Chapter Twenty-Two:
With the two strangers following her, Rebecca bolted through the ruined kitchen, maneuvering around the appliances lying in twisted almost unrecognizable shapes and the contents of the refrigerator that had spilled out onto the floor. She reached the second entrance to the room, when a strong hand grabbed her arm again.
"Wait," Toad hissed at her in a whisper and pulled her back. She shook free of his hold and glared angrily.
Gambit walked up behind them, his eyes still glowing red but filled with an amused confusion as he stepped over piles of leftover Chinese food, donuts, pizza…and diet soda.
"We have to get out of here," she replied quietly, "Before the rest of my house falls on us."
Rebecca began to move and Toad stood in her way, slamming on arm against the doorway to block her exit. From the direction of the Sentinel, they began to hear a bizarre combination of thunder and explosions over the tearing of wood and glass as the X-Men began their attack on the machine.
"You don't know what's out there," he argued in a low voice, "Orders are to get out without gettin' caught."
Rebecca shook her head, and argued back, "Not my orders! I can take care of anything that…"
"Magneto's orders!" he interrupted her, "And we're gonna follow them! Got it?"
Rebecca looked at him with annoyance and mimicked his earlier tone, "No."
"Why are you whispering?" Gambit asked over another loud crash. He struggled to keep from laughing as Toad and Rebecca glared at him.
He supposed he should have been more frightened about his situation (giant killer robot and all), but from the moment he met the X-Men his life had not made sense. Why should his first mission with them be any different?
Another explosion was then followed by a strange silence. Toad frowned and stepped back toward the entrance to the dining room. He pointed one finger at Rebecca and then looked at Gambit.
"You…don't let 'er go anywhere."
Gambit shrugged, draped his arm over her shoulder comically and gave her a rough hug.
"Don't worry, mon ami," he replied with a two fingered salute, "I'm very good at watching the ladies…"
Toad turned around and shook his head. This Cajun X-Man was either a rookie or insane…Toad was not sure which one was worse.
Rebecca rolled her eyes and shrugged Gambit's arm away. She headed towards Toad and heard Gambit chuckling, almost manically behind her. As she approached, Toad crouched and peered carefully out into the other room. The X-Men were circled around the machine, which had changed shape again. His large eyes grew wider as the mass of tentacles burst from the Sentinel's chest cavity.
***
Wolverine shouted a warning to his companions as the serpent-like extensions of the machine reached for them. There were at least two dozen, quick and agile, moving toward their targets with terrifying precision.
Iceman held out both hands and formed a large wall of ice in front of the machine. The tentacles impacted the frozen structure and, to Bobby's horror, immediately began to tear it to pieces. The end of each long strand was different, one for cutting, one for gripping…one for heating.
Cyclops adjusted his visor to a pinpoint and began firing rapid controlled shots at each writhing section. Almost with an intelligence, the strands divided and began to reach for Cyclops as well. Before he could react, they began to wind themselves around his arms and legs, dragging him forward across the grass.
Storm went to his side, and held him firmly against the machine's pull. One of the tentacles hit her in the neck and a sharp pain made her cry out. Wolverine ran up to his teammates and began slashing the tentacles, his adamantium blades easily cutting through them. Storm and Cyclops fell to the ground, and Storm's head lolled to one side, unconscious. Cyclops pulled the remaining pieces from his limbs and called out her name anxiously. He touched her neck and felt a pulse, slow but steady.
One tentacle had managed to grab Iceman by the neck, and its pointed end jabbed into his shoulder. Bobby choked a call for help and then his eyes closed. He fell limp and the tentacle loosed its hold and dropped him to the ground. Wolverine ran toward the fallen boy and the tentacle spun toward him. With a small swipe of his arm, Wolverine cut the vicious device in two, the live half draw back into the Sentinel and the dead end being crushed under the X-Man's foot as he ran on.
The Sentinel began to step forward, crashing into the house and resuming its destructive search. Wolverine grabbed Bobby by the shoulders and pulled him out of the machine's way. Half way across the lawn, he found Cyclops dragging Storm toward a neighboring yard.
"What do we do now, fearless leader?" Logan asked sarcastically and Scott glared at him.
"I'm open to any suggestions!" he shot back and then looked back at the machine, "It's looking for someone…"
"Where's Magneto?" Logan asked, "He couldn't stop that thing with his power. Look," he held up one broken tentacle, "Means this shit isn't metal. Means someone knew enough to build a robot out of something he couldn't control…"
"We have to get Bobby and Storm to the jet," Cyclops said.
Wolverine nodded and then sniffed the air, "Fast…whoever's controllin' Mr. Roboto over there is close…"
***
Sid Malloy stared out at his house with horror. On the lawn, there was a small black jet, half a dozen strange looking people, a pile of ruined cars…and from behind the house, what looked like a giant head.
Oh, crap, Sebastian's gonna kill Becca, he thought and then his mind continued, I shouldn't get out of the car. All normal people would just speed off…
He then noticed in the dim light the naked blue woman on his lawn and a hysterical giggle bubbled from his throat.
No…I should go see if Becca, and the naked chick, need my help.
He knew Rebecca's response without her even being near him, You're so fucking chivalrous, Sid.
He waited another moment, and took a few deep breaths before opening the car door.
A voice rang across the lawn and Sid squinted to see the speaker.
"Good evening, Mr. Malloy," Magneto called, "You may want to get out of the road if you wish to live."
From either end of the street, groups of headlight began to surround the block. From a short distance away, the thumping sounds of helicopters filled the air.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked, and then jumped in surprise as his car began to float into the air. He reached out one hand and tried to pull it down by focusing on the glass windows and lights. The car wavered, as if the force moving it had not expected resistance, but the Mercedes continued to move across the front yard. Sid focused on the glass and the windows shattered outward. He gathered the pieces to him as his car was dropped rudely on the barrier of automobiles.
"My name is Erik Lensherr," the voice called again, "And I'm afraid your sister is in great danger."
"So what else is new?" Sid replied sarcastically but moved quickly toward the older man, "You're Magneto…"
With a nod, he replied, "Yes. I'm afraid your home has been attacked by a machine known as a Sentinel. I believe it has been created to…collect mutants. I fear there are military forces closing in on this vicinity. We will hold them off to give you time to escape."
Sid stared at the man with mistrust, shards of glass hovering around him threateningly, "Why? Why would they attack us?"
Magneto's face filled with false sympathy, "Perhaps…because of who your mother is."
The younger man gaped at Magneto as he continued. A few pieces of the broken glass fell to the ground as Sid's concentration faltered.
"I knew her," he continued, "Before you were born. There are many who sought to capture her in the past. Considering the temperament of certain parties towards mutants, say the SHOP for example, they may try to use you and your sister to find her again…"
From behind Sid's back, Mystique was staring wide-eyed at Magneto as he spoke. The words were not entirely lies; however, Erik Lensherr knew how to use the truth, in the right words, to his advantage. He simply did not tell Sid that the Brotherhood had initiated tonight's visit with the Malloy family.
"When we learned of the approaching danger," Magneto continued, "We dispatched to warn you. I'm afraid, we were too late…"
Sid looked toward his ruined house and Magneto studied his expression. It faded from angry, to concerned, to something quite sad. Inwardly, Magneto knew the young man would not entire trust them, but he believed them.
Mom, Sid thought sadly, I guess I'm not the only one who thinks you're still alive…
Magneto allowed the young man a moment to take in the truth of the situation and waited for him to reply.
"Where's my sister?" Sid finally said, and met Magneto's gaze firmly, "If you mean to help us, we'll fight with you."
Magneto heard the screech of tires and turned to face the approaching enemy.
"Go…now…" he said to Sid, "She is in the house, with another of our people. Find them…and come back to me."
Sid nodded and ran toward the house, no longer doubting Magneto's kind sincerity. He was not a demon or vampire, after all. He was just another human being, threaten by the same people who drove their mother into hiding. And, Sid would not let his mother…or his sister…fall into the SHOP's hands again.
***
As Toad stepped backward into the kitchen, he bumped into Rebecca sitting behind him and sneered at her viciously.
"Bloody hell!" he shouted, and then glared at Gambit, "I told you not to let her go anywhere."
Gambit shrugged, "She didn't. She is here."
Rebecca raised her arms into the air exasperated, "Hello! My house! Yet, NOW…more of an asylum than EVER! And that's saying A LOT!"
With a frustrated growl, Toad stood and began to drag Rebecca toward the other door. Gambit followed after them and heard the growing sound of metal scraping against metal.
"Stop it!" Rebecca shouted, and a wave of heat rolled down her limbs. Toad hissed in pain as the heat reached his hand.
"We have to go…NOW!" he shouted, and the scraping noises reached the inner walls of the house.
"What's going on out there?" she shouted again, and before Toad could reply, the kitchen wall began to shake and splinter.
From the other side, the tentacles began to snake through the open doorway and reach for them. Rebecca screamed as the giant hands of the Sentinel tore apart the room and more tentacles poured from its chest.
The three mutants ran toward the front hallway, and the writhing appendages followed. Gambit felt something cold wrap around his legs and he fell to the floor with a cry of surprise. He grabbed the machine and focused his energy through his hands. The tentacle began to glow with power and he released it. A moment later, the result explosion destroyed several of the reaching limbs, but also scorched one of his ankles.
At the same time, Rebecca was shoved forward out of one attacker's path, and turned to see the machine wrap around Toad's waist. He kicked at the machine futilely, unable to hit the writhing strand with the full force of his legs. Rebecca ran up to him and pulled him backward. The strand yanked at him and she lost her grip. A new mass of tentacles crashed through the ceiling and wrapped around Rebecca's lower arms.
Big mistake, she thought as the power leapt in defense against the danger. She reached upward and a small ball of fire burst from her palm. The tentacle holding her disintegrated and she directed her outstretched hand toward Gambit and Toad.
Two more fireballs connected with the mass of machines and destroyed most of them. Before she could draw it back, the remaining walls began to burn and the front door blew off its hinges. Toad slammed one powerful leg down on a remaining piece and it shattered.
"Becca!" Sid's voice called from outside and she felt relief wash through her, dampening the fire within.
"Sid! In here!" she called, "We're coming out…"
Rebecca did not get to finish the statement. As her back was turned, a new group of tentacles, twice as many as before, rushed up the hall and attacked them.
Three snaking limbs wrapped around her shoulders and she screamed again. Gambit was pushing himself up the hall with his unwounded leg, and was also caught by the machines. A larger arm reached for him and injected Gambit in the arm with the same substance that had knocked out Iceman and Storm.
Toad leapt toward the front door and landed on one squirming arm. Again, the machine did not snap or bend, but shattered. He felt new tentacles wrapping around his legs and he tumbled next to Rebecca, the wind knocked out of his lungs. He was pulled backward and Rebecca grabbed him by one arm. He looked up in surprise before a needle hit him in the back. Before closing his eyes, he felt her holding his hand tightly and saw her reaching her other hand back toward the front door.
Why doesn't the bloody woman just let me go? He thought before passing into darkness.
Sid was running toward the house, and reached for his sister's hand.
A sharp pain stabbed into Rebecca's neck and her arm dropped as she fell unconscious.
Her brother's hand only grazed her fingers as she was pulled away.
***
Author's note: I think my sister's text message to me today was "Cliffhanger! AHHHH!" I expect the same message tomorrow.
There's been a bunch of new reviews (holy crap I think it's up to 30) so thanks everyone for the love (and the hate in regards to cliffhangers). :-)