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"How did Fury and his agents go?" Trask asked
"It was a failure. It became a slaughterhouse," President McKenna replied, "Magneto was one step ahead of him. How are things going here?"
"We've nearly finished completion on several Mark I Sentinels. By the end of tomorrow, the Sentinels will be ready to hunt Magneto down"
"Good. That's what I like to hear. I don't any more innocent people hurt because of Magneto," said McKenna, "I'll leave you to it"
"Thank you, sir"
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Jean answered the knock at the door, surprised to see Nick Fury before her
"Sergeant Fury, what can I do for you?"
"I need to see Professor Xavier please, Miss Grey"
"This way then. Is something wrong?"
"Yes, definitely. Where's the Professor?"
"In his office. You know how to get there, don't you?"
"Thank you, Miss Grey"
Jean watched as Fury headed off towards the professor's office
"Don't tell me that Fury is here for Laura again," Logan said from behind her, "Otherwise, I'm gonna do something I'll regret"
"No, I think it's a lot bigger than Laura. I could sense a lot of distress in his head. Couldn't make out much, but it's bad"
"Sounds like fun. I'm itching"
Jean rolled her eyes, as Logan shared a smile with her
"Come on, let's see what Mister Commando has to say"
The pair arrived at the professor's office, just as Fury was explaining his predicament
"He slaughtered all my men," Fury cried, "I need your help on this, Xavier"
"And you have my help," Xavier said calmly, "Just slow down and tell me what exactly is going on"
"What's the hubbub, bub?" Logan asked
"Magneto and his Brotherhood," Fury replied, "We tracked him down to a small base of operations and tried to take him by surprise. However, he knew beforehand and wiped out my entire team. He has powerful allies"
Fury handed Xavier a few grainy snapshots he was able to take, including one of Lady Deathstrike and another of Omega Red, as Logan and Jean took a closer look
"There was a third mutant there," Fury said, "Moves so fast, it was unbelievable"
"Where did this take place?" Xavier asked
"Manhattan"
"Well, if we can get there in time, we might be able to stop him. Jean, Logan, get the X-Men together and head out to Manhattan"
"Yeah, you got it," Logan said
The pair left the room and began gathering all the X-Men. Logan decided to bring Gambit along to give him a taste of the battle that was coming. Scott had recovered well enough to go along, as well as Alex. Storm and Jean both agreed on bringing Emma Frost with them, thinking that a second telepath would be helpful
"You actually go out in these things?" Alex asked, holding his new uniform up
"What would you prefer? Yellow spandex?" Logan replied, zipping his suit up
"Don't know about you guys, but I feel kinda sexy in this," Emma grinned
"This looks like it could chafe," Gambit said, "In all the wrong places"
"Stop whining and just put it on," Rogue chastised, "We don't have time"
"Anything for the pretty lady"
"Don't go pushing your luck," Logan warned him, "Laura, you ready?"
"Yeah, I'm ready. Can we go already? I'm itching for a fight"
"Oh yeah, she's definitely yours," Storm smirked
Jean had opted to wear the Phoenix's previous outfit consisting of a red bustier over a red coat, shirt and pants with knee-high buckled boots. Once they were ready, the X-Men headed for their jet, surprised to see that Warren Worthington was waiting for them, already dressed in the black leather uniform
"How long have you been there?" Scott asked
"I only just got here. I was nearby when the Professor called for me. I quickly changed and flew straight here"
"Let's see how you can handle this action," Logan said, "You haven't been around for the last few months"
"Business does call and it's hard to ignore," Warren said, "Shall we then?"
"Alright, let's get going," Scott said
The entire X-Men team climbed aboard the X-Jet, as Scott and Storm flew the jet out of the basketball court and off into the sky towards Manhattan
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Trask was overseeing the completion of the Sentinels. So far, everything was going to plan. He had a small force of Sentinels built and ready for action. He had somewhat lied to the President about the Sentinels' programming. They were programmed to hunt down any mutant and eliminate them, not just Magneto and the Brotherhood. Trask figured that this was the final solution to the mutant problem. He believed that mutants could never completely co-exist with humans. There would always a mutant seeking to destroy the world. Trask rationalised that this was the only way to end the threat once and for all. However, with the completion of the Sentinels, he wasn't quite finished yet. He was working on a similar project. If the Sentinels were to ever fail, then he knew that this project would guarantee the elimination of mutants. Trask checked the schematics of the project, making sure it was working out. The title of the form read 'PROJECT MUTANT ELIMINATOR: BASTION'
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"Okay, we're nearing Manhattan and Magneto's last known location," Scott said, "I'm gonna land her nearby"
Magneto's base had been near the coast, as Scott landed the X-Jet on the calm water, close enough to land so they could disembark from the jet. Once everyone was onshore, the X-Men headed towards the building, being cautious after hearing what had happened to Fury's agents
"I'll take to the air, give you some cover," Warren said
He spread his wings and flew into the air, hovering high over the building
"Looks like the Brotherhood didn't clean up their mess," Logan commented
There was bodies surrounding the building, blood splattered all over the ground
"Okay, let's do this," Cyclops said, "We'll split in two. Alex, Storm, Emma, Peter and Kitty, you're with me. Everyone else with Jean. We'll go in first"
"Let's kick some ass," X23 said
Cyclops' team entered the building from the front, while Jean's team waited a few minutes, before entering through the back door. Wolverine and X23 were out in front, using their senses to locate the Brotherhood
"Yeah, they're here," Wolverine said, "Top floor and unsuspicious"
"That's what we need," Jean said, "Let's go everyone"
Cyclops' team reached the top floor first and waited for Jean's team to join them. Wolverine shook his head, able to smell the blood on the other side of the door. Cyclops stood before the door, raising a hand to his visor. However, before he could fire a blast, an earthquake rumbled out, disorientating everyone
"Party time!" came Juggernaut's voice
He came crashing through the floor, sending everyone flying. Cyclops went through the door and into the slaughterhouse, as Toad threw him across the room. Cyclops struck the wall and fired a blast at Toad, who leapt out of the way with nimble agility. Wolverine and X23 got to their feet, unsheathing their claws, as Omega Red appeared and sent them flying with his tentacles. Jean struck him with a telekinetic blast, smashing him through one of the walls. Iceman fired a beam of ice at Pyro, as Sabretooth grabbed the young mutant and slammed him against the floor, dizzying him. Withdrawing and extending his metallic staff, Gambit struck Sabretooth in the back, only to get smashed through a wall by a backhand
"Ooh, that's gonna sting in the morning," Gambit groaned to himself
Encasing his body in metal, Colossus took on Juggernaut, disappearing through the floors below, as Shadowcat dodged a slashing attempt by Deathstrike
"Isn't it nice when we have these interesting meetings of ours?" Magneto said, making an appearance with Mystique by his side
"You're gonna die," Cyclops growled, firing a laser beam
"Hardly," Magneto replied, dodging the blast
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