CHAPTER TWO

Professor X looked at the X-Men arrayed in front of him: Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Bobby, Angel and Jubilee. He himself was in his wheelchair, the upper half of his robotic body all that remained. They were in his office as he showed them a static image on a television screen. "A Sentinel,"he reminded them.

"I think I've seen those somewhere before,"Wolverine noted sarcastically.

"Wasn't that project put on ice?"Jubilee asked.

"That's what usually happens with a project that tries to take over the country,"Bobby confirmed.

"Plus they killed Nightcrawler,"Storm added bitterly.

Professor X was aware that his next words would not go down well. "The project has been reactivated."

There was a series of shocked murmurs. "You have got to be joking,"Wolverine said.

"I realise there were some concerns in the past. The Sentinels when activated proved as great a threat to normal humans and law-abiding mutants as they were to rogue elements. But the project was basically sound. It was Larry Trask who subverted it and he is now dead, killed by the Brotherhood."

"Getting them involved didn't exactly help,"Angel recalled.

Bobby nodded. "Best not to let a bunch of dangerous criminals loose to see if your new robots can catch them again."

"So what's going to be different this time?"Rogue asked.

"The Sentinels are to focus on the task they were originally designed for,"Professor X explained. "Capturing mutant criminals. Their programming is to be more sophisticated but also more restrained. They will not use lethal force except in the most extreme circumstances and they will prioritise innocent lives. X-Factor are overseeing the project."

"You know there's no-one alive I'd trust to keep an eye on this more than Hank,"Storm agreed. "But some might say the Sentinel project was doomed and dangerous right from the start."

"But nothing we say here's going to change anything,"Wolverine concluded. "Right?"

Professor X nodded. "Correct. The test will go ahead and all we can do is monitor it and be ready to step in if anything goes wrong. Now, I believe you and Storm have classes, and Warren and Jubilee are meant to be running a training session. Bobby and Rogue…"

"Can we talk to you?"Rogue asked.

Professor X was surprised by the request but assented. He waited until everyone else had filed out before asking,"What seems to be the problem?"

Bobby shot Rogue a look. Now they were here it was hard to know what to say. "It's about Harmony," he said at last. "Last night she said she saw something. Like a dream but she was awake."

"Could it be some sort of mutant power?"Rogue asked.

Professor X considered. "It's not impossible. Some powers do develop early. I was first aware of my telepathic abilities as a child. Round about the time I lost my hair."

"So what do we do?"Bobby asked.

"As yet, difficult as it may seem, nothing. If she shows further signs, I'd be willing to work with her, to teach her how to control her powers so they won't be harmful to her. For now, just keep an eye on things." He paused before asking, with some curiosity,"What did she see?"

"She said she saw a metal monster,"Rogue replied.

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Then we should hope it is just her imagination."

On the lawn outside the mansion, the New Mutants – Cannonball, Moonstar, Leech, Cypher and Wolfsbane – had gathered. Angel and Jubilee were leading the session. Angel held a large ball, while Jubilee was bouncing one up and down in her hands. "I guess you're familiar with Dodgeball,"Angel noted. "Well, this is a variation." He nodded to the large supply of balls they had behind them. "We throw, you dodge."

"That seems a bit one-sided,"Cannonball remarked.

"If we get a ball, can we throw it back?"Leech asked.

"No,"Angel replied,"but you can use your powers against us if you think that's your best way to avoid getting hit."

Jubilee shot him an uncertain look. "You didn't tell me that part."

"Thought it'd be a nice surprise. And go!" Angel threw a ball at Cannonball, who predictably took off into the air to avoid it. At the same time, Jubilee threw one at Moonstar, who summoned up an illusion of a bear to block the ball's path.

Cypher watched those throwing the balls carefully: Wherever they threw, he had dived in a different direction. Wolfsbane had morphed into half-wolf mode and was leaping away from the balls. Angel took off into the air so he was level with Cannonball and threw a ball at him, prompting Cannonball to accelerate out of the way. He turned his attention to Leech, who waved an arm at him. His wings promptly disappeared and he clattered to the ground.

Jubilee threw a shower of fireworks into the air, the flashes blinding the New Mutants. She quickly took out Cypher, Leech and Moonstar with balls. Angel was back in the game now and hit Cannoball. Both he and Jubilee turned their attention to Wolfsbane. They threw their balls but she dodged and then dived at them, snarling.

"Game over!"Angel snapped.

Wolfsbane stopped, abruptly changing back into human form and landing on her feet. "Sorry. Got carried away."

"We had you until you started throwing those sparklers,"Leech complained.

"Don't expect an enemy to play fair,"Angel cautioned him. "You need to learn to deal with problems like that. Okay, let's get back inside." As he gestured them in, his gaze drifted across to the edge of the field. A short, brown-haired young women in X-Men uniform was standing there, watching him. Kitty..?

"Warren, are you okay?"Jubilee asked.

Warren looked at her. When he turned back the way he had been facing before, there was just an empty space. "Yeah, I'm just coming."