and B) that nothing can be traced back to me." Trask finished uploading the commands and shut down the computer he reached for his phone and ordered all personnel to evacuate the facility.
"What have you done Trask?"
"Each of my sentinels are equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell if it is damaged or if a command is given the fuel cell becomes nuclear equivalent to a 1 megaton yield, not a big boom in the grand scheme of things but large enough to vaporize a small city block and anyone or anything within that blast zone as well." Trask explained.
"Are you nuts, what happens when that things blows. The fallout will kills hundreds of people."
"I thought of that, the device has been equipped with a chemical agent that renders any residual radiation inert." Trask explained. "Now I suggest we leave before things get out of hand." The two men took off and escaped.
"By the way I never asked what your name is sir?" Trask asked.
"I thought you didn't want to know names?" he replied.
"Under normal circumstances yes, however with recent events unfolding the way they are I think a change in policy is warranted." Trask said smugly.
"My name is William Stryker former Colonel of the united states army."
Meanwhile back at the mansion Peter and the others had managed to shimmy their way to the lower levels, Peter found the computer room and punched through the metal surrounding the group and exited the vents.
"Now I know how a sardine feels." Peter quipped once more.
"Again with the Die Hard references." Jubilee said as she and Rahne jumped out of the vent. Peter just shrugged and looked around to find Forge manically trying to get access to the computer system.
"Forge am I glad to see you." Peter said as he saw his friend.
"Peter you are a sight for sore eyes. I can't access the system the code has been changed and in DEFCON 4 the computer locks itself out to prevent intruder access." Forge explained. Peter ran over and began typing away at the console.
"It's impossible Pete the system won't let anyone in." Forge said dejectedly. Peter typed in a few extra commands and the system opened allowing Peter into the system.
"Nothing is impossible my friend." Peter said.
"Warning computer system compromised, mansion self-destruct will begin in 10 seconds." The security system blared. Peter became frantic and started typing a lightning speed.
"10 9 8 7" the clock counted down as Peter desperately tried to shut the system off " 2" peter typed one last code and the clock shut down.
"Mansion security reset, self-destruct aborted, condition green." Peter slumped in to a nearby chair as he took a deep reassuring breath.
"How did you do that Pete?" Forge asked.
"I don't know Forge I was so scared I was operating on automatic." Peter said as he went back to the computer to punch up the security feeds. He reached over for the mansions intercom as he did.
"Scott everything is shut down, I need you and the others down here quickly." Peter shut off the microphone and began filtering through the security videos until he found the video feed from the computer room. He was watching intently then in the final moments before the system cut out Peter saw a shocking sight. Mystique was in the mansion and it was clear to see she had activated the mansion security and self-destruct system but what shocked Peter most was just before the security camera went dark Mystique took the form of the professor and walked out of screen. As soon as Peter finished watching the video all the remaining students arrived.
"Peter did you figure out what set the mansion to go haywire?" Scott asked.
"Oh yeah I figured it out and I have one word for you, Mystique." Scott became visibly angry as he heard that name. "Oh and it gets better, remember how I said don't trust the professor well here is why." Peter punched the last few seconds of video on to the screen and it clearly showed Mystique taking the professor's form.
"She has been here for god knows how long manipulating and twisting everything around here, and I am willing to bet it was her that told me to leave." Peter said energetically.
"You weren't the only one; she had me quit when she brought the brotherhood into the mansion." Scott said.
"Now this is making sense." Peter said and continued to explain. "Mystique wants to get even with Magneto for abandoning her at Asteroid M. So what better way to do it then use his greatest enemies asset's, namely us, against him so how does she do it first she removes their creator and assumes his position, now that she is in a position of power she starts culling the herd. So she gets rid of me because I am involved with her daughter and I didn't protect her when she got caught by Cassidy, then she got rid of you because everyone listens to you and trusts you, if you countermanded one of her orders her whole plan would get shot to hell."
"We have to get the others, as long as they are with Mystique they are in danger and we need them to get the professor back." Scott said
"But we don't know where they are." Jessica spoke up.
"Leave that to me." Forge said as he stepped to the computer system. "Recently I installed a tracking system in the material which allows me to track your movements and location once I access the system." Forge typed away at the computer and found their location. "Good they are not too far away. They are down in the warehouse district."
"OK everyone suit up we are going to rescue our friends." The group dispersed and went to the locker room that is everyone except Jessica.
Meanwhile back at the docks the x-men had found no trace of Logan and everyone began to make their way back to the vehicles.
"Did anyone find anything?" Jean asked.
"We found Nozhing how about any of you?" Kurt asked and all he received was a collection of head shakes.
"Maybe I was wrong professor I told you that I needed more training." Jean said kicking herself.
"Perhaps Jean and perhaps I need to re-think your status as an x-man when we get back to the mansion." Charles said ice clearly present in his voice. Charles was about to order everyone back to the mansion when a loud siren began to sound and the ground began to shake and split open.
"Whoa, Lance, take it easy, like what are you doing?" Kitty said to her semi-boyfriend.
"It isn't me Kitty." Lance said just as confused as everyone else. Beast looked to his left and he could clearly see a large metal robot emerging from the depths of a hidden underground facility.
"That's why we couldn't find Wolverine we were looking in the wrong spot." Beast said "We need someone to go down there and check it out." Before he could order anyone down there Kitty and Kurt volunteered and they were quickly gone.
"OK now that we have a place to look for Logan what about that giant metal man over there Yo?" Toad asked.
"Brotherhood time to leave" Lance ordered and the group left without question.
"Where are ya'll going." Rogue yelled but they didn't answer, leaving the X-men to fend for themselves. The robot looked down at the group and its eyes glowed yellow for a second and then it spoke.
"Mutant life signs detected. Assessment moderate to severe threats to sentinel prototype. Activating weapon systems." The machine powered up and its arm split into several pieces and each piece turned into a cannon and the machine began shooting scattering the group into several directions.
"Does anybody want to guess at what that thing is and how we stop it?" Beast shouted.
"For now we simply need to stay hidden and avoid the blaster fire until we get more information." Charles answered. Elsewhere a news helicopter had taken notice of the fight and began filming.
"Station, this is news chopper 4 we have something here that you will not believe." The camera man said over his radio.
"We see it News 4 and we are going live in 30." The news station responded.
Down in the main facility Kitty and Kurt had found Logan quickly he was dazed and slightly disheveled but for Logan it was a typical day.
"Logan thank god we found you." Kitty said as she phased through the door with Kurt behind her.
"Great timing kids now teleport us out of here before someone sees us and captures you as well." Logan grumbled.
"Fat chance of that the whole base has been deserted." Kitty responded
"Where are the others?" Logan asked.
"Up top fighting zis huge robot thing." Kurt said energetically.
"Get me up there right away they don't know what they are fighting." Kurt grabbed Logan and kitty and the trio teleported to the surface as luck would have it directly beside Storm and Charles.
"Logan it's good to see you. What is that thing?" Storm asked the feral mutant.
"They call it a sentinel and its primary function is to hunt down, identify and destroy mutants." Logan said as he popped his claws. "And let me tell you something else it's damn hard to put down, I was only able to scratch its paint when they used it on me."
"We need help, that thing has us pinned down over here." Tabby said over her radio as she Rogue and Beast had taken refuge behind a metal dumpster. Logan jumped from his hiding spot and began charging the robot. The sentinel switched targets and began homing on Logan and fired Logan dodged the incoming laser blast when he noticed the X-van pulling up and out poured all the remaining students including Scott and Peter.
"Did someone call for help?" Peter quipped as Rogue looked over and saw her boyfriend coming to her rescue. Peter fired a Web-line and swung over to the pinned X-men.
"Lucy I'm home." Peter said to the trio and looked directly at Rogue.
"You're late you hair brained dumb ass." Rogue shouted at Peter.
"Hey be glad I got here when I did New York Traffic is murder this time of day." Peter answered.
"Yeah, yeah I get it when this is all over you and Ah are having a serious talk, now get us out of here." Peter grinned under his mask and fired several globs of impact webbing at the robots optical sensors blinding it.
"Vision obscured by viscous solution. Analysing substance." The sentinel spoke aloud.
"Now while he is distracted." Peter yelled and Scott fired his optic blast at full power knocking the machine of its feet.
Up in the chopper the news crew caught everything that was happening.
"News 4 did you see that?" the anchor behind the desk asked as he saw the energy shoot out from Scott's eye's.
"Command I know this looks like the scene from a movie but this is no joke those kids down there are not human." The camera panned around and locked on to Spider-man. "Command I don't believe it but I got Spider-man down there helping these…whatever they are."
"News 4 we have gotten an anonymous call apparently those kids down there are called mutants and they all have some form of superpowers." The anchor said.
"If that's the case command one has to asked the question…..are they the only ones out there?"
