AN: This is it: the Season Finale of X-Men: Standing Guard. This is war, and there are always casualties when fighting a war. We've already lost Kurt, which other main character(s) will have to pay the price to save the world? I'll leave the opening monologue below to get you all caught up, but here's some Behind The Scenes updates: I've already started finished work on the Bishop pilot, an exclusive sneak peek of which you can get below due to us getting 50 reviews before this Season Finale ever started! Thank you all so much for your support on this series. The Season 2 description for X-Men: Standing Guard and Season 1 of Bishop will be on my profile. I'll also be releasing the Bishop pilot early to gage your approval of it. Details of when the new seasons will air as well as the early air date for the Bishop pilot are on my Twitter, check it out! I'm still accepting questions over the summer, so keep them coming! There will be an Epilogue (or more…) to this episode, so keep an eye out! I'll also be publishing some exclusive sneak peeks on here and on Twitter over the summer. There will be a link to the Season 2 story when the first trailer airs.
If you mention X-Men on Twitter, please use the hashtags #XMENSG and #XMENSGFinale. Thank you all so much for your support, here's to Season 2!
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Previously on X-Men: Standing Guard;
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Rogue's partner pulled out a radio. "X-23 to Sentinel, target is cryoknetic, threat level 1."
"Roger, X-23," a scratchy voice came over the radio. "Return to base."
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"He's harmless?!" Trask exclaimed. "He just attacked two police officers and mugged someone!"
"Sir, is it possible you aren't getting the full story here?" X-23 asked.
"What are you implying, Agent X?" Trask demanded.
"I trust Rogue with my life, sir, as do many people here. If she didn't get that type of reading off of the boy, then maybe the story got mixed up. It isn't the first time someone's gotten something wrong when dealing with mutants."
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"So you mugged him? When is enough going to be enough? When will someone do something about you mutant freaks?"
"I'm not a freak!" Bobby growled through gritted teeth. "And I'm not a thief!"
The officer slammed Bobby's face into the ground. "Shut up mutey."
Bobby growled, then yelled. A wave of frigid air burst from his body and sent both officers flying back. Bobby froze the handcuffs, shattering them against the brick wall.
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"Rogue, what are you doing here?" X asked. She glanced at the red-head's thigh. "Why are you carrying a gun? I did not think you had been given one yet."
"X, we gotta go. Now!" Rogue said breathlessly, grabbing the smaller girl's arm.
"What are you talking about?" X asked.
"Trask just issued a kill order for me. We gotta go, now!"
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"I'm sorry, Professor," Lorna said. "I don't know who she is and I didn't want to let her in in case—"
Charles stopped at the door in stunned silence. The girl outside smiled awkwardly.
"No, no," Charles said distantly. "It's alright, Lorna."
He turned to the visitor. "Welcome home, Rogue."
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"Rogue can absorb memories and abilities through skin contact as well as being able to render you unconscious, should she chose to."
"Shouldn't you be wearing gloves?" Kitty replied. "No offense…"
Rogue laughed. "I have it completely under control."
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"What of our primary objective?" Fury asked, flipping open a file on his desk with one hand, looking at a picture of X-23.
"She's secure." The agent responded.
"Keep an eye on her. I put you in that position to keep her subdued, safe, and off of the path of her past."
"I understand, and I've done pretty well so far." The agent replied.
"Night Director Fury."
"Good Night Agent Rogue."
-
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"What are you doing here?" Gambit asked, tucking the cards away and walking towards the cell door.
"Wanted t' see how you were doin'. I was afraid you'd done gone and busted outta here, left me all alone."
"Oh no, my dear Rogue. If ever I break out, I'm taking you with me." Gambit responded.
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Rogue laughed. "Yeah right!"
Gambit acted offended. "You don't believe me, Chere?"
"You're telling me you could get out of this base without bein' caught…with only one card?" Rogue asked incredulously, holding up the card in her hand.
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Rogue grabbed the back of his head and pushed it towards her, pressing her lips to his. Gambit's eyes widened in shock. It took him slightly longer than two seconds to wrap his arms around Rogue's waist and kiss her back, strongly, passionately.
"If that's what I get when I lose," Gambit said. "What do I get when I win."
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"Remy!" Rogue yelled. "What the hell do you think yo're doin'?" she demanded.
"One card, chere." He replied, flashing a business card at her. He tossed her wallet to her and she caught it. Rogue released her arm from in front of X, and like an unchained attack dog, she leapt at him. At the same time he tossed the wallet, Gambit threw the card into the wall and it exploded, blasting a hole big enough for him to escape through and throwing X-23 backwards into a wall.
"Au revoir!" Gambit called through the smoke. "Maybe soon, chere."
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"I ain't in a chattin' mood, so don't bother." Rogue said before the new arrival could open their mouth.
"Now, why would you go and treat me like that, Cherie?" the voice replied.
Rogue almost choked on her beer, her eyes widening. She turned and looked at the cocky Cajun.
"Gambit?" she asked. "What the hell are you doin' here?"
"This is my neck o' the woods." Gambit responded, leaning on one arm. "What're you doin' here?"
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"Dumbest person on the face of the Earth." She cried out. "Are you tryin' to get yo'rself killed?"
"Oh, yes, well, don't be thankful!" Gambit exclaimed. "It ain't like I took a—unn—bullet for ya or anyth'ng!"
"Honestly," Emma said, descending down into the alleyway. "You two sound like an old married couple!"
"I ain't old." Rogue replied.
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"She totally has this new power that is so, like, awesome!" Amara exclaimed. "Show them!"
X glanced carefully at Rogue. "You two will wish to stand behind me."
Rogue nodded and took a step back. X closed her eyes and concentrated. As she did, a third claw emerged from between her second and ring finger. Rogue raised her eyebrows. "A third claw, like Wolverine?" she asked.
"That's what I thought too, but this is so much cooler!" Amara replied.
X turned to the target and aimed her fist at it. She clenched her fist and the claw ejected itself from her skin, launching itself across the room.
"Wicked cool!" Amara replied. "We even gave her a new codename: Wildecat!"
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"If we do not strike first, Charles! We will be wiped from the face of the Earth!"
"I have a personal assurance from President Hank McCoy that—"
"What about the President after McCoy? Or if that blasted Edward Kelly gets the Presidency? Then what Charles? Will you sit back and watch as they seize the students from your own home?"
Charles' entire tone changed. He had a serious, grave look that Erik had only seen him with few times. "I pity the poor soul who comes here looking for trouble."
Erik stood up. "We debate this too long, Charles. We are our own political system. We must act now! I will strike against the humans, with or without you. However my dear, old friend, I hope that you are with me."
Charles sighed. "You know I can not do that, Erik."
"Then I will end this war by myself, old friend."
"Erik! Please consider what you are doing! Consider the reprecussions!" Charles begged.
"I have considered long enough." Erik replied. "I must do this, Charles."
Erik made it to the kitchen door.
"Erik!" Charles called sadly, regretfully.
"Yes, Charles?"
Charles looked up with tears in his eyes. "You realize I will defend the humans against any attack. I still have hope for them."
Erik's face set into a determined look. "Then the next time we meet, old friend, it will be on the battlefield."
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"If you want a war, my friends. We will give you war!"
A trash can exploded. People screamed as fire erupted into the skies.
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"It's good news that the President lifted the state of emergency." Storm said.
"Yes," Charles replied. "I am confident President McCoy will continue to give mutants the benefit of the doubt for as long as possible. However, I fear that the day will indeed come when mutants will be shunned and treated like criminals."
"You think that President McCoy would outlaw mutants?" Lorna asked, feet curled underneath her.
"Perhaps, should Magneto continue to exercise his will. We must find a way to put both sides at ease."
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"Here's the situation:" Fury started, walking across the deck of the Heli-Carrier. "President McCoy was abducted at 18:03 Eastern Standard Time by Magneto, Scarlet Witch, and Blink."
"How'd they get in?"
"Blink opened a portal. They walked in, grabbed McCoy, and walked out. We tracked Blink's portals to Genosha. While you were flying over, we narrowed it down. The portal took them to a Worthington Labs Research Center. As far as we can tell, they're on a sub-level not listed on the specifications. S.H.I.E.L.D. teams will secure the surrounding area while the X-Men, S.T.R.I.K.E., and myself go in for the President. Our first priority is the President's safety, the second is capturing Magneto and his Acolytes."
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Fury gestured with his hand and the S.T.R.I.K.E. agent blew the charges, a circle almost three yards wide opening in the floor. Without waiting for the smoke to clear, Fury and S.T.R.I.K.E. jumped in.
"It's empty." Fury said, turning to face Xavier.
"Not entirely, Director." X-23 replied, gesturing at the far wall.
The walls were made of concrete bricks, as was the floor and ceiling. On the far wall however, spray-painted on expertly with dark green paint was a large circle. Inside the circle was a skull with three tentacles coming out of either side of the skull. Five letters were plastered on either side of the emblem.
HYDRA
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"Vhat are you going to do, Fury?" she demanded. "Shoot the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. right here on the bridge of the Heli-Carrier?"
"I might." Fury growled.
"No, you're not." Drew replied simply. She turned to the crew. "For those of you who have received training from Agent Sitwell's division: Out of the Shadows, Into the Light."
Several soldiers turned their guns from the guards to Fury. Fury looked around.
"What the hell did you do to my crew?" He demanded, lowly. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Drew moved lightning fast, snatching the pistol from Fury's hand, twisting his wrist, and digging her sharp, claw-like fingernails into his heart. He gasped in pain and stared at her. "Hail HYDRA."
"Hail HYDRA." Drew repeated. The bridge of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carrier echoed back: "Hail HYDRA!"
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"I want those Sentinels ready for deployment in one week." Kelly ordered from behind the Presidential desk.
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"Sentinels." Lorna breathed. She turned to Kurt and Kitty. "Use the device, go into the past, undo my father's mistake, change this…"
She took a deep breath. "Save us all."
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The device hissed and fizzed and the two let out an exclamation as it sparked. They dropped it to the ground. A few pieces and plates of metal came off and the machine sputtered one more time before dying.
"Shit." Kitty cursed. "Looks like we've only got one shot at this, better not screw it up."
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"We traveled here from the future to prevent Kelly's assassination. We tried to convince Kelly's guards, but they wouldn't listen, so we tried to stop Magneto from killing Kelly, but that failed too, so now we're stuck in the same position!"
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Havok fired a beam of energy at a Sentinel and destroyed it. Another turned, opened its chest and fired a beam of energy at the mutants. Wanda leapt out of the way and Blink disappeared into a portal. Havok disappeared with a loud yell.
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Wanda lost it, going completely insane. She yelled, clutching her head, arching her back and falling to her knees. Red lightning crackled around her, building up as she continued to yell. A small bubble of red energy began to expand from her exposed midriff, slowly building. Wanda yelled one final time and the ball of pure energy exploded outwards, incinerating the Sentinel and throwing everyone's bodies around. The world slipped into darkness and everything became absolutely silent.
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"Uh, Kitty…" Kurt whispered, shaking her. "Kitty! Vake up!"
"Where are we?"
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"I know that in your original dimension, President Robert Kelly was assassinated by Magneto. This led to President Bolivar Trask outlawing mutants alongside the rest of the world, and hunting down our species until they were nearly extinct. That's when you two traveled back in time to prevent the assassination, but failed. You went to the Scarlet Witch for help, but Sentinels attacked and she unleashed her stupid hex energy, leaving you to wake up here: in a mutant-dominated world."
"Here's what you don't know. Scarlet Witch actually delved into the time-space continuum and created this entire dimension we live in now. I don't have time to explain the history, but basically instead of things going humans' way, they went our way. Mutants control the humans, and Wanda controls the mutants."
"Our best chance is to get you back to your dimension and right the wrongs of the past."
-
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Lyla reached for the doorknob to open in when a red-gloved hand grabbed hers. She fought to get free, but another red-robed guard grabbed her other hand and kept her standing still. Kitty and Kurt moved to fight back, but other guards grabbed them.
"You're coming with us!"
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Wanda shook her head. "Their friends aren't here, Pietro. Their friends are in their dimension, not ours. It would be wrong to keep them here against their will."
"You're bonkers." Pietro exclaimed, staring at his sister in shock.
Something shook in the next room.
Stryker strode through the door. "Hostile Takeover." He replied, his troops lining up behind him.
"Stryker, you piece of slime." Wanda scowled. "I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. killed you."
"Ah, about that," Stryker smiled. "It seems Director Raven has had a crisis of conscious since taking the position."
"Traitor." Wanda spat. "Neither of you will escape from this with your lives!"
"Oh, I beg to differ." Stryker replied.
The wall behind him caved in and a Sentinel emerged from the rubble, its green eyes glowing in the dust.
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"Professor! What year is it?"
"What year?" he asked.
"Hurry!"
Charles gave the year.
"What day of what month is it? What's the time?"
"Kitty, I don't understand!"
"Now!"
"March 23, six in the afternoon, why? Kitty what on Earth—"
"Oh thank God." Kitty exclaimed. "We made it. Kurt and I'll explain everything."
"Where is Kurt?" Bobby asked.
Kitty turned back to the still-swirling vortex. "Kurt!" she shouted.
The wall behind the blue mutant shattered and the Sentinel entered, its green eyes shining down on Kurt and Wanda.
Someone shouted something and Kurt teleported himself between the Sentinel and Wanda, the pipe running clean through his chest. He gasped and looked down at the blood. He kicked desperately with his foot and knocked Wanda through the portal. Stryker's men stormed the basement as the Sentinel pulled the pipe from Kurt's chest.
"Kurt!" Kitty shouted, partly in pain, partly in desperation. If he could just make it into the portal…
"Tell Amanda," Kurt said weakly as Stryker cocked a gun to his head. "Zat I love her."
The gun fired and the portal closed.
"NO!"
-
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"Kitty informed me we only have three days left before Magneto makes his move against Kelly. We can not let Kurt's sacrifice be in vain. He died giving us a second chance, and we should make the most of it. Kitty told me where we made our mistakes and how to fix them, but we can't do this alone. It's going to take all of us: to end this war before it ever begins."
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X-Men: Standing Guard
Season 1 Episode Fourteen
Days of Future Present
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Xavier Institute
March 29, 11:08 EST
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Erik rapped on the door to the Xavier Institute. He waited a moment until Kitty opened it. He was expecting a hostile reaction, but instead she gestured for him to come in.
"Professor!" she shouted, and Erik cringed. "He's here!"
Charles rolled out of the living room up to Erik.
"Please, in the kitchen." Charles gestured, and rolled into the kitchen. Erik had no idea what was going on. It was almost as if they had been expecting him…Nonetheless he followed Xavier into the kitchen.
The last time the two of them had been here, Magneto had declared war on humanity and Charles had warned him against it.
"You should have taken my advice." Charles said, as if reading his mind, wheeling to one end of the table.
"Are you prying around up here, Charles?" Erik asked, tapping his head.
"Didn't need to. I knew what you were thinking. I was thinking it too." Charles replied with a smile.
"You don't seem to be too upset that I'm here." Erik noted. "Nor surprised…"
"No, I've known you were coming for about a week." Charles said.
"How could you have known that?" Erik demanded. "I didn't even know I was coming here a week ago."
"Yes, I know." Charles replied. "To be completely honest with you, Erik, Kitty travelled through time. She told me of her adventures and that is how I knew you'd be here. We've been waiting."
Erik stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting out in laughter. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that, old friend."
"You don't have to believe it. I can prove it." Charles said. He wheeled out of the kitchen, Erik following. They wheeled through the house and into the backyard. Charles took the path farthest to the left and Erik knew where he was going: the graveyard.
"There's a new grave." Erik muttered.
"Kurt's." Charles replied. "He died trying to come back in time to warn us."
"Of what?" Erik demanded.
"The future." Charles replied, turning his chair towards Erik. "Today, you are going to assassinate President Kelly. This will unleash a chain of events that will lead to S.H.I.E.L.D. dropping a nuclear warhead on your base and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carriers destroying the Institute, killing me, Jean, and Scott in the process. Over the course of the next three years, the Sentinel Army will hunt down mutants across the world and drive our species to the edge of extinction."
Erik stared at him. "Why would I kill Kelly this early?"
"Because he killed Mystique."
Erik started.
"Don't worry, she's not dead yet. We still have half an hour to save her. You came here today to request my help, and I'm here to offer it. On one condition, though."
"What condition would that be?"
"We do things my way, and my way only." Charles said. "No unnecessary lives will be lost today."
Erik opened his mouth to argue, but shut it, thinking hard. He stared at Kurt's gravestone before finally taking a deep breath and looking at Charles. "My Brotherhood is your X-Men, Charles. I'll inform them of what has—is going to happen, and that we'll be working with you."
"That's good, because I have a strategy to take down the Sentinels and end this war before it ever begins. Right now, though, we need to rescue Mystique. It's best to have the team split. Wildecat and Cyclops from my team will assist you in Mystique's rescue. Then I need you and your Brotherhood to utilize the Morlocks' underground system to reach New York City without being detected. At 1:08 this afternoon, things are going to become hectic. I'll explain the rest of my plan then and there."
Erik nodded. "One question: who's Wildecat?"
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Undisclosed Location
Weapon X Project
March 29, 12:03 EST
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Mystique's screams echoed throughout the empty chamber as electricity surged through her body. It stopped and she gasped, breathing heavily. The doors at the far end of the room hissed open and three men walked in.
Mystique recognized all of them. The man on the left was the lead scientist and the man on the right was his assistant. The man leading them was Secretary of Defense William Stryker. He was in his full uniform, his blonde hair shaved down to a military-standard buzz cut. The three walked up to where the blue-skinned mutant was being held, looking down on her with distaste. She glared and spat at them, retaining some of her strength even though most of it had been drained by the torture.
"Do you have what you need from her?" Stryker asked.
"Yes, sir." The scientist replied.
"Good," Stryker returned. "Kill her."
A loud blink echoed in the room and a purple portal opened on the other side of the room. Stryker and his men pulled their guns, aiming them at the portal. Before they could fire, though, the guns were wrenched from their hands by an unseen force. Magneto, Wildecat, Cyclops, Havok, and Quicksilver emerged from the portal. Quicksilver blurred out of the doorway alongside Wildecat to take out the reinforcements Stryker had signaled. Havok fired two bursts of energy at the doctors and they collapsed to the ground, groaning and clutching their smoking chests. Magneto pulled a grenade from Styker's uniform and held it in front of his face, walking forward.
"Erik!" Scott warned.
Erik placed his hand on the grenade and glared at Stryker before slamming a hand into his throat and knocking the army man to his knees.
"Get her out of here." Magneto ordered.
Scott adjusted his visor and fired off four bursts, freeing Mystique from her restraints. She leapt up and grabbed Stryker from behind, putting him into a headlock.
"What Erik?" she hissed. "Don't have what it takes to kill the sap?"
"As part of the deal I struck with Xavier to save you, there will be no loss of human lives if it can be avoided." Erik informed her calmly.
Mystique scowled at him. She tightened her grip for a moment, then let go, shoving Stryker to his knees. "Your lucky day." She growled.
"Let's go." Wildecat called.
Wildecat's costume was a dark blue full body-suit with black stripes and orange highlights. It covered from her neck to her ankles, from wrist to wrist. It curved with her body. Three diagonal, orange "tiger stripes" were stitched into her sides. The shoulder, knee, elbow, and ankle pads sewn into the suit were the same bright orange, as were her gloves. Her boots were black. As much as she had originally protested, Xavier had forced her to wear a mask: a simple domino mask that wrapped around the back of her head, but it kept her identity safe. Her long, dark brown hair hung straight, flowing onto her shoulders. The new costume really suited her, and gave her the mental feeling that she had finally left her old life behind for good.
The portal blinked open and the mutants walked towards it. Scott turned at the last second and made a motion as if he were tipping his hat to Stryker, then disappeared into the portal.
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Washington, D.C.
March 29, 13:07 EST
00:00:00:47 Before Assassination
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"While mutants have extraordinary powers such as pyrokinesis, telekinesis, flight, and invisibility, we humans have none of that. We are completely at their mercy when it comes to a battle. That is why I have ordered three hundred Sentinel Guardians to be produced for the protection of human kind!"
The audience gasped as the curtain fell and a dozen Sentinel Guardians stood on display. The purple-red warriors stood silent and still above the President and the audience. Kelly waved at the Sentinels.
Nothing happened. Magneto was hundreds of miles away in New York City. No shot was fired. Kelly remained alive. Then something curious happened. Memories of the future flooded people's minds. The time-space continuum had been broken and the alternate future prevented. Something unique had happened here. Normally something like this would have created two dimensions: one where the future occurred, one where it didn't; this time, however, the timeline remained the same. Because of this, the memories of people's lives in the alternate future crashed down around them. People remembered the mutants assault, the destruction of cities, some of them remembered their death and how dying truly felt.
As for Kelly, Kelly clutched his chest as if he had been shot, remembering the pain of the bullet. He growled. Kelly was one of the first to recover and he wasted no time. He pulled out a remote and pressed a button. A dozen loud booms echoed around the press conference area as the Sentinels came online. Their chests and eyes glowed green, blinking on one at a time. The armor on their bodies shifted, adjusting to fit their bodies.
"Find the mutants!" Kelly shouted, raising his hands with the Sentinels into the sky. "Find them all and kill them!"
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S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carrier
March 29, 13:08 EST
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Fury pulled out his gun and fired. HYDRA agents dropped like flies and those loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. aided the Director in his quest.
"Not one damn Nazi makes it off this bridge alive!" Fury ordered. "Sound the all-call! Inform everyone of what has happened!"
The door to the bridge slid open and HYDRA reinforcements stormed the bridge, firing wildly with their weapons. Fury turned and shot off several rounds before ducking behind cover. Both S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA agents fell in the firefight.
"Director Fury!"
"Hill! It's good to hear your voice!"
"Sir, we're routing HYDRA forces on my Heli-Carrier! They've infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. undercover and—"
"I'm well aware of the situation, Hill!" Fury replied. "Kill or neutralize as many as you can and prepare for a department wide sweep! Contact the President of the United States, the World Security Council, and inform them of what is happening!"
Bullets flew past Fury's head.
"Sir, I've just received word that President Kelly has launched a dozen Sentinels country-wide to exterminate mutants. One is heading to New York City right now!"
"Clear your bridge and lock yourself in, then get to New York. Charles and his students are going to need our help! Call ahead and warn them!"
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Now, an exclusive sneak peek at Bishop, coming this Fall.
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The four X-Men panted heavily. They had been chasing the shadowy figure across rooftops for almost fifteen minutes and it seemed she never tired. They had followed their mysterious figure into an abandoned apartment building in the Bronx. It was dark inside, messy; furniture was scattered, shredded, and toppled. Paper had blown in through the cracked windows and littered the floor. Old beer bottles and rocks rolled around in the gentle evening wind. The lights from the street shone in through the cracked windows and cast a soft light on the floor.
"Eyes open." Scott Summers warned. He adjusted his goggles to a stun setting. They weren't here to kill their target, they weren't even here to fight. If she insisted on a fight, though, she'd get one.
Next to Scott was his wife Jean Grey. The fiery mutant with brilliant red hair stood at the ready, attempting to sense any movement in the building.
Rogue and Kitty stood shoulder-to-shoulder. The brunette in shades of blue stood looking warily. She had a sneaking suspicion of who their mysterious shadow figure was, but she needed to get close to find out for sure.
The white-streaked belle stood in her green and yellow uniform, brown trench coat billowing in the wind, her right glove in her left hand, leaving the pale flesh exposed and ready for battle.
For a moment there was complete silence in the apartment building other than the sound of the X-Men breathing. Something dropped in the middle of them and spun, spitting out smoke. Rogue tackled Kitty to one side while Jean and Scott backed away to the other. An arrow flew out of the smoke and stabbed Jean in the shoulder, letting out an electrical current and dropping her to the floor. Scott shouted her name and went to check on her. Three more arrows shot out of the smoke. Scott fired his beam of pure energy in return, but forgot that stun didn't cut through objects. The purple-tipped arrows imbedded in his flesh and rendered him unconscious alongside his wife.
Kitty and Rogue stood up, facing the smoke. An arrow flew out at Rogue, but the belle caught it with one hand. Another arrow flew out and the belle caught it again, dropping the other arrow. Smoke hissed out of the purple canister attached to the second arrow and Rogue collapsed to the ground unconscious.
Kitty braced her fists and phased slightly so that any object hurled at her would pass through. Nothing happened for a moment. Then a figure dropped out of the rafters and landed in front of Kitty.
She was Kitty's height, maybe a little taller. She wore skin-tight dark purple pants and black combat boots. Lighter purple plates of armor covered her thighs and calves. A white scarf hung from her waist. Her torso and arms were covered with the same dark purple fabric, with lighter purple armor plates covering her stomach, chest, and arms. Her hands were covered by lighter purple gloves. She wore a dark purple hood and a dark purple sunglasses beneath. A quiver hung on her back, a purple bow in her hands. The vigilante notched an arrow and aimed it at Kitty.
"You have failed this city!" she shouted, something altering her voice, and let the arrow fly.
Bishop
Series Premiere This Fall
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Now, back to the X-Men: Standing Guard Season Finale
Bishop Publishing Warehouse 1981
March 29, 19:08 EST
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Kitty pulled out her phone and dialed a number. It rang for a moment, then the other end picked up.
"Hello, kitty cat."
"Hey, Piotr." Kitty smiled.
"What's up, Kitty?"
"Nothing much," Kitty lied, glancing at the mutants around her preparing for war. "Just wanted to call and see what you were doing."
"Just eating a sandwich." Piotr replied.
Kitty smiled. "One of those stupid spaghetti ones again?"
"Hey! I will have you know that these sandwiches are delicious!"
Kitty laughed. "I love you, Piotr."
"I love you too, my little kitty cat." He replied.
Someone whistled at her and she turned. "Sorry, got to go."
She hung up the phone and darted back. Rogue was standing there, staring hard at a control panel while Erik and Charles handed out body-armor to all of the mutants.
"What did you need?" Kitty asked.
"Charles is handin' out body armor." Rogue replied, jutting a thumb over her shoulder. "You might want some, even if you can phase."
Kitty nodded and stared at the ground. Rogue glanced at her and stood up, placing a hand on the smaller girl's shoulders.
"Hey," she whispered. "Who were you talkin' to?"
"My boyfriend." She replied. "I just wanted—to hear his voice before—you know." Kitty gestured in the direction of the street.
Rogue smiled and bent down onto her knees so she could look at Kitty better. "You are goin' t' be fine."
"Rogue, the last time we fought these—things, people died. A lot of people."
"But not you." Rogue pointed out.
"Yeah, not yet."
"You can't think that way. I promise that yo're gonna make it outta this alive an' well."
Kitty smiled sadly. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Rogue."
"But this is one I can keep." Rogue replied.
Kitty cocked an eyebrow. The way Rogue said it…
"Everyone, gather around!" Erik shouted.
Rogue stood up and walked over. The belle was back in her green-yellow X-uniform. She wore a faded brown motorcycle jacket over it and gloves of the same color. Her combat boots were a newer brown. Her hair had been growing out, so she had pulled it back into a short ponytail, the white stripes going straight down the middle of her hair.
As many mutants as could be scrounged were here in New York. Charles had ordered the younger mutants to remain in the lower levels of the Xavier Institute until further notice. Magneto had sent several squads of his Brotherhood around the country to divide the Sentinels. There were a dozen large groupings of mutants around the country, one for each Sentinel. Kelly already had a hundred more almost ready for release. If the mutants defeated the Sentinels tonight, and everything went according to plan, then Kelly's weapons would be completely destroyed.
"Alright, listen up! We've sent groups of mutants around the country to separate the Sentinels. There's only one here in New York City, but it's going to take all of us to defeat it!"
"No offense," Amara exclaimed. "But we've got a dozen mutants here. There's no way that thing can take twelve of us at once!"
"Only half of our numbers will be fighting." Erik replied.
Whispers flooded through the group of mutants.
"Six of you will be heading to Washington, D.C., via Blink's portals to destroy the Sentinel production factory that Kelly has set up. If we do not destroy those Sentinel's tonight, there is no hope for mutants."
"No pressure," Rogue whispered with a grin to Kitty, but the young X-Man didn't smile. She knew all too well the future facing mutants.
"The team of six we're sending to destroy the Sentinels must be stealthy. If you're spotted, our plans are ruined."
"So who's going?" Pyro shouted. "Better be me!"
"No," Erik replied. "You have a flamboyance about you, Pyro, that makes you better suited for taking down the Sentinel."
Pyro shrugged. "Tomayto, tomahto."
"The leader of this force of mutants will be Lorna." Charles said. Lorna looked surprised. She had been staring at the floor until her name was called, then she stared upwards at both her father and Charles.
"Lorna, we trust your judgment to pick your own team." Erik said. He started to add something else, more emotional, but decided against it.
Lorna blinked a few times, but then climbed up onto the stage and grasped Charles' outreached hand. She looked down at the mutants positioned below her.
"Ermm…" she whispered, touching her chin. "Wildecat!"
X nodded, merely acknowledging the suicide mission.
Lorna glanced around. "Iceman, Jubilee, Quicksilver, and Wolfsbane!"
The mutants high-fived each other at being selected.
"The rest of you, gather together your supplies and prepare for battle. Our scanners indicate the Sentinel is only ten minutes out." Erik warned.
"Five!" Rogue shouted.
Everyone shifted.
"Double time, everyone!"
The mutants split up. Rogue walked back to the console she had been standing at. Something on her phone was beeping. She picked it up.
"Agent Rogue." Fury greeted.
"D'rector Fury!" Rogue replied. "Glad to hear yo're still alive."
"I'm not that easy to kill, Agent Rogue." Fury replied. "Just wanted to radio ahead and let you know that S.H.I.E.L.D. is still fighting the enemy from within, but we'll assist in any way we can."
"Thank you, D'rector." Rogue replied.
"Best of luck to you, Marie."
Rogue nodded and hung up the phone. She was just slipping it into her jacket pocket when it buzzed again. She glanced at the caller ID, but didn't recognize it.
"Hello?"
"Hello, cherie."
"Gambit!" she exclaimed, moving to a darker corner of the warehouse they were hiding out in. "What the hell you doin'?"
"Just callin' to check in on you, mon amour."
"Well, I'm kinda busy right now." Rogue started, then she paused. "Hold on, how'd you get this numbe'?"
"You gave it to me in New Orleans." Gambit responded. "Granted, you were kinda drunk…"
"And you weren't?"
"Point taken."
"So why did ya call?" Rogue asked, glancing to make sure no one was listening or watching her.
"Just wanted t' letcha know that I'm headed up t' Yankee-ville now." Gambit responded.
"What?"
"Yo're up there, I know it. If yo're gonna act like an idiot and fight a giant rock-em-sock-em robot, the least I can do is act like an idi't next t' ya."
Rogue smiled.
"Don't try and talk me outta it." Gambit added. "'cause that ain't gonna work."
"I know." Rogue whispered. "See ya soon."
"I love you, Cherie."
"I love you too, swamp-rat." Rogue whispered. She hung up the phone and turned around to see Kitty staring at her. Rogue let out a sound of exclamation and clutched her chest.
"Kitty, what the hell?"
"Swamp-rat?" she asked.
Rogue rolled her eyes and walked away.
"Why didn't you tell me you were with someone too?" Kitty asked, following her.
"'cause it's complicated." Rogue responded.
"Complicated?" Kitty demanded. "That's the best you got?"
Rogue sighed and turned around. "His name's Gambit."
"I've heard that name before…"
"He was the first mutant the Sentinel Project arrested. While I was workin' for 'em, we—"
"—fell in love." Kitty smiled. "That's sweet."
"'til he used me to break out uh prison."
"Oh."
Rogue smiled. "See? Complicated."
"Have you spoken since?" Kitty asked.
"A few times." Rogue responded. "We hooked up in New Orleans back when he 's still workin' for Magneto. But like I said, it's complicated."
"Well if you love him, does it matter?" Kitty asked.
Rogue just stared at her. "Guess not…"
Kitty smiled. "Well if you see him again, give him a real shot at you."
Rogue smiled. "I will."
A portal opened at the other end of the room and the six mutants walked through. Blink closed the portal behind her. Erik leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She glanced at Charles and nodded.
"Charles!" Rogue exclaimed, darting forward.
Blink opened a portal underneath the old man and he disappeared. Rogue ran at the purple-haired mutant and grabbed her slamming her into the wall. "What the hell did you do?"
"Relax, Rogue." Erik said, placing a hand on the red-head's shoulder. She shoved it off.
"I sent him to the Institute on Erik's orders." Blink gasped out. "Erik didn't want Charles getting hurt."
"That was not your call!" Rogue exclaimed, dropping Blink, who rubbed her throat, and turning towards Magneto.
"Perhaps not," Erik replied. "But let's face it: Charles couldn't do much here."
Rogue scowled and walked away. Erik tried to put another hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off. The monitor started beeping.
"It's here!"
-
The portal blinked open outside of the Trask Industries and the six mutants exited. Lorna darted behind cover, ordering the rest to as well. The guards had their backs turned and didn't notice anything.
Lorna was dressed in her battle-suit. She wore a skin-tight light-green body-suit covering her entire body. Most of this light-green suit was covered by darker green armor plates. The armor covered her arms and legs in flowing circular patterns. Her boots were dark green and went up to her knees. Her chest moved in the same soft, smooth curves. Her chest piece curved upwards around her shoulders and downwards around her sides. Her helmet still outlined her face, but now she pressed a button and flipped down the front part of her mask, covering the top half of her face and giving her glowing green eyes. She glanced at the guards, then ducked back down. She held up her fingers, counted to three, then stood up, her team standing up behind her. They walked towards the front door.
The guards saw them and Lorna yanked their guns from their hands, pointing them at their faces. She gestured for them to be quiet. They nodded frantically and watched as Lorna passed. She used the guns to knock the two men unconscious. She held up her hand as the rest of her force pressed their backs against the wall.
"Rahne, smell anyone?" Lorna asked.
The Scot sniffed the air and shook her head.
"Go!" Lorna instructed, holding open the door. The others darted past her inside the lobby of the building and Lorna followed, locking the door behind her.
"Better barricade that," Pietro said, then moved at lightning fast speed to barricade the doorway with furniture.
"Pietro!" Lorna exclaimed quietly.
"What?"
"Put it back! We don't want anyone to know we're here!"
Pietro sighed and pushed the furniture back where it belonged.
"Wildecat, pull up the files and see if you can locate exactly where the production facility is." Lorna ordered. "Everyone else on guard. If you see anyone, let me know."
X darted over to the computer and hacked in. The other's stood nervously by their respective positions.
"Got it!" X exclaimed quietly. "Third sub-level."
"Good, lock it up tight and let's go!" Lorna exclaimed. The six mutants headed for the elevators. There was one guard inside, but Pietro grabbed him and knocked him unconscious with several fists to the face in a handful of seconds.
"Hide the body!" Lorna ordered ushering the rest onto the elevator. Pietro grabbed the guard and pulled him behind the kiosk. He pulled out a roll of duct tape and taped his mouth shut before speeding towards the elevators to join the others.
"There's no level below the basement!" Rahne said.
X gestured for space and moved in front of the buttons. She ran her fingers over them lightly before extending her claw and prying open a panel on the elevator. She cursed and stood up.
"I need a passcode."
"I can try every available combination. Should only take a minute or two." Pietro replied.
"No, the wrong passcode might set off an alarm." Lorna said, holding out her hand to stop him from moving. "Let me try something."
Lorna closed her eyes and the elevator jerked. Everyone grabbed for a railing. Lorna closed her eyes and reached out for a support, her hand landing on Bobby's shoulder.
"Sorry!" she exclaimed. The rocking stopped and the elevator descended. The doors dinged open and the six walked out onto a balcony overlooking hundreds of inactive Sentinels.
"Holy Hell." X breathed. "That is a huge army."
-
Kitty watched as the Sentinel marched down the long stretch of road towards the mutants. "Oh man," she whispered. "It's like déjà vu all over again."
Rogue smiled, walking up next to her. "Good t' see that you still got yo'r sense of humor."
"Be careful." Kitty warned, sliding her gloves on and staring at the massive behemoth headed towards them.
"What?" Rogue asked. "Think I can't take care uh myself?"
"I lost you once, Rogue. I don't want to lose you again."
Rogue stared at her. Kitty realized what she had done.
"Err…your powers aren't the most aggressive."
Rogue laughed and pulled a gun off of her hip. "Who said anything 'bout powers?"
Kitty eyed the weapon carefully but nodded.
The Sentinel continued towards the mutants. The streets were cleared of anyone but the combatants. The giant red-purple robot marched towards them. It stopped several yards away from them and scanned.
"All targets hostile." Its deep voice spoke. "Engage."
The Sentinel raised its arm and its hand lit up. A bright plasma beam shot from it, forcing the mutants to dive to either side to avoid being hit by it. Amara was the first up, shooting a stream of magma at the Sentinel. The armor plating withstood the heat, however, and it swatted the girl to the side.
"Amara!" Kitty exclaimed.
Roberto was the next up. He, too, fired a burst of heat at the Sentinel. The Sentinel turned and went to fire a beam of light at the former S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee, but Rogue fired a shot and severed a wire in the Sentinel's arm. It turned towards her and lifted its other arm, firing a hail of bullets at the red-head. Rogue ducked behind a car.
"Somebody check on Magma!" she exclaimed, standing up from behind cover and firing a hail of bullets at the Sentinel before darting across the street behind Sunspot and ducking behind a car there, reloading her gun. Kitty darted past her and knelt next to Amara. She looked the young girl over for a minute before signaling Blink for a portal. One opened up and Amara was transported to the Xavier Institute.
Erik lifted two cars from the street, levitating them. He threw them at the Sentinel. The Sentinel raised both hands and blasted the cars out of the sky. Erik lifted another and threw it at the Sentinel before the Sentinel had fired at the first two. The third car flew through the explosion of the first two and hit the Sentinel. The Sentinel stumbled backwards. It grabbed the car and threw it at Roberto. Rogue jumped up and knocked him to the side as the car moved at an angle to take his head off.
"Thanks." He breathed.
"Keep ya head down!" Rogue instructed, firing a bullet into one of the Sentinel's eyesockets.
"Rogue! Be careful!" a voice came over her ear comm. "Whatever is powering those Sentinels is dangerous. I think it may be nuclear."
"Nuclear?" Rogue demanded. "What makes you think Kelly would be dumb enough—"
"We're detecting high levels of radiation coming off of it!"
Rogue became silent. "Shit." She finally cursed.
-
Lorna gestured for Rahne and Quicksilver to move ahead. Bobby clutched his chest and rubbed it.
"You okay?" Lorna asked.
"Yeah," Bobby replied, rather painfully. "Just heartburn."
"You're too young to have heartburn." Jubilee laughed.
"Shh!" Lorna exclaimed. She grabbed Bobby's arm and the two darted ahead, ducking behind cover.
"X!" Lorna whispered. "Take Jubes and find the control panel! Radio us if you do. We're going this way!"
"What about us?" Rahne asked. Pietro nodded.
"You two like making noise?" Lorna asked.
"Who doesn't?" Pietro asked.
"Good, go distract the guards and workers, get them away from the Sentinels. Rahne, you're going to plant these on the legs of the Sentinels. When we find the control panel. We're going to order an evacuation. Once everyone is clear, we're going to not only wipe the system, but destroy every Sentinel in here as well."
Lorna tossed a bag of small cigarette lighters to Rahne.
"Cigarette lighters?" she asked.
"Explosives."
"Ah,"
-
"We're coming to you live with Breaking News in New York City."
Piotr looked up from his sandwich at the television set in the restaurant.
"We've got Chopper 5 in the air filming what appears to be a battle between a small group of mutants and a Sentinel right here in downtown New York City. So far, we've witnessed two mutants go down and disappear through strange purple discs in the ground. The terrorist Magneto as well as three other unidentified mutants are still fighting the Sentinel. Hold on, we have just received some cell-phone footage from a citizen on the ground. Fair warning to our viewers, we are not sure what this footage contains."
Piotr watched the mutants battling the Sentinel. He squinted hard at a brunette. She looked familiar, but her mask displaced her features. The Sentinel tossed the hood of a car at her and she phased. Piotr stood up so fast he banged his head on the hanging light.
"Kitty!" he exclaimed and darted out of the doorway.
-
A wrench clattered to the floor. One of the guards glanced at it and raised his gun, looking around.
"What is it?" the other guard asked.
"Dunno, might be a mutant." The first responded.
"Well be careful. You know how dangerous those things are."
The first guard nodded and walked over to the wrench. He aimed his gun at it, waited for something, but nothing happened. He bent down to pick up the wrench when something blurred past him, stealing his hat and dropping a toolbox on him. The second guard raised his gun and fired blindly at the empty space. He emptied his clip, but nothing happened. Pietro blurred in front of him, waved, and punched him in the face, knocking him out.
"How's that for a distraction?"
-
"Works." Lorna replied dryly. She snuck a peak around a corner and darted back.
"Three guards." She whispered. "Can you distract them so I can take them out?"
"Can I cause a distraction?" Bobby asked. "You hurt me!"
Lorna gestured for him to move. Bobby popped out, then walked up to the guards.
"Hey!"
The three guards turned, pointing their guns at him.
"Whoah! Whoah!" he exclaimed, raising his hands in the air. Lorna snuck past them behind some crates. "I'm just looking for the little boys room."
Lorna took a crowbar and swung it, hitting all three in the back of the head and knocking them unconscious. She dropped it to the ground with a clang.
"The little boys room?" she demanded. "That is the most cliché of excuses!"
"It's called improvisation." Bobby shrugged. "I'm not too good at it."
"Obviously."
Bobby scowled.
"Come on, this way." Lorna replied, darting down the scaffolding. The two mutants weaved in and out of crates and boxes, hurdling piles of rope and electrical cable. Lorna tripped and fell. Bobby reached out at the last minute and grabbed her, hooking his fingers into the armor plate on her back and holding her a foot from the floor. She breathed heavily and just hung there for a moment before standing up.
"Thanks." She gasped breathlessly.
"No problem." Bobby smiled.
Lorna tapped her ear-piece. "You guys found the control panel yet?"
"Nope," Jubilee responded. "We found one control room, just some guards and donuts in there. The donuts were pretty good, the guards…not so much."
Lorna breathed out a laugh and smiled. "Keep looking."
"Lorna!" Bobby whispered, shoving aside a crate.
Lorna walked over to where Bobby was standing. There was the control panel.
"Hello my love." Lorna whispered.
-
"Look out!" Rogue exclaimed, knocking Erik to the side as another car flew their direction. Kitty phased through it and ran up towards the Sentinel. The Sentinel kicked her, though, knocking her backwards and into Rogue, who was just standing up. The red-head caught her.
"I'm going again!" Kitty shouted.
"Kitty! The reactor is nuclear! Be careful!"
Kitty apparently didn't hear her and ran at the Sentinel again. The Sentinel picked up a taxi cab and threw it at the brunette. Kitty phased through it again and looked behind her.
"Phew, that was close." She breathed. She turned back around and a piece of debris caught her under her chin, knocking her out.
"Kitty!" a new voice shouted. A behemoth of a man ran at the battle. His skin transformed into metal as he ran and he picked up a car, tossing it at the Sentinel.
"Its lucky New York City has so many cars. Otherwise, we'd be screwed." Rogue noted. Roberto stared at her. "What? I'm just sayin'!"
The Sentinel caught the car and broke it in half. Piotr ran up and threw a punch at the Sentinel, denting its armor, but not damaging it. The Sentinel grabbed Piotr and picked him up. Piotr fought back, but couldn't move. The Sentinel began to squeeze and Piotr yelled out in pain.
"Someone provide backup!" Rogue shouted, jumping over the car she had been hiding behind and aiming her gun.
"Shoot it!" Piotr yelled.
"I might hit you!"
"Shoot it!" he screamed.
Rogue bit her lip and fired. The first shot rang off of the armor. She fired again, again. On the third shot she ruptured a hose in the Sentinel, and it sprayed fog everywhere. The Sentinel, blinded, waved its arm around, eventually throwing the metal man into the side of a building where he fell three stories to the ground. The hose stopped spraying and the Sentinel leveled its other arm, firing bullets at the three remaining mutants. Erik stood up and raised an electromagnetic shield, stopping the bullets. He redirected them at the Sentinel and released them. The bullets flew back at their owner, one striking the gun arm and disabling it. The Sentinel opened its chest and fired a beam of energy at Erik. The old man stumbled back and avoided the beam, but tripped on debris and fell on his back, knocking his head on the ground and falling unconscious.
-
Wildecat darted around the corner and slid to a stop in front of Lorna and Bobby. Jubilee was way behind her, gasping for air.
"We need the system wiped completely." Lorna said. "The Sentinel AI, the Sentinel designs, everything, I want it gone." Lorna locked eyes with X. "Can you do that?"
"I should be able to." X replied. "Give me a moment."
Lorna nodded. Jubilee walked up, gasping. "How about Laura?" she asked.
"Laura?"
"Yeah, X said she wanted a new name so we were discussing some. What do you guys think about Laura?"
"I think it's a nice name." Lorna shrugged. "What about you, X?"
"Works for me." X shrugged, typing on the computer some more while the rest watched for guards.
"You'll need a last name, too." Jubilee pointed out.
"Kinney." X replied instantly.
"Kinney?"
"That is the name of the doctor who created me. Kinney. She was the only one at HYDRA who had any regard for me other than as a weapon. She was the closest thing I had to a mother. I believe it is fitting that I take her surname as my own."
"Laura Kinney." Jubilee mused. "I like it."
X laughed. "This is ironic, if one thinks about it."
"What? The name?"
"No," X replied. "The fact that I am hacking in to United States government systems to erase data when three months ago I would have been the very person attempting to stop us."
"Kinda is." Jubilee noted.
"It is done." Laura said standing up and dusting her hands off. "Every file on the Sentinel has been deleted."
"Good," Lorna replied. "Rahne, how are we coming on the explosives?"
"All set!" the Scot replied back.
"Good! You and Pietro get out. Pull a fire alarm when you get out and we'll blow this place to Kingdom Come!"
Pietro blurred past a fire alarm on his way to Rahne. "Got the fire alarm. What say you and I get outta here, babe?"
Rahne looked at him in disgust, but before she could protest, he picked her up bridal style and blurred off.
"Attention all personnel, please evacuate the lower levels. We have detected a noxious gas leak. Please remain on the upper levels until the leak has been contained."
Bobby smiled, hanging up the phone. "How was that?"
"Not bad, good to see you taking something serious for once." Lorna replied with a smile.
"Oh, I can pick that phone back up and make a few jokes." Bobby said, a very serious expression on his face.
Lorna giggled. "Alright, let's go."
The remaining four mutants evacuated through the elevators while the workers took the stairs. They managed to sneak outside before the workers crowded the lobby.
"Are we clear?" Lorna asked.
X flicked from screen to screen. "Yeah, we're good. Everyone's out." She replied.
Rahne handed the detonator to Lorna. "Would you do the honors?" she asked.
"Oh come on!" Bobby exclaimed. "Lemme lemme lemme!"
Lorna sighed and tossed the detonator to him. Bobby grinned and hit the button. A loud boom echoed in the night and sewer lids everywhere burst, tall pillars of flames shooting into the dark night.
"Oh. Hell. Yeah." Bobby whispered.
-
Rogue darted over to the fallen metal man, tugging her glove off and placing her hand against his cold metal skin. He moaned in his sleep and Rogue shivered. She darted over to Kitty and did the same thing, draining her power.
"Rogue!" Roberto exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Gimme some cover, Sunspot!" Rogue exclaimed.
The Sentinel spotted Rogue, standing over Kitty's body, and raised its leg to stomp them both into oblivion. Rogue raised her hands and activated Piotr's mutation, her arms turning to metal and holding the Sentinel leg up.
"Sun—spot!" she gasped out.
The fiery mutant shot a column of flames at the exposed part of the Sentinel's right arm. The Sentinel kept its foot squeezing down on Rogue and Kitty, redirecting one of its arms to swat at Sunspot.
"Blink!" Rogue gasped. "Get Kitty, Erik, an' this other moron outta here! Hurry!"
A purple portal opened up and the three mutants disappeared. Rogue switched powers, retracting her metal skin and phasing into the Sentinel. The inside of the Sentinel was surprisingly full, not as hollow as Rogue had predicted. She "swam" up the Sentinel's legs, running her hands through computer chips and wires along the way, feeling the Sentinel breaking down. She swam up into the chest where a giant metal sphere sat, glowing green.
"This ain't nuclear." Rogue whispered. She looked around for a way to deactivate the Sentinel, but finally sighed. "Screw it." She muttered and ran her hand through the metal orb.
The Sentinel shuddered. It stumbled forward, then backwards. It grasped for a hold on something, running its hands through windows and steel. Its eyes grew brighter and brighter, orbs shooting through the glass.
"Rogue! Get out!" Sunspot yelled. He tapped his comm. Nothing but static.
Rogue yelled as the inside of the Sentinel heated to extreme temperatures. She couldn't concentrate like this. She was beginning to lose her phasing ability. She couldn't move.
"Oh dear God, please don't lemme die in here." She pleaded, closing her eyes and praying as hard as she could.
The Sentinel seemed to gasp, although it didn't need air, and spit Rogue out of its chest, throwing her across the street as the Sentinel breathed its last and collapsed to the ground.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carrier floated overhead. Two Hellier Jets flew down and opened their drop doors, squads of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents running over and securing the Sentinel. Assistant Director Maria Hill walked off of one jet, wheeling Charles Xavier in front of her. Charles looked around at the destruction.
"How did our other teams do?" Charles asked.
"They did fine. There are a few in critical condition, but none reported dead so far."
"That is good news." Charles replied. "What of the Sentinels?"
"They are all deactivated. We're still detecting high levels of radiation coming off of them, but we can't figure out what the radiation is."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Possibly," Hill replied thoughtfully. "They're such low levels though, I doubt it's dangerous."
Charles nodded.
Sunspot helped Rogue to her feet and walk over to where Charles was. Rogue grinned and saluted, dirt and grime covering her face. "Reporting for duty."
Charles smiled. Hill was less enthusiastic. "Rogue, you went inside the Sentinel, correct?"
Rogue nodded.
"We need to get you checked out immediately, check for any radiation."
Rogue nodded again, much more seriously this time.
"What of our thirteenth team?" Charles asked.
"Emergency services are reporting fires on the lower levels of Trask Industries." Hill grinned. "Those levels didn't exist, so S.H.I.E.L.D. will be opening an investigation into them once we clean up our own ranks. I think it's safe to say the Sentinels won't be bothering us again for some time."
"Good," Charles replied. "Now we end this."
Triskelion
March 29, 20:32 EST
-
"You can't force me to sign a peace treaty!" Kelly exclaimed.
"Actually, Mr. President, I could." Charles said, rolling forward. "However, God gave you free will and it is high time you used it for something other than furthering your own life."
Kelly scowled, picking up the paper. "So what exactly does this treaty encase?"
"A deal where neither humankind nor mutantkind make a move against each other. Should one group decide to, it will not reflect the species as a whole. The World Security Council has already passed an international law banning any legislation that specifically targets mutants or humans. Also, any weapons targeting a specific race or ethnicity, including mutants, are hereby banned. The same terms are in that contract." Fury said. He paused. "Consider it a treaty between nations. Consider it this generation's Civil Rights Act. And you will be the one to sign it."
Kelly frowned, looking at the paper. "Both Magneto and Xavier have signed the contract?" he asked.
"It wasn't that hard to do, Mr. President, I assure you." Charles said with a smile. "Erik and I are old friends. He, too, wants peace if it means mutant-kind will survive."
Kelly stared at the paper.
"I believe you know what the future holds if we enter an all-out war between species, Mr. President."
Kelly closed his eyes and took off his glasses, wiping his forehead. "No, I don't, because I died today."
"Ask your Vice President." Charles gestured. "Ask Director Stryker here."
Kelly looked at both, and they continued staring straight ahead, ignoring him.
"If I sign this, I'm signing over all rights to defend our country against a mutant attack." Kelly exclaimed.
"Mr. President," Charles said. "My team and I will protect you from a mutant attack."
"Fighting fire with fire?" Kelly demanded. "I don't think so."
"Mr. President!" Charles exclaimed, getting frustrated. "I'm begging you to sign that document! Save both our species! The last thing either of us wants right now is a war. We've already lost too much, both of our species."
Lorna, who was standing behind Xavier, looked down at her feet.
Kelly looked at the piece of paper. "How long is the contract binding?"
This wasn't a good sign.
"It is binding until the end of your term." Fury replied. "Then, by international law, you have to sign it again if, by some curse, you are re-elected. Your successor will have to follow the same law."
Kelly scowled. "What if I don't sign it?"
Fury dangled some handcuffs in front of him.
"You wouldn't!"
"Try me." Fury smiled.
Kelly signed the paper bitterly, passing it to Trask, then Stryker in turn.
"Thank you, Mr. President." Fury said.
Kelly scowled.
"A press conference is expected." Fury added, wheeling Charles towards the door. "After all, you do so love the spotlight."
-
Xavier Institute
March 29, 23:09 EST
-
"Professor!" Jean exclaimed, rushing towards the door as Charles rolled inside.
"Jean," Charles replied with a smile. "How is everyone?"
"In one piece for the most part." Jean replied with a smile. "A few are in critical condition."
"Who?"
"Squid, Erik, and two or three more. I'm not sure. Jubilee is helping with the wounded to give me a moment to catch my breath."
"What of Rogue?" Charles asked, concerned.
"Oh, she's upstairs resting. Hill cleared her, said there was no radiation. She went straight up when she got home, hasn't been around anyone."
-
Rogue sighed, her left hand twitching. She rolled over in her bed, letting the moonlight shine against her bare skin. She didn't have many bandages on her. She had opted to simply clean the wounds and let them heal. There was no reason to bandage them if they weren't severe.
Her window slid open and a figure in a cloak or trench coat slid in, shutting the window behind them. Rogue pretended to still be asleep, but reached under her pillow for the gun she kept hidden there. The figure got closer, closer…
"HYAH!" Rogue exclaimed, pulling the gun out and pointing it at…
"Gambit?" Rogue exclaimed, setting the pistol down on her nightstand. "What the hell are you doin' here?"
"I came to see you, Cherie." Gambit responded, reaching down with a gloved hand and cupping her cheek. "I did say I was comin' for you afte' all."
"You did." Rogue replied, leaning into his touch, closing her eyes.
"O'course, you had all da fun wi'out me."
"Sorry 'bout that." Rogue replied, opening her eyes.
"Well, maybe you can make it up t' me." Gambit said, leaning in.
Rogue smiled and wrapped an arm around his neck, pressing her lips to his. Gambit moaned softly in ecstasy, then in surprise and broke the kiss.
"Chere," he joked, but she could hear the alarm in his voice. "Control y'self!"
"Sorry!" Rogue exclaimed, her fingers dancing with his energy. "My bad." She looked at him seductively. "Lemme fix it."
Gambit leaned in and Rogue kissed him again, but once more Gambit pulled back, this time flicking his lips to try and put some feeling back into them.
Rogue was starting to panic now. "Touch my hand." She ordered. "Lemme see if I can control it."
Gambit reached out carefully and brushed Rogue's hand. Nothing happened. He set his on hers and yelped as his power drained from him again.
"What the hell, what the hell, what the hell?" Rogue demanded looking at her hands as if they were covered in blood. She leapt out of her bed and darted down the hall.
-
"You'll be fine, Kitty." Charles smiled. "It's just a mild concussion. Rest, and we'll see how things go."
"Professor!" came a desperate voice.
Rogue dashed into the infirmary, holding her hands away from her body. "Professor! I need a check up now! Somethin' ain't right!"
"Kitty, please excuse us." Charles ordered. "And lock the doors."
Kitty nodded, exiting the infirmary.
"What is it, Rogue?"
"I—I can't control m' powers! I try, b-b-but I can't!"
"Let's do a scan." Hank sighed, gesturing at a machine in the corner. "Lie down and try to calm down some."
Rogue nodded, gulping in air, and lay down flat on the mat. Hank pressed a button and Rogue slid inside the machine. Hank sighed and rubbed his eyes as the machine scanned Rogue. Something on the computer beeped and Hank looked up, very alert now.
"Impossible." He breathed. "Rogue, we're going to do a second scan, the machine must be acting up."
"A'right…" Rogue said nervously.
Someone rapped on the glass doors. It was Storm. She waved at a piece of paper in her hand and Charles rolled over to let her in.
"Same thing…" Hank muttered. "Jean, go in the machine."
"What?" Jean asked. "Why?"
"Just—please." Hank sighed.
Jean nodded and laid down on the mat, sliding into the machine.
Charles' expression turned to a look of concern over by the doorway. Both he and Storm glanced at Rogue and Charles dismissed Storm.
Hank stared at the scan and sighed. "Alright, Jean. That will be all."
The red-head pulled out of the machine and sat up. "So what's the verdict, Doc?" Jean grinned. "Will I live?"
"You, yes." Hank responded.
"What the hell does that mean?!" Rogue exclaimed.
"Oh, you'll live, Rogue." Hank said. "That isn't what I meant."
"Well what did ya mean?" Rogue demanded.
"Rogue, I'm afraid I have some bad news." Charles said, wheeling over.
Rogue turned to Hank. "Please tell me yo're the one with the good news."
Hank looked down.
"Well it can't be as bad as what Charles has t' say." Rogue sighed. "What's the verdict?"
"Your X-gene, Rogue, it's—hnnh. The best word to describe it is: melted."
"Melted?" Rogue asked.
"Yes, it seems as if the gene has lost all structure. At first I thought it was the computer, but then Jean went in—"
"Wh-What does that mean?" Rogue asked.
Hank opened his mouth, closed it, sighed, then spoke. "It means you no longer have any control whatsoever over your powers.
Rogue took several shallow breaths, on the verge of hyperventilating, and looked ahead emptily.
"No…" she whispered. "No, no, no, NO!"
Rogue swung her hand and hit a tray, knocking it to the other side of the room. She gasped, trying to contain her tears. "A'right, Charles, let's have it." She gasped out. "Come on, what'd Storm give ya?"
Charles looked at the paper sadly. "It's really more of an explanation." He started. "The radiation the Sentinels were giving off was Gamma radiation. When you ran your hand through the core, you exposed yourself to the radiation. It must have corrupted your X-gene. You're lucky."
"LUCKY?!" Rogue yelled. "THIS AIN'T LUCKY, CHARLES!"
"You should have been killed for coming near the radiation." Hank said, reading the paper. "Especially levels this high. That or you could have become She-Hulk."
"I'd rather have died than not be able t' control m' powers." Rogue whispered. "Why, why, why?"
Everyone looked on sadly as the belle came to terms with the fact that her life would never be the same again.
Trask Industries
March 30, 07:09 EST
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"Secretary Trask?" Kelly asked. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
The man turned around.
"You aren't Secretary Trask." Kelly noted, coming to a halt in front of him.
"No, Mr. President, I am Mr. Trask. Secretary Trask is my brother." The man replied shaking Kelly's hand. "You can call me Larry if you want."
Kelly nodded. "Well, Larry, I hear the mutants attacked your company last night. What's the damage?"
"Every Sentinel produced has been destroyed." Larry replied. "They placed individual bombs on each Sentinel, ensuring none would survive the blast."
"What about designs? Can't you just rebuild them?"
"No." Larry said with a sad smile. "The designs and AI program were wiped from our computer, very thoroughly. There's no way to get them back."
"Surely you had physical copies? Perhaps backups?" Kelly demanded.
"Even if we did, I wouldn't give them to you." Larry said firmly.
"What?"
"Your genocidal witch hunt against mutants is wrong." Larry said. "I can't allow you to use my Sentinels to aid in wiping out a people who have done nothing to deserve it. I voted for President McCoy because he believed in America. Home of the Free, Land of the Brave. You won't be receiving my Sentinel designs or my vote."
"You don't have a choice." Kelly responded with a smile. "I'm seizing the Sentinel AI and blueprints as property of the United States government."
"What? You can't!"
"Oh," Kelly frowned. "Why don't you take us to court?"
Larry scowled. Kelly smiled and walked off.
"Your company, too, is property of the United States government, now, Mr. Trask, and you're fired!"
Worthington Labs
March 30, 08:05 EST
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"Media agencies around the world have come up with a name for these past few days, or years depending on how you look at them." The elderly man started. "They've been calling it "Days of Future Past." I think it has a nice ring to it."
The man was Warren Worthington II. Right now he was addressing a small team of scientists. "Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is busy cleaning out their own ranks, they have no way to investigate us for HYDRA members, which means we can now go back to daily operations. After the destruction of the dozen operational Sentinels and the hundred un-operational Sentinels, the world is now looking for a new way to take on the mutant problem."
"President Kelly has granted our Laboratories exclusive rights to study mutants. While on the outside, we are only allowed to study mutants for medicine, secretly we are working on something else, something…revolutionary."
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Worthington said, opening a briefcase. "I present: the cure to mutants."
X-Men: Standing Guard will Return in a Moment
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