On the battlefields, things got more intense. The humans may have been outmatched but they were used to fighting being endowed by freaky genes. And thus, they found ways to strike back.
Beast's team, bereft of their brilliant leadership, had broken off into small groups and were hammering away at the sentinels with limited success.
Meltdown and Magma ducked down behind some rocks as another barrage of blue energy blasts hammered down, showering the air with pebbles. Quickly the two girls leapt up, tossing fireballs and time-bombs. Neither managed to do a great deal of damage, but they did slow the sentinel in question down. They ducked back down again, and the pattern repeated itself.
"Stupid goddamn piece of junk!" cursed Meltdown.
"Its alright, just give me a moment to power up and I'll burn clear through that iron hunk of scrap," replied Magma.
"Takes too long... I got it," replied Meltdown, filling her hands with an energy bomb... which grew to enormous size. Soon it was as big as any watermelon either of the girls had ever seen before.
"Meltdown winds up," narrated the blonde, drawing back her hand. "And... she pitch... EEEK!"
The sentinel had been prepared for when next her head popped up. One of its shoulder compartments had flipped up, and missile launched, hitting the ground right in front of Meltdown. She dodged aside, but awkwardly, dropping the time-bomb as she hit the ground... right next to it.
"MELTDOWN!"
The bomb went off with a great boom, showing the air with stones and dirt, a small cloud that temporarily cut off the vision of the sentinel. Amara coughed, crawling forward, trying to find Tabby. She was pretty sure Tabitha wouldn't be hurt. She'd had little time bombs go off in her hands before, they'd never left a mark (Tabby had once said they tingled, actually) but she'd never used a bomb that big before. She was worried.
"Meltdown?! Meltdown?!" she called out.
"Here!" came a voice in the dust, and Magma bent down, seeking and finding Tabby's hands. "Magma?!"
"I'm here, are you hurt?!"
"I... I can't see!" she shouted. The dust was starting to settle, and Magma looked on in shock.
Tabby's face was burnt and blackened, covered in black soot, and her eyes were filmy and sightless. She kept turning her head, her eyelids open wide, and it was clear even to the medically inexperienced Magma she was quite blind. She gave Tabby a reassuring squeeze as she heard the iron clank of the sentinel behind them. The battle wasn't over.
"Tabby," she whispered, using her real name... something they rarely did except in private. "Stay here... I promise, I'll be right back. Don't move."
Tabby nodded dimly, still searching for something to see, her vision all dark.
Magma felt only fury then. It coursed through her veins like her namesake flowed through the earth. White-hot fire filled her vision as she filled with power, her body bursting into flame that would've consumed the life of any other mortal engulfed by it. But she was Magma, and fire was her element. It was her power.
And it was her weapon.
She stretched out her hands, wrists together, fingers extended. And fire poured out, projected from her body. Fire of incredibly intensity, fire that ate clear through the metal armor of the sentinel and ripped clear through its back. But oh no, Magma wasn't done yet. Her emerald eyes glinted dangerously as her hair flowed like flame, and she intensified the blast, melting the entire sentinel, down to every last circuit, gear, and plate, until it was nothing more than a pile of sludge.
Completely spent, Magma collapsed to her knees, the power of fire fleeing as her anger did, and she tasted ash in her mouth as she fell forward onto her hands, barely catching herself. She was so exhausted. She sensed, more than saw, Meltdown crawling her way over towards her, trying to find her way by feel and hearing.
"Amara? You alright, girl?!"
"I'm fine Tabby... everything's fine," she managed to say, her voice soft. She grabbed Tabby and held her close. "We'll get you out of here... your eyes'll be... be good enough in no time," she murmured.
She prayed she was right. To Mars, to Vulcan, to Venus, to every Roman god or goddess she hoped might be listening.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nearby, Scaleface and Berzerker weren't having much luck against the gigantic automatons. Still in human form, Scaleface stumbled down the hillside after Berzerker, who rolled after her. His leg had been hit by a stray energy blast. Well, grazed, really... if it'd been hit there wouldn't be much leg beneath his knee. As it was, he couldn't move very fast. Or accurately.
Berzerker rolled down the hill, barely managing to stop his awkward roll before managing to halt his descent only feet away from the lapping shores of the nearby lake. Cursing, he stumbled away from it. He hated water.
"You alright?" asked Scaleface, giving him a hand up.
"Peachy," he grumbled.
"Listen you get moving, I'll draw them off," she stated, blinking her yellow, reptilian eyes at his.
"Forget it... just let me at those suckers, I'll rip them to pieces," he grinned, holding up his fists... which crackled with electricity.
"But you're injured, I..." suddenly something caught her attention. "Get down!" she shouted, pushing Berzerker back and leaping out of the way as a missile struck the ground, showing the air with sand and dirt, coating both of the mutants and their uniforms. But, thankfully, neither was overly hurt. Except Berzerker's back, where he'd fallen on a particularly sharp rock. But at least it hadn't broken his back.
"Get out of here!" roared Scaleface, shifting, her body elongated and shifting as she resumed her gigantic reptilian form, giving a colossal roar. Her uniform, as always, vanished into the pores of her skin as she grew to the gigantic height, her yellows eyes now as large as dinner plates, her claws and fangs easily capable of ripping off a man's head. She charged at the sentinel, rearing up and slashing at it with her enormous claws and, to her credit, managed to tear open some of the metal plating covering its chest. The sentinel responded, however, grabbing Scaleface's shoulders and drawing her into a death-hug. Realizing her mistake, she struggled, as Berzerker watched in shock, struggling to regain his feet. His wounded leg made it all the more difficult.
"Scaleface!" he shouted, powering up. He needed to find a way to hit the sentinel without hitting her. And then more trouble... another sentinel appeared behind the first. Great, he thought. More to worry about. He took off a few shots at the second sentinel, but they were quickly repelled, bouncing off like rainwater. Useless. Damnit he needed more power.
Suddenly, the first sentinel's body shifted, its arms stretching out as its chest expanded, all of its lethal blasters opening up... every single one aimed at the being still clutched in its arms. Scaleface roared, clawing at the sentinel, but couldn't break free.
And then... it was all over.
Scaleface's body was ripped to shreds by the energy blasts, which tore through her thick scales and the flesh beneath like it was tissue paper. Dimly, he claws continued to react, slashing at the armor, but she was already dead. Her head lolled back, her long tongue falling from between her lips, and her yellow eyes had rolled back into her head. As she died, her form shifted again, regaining human shape and falling from between the sentinel's hands, to land with a sickening crunch on the ground. The wounds in her human form looked no less fatal than in her reptilian one. She was quite, quite dead.
And then, all Berzerker saw was red.
Scaleface was one of his best friends. They were close in a way most siblings never were. They'd even been lovers once, briefly. But they both prefer the thrill of combat to the thrill of the bedroom. So they'd just remained close friends. But they'd been bonded. And now the bond was broken.
Berzerker howled in rage, throwing his head back as lightning crackled around his body. Energy coalesced as brilliant yellow light all around him as he started absorbing, started powering up. Energy from the environment, electromagnetic power. Static from the darkening skies (Storm, the back of his mind realized dimly), the energy from the stray electrons in the environment, all of it pouring into his body. Lightning crackled along his frame, and his eyes turned all blue and pupilless. Sparks flitted from his eyelids as he turned and regarded the sentinels. Those who'd killed her... looking on as if it had meant nothing to them. It probably had, to the stupid machines.
"Damn you!!" he shouted, holding up his hands and forming a great ball of whirling lightning. He launched it at the damaged sentinel, tearing through it like it had torn through Scaleface, exploding in a bright ball of light, sending fragmented pieces flying in every direction. One of its hands landed near Berzerker. Without even turning his head, a whip of pure electricity lashed out and reduced it to ashes, shattering the ground nearby.
"Who else wants some?!" he shouted.
In his rage, he continued to absorb electrical power, even as his body started to overload... he couldn't handle so much. But he didn't care anymore. All he desired was vengeance. His brilliant aura continued to intensify, lightning practically pouring from his eyes as his hair stood on end, and he howled in anger again. More, he thought. More power.
"I swear I will kill every last one of you goddamn humans, every last one you, hear me!!" he shouted. "ALL OF YOU!!" he roared.
The sentinel, unable to understand human emotion, took in Berzerker as a high-class threat, shifting its right hand into its three tri-lasers, and opened fire, blasting at Berzerker.
Berzerker's electrical energy protected his body from the blasts, but not the force behind them. He stumbled, staggering, his leg still wounded. His mind may've been pushed beyond its limits by his rage, but not his body. He staggered backwards, and a third blast did him in... he stumbled...
... right into the lake...
To describe the ensuing reaction as painful would be a dreadful understatement. Every single cell of Berzerker's body had been supercharged by close to ten-thousand volts of solid electricity. And as any six-year old could tell you, water and electricity do not mix. Thus, Berzerker screamed... for about a second, before collapsing backwards, his entire body scorched, the water ionized. Smoke drifted upwards as his body sunk beneath the surface.
And so another soldier had fallen in the war.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Quicksilver?!" shouted Spyke, searching the battlefield. "Quicksilver?! Goddamnit, where are you, you egotistical little bastard?!"
Spyke's partner had, in typical fashion, rushed off without him long ago, determined to take down as many of the enemy as possible. Since the battle had begun Spyke'd had his own difficulties with one of the big giant robots. Fortunately, a few flaming spikes had convinced it he wasn't a suitable opponent, and now it was scrap on the ground. Now he needed to find his partner and re-group with the others. Far as he could hear, all the fighting had stopped. For the moment, at least. Once the human soldiers realized their sentinels were destroyed, they'd be moving in.
If they were even still alive, that is.
Finally he found him.
Quicksilver looked like hell, his white hair matted with blood, his uniform covered in the stuff. He lay on his side, resting against a nearby rock. From the blood on the ground, he crawled himself there, then lay back, unable to move any further. It was no wonder why... his left leg had been blown clean off at the knee. His right leg didn't look in too much better condition. The bone was poking through near his ankle.
"Jeez man... you look like Hell," remarked Spyke, dropping down alongside his buddy. They'd known each other for a long time, after all.
"Worse than that," remarked Quicksilver, his lips red with coughed-up blood. Gingerly, he turned slightly, drawing Spyke's attention to his side. A shard of shrapnel was sticking out of his stomach, and he was bleeding feebly. Her gave a weak smile. "I'm dying."
"No you're not," remarked Spyke. "Come on, Beast'll be along... we'll get you help. You are -not- dying on me, damnit!"
"I'm going to see Wa-Wa," whispered Quicksilver. "I... I've missed her."
Wa-Wa. It took Spyke a moment to recognize what his old friend meant. Wa-Wa hadn't been used in a long time. Wanda. His twin sister, the Scarlet Witch. They hadn't spoken about her since she'd perished so long ago. That had been when the unspoken rule had come into effect. You did not talk about those who fell in battle.
Pietro's hand reached up, grasping dimly, and Spyke grabbed it, giving a reassuring squeeze.
"Take care buddy... I'll see you on the other side... but hopefully not too... not too... soon..." he managed to wheeze out. And then he lay his head back, and the life left his eyes. Evan gently reached down, closing them.
"Always did have to run off, leave me behind," remarked Evan, half-bitterly. "Take care buddy... I'll see you again. Someday."
Author's Notes:
The battle scenes were decidedly too long, so I've broken them up into four chapters. This is part three, comprised of Beast's team and the horrible sentinels. I don't actually know if Tabby is immune to her own time-bombs or not, but I assume she's got at least a little resistance, the way she casually uses them. Amara's calling on the Roman pantheon is again, more references to her heritage as a Princess of Nova Roma, an offshoot Roman colony. Mars (Ares) was God of War, Venus (Aphrodite) was Goddess of Love, and Vulcan (Hephastus) was the God of Volcanos. Appropriate three for Magma, don't you think? Scaleface's death, followed by Berzerker's, was a nod to the rather tragic fate of their comic counterparts. Quicksilver's death was long in planning, since I wanted to reunite the poor twins. Having his old friend Spyke at his side was a last minute idea on my part. Wa-Wa, as well as Pie-Pie and Ro-Ro, is copyrighted material belonging to Scribbler, Internutter, and their posse. Next chapter, Storm's team and the final bout of fighting before we get back to the plot and back to the Rogue.
Sandoz: We all have our little strengths and weaknesses. My weakness, as I pointed out to Sashi, is original plots. And yes, of course that was an Evangelion reference. I love that anime, even if it's the most confusing one I've ever seen in my life (except FLCL, of course). Of course its only the tip... lovable Lance hasn't been shown yet.
Risty: I dunno, I never cared much for Proteus myself. Seemed a bit -too- powerful for me. But then again, they did make it hard for him to control his power and himself, so he's okayish. And yeah, I figured I misspelled that term. I knew it was coming. Thanks for helping me correct it.
DoubleL27: Proteus would be dangerous if I had him involved for more than just that one scene mentioned above. For the most part, Gauntlet's team was for flash and flair, not plot development. And if you like the OC's, I included the stories they're in, I'm sure the authors would love to have you find out more about them. Or, more accurately, their non-AU personas.
Star-of-chaos: Of course I realized that! I, uhm, er... shut up! *builds a giant wooden badger and tries once more to invade your castle* And actually, that's a hilarious scene you've just described. Perhaps I'll use it in another story.
Rogue14: That good, eh? Well plenty more to come. Plenty, plenty, plenty. Oh, and hope you got my review for your latest story. Boggles the mind. Good thing, mind you. Very good thing.
Todd fan: Glad you enjoyed them. I'll have at least a few of them appear in the regular universe in my last story, even if just for brief cameo scenes. And yes, no dead beastie. After killing off poor little Toddykins, how could I be so cruel to you? Well, probably very easily, but that's beside the point.
X00001: Ah well, most of the humans in the previous chapter were unfortunate enough to cross really powerful mutants. And first rule of combat? In a gun fight, you bring a frickin' gun. They had no sentinels or superhumans. So... sucks to be them.
DaughterofDeath: Fine, I will, with plenty more deaths to keep your parent busy for a really long time. Lots of 'em! Thousands and hundreds and millions of deaths! Muwahaha!
Comet-hime: Not exactly. The mutants on Asteroid M were, with only a few exceptions, those who do not have complete mastery of their powers. Misery just isn't as skilled as his sister. And yeah, part of it was what you thought, that she was needed down on earth with the sunlight for her plants. Glad you enjoy the kick ass fighting, as well as your own OC's. Willow is, of course, in the next and final chapter of the battle.
Nessie6: How's that for torture? Those legs had to have hurt like hell before he died. Poor Pie-Pie. As for Gambit? Meh. He might not have ever existed in this AU. I just prefer to leave him out of the loop. And Theresa's a blonde? I could've sworn it was red. It was red in X2, I'm positive of it.
ViciousAssassin: Pretty much. So far my plans to kill of characters in the regular universe are limited to small numbers. And Rogue is most definently not among them, as she is my favorite character. Nor X23, my second fav. Or first. They fight it out between each other a lot. Glad of course you're enjoying the combat scenes, I do work hard on those.
Princess Myra: No time for morals in war. Especially once you see who Rogue's gonna be going up against. Heh. Glad of course you like the OC's. Try reading the stories attached to them, I really don't do their real selves justice. I just wish Kinomi would update but, understandable, she's busy these days.