A Different Kind of Backlash
"Our scanners are detecting twenty five Sentinels appearing at the edge of San Francisco," Kitty looked at the monitor. "And not the lower grade ones. These look like top of the line models with force fields and everything!"
"I guess they didn't want to spare any expense as far as we were concerned," Rogue mocked.
"Hey, we're worth it," Pyro quipped.
"The good news is that they don't appear to be heading this way," Emma said. "Which means our scanners are holding up so far."
"And the bad news?" Sam asked.
"They're already hunting mutants downtown," Emma said.
"They don't have a clue where we are," Pietro realized.
"So they're attacking every mutant in the city in order to draw us out," Lance frowned. "Great!"
"We can't abandon those mutants," Scott said. "We have to make a stand and protect them."
"Odds are the Sentinels are going to come here sooner or later anyway," Althea said. "We can come back for our stuff later. Right now we should focus on rescuing those mutants!"
"And then what?" Emma shouted as they prepared to teleport.
"We'll improvise," Logan snorted.
"Oh I just love those plans," Emma said sarcastically.
"We're coming too," Maverick called out, indicating himself and his daughter.
"You guys…" Logan began.
"Are in this just as much as you are," Christy interrupted.
"She's right," Althea said. "Being mutants makes them a target. If they stay here the odds of our base being found by those Sentinels increases. And their powers can do some good out there."
"We're going to need every hand we can get," Scott said. "All right, Shipwreck you stay here and monitor the situation. The rest of us need to go there and stop the Sentinels."
"All of us?" Emma asked.
"All of us," Scott said.
"But shouldn't some of us leave in order to…?" Emma began.
"I'm not sacrificing innocent lives in order to save mine," Scott snapped. "And I know everyone else here feels the same way!"
The mutants agreed. "They're gonna hunt us all down anyway if we run," Rogue added. "I say it's time we stopped running and take a stand! Who wants to kick tin can butt?"
"YO JOE!" Lance whooped along with the Misfits. Everyone else looked at them.
"Sorry, habit," Todd shrugged.
Soon the mutants had teleported downtown. Sentinels were everywhere hunting down mutants. One mutant was blasted and killed by a Sentinel shooting lasers. Others, mostly children ran for their lives as another shot out machine gun fire from its chest. "They're not set to capture! They're going to kill them!" Rahne gasped.
"This is just like what happened in New York City!" Hank snarled with rage.
"Why are they chasing them towards populated areas?" Kitty shouted.
"Because then everyone can see how much damage mutants can cause," Logan snarled. "HEY TIN CANS! LOOKING FOR US? OVER HERE!"
"Yeah great idea," Tabitha gulped as some Sentinels noticed us. "Use us as a distraction to let the other mutants get away."
"Time to rock and roll!" Lance set out a strong tremor that knocked a Sentinel down, but it quickly got back up with the help of rockets in its feet.
Cyclops and all the other mutants with offensive attacks used them to try and knock back the Sentinels but the mechanical monstrosities stood their ground. "Great! They've got stronger armor and force fields so they can repel all our attacks!" Remy shouted.
"Not all of them!" Kitty shouted. "Nightcrawler! You know what to do!"
"Oh yeah!" Kurt grabbed Kitty and teleported her to the top of one Sentinel's head. He let go and let her phase through the top of the Sentinel's head, then teleported away. The Sentinel shorted out and collapsed as Kitty made her way through it. Kitty leapt out of the Sentinel just before the Sentinel exploded.
"One down! Twenty four to go!" Kitty whooped.
"Twenty three!" Logan shouted as Maverick and his daughter used their powers to take control of a Sentinel and bent it into being obsolete.
"TWENTY TWO!" Wanda focused her hex powers at the nearest Sentinel, using her unpredictable abilities to make it explode.
Ororo tried her lightning again but couldn't make it pass the force field. "Storm! Make it rain!" Althea shouted as she dodged a laser blast.
"Oh I get it!" Alex realized what she wanted. He saw a nearby fire hydrant. "How about this to help?" He blasted it, letting water spill out all over the place.
"That's a start!" Althea focused on the water into creating a large whirlpool. Storm helped with some rain. With it Althea used her powers to force the whirlpool around two Sentinels, destroying them despite the forcefields that surrounded them. "Good thing these things aren't waterproof!"
Before she knew it she was encased completely in goo. She couldn't move. Until Kitty phased her out of it. "Blech! That stuff is totally disgusting!" Kitty snapped.
"I agree! Thanks Shadowcat," Althea shook her head to remove the cobwebs.
"Stasis goo! Run! They're shooting them everywhere!" Pietro cried out as he ran around avoiding the goo that several of the remaining Sentinels were shooting all over the place. It caught Fred, Emma, Wanda, Maverick (who was caught shoving his daughter out of the line of fire) as well as several civilian mutants and humans alike.
"Shadowcat, focus on phasing anyone who's trapped in those goo things out for now!" Scott ordered. "Rest of us take cover!"
"That's one way for them to go on the offensive!" Logan groaned as he barley jumped out of the way of some goo and hid behind a building.
"It's a deliberate tactic," Laura realized. "They're learning how to deal with our powers. By keeping Shadowcat busy and going after our heavy hitters that can bypass their defense systems."
"No, ya think?" Rogue shouted as she was able to jump out of the way of the goo.
"Aw man why do I always get hit with this stuff?" Fred coughed as Kitty phased him out.
"Just keep moving!" Kitty shouted as she left him and phased a policeman out of his goo. "Run!" She told him. He didn't need to be told twice.
Nearby in a large MRD hovercraft Gyrich and Wraith looked at their handiwork with glee. "Look at them run! I love these new upgraded models!" Gyrich shouted.
"This new learning software in the Sentinel's programming is paying off," Wraith smirked.
"Henry maybe you should focus on hitting the mutants instead of the rest of the people down there?" Stanley, Gyrich's brother in law/aide asked. "People might get a bit mad about that."
"Shut up, Stanley," Gyrich snapped.
"I'm serious! So far they've got goo all over two cops, an old lady and a half dozen innocent civilians," Stanley went on. "People might take that the wrong way. I mean you know how the media can spin things?"
"Stanley, shut up! We know what we're doing!" Gyrich snapped.
"Oh yeah, shut up," Stanley grumbled. "Shut up. Stanley don't say a word. Unless you want me to cover for you when my sister calls and wants to know why you're late coming home or need an excuse to get out of visiting our parents then you want me to talk! You don't mind my opinions then, do you, Henry?'
"Stanley this is not the time…" Gyrich snarled.
"It was certainly the time when you got drunk at that bachelor party and got handcuffed naked to that lamppost by those strippers downtown!" Stanley snapped. "You didn't mind me just jumping in with my reasons to my sister how that happened then did you?"
"Stanley…" Gyrich snarled as he heard several MRD soldiers snickering around him.
"Or the time you got drunk and threw up at Pamela's baby shower and I convinced my sister that the only reason you threw up in her best friend's punch bowl and ruined her carpet was that you got the flu?" Stanley went on. "You're just lucky she was convinced it was the cold medication that made you pass out!"
"Stanley…" Gyrich snarled.
"Or how about the time I told her you got lost on the interstate and there was a huge accident involving the Hell's Angels and that bus full of nuns when in reality you were watching the ball game with your friends down at Hooters?" Stanley went on.
"Stanley…" Gyrich snarled.
"You think it was easy passing off all those hot sauce stains as blood?" Stanley snapped. "It wasn't! Or explaining to your sister where those black lace panties came from in the back seat of the car! Of course it wasn't as hard as the time she caught you wearing those same black lace panties."
"Don't say another word!" Gyrich snapped.
"Go ahead, Stanley…" Wraith snickered. "Keep talking!"
"Yeah I wanna hear that story!" Another MRD soldier called out.
"CAN WE JUST GET BACK TO BUSINESS AT HAND AND GET THE DAMN MUTANTS?" Gyrich snapped.
"Right, mutants first, stories later," Wraith fought to keep a straight face.
"Well it won't be long before this gets wrapped up," A soldier smirked. "They haven't been able to destroy any more Sentinels and they're wearing down. It's only a matter of time."
"Excellent," Gyrich smirked.
The mutants were having a hard time. They spent more time running from the goo than fighting the Sentinels. They were also trying to herd and protect several other civilian mutants from the Sentinels. "Keep running! Keep going!" Hank called out as he carried one small child on his back.
"This is bad," Tabitha panted as they took shelter behind some cars. "Really bad."
"I got caught twice," Fred grumbled. "I hate those goo things!"
"Guys I'm really getting pooped here," Kitty panted as she fell on her behind. "Pretty soon I won't be able to keep this up much longer!"
"That's their plan," Laura growled. "That goo also has paralyzing properties and each time Kitty phases through it she's exposed to a small amount. Pretty soon she won't be able to phase out at all."
"Then we'll really be up a creek!" Wanda shouted.
"And almost nothing we can do can stop them!" Bobby snarled as an ice shield he made was destroyed by the Sentinels, forcing them to run.
"I have an idea!" Amanda focused on her magic powers and sent a magic blast straight at the nearest Sentinel. Her magic passed straight through the force field and destroyed the Sentinel instantly.
"Huh! Looks like my magic has no problem dealing with their force fields," Amanda smirked. "And that means…" She used it again to send some of the goo the Sentinels shot at her back at them. The goo hit the Sentinels and stopped them long enough for Amanda to destroy them with another magic blast.
"Sentinels have no defense against magic," Scott realized.
"Or water," Althea gave him a look.
"Sefton! Wavedancer! You two use your powers to take out the Sentinels!" Scott shouted as he blasted open another fire hydrant.
"I've got a little magic too!" Wanda focused on her powers and destroyed another Sentinel. "Yes! All right!"
"You three take out the Sentinels! Storm! Make more water and give them cover!" Scott ordered. "Misfits! Defend the civilians and X-Men provide cover for the ones wrecking the Sentinels."
"I think I have enough for one more trip through a Sentinel!" Kitty shouted.
"Save your energy! You're going to need it!" Scott ordered. "Shadowcat you stay with the civilians. Don't phase anyone else out of the goo until we've taken care of these things!"
"I can help with that!" Fred used his super strength to crush the hardened goo around one woman nearby.
"So can I and Rogue!" Peter agreed as he destroyed another ball of hardened goo around a police officer.
"Let's do this thing!" Amanda yelled as another one of her bolts destroyed a Sentinel.
The tide was turning and this time the MRD was on the defensive. "What the hell is going on down there?" Wraith shouted. "Why aren't the Sentinel's deflecting that mutant's attacks?"
"Sir, according to the scanners…That mutant isn't attacking them!" A soldier gasped.
"That's impossible!" Wraith shouted as Amanda destroyed another Sentinel.
"Impossible or not whatever she's hitting them with isn't showing up on their sensors!" The soldier showed them.
"That's insane! Unless…" Gyrich frowned. "Identify mutant targets and give me their powers!"
"I've got it sir," Another soldier said. "That one is named Amanda Sefton, no codename known. Powers of teleportation were triggered during the Legacy Virus."
"Teleportation! She's already blown up six…" Gyrich snapped.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
"Seven Sentinels and it's not with teleportation that's for damn sure!" Gyrich shouted.
"Wait, there's something more," The soldier told them. "According to this file her mother Margali is a sorceress of some kind and she's spent time with some guy named Steven Strange, Sorcerer Supreme and a magician slash comedian named Benny Barumpbump!"
"Barumpbump?" Stanley spoke up. "Hey I saw that guy's act! He's pretty funny!"
"Hilarious, Stanley," Gyrich snarled. "Wait a minute…I know those names. Those…MAGIC? SINCE WHEN CAN MUTANTS USE MAGIC?"
"Magic? You're kidding?" Wraith gave him a look.
"I'm afraid not," Gyrich groaned. "Magic is real! And our technology has no defense against it!"
"Why not?" Wraith shouted.
"Because it's magic! Duh!" Stanley groaned. "Everybody knows that magic and technology don't exactly mix well!"
BOOOOOOOM!
"See what I mean?" Stanley pointed to the screen. "And that Scarlet Witch's powers are partially based on magic as well as probabilities too so therefore…."
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSHH!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
"You might also think about making the next batch of Sentinels waterproof," Stanley remarked. "Just a suggestion."
"I'll make a note of that," Gyrich groaned. "All right! Send out the MRD and Prowlers in force! Shoot to kill! Now! Now! Now!"
"How do you know that the Scarlet Witch's powers are partially based on magic?" Wraith asked Stanley.
"Because magic in itself is based on probabilities," Stanley said.
"How do you know that?" Gyrich shouted.
"Because it's in the files! Which is part of my job to read them!" Stanley snapped. "Remember? You should take a look at them yourself sometime. They have real useful information."
"We could use some on how to destroy these mutants!" Wraith snapped.
"Any other available Sentinels?" Gyrich asked.
"Not here," Wraith said. "It would take an hour for the closest factory to send some models."
"Just make do with what we have! Send out Prowlers! Gas them! Whatever it takes!" Gyrich shouted.
The group of mutants ran down the street until they came to a four way intersection in the middle of town. "Okay which way do we go now?" Xi asked.
"There's Sentinels behind us and to the East," Laura said.
"A contingent of MRD to the west and it looks like the cops are coming over there," Bobby shouted.
"We're surrounded on all fronts!" Kitty shouted.
"Who was in charge of directions this time?" Lance yelled.
"I thought it was you?" Fred asked.
"Not me! I thought Cyclops was handling it!" Lance snapped.
"No! I told Wavedancer to get the map of the city!" Scott snapped.
"No, you didn't!" Althea shouted.
"Are you sure?" Scott asked.
"Yes, I'm sure!" Althea snapped.
"Is Lombard Street near here?" Todd looked around. "Maybe we can lose them that way?"
"I think it's on the other side of town," Sam remarked.
"I thought this was a shortcut to Lombard Street," Rahne asked.
"No, it's not," Maverick said. "I think we went the wrong way."
"We really should have come up with some kind of plan," Pyro blinked.
Emma slapped her forehead. "I will not kill them because of Sharon. I will not kill them because of Sharon…"
"Gas!" Laura pointed to a large drone that dropped some kind of gas bomb.
"STORM!" Scott shouted.
Ororo used the winds to send the gas back. Some of the gas hit MRD soldiers that didn't have any gas masks on. "That's one way to knock them out!" Kurt said.
"They actually tried to gas us!" Pietro shouted. "Like that would work! Blob's gas is more effective!"
"Remind me to pound you later!" Fred glared at his teammate.
"Great now they're really pouring on the heat!" Rogue shouted.
"Like they were treating us with kid gloves before?" Bobby quipped.
"Heads up guys! Here come the cops!" Todd pointed as squads of armed police officers headed their way. They reached the mutants before the other groups.
"This is not good," Jubilee prepared to fight.
"Reyes! Use your force field to protect the civilians!" Scott ordered.
"Got it!" Reyes said, doing so.
"Looks like we're surrounded," Kurt gulped.
"Yeah but, aren't their guns supposed to be pointing towards us and not the Sentinels?" Bobby blinked.
The police surrounded the mutants, but their backs were to them. They pointed their guns at the Sentinels. "Humans remove yourselves from the premises," Two Sentinels intoned as they walked over to them.
"Not a chance you oversized tin can!" One cop shouted.
"Surround the mutants so the Sentinels won't fire on them!" Another cop shouted. "As long as we're in the way they won't shoot!"
"We hope!" Another cop groaned.
"Get lost you oversized tin cans!" A cop yelled.
"Wait the cops are protecting us?" Bobby shouted.
"Last I checked we're supposed to be protecting innocent civilians," One man in a rumpled grey suit and a red mustache snorted. "And that includes mutants."
"Huh?" Even Emma was speechless.
"I'm Captain Stottlemeyer! We've been given orders to protect the mutants in San Francisco," He explained. "This is my beat and no Transformer wanna be is gonna stomp all over it without a fight!"
"Remove yourselves from the vicinity of the mutants," The Sentinels spoke again.
"Take care of the robots!" Stottlemeyer snapped. "We'll stand guard over the rest!"
"Reyes! Use your force field to protect the police too in case those Sentinels decide the cops are expendable!" Scott shouted, taking advantage of the situation. "Iceman! You provide cover also! X-Men and Misfits! Get the Sentinels!"
"Now you're talking!" Alex shouted as the teams broke police protection to fight the Sentinels.
The mutants weren't the only ones stunned by this turn of events.
"What the hell are they doing?" Wraith shouted. "Why are they just standing there? What the hell is going on?"
"They seem to be defending the mutants," Stanley blinked.
"WE KNOW THEY ARE DEFENDING THE MUTANTS! BUT WHY?" Gyrich shouted.
"Don't yell at me! I'm not the one causing the problem!" Stanley snapped.
"Well you are certainly not helping!" Gyrich shouted.
"Well it's not like we can just fire on the cops!" Stanley shouted. A look from Gyrich and Wraith stunned him. "You're not serious!"
"Maybe this is all a misunderstanding and they're rounding them up for us?" Another soldier asked weakly.
"I doubt it! Come on!" Gyrich snapped. "Let's find out what the hell is going on down here!"
It didn't take long for the mutants to deal with the remaining Sentinels and Prowlers. "And that is that," Wanda panted.
"Never did like robots," Stottlemeyer grunted. "Even as a kid. These things are ugly!"
"And how," Rogue agreed.
"Thanks," Logan said.
"Just doing our job," Stottlemeyer grunted. "Like you guys are doing yours."
"Uh guys…" Jubilee pointed at the MRD soldiers coming up to them in droves. "More problems."
"Stay behind us! We'll handle this!" Stottlemeyer told them. He shouted to his men. "Don't let them through! Protect the mutants!"
"But…" Rogue began.
"Trust me! We've got this covered!" Stottlemeyer said as Gyrich, Wraith and his people stormed up to them.
"Trust them?" Maverick grumbled.
"Looks like we don't have a choice," Scott said. "Let's see how this plays out."
"What the hell are you people doing here?" Gyrich shouted. "You people are interfering in an MRD operation!"
"Good!" Stottlemeyer snapped.
"What did you just say?" Wraith's eye twitched.
"Your little 'operation' blew up half the city!" Stottlemeyer snarled.
"A regrettable incident but necessary," Gyrich said calmly. "Tell your men to stand down and allow us to take these mutants into custody."
"No," Stottlemeyer told him.
"Perhaps you misunderstood me," Wraith pulled out his weapon and held it at Stottlemeyer. "Move out of the way." The MRD held their guns on the cops.
"Oh well let me rephrase that," Stottlemeyer pulled out his gun and his officers pointed their weapons at the MRD. "Hell no!"
"What the hell is this? Why are you deliberately interfering?" Gyrich shouted.
"They did it on my orders!" A Chinese American woman in her late thirties in a red dress stormed up to them with her aides and some cameramen. "I'm Mayor Helen Chen. And I'm not letting you touch these people!"
"These mutants are under the protection of the officers of the San Francisco Police Department," Stottlemeyer said.
"Are you serious?" Wraith shouted. "They're mutants for crying out loud!"
"They're also heroes!" Mayor Chen yelled. Several other people, cops and onlookers agreed.
"These guys just freaking saved the Senate!" A cop shouted. "If they were really our enemies, they'd have just killed them or something!"
"They're the ones who endangered the Senate in the first place!" Wraith shouted.
"No pal, it was you and your MRD buddies running around and stomping on anybody who seemed a bit different that did that!" Stottlemeyer snapped.
"Do you hear yourselves? These people are responsible for the attack at the Pentagon and destroying several MRD bases!" Gyrich shouted.
"That wasn't us!" Kitty protested.
"We know," Stottlemeyer told her. "Let's just say we have a guy who's an excellent profiler. He figured out the mutants that attacked both the Pentagon and that MRD base were different than you guys."
"That doesn't matter!" Gyrich shouted. "These mutants are a threat to our way of life!"
"So you send giant death killing machines into a city filled with people and start shooting?" Stottlemeyer shouted. "Last I checked this isn't Nazi Germany pal!"
"The people are getting tired of their constitutional rights being stomped on left and right just so you can pursue your genocidal agenda!" Mayor Chen shouted.
"Our agenda? These mutants have been destroying this country piece by piece!" Gyrich shouted. "The MRD is doing this to protect you!"
"And who is going to protect us from you?" The Mayor shouted. A large group of civilians cheered her on. "Ever since the MRD came to San Francisco crime has risen over a hundred percent!"
"There were almost no instances of mutant violence in this town until you bozos came to town," A cop snorted. "You really didn't think us cops weren't going to notice that?"
"Don't think nobody here didn't notice how you and your tin cans were deliberately forcing the mutants into populated areas!" Another cop snapped. "You were willing to endanger innocent lives in order to prove your point!"
"Half the mutants your tin cans attacked are under eighteen!" Another cop yelled pointing at the stunned survivors. "They're just kids!"
"They're mutants! And the MRD is here to protect you from them!" Gyrich shouted.
"Protect us? That's a laugh! Let's talk more about your precious MRD," Stottlemeyer sneered. He took a stack of papers from another cop. "I've got at least a hundred depositions of witnesses and undercover police officers about their activities. We're looking at least fifty counts of drug dealing, forty nine cases of tampering with evidence, fifty three cases of assault on normal non mutated humans, twelve murders, three attempted murders, twenty eight disappearances of both humans and mutants, obstruction of justice, fraud, embezzlement…And more than a few hundred parking violations and that's just the MRD in this town!"
"And they are all going to be arrested," Mayor Chen said. "Which means your MRD is out of business!"
"You can't just…" Gyrich screamed.
"I just did," The Mayor got in his face. "I've made the calls. As of now the MRD in San Francisco is out of business!"
"We've already started leaking information about your activities here to the media," Stottlemeyer grinned. "If I were you, I'd go get a good lawyer and a publicist because you are going to need them!"
"You can't do this!" Wraith fumed.
"Oh we can and we will," Stottlemeyer shouted as he waved around. "Look at the damage you caused! You did this! Not the mutants! If this is the price we have to pay for your protection forget about it! It's too high!"
"You have nothing to say about this! Why are we even arguing with you?" Gyrich shouted. "If you don't move out of my way in five seconds you and all your men are under arrest!"
"You really going to arrest an entire police force right in front of all these people and cameras? Go ahead and try!" Stottlemeyer snapped. Several news crews had arrived on the scene.
"Wraith tell your men to prepare to shoot if…" Gyrich was interrupted by the sound of a SHIELD helicopter landing nearby.
"Oh great, SHIELD! Just what we need!" Wraith snarled.
"Nice to see you show up after the crisis!" Gyrich said sarcastically to Fury. "As usual! But maybe for once you can do some good Fury and help us detain these people! They are deliberately obstructing justice and preventing us from detaining these mutants!"
"I wouldn't hold my breath, Gyrich," Fury snarled. "Here's the official paperwork Mayor, signed by several generals and the President himself! Here's a copy for you Gyrich!"
"What the hell is this?" Gyrich shouted.
"There's a lot of people in power that aren't too happy with how the MRD has been handling the mutant situation," Fury smirked. "Fortunately for you I've helped come up with an alternative to your methods."
"I can't stop what you're doing outside of San Francisco but here this comes to an end!" Mayor Chen snapped. "I've talked to your superiors. In exchange for letting you walk they've decided that the city of San Francisco is a mutant haven. As long as mutants agree to live peacefully and not abuse their powers they won't be hassled."
"I'd rather deal with a mutant than those giant tin cans any day of the week!" A cop shouted. "At least some mutants can be reasoned with!"
"This is insane!" Wraith shouted.
"Insane? You want to talk insane? You sent a squad of giant machines armed with missiles and weird goo that trapped more humans than mutants! Including some of my own men!" Stottlemeyer snapped.
"If it wasn't for her I'd still be a freaking statue!" A cop pointed at Kitty.
"It's not harmful! You were in no danger!" Wraith snapped.
"I couldn't move! And those giant robots were stomping their big feet all over the place! That sounds like danger to me pal!" The cop shouted.
"It didn't even look like you were aiming those things!" Stottlemeyer snapped. "Just shooting randomly hoping to hit your targets! You didn't care who got hit as long as you got the mutants! That doesn't sound like protecting civilians to me pal!"
"We do what we have to in order to stop the mutant menace," Wraith snarled.
"From what I've seen it's the MRD that's the real menace around here!" Stottlemeyer snapped. The crowd agreed. "I should place you all under arrest!"
"You have nothing on…" Gyrich began. Suddenly his cell phone rang. He answered it. "Gyrich. Yes…But…"
"You really think this is going to stop us?" Wraith got into Fury's face. "I know what this is really about. SHIELD got caught with their pants down and are trying to make the MRD the scapegoats for doing your job!"
"If you think someone like you with delusions of grandeur is going to replace SHIELD and destroy everything SHIELD has worked for, you have another think coming!" Fury snarled back. "You really think SHIELD hasn't been keeping an eye on you? It's not just mutants that should be worried about your activities!"
"The MRD will destroy all threats to the human race," Wraith snarled. "Whether you like it or not!"
"What makes you so sure that the MRD isn't a threat to the human race in itself?" Fury shot back.
"Please! The only reason SHIELD wants to save mutants is because you'll have access to powerful weapons!" Wraith snapped. "Don't play the hero card with me, Fury! I know a man like you never does anything without getting something for…"
"Pull out," Gyrich snarled as he shut his phone off.
"What?" Wraith gasped. "These things have to be contained! They're blights on society! Threats like any other criminal or pedophile! They need to be contained and destroyed!"
"You are comparing us to child rapists?" Pietro bristled. "Dude unlike pedophiles, most of us haven't done anything." Gyrich glared at him. "I did say most of us!"
"And quite frankly you should put some of that zeal for going after actual pedophiles instead of us!" Lance bristled.
"You have no place here gentlemen," Mayor Chan spoke with authority. "I suggest you leave. Now!"
"You think you won? You've won nothing! You mutants can't hide here forever," Wraith growled. "Sooner or later you'll leave and then we'll have you!"
"Or more likely, you freaks will screw up and we'll clean up after SHIELD's mess!" Gyrich snarled as they stormed away, taking their troops with them.
"I told you people were going to be mad about the Sentinels!" Stanley said to Gyrich.
"Shut up, Stanley," Gyrich snarled.
"It's not my fault those things have lousy aim!" Stanley defended himself. "Not to mention the giant foot shaped potholes they leave! Can't you make sneakers or something for them so that they won't leave an imprint or something?"
"Stanley…Just…" Gyrich grumbled under his breath as they left.
"What just happened?" Alex blinked.
"We won," Pyro blinked. "I think. We did win right?"
"Yeah I think so, Pyro," Fred remarked.
"Wow, that was…" Jubilee blinked. "Weird."
"Well this is San Francisco," Stottlemeyer shrugged. "Weird happens."
"I still don't understand why you would help us," Emma was puzzled.
"Like I said we're getting tired of Senator Kelly and his MRD goose stepping all over the country," Mayor Chen told them. "It's time the so called 'normal' people put a stop to it."
"And people like Gyrich and Wraith will use any excuse to gain power for themselves, and themselves alone," Fury sighed. "I've seen it happen too many times before."
"Is that why you finally got involved?" Logan asked.
"Don't misunderstand me, Wolverine," Fury said. "SHIELD is still neutral when it comes to the mutant fight. We just thought there might be a better place to put mutants than in the hands of some power crazy madmen on a genocide trip."
"And having a mutant haven helps you as much as it helps us," Althea frowned.
"Let's just say it's a way to let off some of the crazy that's been going on with the MRD," Fury said. "I'm not the only one who thinks they've been abusing their power. Gyrich and Wraith have stepped on a lot of toes lately and they belong to some powerful people. And of course them blowing up cities doesn't sit too well with the voters and taxpayers."
"It would also help you if there was a place where you can keep an eye on us wouldn't it?" Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Not that I don't appreciate you taking out those Weapon X labs," Fury snorted. "But I think it might be best if your teams put some effort into taking care of business here."
"So we'll be out of your business," Logan put it together.
"Come on Wolverine," Fury smirked. "It may not be perfect but San Francisco isn't bad as far as a mutant reservation is concerned. Be seeing you." He walked away with his men.
"I don't care what Fury says," Tabitha folded her arms. "I'll take this victory any day."
"How many mutants did we rescue?" Emma asked.
"Fifty Eight," Pietro said. "Five mutants are dead and three humans got killed in the attack too. I think all the mutants in San Francisco are here."
"That many? I thought it would be more," Rogue frowned.
"There's been a significant decrease in new mutants being activated since the war began," Emma sighed. "And a lot of mutants that lived here either left or…"
"The MRD," Stottlemeyer grunted. "We've heard things. A lot of mutants that got caught by the MRD here never get seen again. And quite a few humans."
"Thanks," Scott scratched his head. "It's nice to see that some humans want to help us for a change. If there's anything we can do…"
"Well we could use your help on a recent homicide in a certain strip club," Stottlemeyer folded his arms.
"Killibrew," Scott groaned.
"So you did know him?" The police captain asked.
"He was a doctor working with the Weapon X Project," Logan said. "An illegal genetic super soldier experimentation unit. They're the ones who gave me my claws."
"Not to mention murdered and tortured a lot of other mutants. We had a team following him and were hoping he would lead us to more evidence when…" Althea hesitated. "A mutant shape shifter named Mystique crashed the party."
"She was also in the Weapon X Project and she wanted revenge," Logan admitted.
"Sounds like she got it," Stottlemeyer said. "We're gonna need some statements."
"I thought you would," Logan groaned.
"I think we'd all better have a talk at your place," Mayor Chen said. "Once we check over the survivors so we can work something out."
"Sure, I'll tell my father to get the booze out," Althea groaned. "If he doesn't have it out already."
"I know I'm gonna need a stiff drink," Logan said.
"You know SHIELD and the MRD are going to be watching San Francisco like a hawk now," Emma said. "Just waiting for a chance to grab us."
"Looks like we have no choice but to stay here for a while," Althea said. "But this was a victory today."
"This wasn't just a victory," Emma said. "This was a bloody miracle! Humans actually helping mutants? Unbelievable!"
"Now all we have to do is keep proving we're worthy of that trust," Scott sighed.
A hundred brownie points if you can guess which show Captain Stottlemeyer is from! It's a tribute to one of the best shows ever! Next time, a new challenge begins! Will our favorite mutants be up to the task? Find out! Oh and here's a big hint to what show I'm talking about! Hit it!
Stanley skipped by singing, "It's a jungle out there! Disorder and confusion everywhere! Nobody seems to care! But I do!"
"HEY!" Gyrich snapped. "Who's in charge here?"
"It's a jungle out there!" Stanley sang. "Poison in the very air we breathe! You know what's in the water when you drink?"
"Not really," Gyrich snorted.
"Well I do!" Stanley said. "It's A-Mazing!"
"What's amazing is that I haven't fired you yet," Gyrich snorted.
"People think I'm crazy..." Stanley danced around.
"AND THEY'RE RIGHT!" Gyrich shouted. "STOP SINGING BEFORE SOMEONE SUES US!"
"I worry all the time! If you paid attention you'd be worried too!" Stanley sang as he danced.
"I worry too! I worry that you are going to drive me to an early grave!" Gyrich shouted.
"Better pay attention or this world we love so much...might...just...kill...you!" Stanley sang happily.
"Great if the mutants don't kill me, my insane brother in law is going to give me a stroke," Gyrich groaned.
"I could be wrong now..." Stanley sang.
"Very likely," Gyrich glared at him.
"BUT I DON'T THINK SO!" Stanley sang in Gyrich's ear.
"AAAH! MY EAR!" Gyrich shouted.
"Cause it's a jungle out there! It's a jungle out there!" Stanley danced away.
"It's a jungle in here!" Gyrich moaned. "It's official. Randy Newman is now on my hit list!"
