Chapter 9

With the curtains drawn, it was not as easy to tell whether it was sunlight or not. But with the weak glow of a frosty sun peeking through the small gaps of the soft fabric, the room was slowly coming to life in the grey dawn light. Logan was still asleep on the floor, sprawled upon his back in front of the unlit fire. A few empty beer cans lay scattered at his feet. Storm, since awaking well over an hour ago, had seated herself in the armchair besides the window, watching the blackness of the night be overtaken by the cool silver lighting. She slowly looked round and back at Logan who had just made a content grunt in his sleep. "Logan?"

As asleep as Logan may be, his hearing did not miss his name being called and he slowly turned his head to peer over at her with blinking eyes, "Mm?"

"It's time to go."

He made a slow nod of his head as he pushed himself up to his feet, slowly, raising his arms to the ceiling as he stretched and loudly cracked several adamantium joints in the process. With a quiet sigh, Logan made his way to the front door, closely followed by Storm. Logan slowly tugged at the broken door he had lodged into the frame, pulling it away and leaving a big enough gap for them to exit through. He allowed Storm to slip through first, before he followed suit. As Storm quietly made her way back to the car, Logan proceeded to pull the door back into its frame. It looked a little askew, but it did the job.

The road was silent in the early hours. Only the distant rumble of morning city life could be heard. The cold grey light covered the road, with a golden horizon forming. The quietness was disturbed as the car engine was started, and the vehicle swiftly pulled away to leave the street behind.

Traffic was minimal so early, and the mutant's travels were more or less smooth. In the car, they had the radio on. In the past half an hour, a Sentinel sighting had been spotted in the west of New York, and so they headed in that direction. They partly hoped they would find Sentinels, so they could follow them, but also feared finding them. They could be captured themselves, or even killed.

And they needed to find the Sentinels before the Sentinels found them.

"We must see something soon," muttered Storm quietly as she looked round at the passing street, keeping a watchful eye.

"They certainly ain't keepin' quiet over it anymore, since it legal."

Suddenly, Storm reached forward, turning off the news on the radio with a press of the button.

"What are you doin'?"

But Storm shushed him, "I thought I heard something.." she turned slowly in her seat, looking out behind her through the back window. Her eyes narrowed curiously beneath strands of ivory. A horrible silence was upon them, for they both sat with bated breath, anxious to hear something to give away the expected. Slowly, Storm pulled back, looking across at Logan slowly with shake of her head in dismissal. But then, behind then, a terrorising explosion of sound shook the car, and both of the X-Men whipped their heads round to see that a large Sentinel had just landed in the road behind the car. The force was so heavy that the road surface had cracked below his feet. "Go! Go!" screamed Storm, but Logan didn't need her instructions. His foot hit the accelerator and a hand yanked the gear stick and the car shot off ahead with a roar of the engine.

They were lucky that the road was so empty, for Logan's driving skills meant a wild screeching trek around the suburban streets. The Sentinel had been running after them, and with Logan's speedy driving, it was losing them. But without any warning, it jumped, flying through the air. Logan's eyes frantically darted from the rear view mirror to the road ahead, but hands clasped tight on the steering wheel as the car squealed around a corner with a cloud of dirt rising from the back tyres. Storm gave a cry of surprise as the Sentinel landed heavily on the roof of their car, dinting the surface. Logan's eyes glanced upwards before a fierce growl set onto his features. As the car raced along, he yanked the steering wheel down, and the car suddenly spun in a screeching frenzy. The Sentinel was thrown off the roof, hitting a far building with a loud crash of the brickwork beneath him.

As the car stopped spinning, Logan set the gear, and the car raced off again with a wide-eyed Storm slumped against the door. She slowly pushed herself up, hands holding onto the dashboard firmly in case Logan pulled any more sudden stunts, "Up ahead," she said quietly, "look."

Logan peered down at the end of the road, where a gathering could be seen – that was until a Sentinel landed on their bonnet with a crash, catching both mutants by surprise and causing the car to veer off to one side unexpectedly. Logan slammed the brake on before they would collide with anything. He raised his eyes to glare stonily as the suited women who crouched on the bonnet before them. Her black glasses glinted eerily in the dim sunshine. She pulled a fist back as it began to glow and thrust it at the windscreen. It smashed loudly, causing Storm to gasp and shield her face from the flying shards of glass.

"Get out!" cried Logan as he turned, shoving the car door open. Storm rammed her hands on her car door, which wasn't budging. Her hands fumbled with the lock, belatedly exiting the car just as the Sentinel reached forth to grab her, missing by inches. Together, Logan and Storm ran across the road. The Sentinel slowly turned her head, hidden eyes fixating upon the retreating mutants. She leapt from the car bonnet, making her way after them. Storm turned her head, glancing back with fearful eyes. The Sentinel was preparing her powers again, as her fists began to glow. But then, out of nowhere, a dazzling burst of light crashed into her, hitting her at such a force that she was carried along before the light exploded in a blinding flash. Whilst confused, Logan and Storm continued running, both easily vaulting over a garden fence and continuing across someone's garden.

"What was that?" asked Storm as she dropped down from the fourth fence, coming to a halt in someone's back garden.

Logan was looking around the garden slowly, shaking his head in answer.

But then another flash occurred, this one at the front of the house the garden belonged to. Logan and Storm shared a frown, before they ran forth, running through the house's opened back door and through the ransacked hallway where the front door was thrown back. Out on the street were a small group of Sentinels, surrounding a lone figure that was throwing bright blasts from her hands at each one in turn.

Storm pushed forward, obviously in a bid to go outside and help the woman, but Logan pushed her back, "No, stay out of sight." He backed slowly, and she did so behind him, frowning. Behind her, she bumped into a table and looked round slowly. There was a telephone laid off the hook and she could hear a faint voice sounding from the receiver. Whilst Logan ducked in front of her to block her from the Sentinel's radar, Storm remained low, but pulled the phone towards her, placing the receiver to her ear.

"Hello?" she whispered quietly, eyes rising as she watched the woman still determinedly fighting against the Sentinels. Explosions of light rocketed across the street, low booms echoing and causing the very houses to shake. The person on the end of the line quickly started talking in a desperate voice.

"Hello? Astral? Astral are you all right? Have you fought them off?" The voice was male, low and rather imposing if he wasn't expressing such concern.

"No, this isn't Astral," replied Storm quietly. "But I'm a mutant too, I'm hiding from the Sentinels with someone else."

Logan looked round slowly with a curious expression.

"Astral.. where is she.. is the house empty? She was talking to me.. then she said Sentinels had come for her."

Storm looked up slowly, watching the woman outside as she collapsed under retaliation and the Sentinels closed in. "Tall? Dark hair? Mutant power, some sort of light blasts?"

"Yes. Is she all right?"

The woman outside was dragged to her feet, slumping in the hold. She looked exhausted, and had no fight left in her.

"No.." answered Storm quietly, "They've got her."

"Damnit," came the voice on the other end, "She's a strong mutant." There was a pause in which the man sighed, "Listen, you need to get away from there or they'll be upon you next."

"We need to follow them," whispered Storm, "They've got the X-Men and we need to free them!"

"The X-Men. And who are you?"

"Storm."

"You think you can follow the Sentinels to rescue your team members? Without getting caught?"

"We can try - "

"I must go," said the man abruptly, "Sentinels are coming. Good luck."

"You too. But wait, what's your name?"

"Hyphon."

And the line went dead.

"Hope you had a nice chat," muttered Logan, "but we really ought to get a move on."

Storm looked up slowly as she replaced the receiver on its hook. The Sentinels outside were making their way towards the house again. She speedily turned round, running out through the hallway again and out the backdoor. With Logan close behind her, the pair climbed up a garden fence, leaping out onto a road behind the houses. The Sentinels ran after them, their runs smooth and calm. They jumped over the fences without flinching. Storm sprinted out across the road, desperately searching for somewhere to try and hide, even though they could follow her all too easily. Panting quietly, she made her way across the road, looking back to see that she had become separated from Logan who growled as he fought off oncoming Sentinels.

Unable to leave him, Storm span round, running towards him with outstretched hands. As her eyes slowly turned white, the skies above darkened and began to crackle with the beginnings of thunder. Lightning crashed through the heavens and down to earth in crooked flashes, the Sentinels surrounding Logan were struck and knocked off balance. Logan stumbled back from them, quickly making his way over to Storm and the pair set off running again.

The Sentinels, although delayed, were hardly thrown off by the attack and we soon following after the mutants again. Each were preparing different powers whilst one speedily flew through the air. The flying Sentinel collided with Logan, who was thrown forward with a shout.

As the Sentinel tumbled across the road with him, Storm heard Logan yell, "Just go, alright? Go!"

Storm stared at him fearfully for a moment, briefly glancing behind her to see the other Sentinels catching up. She nodded silently, forcing herself to speed up once more as she sprinted away from the oncoming Sentinels. The lightning filled skies rumbled slowly as strikes crashed down, surrounding her and protecting her from any sudden advances. She could hear the fighting behind her as several of the Sentinels surrounded Logan. Above her, the sounds of a helicopter blades whirred, and Storm looked up to see army officers making their way over. With tears slowly leaking from her glowing eyes, the lighting in the clouds suddenly spread and struck the helicopter in twisting, blinding strikes. The skies exploded into flames as Storm veered course and darted down a small walkway between houses.

She could see a Sentinel-free road ahead, although traffic was passing. She'd have to try. Try and get across. Speeding up as she reached the roadside, she leapt into the air. With lighting and swirling winds surrounding her, she flew far across the large road. The traffic below had already began slowing as the helicopter crashed a few blocks away and now drivers were leaning out of their windows to stare upwards at the flying woman.

As she flew, she head a sudden hissing behind her, and as she looked round, she saw a Sentinel ready his hands at his glasses.. As he lowered his black glasses, blue beams shot from his eyes. The light raced across the stationary traffic and struck Storm squarely in the back. With an agonised cry, she felt her limbs turn rigid. Her display of powers began to cease and she fell head first to the ground, hitting the bonnet of a car and tumbling off to land on the road. She lay on her back, gasping quietly as she remained awkwardly sprawled. Her limbs felt too heavy to lift of her own accord. She blinked slowly as she felt a few drops of rain begin to hit her on the face, eyes straining to peer at the cloudy skies above her. But her vision was blurring and swarming oddly. Sentinels came into view, all looking down at her stonily, each of their stances identical. Their faces began to distort slowly as her eyes slumped closed and everything went silent.

The X3 teaser trailer is out! Look on the Apple trailer website. I think watching that really inspired me to write this, lol. Action-packed and all that jazz. Go on then, review. ;D