Shutting Down the System
The two guards dragged Duke back to his cell. However, Duke noticed that the two guards were overconfident and careless. He made his move and soon managed to knock both guards out while wearing handcuffs. "Amateurs," He grumbled as he stole the key to his cuffs from one of the guards. "Even Cobras aren't that careless!"
He swiped one of the rifles and a knife from the guards and ran down the corridor. His intention was to somehow make it to the communications room but a loud scream interrupted his train of thought. He hesitated then ran in the direction of the scream. Foresight was strapped to a table in a lab; wires were fed into his helmet. Two scientists were doing something with dials on a control panel that was causing him extreme pain.
Duke growled. There was no way in hell he was going to allow this to continue. He burst in the room and shot the guards quickly. "Get him out!" Duke ordered the scientists. "Now!"
They did as they were told. "Are you okay kid?" Duke asked the helmeted teen.
"No…" Foresight winced. "But that's not important…Mastermold…"
"Let me guess," Duke said as he helped him sit up. "That thing is going to backfire on Trask, am I right?"
"Yes. Mastermold has to be terminated…" Foresight gasped. "It's the only chance our future has."
"I agree," Duke steadied him. "But you're in no condition to do anything."
"It doesn't matter anymore what happens to me," Foresight told him. "I'm the only one who knows its weakness. I can destroy it. I have to."
"Kid…" Duke began when suddenly one of the scientists pressed an alarm. They fled down the hall screaming for help. "Oh goody. More friends."
"I know another way out," Foresight pointed to an air vent.
"That'll do," Duke nodded.
Meanwhile Trask was at his station overseeing the project when the alarm sounded. "What now?"
"Sir! The prisoner has escaped!" A guard reported. "He was last seen with Foresight!"
"Foresight," Trask ground his teeth. "I should have known that boy would turn on me sooner or later. No matter, we can handle the two of them easily."
"Sir I think you'd better take a look at this," Another guard pointed to a monitor. "We're under attack!"
"What?" Trask ran to the monitor and saw SHEILD Agents and GI Joe troops fighting his. "How did they find me so fast? I made sure any tracking systems were removed from Duke! How? How?"
"Sir, we've got to make our escape," The guard shouted.
"Not without taking care of a few things," Trask growled as he readied his weapon.
Meanwhile Duke and Foresight had managed to get out of the air vent and fought off a few guards. "So you're saying the sentinels are going to end up enslaving humanity instead of saving it?" Duke asked incredulously.
"Yes," Foresight told him. "The Mastermold has artificial intelligence which will evolve into something beyond Trask's control. Our only hope it to destroy it before it is fully functional."
"How do we do that?" Duke asked.
"We don't," Foresight had taken a pistol from one of the guards and pointed it at him. "I am. You have to get out of here and warn the Joes and any mutant that will listen."
"Look kid…" Duke tried to reason with him. "I know you want to put things right. But this isn't the way."
"It's the only way," Foresight told him.
"FREEZE!" Several guards ran in.
YOU FREEZE!!!!
Suddenly the guards keeled over in a telepathic assault. "What the…?" Duke blinked.
My father's latest 'gift' He felt a telepathic message inside his head. I've been feeling it grow with each treatment. I think I can use it to stop him. Thank you Duke…For everything.
Duke felt a strange pressure. The next thing he knew, Roadblock was bending over him. "Duke! Duke are you all right?"
"I'm fine," He said groggily. "What took you so long?"
"Oh you know Quicksilver," Althea was there as well. "He just had to try and find a souvenir shop."
"Oh sure, blame me," Pietro ran in. "These guys are so fashion impaired. Don't they know the storm trooper look is so last season?"
"Where is he?" Duke asked looking around.
"Who?" Althea asked.
"The kid, Foresight…" Duke told them. "He's gonna try blowing Mastermold up himself!"
"What? Why?" Roadblock asked. "What's going on?"
"Short version: Trask's 'Protectors of Humanity' are going to end up enslaving it," Duke told him.
"You mean the sentinels? How do you know that?" Althea asked.
"Trask's own kid Foresight saw it," Duke told him. "He's a precog like Destiny by the way. Or he was until Trask zapped him again. I think he's become a telepath as well now."
"Huh?" Roadblock blinked.
"Foresight's a what and he's whose kid?" Pietro blinked.
"I'll explain later," Duke sighed. "Quicksilver I need to borrow your teleportation watch."
"Why mine?" Pietro asked.
"Because you're the fastest out of all of us and need it the least! Hand me your teleportation watch!" Duke ordered him. "Now!"
"Okay, okay relax!" Pietro gave it to him.
"Come on!" Duke told them. "We have to stop Trask once and for all."
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Foresight crept silently through the system. He needed to get to the control room to hit the self destruct button. However someone was waiting for him. "Hello Foresight," Trask pointed a strange device at him. "For someone who claims to have the mutant power of precognition you are amazingly predicable."
"As are you," Foresight told him.
"I should have destroyed you like your sister when I had the chance," Trask snarled. "It was my sentimentality that allowed you to live. It's not entirely your fault. It's mutant nature to turn on humanity."
"And it is human nature to destroy what it cannot understand," Foresight told him. "Even if it means destroying itself in the process."
"You really didn't think you could stop me did you?"
"It's not you I need to stop," Foresight told him. "The Mastermold program is far too dangerous to be finished."
"Here we go again."
"You know I'm right," Foresight told him. "Why do you refuse to see that?"
"You would say anything to protect your kind."
"I'm the one who warned you of mutant evolution in the first place! Why would I betray you unless there was no other way?" Foresight asked. "Tanya was right wasn't she? You're too blinded by your own hate to know what you're doing!"
"Oh I know exactly what I am doing," Trask pushed the button on the device. Foresight screamed in agony and fell to his knees. "That's why I made sure I installed this in your helmet."
"FORESIGHT!" Duke shouted as he ran in. "NO!"
"Too late Duke!" Trask whipped out his weapon but Duke shot it from his hand. "AGGGGHHH!"
"Shut it off!" Duke ordered. "Now!"
"Sorry but it doesn't work like that," Trask sneered. "It will kill him in a matter of…" He stiffened and started to scream.
"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHUURGH!" Foresight screamed as he grabbed his helmet, yanking it off his head. It revealed the face of a young teen, his head half shaved with the other side a hunk of long blue hair. On the shaved side was now a destroyed wire sticking out of his head.
"Foresight…" Duke gasped.
"What did you do to me?" Trask hissed.
"A gift you gave me…Father…" Foresight gasped as he stood up, blood dripping from his nose and the corners of his eyes. "And this is mine to you…THE FUTURE!" He sent a telepathic image straight to his head, causing Trask to scream. "REMEMBER IT!"
Just then several more guards burst in. One of them shot Foresight in the shoulder. Duke shot him and barely dodged the other bullets. "Forget them!" One guard grabbed Trask. "Let's get out of here!" They laid down cover fire to cover their escape and locked the door.
"Locked," Duke hissed. "Not that it's much of a problem."
"Not…Anymore…" Foresight had managed to hit one of the console buttons and hit the self-destruct button.
"SELF DESTRUCT IN THREE MINUTES" The computer intoned.
"Get out…" Foresight gasped. "Without my helmet to support me…I can't live long…" He collapsed.
"Oh no you don't kid!" Duke grabbed the boy and pushed the teleportation device.
Meanwhile back outside the Joes, SHEILD and Misfits had made it out just in time with some prisoners. The entire base self-destructed. "There goes Trask's lab," Fury grunted.
"Duke's still in there!" Althea shouted.
"Not anymore!" Roadblock pointed as Duke and Foresight materialized in front of them.
The boy lay in Duke's arms. "Hang on kid! You can make it!" Duke told him. "Foresight! Don't give up! Foresight!"
"My name…" The boy coughed. "Is…Lawrence…Trask…but you…can call me Larry." He passed out.
"We gotta get this kid to Lifeline! Now!" Duke ordered.