CHAPTER 31: THE BIGGER THEY ARE…
Kitty and Kurt had just finished placing Logan down on the deck with Xavier looking him over. They were holding their breaths but Xavier seemed calm, "He'll be alright in fact he'll wake up soon but the others need your help."
"You don't have to like tell us twice," Kitty said with a nod and looked to Kurt. He touched her arm and they disappeared in blue smoke. They reappeared right in the middle of the battle as the others were doing their best.
The two new mutants joined into the fray seeing everyone battling. The Sentinel saw Kitty and went after her trying to grab her Kitty saw this and phased, the robot pulled its arm back as soon as it could as the entire hand part had shorted out.
System error…circuitry impaired…cause…molecular displacement…Mutant Number 023 cause…recommended tactic change from physical to long range attack…Initiate.
The Sentinel fired a beam but missed as Kitty moved into the ground Lance didn't like that at all and used a massive earthquake to unsettle the massive thing.
The Sentinel started to fire out a new weapon some type of green stuff Beast was caught in one of them he tried to fight but it seemed to just get harder and harder. In fact it got to the point where he couldn't move.
Peter was dodging the new attack but saw Rogue get hit in the leg with one of the green blobs she fell down and tried to beat it off but was hit once more in the chest being totally encased in it. Peter yelled out to her trying to get to her but it wasn't easy getting to her. "Hey back off you Decepticon reject, no one slimes my girlfriend!"
Scott saw this and ran over to Kitty, "Shadowcat I need you to start phasing them out of there. Everyone else try attacking the joints and those canons" He called out to the rest.
Even fired off several of this spikes many just impacted a couple jammed into two of the guns in the chest area and the backfired destroyed those canons but it had many more. Kurt saw an army helicopter up in the sky he judged the distance and teleported.
He found himself among several very shocked and surprised troops, "Hey zhere sorry about zhis but I need to borrow somezhing." He plucked a grenade off a trooper before he could object and teleported back onto the Sentinel. He pulled the pin hoping that he knew what he was doing and threw it into a canon and got the hell out of there.
The explosion caused a lot more internal damage ruining that canon as well as cutting power to several systems but it had up backups that were kicking in. Peter having seen Kitty get Rogue out of that green stuff tried to swing in close.
He fired his impact webbing into two more canons as the webbing expanded it would jam the entire canon making it useless. He tried to the eyes again but he found out that the thing could learn and turned its face away. "Great they had to make it smart, why can't they ever make a stupid robot?"
Scott saw they were starting to damage it but they needed something else. "Everyone go for the knee try and take it down!" He fired an optic blast at the joint of the left leg making the metal bend around it. Storm hit it with a few lightning blasts and the result twisted the metal around the knee making it limp slightly.
Knee damaged…Compensate…External Damage at 29 percent, armor holding…Internal Damage at 45 percent…Weapons at 35 percent, operational…Alert…Unit is taking extensive internal damage…Multiple Systems Failures…secondary systems impaired…Command Code Alpha engaged…Take all Lethal Force to ensure Unit survival.
It was now totally off balance and Wanda hit it with a few more hex bolts. Bolts would loosen up, circuits would short out, and metal fatigue would suddenly appear. At first it was just superficial but eventually it would start to add up given all the other damage that it was taking.
Peter fired a web line at one of the arms sticking to the ground and pulling back with everything his muscles burned with the effort, Rogue gave him a hand it helped but even with the two of them they had their limits.
Jean reached out and sent as much power as she could spare into the knee trying to wreck it from the inside the metal warped and twisted and Scott saw this firing again bending it at an awkward angle. "Keep it up it's nearly down!"
Storm used a hail and snow onto the metal creature hoping that it would slow it down. He tried to swat at her with it massive arm but just missed her. Lance gave on last strong tremor under the foot that caused the knee to bend just enough to almost snap off. Wanda gathered up all her power and unleashed her hex powers. After all the damage when it tried to move its free arm to save itself from a fall the shoulder joint blew off from several overloads.
Warning Unit has suffered major damage…Power systems losing integrity…Power failing…Unit…can…not…stand…falling…evasive…evasive…eva… The Sentinels power was depleted from too much damage and an overload to its main power core as it shut down to prevent and explosion of the core.
There were a few internal explosions from systems that didn't shut down in time and the arm was blown off falling to the street below shattering it as the massive colossus fell to its side slamming into a building the force causing even more damaged to it and to the building itself.
Wanda however was too close to where it fell as debris from the robot started to fall on top of her. Wanda froze her eyes wide she heard several people call out to her but it was too late to do anything. Everyone watch in horror as she was buried in massive amounts of fallen parts of buildings.
"Dig her out!" Cyclops ordered as everyone rushed over to the place and started to dig. "Kitty I want you to get in there and find her!"
"Scott…" Jean said in a worried tone she wasn't sensing any life under there.
"She's not dead!" He yelled back at her the Sentinel wasn't moving anymore so he stopped worrying about that. He wouldn't lose her he wouldn't lose a member of his team. He kept on digging through it as much as he could he wanted to just blast it but that might be fatal…If she wasn't dead already.
He pushed that thought aside as everyone started to dig but there was too much material to move. Kitty came back out looking at everyone with sad eyes shaking her head. "I…I can't find her…"
She wanted to break down and cry she never saw anyone die before and felt numb inside. Lance saw this and hugged her tightly she barely even registered it. Wanda wasn't her close friend but she still considered her a friend. And seeing her crushed like that was too hard.
Jean took Scott by the shoulder, "Scott! Scott please…She's gone…" She told him tears in her eyes. Scott wanted to refuse it he didn't want her to die but slowly he started to slow down. He hung his head he was the leader and because of him someone had died.
There was a loud sound with wind as everyone looked up to seeing the Velocity landing. They had to leave now they didn't have to time to gather up their fallen friend. Police, army and other people were now moving onto the scene and they couldn't stay.
Slowly everyone made their way to the Velocity as they all looked at the rumble that had taken one of their own.
Xavier himself didn't sense Wanda in the rumble and he felt such a weight of sorrow in his heart. He had tried for so long to give Wanda a chance at life and now that short life had been ending in a violent and tragic way.
Magneto himself was staring at the scene he hadn't seen Wanda there until it was too late he had tried to stop the rumble but there wasn't much metal for him to work with. He had watched his only daughter die. First his wife and now Wanda was taken from him, he slammed his fists into the railing he was by.
Magneto roared out in anger and pain he knew he wasn't the best father but that had still been his child. He had let her join Xavier because he knew she wouldn't come with him and he had hoped she would be safe there. He was wrong and now that fool Charles in his dreams of peaceful living ended her life.
A part of him excepted part of the blame he had led the X-Men here but if he had known about this he wouldn't have had her come. He'd have done something to save her from that fate, but there were others who were responsible as well. Mainly those that made that machine that killed his daughter, he glared at the broke machine and with gritted teeth stretched out a hand twisting the machine around making sure it would never be used again.
He had another reason to hate the humans now and first on his list was Trask.
-Over Bayville-
It had been nearly an hour in flight they had to shake loose their pursuit, Storm had to create a massive fog to get the distance needed to get out of the line of sight the stealth abilities kept the rest of them safe from radar.
But the mood however was far from good the world knew about them now and worse yet Wanda was killed. It had just happened so fast that no one could really process it until now. Kitty was already crying her eyes out into Lance's chest as he held her close tears in his own eyes.
Partly for pain and another in anger at what happened. He wanted someone to blame someone to strike he looked at Scott and wanted to lash out but seeing how he was taking it he figured Scott was taking this the worst of it.
Scott was their leader and he felt totally responsible he kept replaying that in his mind over and over again. Jean was worried sick as she was hugging him, Scott was totally withdrawn and all she felt was this overwhelming sense of shame, disappointment and failure. He was beating himself up inside and she could reach him.
All she could do was let her own tears fall holding him hoping he would snap out of it at some point.
Logan had finally woken up and when they told him what had gone down he looked like he would tare the place apart. But he just sat in the back letting his anger fester at all of this he didn't like this at all and even he wished he had been there helping out instead of being knocked out of the fight.
The kids needed him and he hadn't been there.
Rogue was holding onto Peter as he was to her both had a few tears but Peter knew how to deal with pain like this. Sure he felt it Wanda had been his friend and once more it seemed the universe took away someone else in his life. He was just numb with pain at the moment and holding Rogue was the only lifeline he had at the moment.
Rogue had her eyes closed not wanting to see any of this, she could hear Kitty crying and a few words that were spoken. The mood was just horrible and she had never seen someone die before it was horrible. She knew Peter had lost his parents and Uncle and he knew better then most of them what death was like.
She had read all about death, vampires, horror movies and stuff but the real thing was so much more different. There was this sense like she wasn't gone like if she opened her eyes Wanda would still be there. But she also knew Wanda's body was buried under tones of a building.
They only just landed on the lawn not caring about parking it there was no point as soon as some of them were identified it would only take time for them to come here. Now they had to decide on what to do when they came. Everyone was confused reeling from Wanda's death and with what to do next.
Everyone slowly made their way to the mansion from the back no knew what to saw. Ororo was with Xavier who wished he hadn't sent Wanda out there. "Charles…What are we going to do? We can't hide this under the rug."
He sighed he honestly didn't know what to do at the moment, "We have to tell everyone and prepare them."
"I don't think that will be a problem," She told him seeing everyone run out to them.
They had been watching it all on TV they had seen everything and they were all worried when they saw Wanda get buried. Everyone was rushing up to them wanting to know what happened, May had a hard time just sitting and watching it.
When that final thing happened she could see it on everyone's face on what happened.
"Profession what's going on?"
"Who made that thing?"
"Is Wanda really dead? We saw it on the news?"
"Yeah where is she?"
"Are there more of those things? Will we get attacked by them now?"
"What are we going to do everyone will know about mutants now."
"Are we going to have to move?"
While everyone was swapping them with all kinds of questions she could see that no one was really ready for this. "That is enough all of you!" She shouted out and everyone looked to her.
"Please children, now is not the time for this and let them speak." She took a breath and looked at Xavier and he was thankful things were hard enough without being badgered by hundreds of questions.
"Everyone…We will have to get ready for one of two events. Either people will come to answer questions they have or…" He didn't want to think if people like Trask showed up here. "And yes…We lost Wanda today…"
"I honestly have no idea what to do, but I want the blackbird ready just in case. Everyone I want you all to pack a bag in case we have to flee."
May looked at Xavier uncertain about this course of action, "Is that really an option? I mean couldn't we just be reasonable?"
"I don't think so," Logan stated gaining her attention. "Given what just went down people will be scared and when they come here there could be no telling what they'll do when they find this place. It's better to lay low for a bit and when things cool off then we can make our case."
"But where will we go?" May asked him not sure where they could go. Where could they take all the students that was safe and a place to keep them all in?
Xavier had been thinking that himself there were few options left to them. But there was one person he could take them to Muir Island facility. It was large and had the room they would need, plus Rahne's mother Moira ran the facility. He knew that she wouldn't like what happened but he figured it was the safest place for now.
"I believe I know of a place but we'll have to pack up and fast." He looked to everyone there. "I want you all to take some clothing ready and anything important I have no idea how much time we have. I want you all to pack things up in the Blackbird since it can take the weight."
The students didn't have to be told twice and already things were not going well. Tabitha seemed a little in shock at Wanda's death. They had come over here from the Brotherhood together and the thought of her gone was hard on her. Everyone could see it since she and Wanda had been close friends.
Everyone was pretty much silent as they moved back into the mansion. Spyder took a look at Peter seeing that he had pulled off his mask and was looking down. She knew what it was like to deal with something like this it really sucked and she hated having another person taken from her.
She kind of liked Wanda she had been pretty cool person.
May saw Peter and walked over to him seeing Rogue there with him, the two women shared a small look. In that look she asked how they were holding up and the look in her eyes told May all that she needed. May wrapped an arm around his shoulder as he leaned into it slightly while a hand was around Rogue's waist.
He really felt crumby at the moment and he couldn't even bring himself to think about packing. It had all gone so horribly wrong today and he had to wonder if they had hit rock bottom.
While everyone went to pack in a hurry not too far away three shapes were coming in as well. They had their own ECM jammers and stealth systems and were too far away to be heard or really seen yet but they were coming.
After fifteen more minutes the shapes started to take form in the distance. In the skies the merc with a mouth also referred to as Deadpool was sitting on top of one of the robotic Spider Slayers. He could see the mansion in the distance and it sure looked like a nice place too bad he had to blast the place. But that was the what people usually paid him for after all.
He was told to capture as many of them as possible and then bring them back. He was also working on a time limit given that he bet pretty soon every cop, soldier and reporter in the dry state area will be swooping on down.
"Yeeehaw!" He said on top of the black widow robot actually waving around a cow boy hat he liked to keep around. "This is better then that guy from the movie riding the nuke! How you doing down there Mary?" He patted the robot.
He called it Mary cause it reminded him of an ex-girlfriend that was complexly psycho and would kill you as soon as kiss you. He figured it was appropriate. He named the purple tarantula Kenny and the large green scorpion one Scorpitron; The Destroyer. He felt if gave them more personality to give them names or at least names that he would like to call them.
"Okay there partners let's go round us up some claim jumping polecats, Yippee-kay-yay! He shouted out as they landed to the side of he mansion.
He stood up and pointed at the mansion, "I claim this land in the name of King and country. So let's blast the hell out of the place."
The Spider Slayers moved forward as weapon pods opened up. They fired at the walls of the mansion blowing in several holes into the second and first floors of the mansion. Deadpool thought this was going to be fun that is until an alarm was heard.
He looked around wondering what would happen when turrets popped up out of the ground and started firing. "Ah hell no one told me about this, oh well just more to trash then. Take them out boys!" He ordered the machines and he took a couple of automatic weapons to take on a few himself.
This was definitely going to be a fun job.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 32: FROM BAD TO WORSE