Night of the Sentinels
After returning to the United States with the professor, Adam enrolled at The Xavier Institute For Gifted Youngsters alongside Ororo. In what felt like the blink of an eye, the years passed and our intrepid young adventurer grew into a man.
"Guys, please tell me that you didn't just ask me to come to the mall with you so I can carry all your stuff," Adam sighed.
We rejoin Adam properly ten years later. Now 25 years old and standing at a solid 6 feet tall, he walked through the local mall with bags covering and boxes filling his arms. He now wore a white buttoned up shirt, a yellow tie, a green vest with black vertical lines, black pants and white sneakers.
"Just lemme know if and when it gets too heavy for you, sugah," a young woman's voice said with a southern twang as a redhead passed him on his left.
"Not a chance, Rogue," Adam responded with a chuckle and smirk, honestly not even phased by the weight of her and Ororo's purchases (though he did put on a bit of a show initially of adjusting his footing and grip as the boxes of clothes piled up to his chin).
"Relax, dear beloved," another voice spoke.
'Speak of the devil,' Adam thought with a smile as he turned to his right to see Ororo.
"You are more than just a pack mule," she said with a small laugh before leaning up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. Ororo had grown in many ways over the years. She wore her well-kept white hair long and proud. She was dressed in a pink jacket over a white t-shirt with black pants and matching shoes.
"I know, but I gotta keep up appearances," Adam shrugged, knowing all too well that most guys didn't usually carry so much stuff without a little complaint here and there. "But on the plus side, you've got everything you need."
"Maybe I'll buy something for later though~," Ororo winked at Adam, causing him to blush.
"Wow, way to make a gal feel green with envy, Storm," Rogue said with a small huff, though Adam knew that she meant no harm.
"Hey, how about I go and put these things in the car and I'll try and find you guys when I find Gambit," Adam offered.
"Very well, beloved. Just be careful," Ororo said, giving Adam another peck on the cheek as he went on his way.
Adam easily walked out of the store and into the halls of the mall. As he did, he spotted several people whispering and looking over their shoulders in fear. Though it wasn't directed at him, thankfully. His eyes landed on a TV in a nearby electronics store playing the news. It was not the kind of news he, nor his friends, would've liked to hear.
"The reports keep coming in about the incident that transpired in the downtown area of Brooklyn, New York this afternoon, and there is more and more evidence that suggests that a Mutant was indeed responsible for the chaos," the news anchor spoke. "There are as of now ten people in the hospital with major wounds and at least four more confirmed dead. The assailant is believed to be the Mutant known by the alias of Sabertooth and his actions have put more strain on the delicate relations between humans and Mutants. Organisations on both sides have already come up with statements about the situation, though none more vocal than the Mutant Registration and Containment Agency spear-headed by Senator Kelly."
Anger and worry were the easiest words to use to describe what Adam was feeling at that moment. It seemed like every day the news had another story about how Mutants were a danger to themselves and others, and the fear they spread was not helping. At the very least, not all the news outlets focused on making the situation into more of a circus than it already was. But this was sure to come back to bite them sooner or later.
"I really hope people don't do something stupid," Adam whispered to himself.
Adam made his way to the car, a green SUV, putting all their shopping inside with little to no difficulty.
"Man, that's a lot of stuff," Adam said. "Well, at least none of it got messed up." Adam closed the trunk of the car.
As soon as he locked the car once more, the ground started to shake under his feet. He grabbed hold of the car, believing it to be an earthquake. But it was far from a simple tremor. The rumbling continued getting louder and louder, causing everyone in the parking lot to look up in horror. Adam joined them and his eyes widened at the sight before him: A large red and purple robot with a human-like appearance came stomping down the road and into the mall parking lot.
The massive mechanical abomination walked through the car park, stepping on cars and making people run in fear of it. But it paid them no mind. Instead, it continued walking in a straight line, like it was following something.
"You have nothing to fear. I am here to apprehend Mutants," the robot proclaimed in a cold, mechanical tone of voice.
Adam turned to see the machine was heading straight for the mall. He narrowed his eyes as he grabbed and tore open his shirt, revealing a yellow X insignia over a blue outfit.
Inside the mall, the place was in utter panic as the robotic menace crashed through the main entrance, repeating its message of "Don't be alarmed" as shattered glass fell all around it. So, of course, everyone with common sense ran in fear of the giant metal man.
Amidst the chaos, Ororo and Rogue witnessed the people fleeing the scene before spotting the robot looking for its target.
"I do not believe that's part of a special sale," Ororo said.
"No kiddin'," Rogue replied, cracking her knuckles.
The robot then seemingly locked its gaze upon a young girl, no older than 15 by the looks of it, as she left an arcade a short distance away.
"Halt, Mutant! You are to be taken into custody!" the mechanical giant proclaimed, getting the girl's attention.
"Who? Me?" she asked, her voice panicked as the giant robot began to move towards her.
The metal giant opened its palm, letting a metal cable shoot out of it before it wrapped around the young girl's body.
"Hey, paws off, creep!" the girl exclaimed, struggling against her restraints, pleading for the metal giant to release her.
"Target apprehended. Returning to-" the robot didn't even get a chance to finish its sentence as it was quickly knocked off balance by not one, but two heavy impacts to its back, causing it to not only stumble forward, but also drop the girl, who landed with an "Oof", but was safe now.
"What just happened?" she asked as the metal giant turned its head a full 180 degrees to look at what had hit it.
"Hey, tin can, I know the mall is the best place to pick up ladies, but there is such a thing as being too pushy," Adam floated in the air, now wearing his uniform.
Covered in a full-body blue suit with a full-face mask and yellow goggle lenses, his arms had white elbow-length gloves with blue fingers and matching white boots that reached up to his knees. On his chest was a yellow 'i' with an 'X' in the dot of it.
Standing beside him was Rogue, still dressed in her regular clothes and with a scowl that would make weaker men shudder in fear.
"Unknown Mutants identified. Must apprehend."
"This'll teach you to keep your metal mitts to yourself!" Rogue exclaimed before rushing to hit the robot once more.
The giant robot picked itself up only to be punched right in the face by Rogue. Its head whirled back on straight before swatting its giant hands at them. Rogue managed to get another punch in before blocking one of its swinging hands. Adam dove in, punching the giant machine's chest, sending it stumbling back. In retaliation, it aimed its hands at them, firing red lasers from its palm.
Adam crossed his arms, enduring the blasts from the robot's left hand as Rogue dodged the laser from its right. However, Rogue was quickly hit by the robot's blasts, causing her to put up her guard. The beams soon increased in power, pushing Adam and Rogue back before being blasted out of the mall through the skylight.
'It's official, that thing has got to go,' Adam thought before readjusting and pushing himself forward, freeing himself from the beam before chasing after the metal monster.
The teenage girl, clearly out of her depth, made a break for the opposite direction of the massive fight.
The robot, turning its head around again and seeing its quarry making a getaway, bent its left arm around before opening its palm again, firing a bolt of red energy at the floor beneath the fleeing adolescent, causing it to collapse and her to fall along with the rubble.
However, before she hit the ground, she suddenly felt like she was caught by something, or rather someone. Next thing she knew, whoever caught her had obliterated the falling debris, reducing it to dust with a few quick strikes of a quarterstaff.
Looking up, she found herself in the arms of a young man a few years her senior, dressed in a long, dark trench coat and what looked to be body armor.
What stood out most to her was this guy's eyes. Red with black sclera. Or at least it was the thing that stood out, until he spoke.
"Hey, petit, where's ze fire?" he asked in a thick Cajun accent.
"Halt! I must apprehend that Mutant!" the metal man stated, showing its face once more as it crouched to look under the now-destroyed walkway.
"Hey, apprehend this!" the Cajun retorted as he took out a playing card from his jacket pocket that then seemed to glow bright before he tossed it at the robot. To the girl's surprise, the card blew up in the robot's face like a grenade.
"How did you do that?!" she exclaimed, getting out of her savior's hold.
"With style, petit. With style," the Cajun replied with a smile as he pulled out another card from his coat, lighting it up like the last one.
The mechanical giant reoriented itself before firing another laser blast at the girl's savior, sending him flying back into a "Win A New Car" contest that the mall was holding.
The young girl took to running once again as the giant robot tried to catch her once more. But it was stopped by the sight of Adam appearing right in front of its face before he punched it with a massive right hook, sending it reeling.
"You're pretty tough for a tin can, I'll give you that," Adam said before punching the robot over and over in a series of rapidfire strikes, making it step back as dents appeared in its chest. "But I'm tougher!" Adam flew up to its face, bringing his hands together before he slammed the robot back down to the ground, its body lying flat on the mall's now destroyed tile flooring.
Adam smirked as the robot shot sparks from all over its body and face. However, it was a trick. The robot's chest opened up, firing a powerful red laser that sent Adam flying back and through a wall of the mall. He landed back in the parking lot just as the girl the robot was chasing came out running. The laser had hit him square in the chest, making him wince from the heat and the intensity, but he was no less wounded.
'I swear, I'm never gonna make fun of The Terminator ever again,' Adam thought as he picked himself up.
The robot broke through the mall's other entrance, still in hot pursuit of the girl. From one of its hands, it released a cloud of green gas over the girl.
She coughed as she felt her head grow dim, her eyelids grew heavy and she couldn't help but slow down.
Adam rushed over to catch her.
"Are you okay?" Adam asked.
"I… I… Who are you…?" She managed to ask before sleep claimed her.
Adam smiled beneath his mask as he replied,
Invincible & The Astonishing X-Men
Adam's smile disappeared as he saw the giant robot coming towards them. He was just about to fly up and give the overgrown toaster another knuckle sandwich, when he heard the clouds rumbling over his head.
"Just when I thought things were looking dark," he said with a smile.
High above, in the clouds, Ororo hovered down with lightning and wild winds swirling around her. Her eyes pure white with power as she looked down at the giant metal man.
"Lightning, strike down our mechanical foe!" she invoked as lightning flashed and thunder cracked before hitting the robot dead on, frying its circuits.
All the automaton could do was repeat out "ERROR! ERROR!" before collapsing to the blacktop of the parking lot.
"Gotta say, Storm, I never grow tired of watching you work," Adam said.
"You sure it isn't because of my costume, my love?" Ororo asked before spotting the unconscious girl. "Now, who is this young lady?"
"Don't know, that tin can was chasing after her, calling her a Mutant," Adam picked her up. "Let's get out of here before the police show up."
"Agreed, I'll go get Rogue and Gambit," Ororo said. "Our quiet night seems to have turned into something else. And be sure to bring that robot's head, we might learn something about it from what remains."
"You're the boss," Adam replied as he walked over and casually ripped the giant robot's head off its body with ease. "And here I thought the shopping bags were the only things I was gonna carry."
Adam, Ororo, Rogue and Gambit drove back into the Xavier school grounds with the head of the giant robot strapped to the roof of their car and the young girl asleep in the backseat. The minute they parked in front of the mansion, the front doors opened up to reveal Charles Xavier, now in a yellow hover chair, and a tall man wearing a yellow and red visor on his face.
"I didn't know they sold giant robot heads at the mall," the man with the visor joked.
"They were on sale, but the destruction was already there," Adam replied, getting out of the car and picking the head up over his shoulder. "I'll take it down to the lab, have Hank see what this thing is."
"See that you do, Adam," Xavier nodded. "And who's the young lady you've brought with you?"
"We do not know, Professor," Ororo picked up the girl in her arms. "But the machine was chasing her, claiming she was a Mutant."
Xavier looked at his students with worried eyes. He had expected movements against Mutants to be more extreme due to fear. But the creation of a giant metal monster that rampaged through a mall just to get at one young lady was something he did not see coming. It was risky and an act that put everyone at risk.
"Take her to the medical bay, Storm," Xavier gestured her inside. "Scott, I want the others to be ready to find out what that robot is. And make sure the children are in their rooms."
"You got it, Professor," Scott nodded before walking back inside.
"In that case, Gambit'll be down in the Danger Room to get some practice in and-" Gambit began to walk inside only for Rogue to stop him.
"Hold up there a sec. You gotta help me bring in all the shopping, sugah," Rogue pointed to the trunk full of shopping bags.
Gambit sighed. There weren't many times he wished to get the same powers as his fellow X-Men, but he really wished he had Adam or Rogue's strength right about that time.
Adam watched Ororo place the young girl in the med bay before connecting her to the monitoring equipment. Looking at her tired face, he felt a knot forming in his stomach. The idea that she had to flee for her life at such a young age was sickening, and the thought that someone had sent that metal menace of a machine after her was making it even worse.
"You look like you're thinking of going out and punching something, Adam," Ororo turned to look at him.
"I can't help it," Adam took off his mask. "What that thing did, putting all those people at risk. It just isn't right. She's just a kid."
"According to the equipment, she's no older than we were when we met," Ororo said. "The world is a more dangerous place than it was ten years ago."
"Yeah, but now it's up to us to help make everything right," Adam tightened his fist. "They'll probably call to ask me and dad to cover the whole thing."
"Be sure to get the best pictures you can get," Ororo kissed Adam's cheek. "I'll stay here and make sure she's looked after."
"Thanks, Ororo. I owe you a better shopping day," Adam said with a small smile.
Ororo watched her oldest friend and lover rush back to his normal secret identity life. There was just something about him going off to save the world that made her smile, even if his job was doing exactly what he did when they first met.
Adam got his normal clothes back on before arriving back at the mall where his dad was waiting for him.
"Hey dad, sorry I'm late," Adam said.
"Forget that, son," Luke waved it off. "Care to tell me what happened here?"
"Well, I just got here, but it looks like someone was playing with a wrecking ball. And-" Adam's eyes widened at the sight of something that was missing. "Wait, where is it?"
Adam scanned the area with his own eyes in search of what was left of the massive mechanical corpse. But there was neither hide nor tail of it. All that was left was the destruction and the police trying to get an idea of what had happened.
"Where's what, son?" Luke asked.
"The giant robot," Adam replied. "It was right here. I ripped its head off myself before it could hurt the girl it was chasing."
"In that case, we better get to work," Luke said somewhat quietly as he pulled out a notepad and a pen. "You brought your camera?"
"Always," Adam pulled up his Nikon F4s camera that hung around his neck.
Adam walked through the remains of the mall, taking pictures of where the giant robot had walked through. The destruction was akin to that of a warzone behind his camera lens. He spotted a piece of the giant robot that had fallen off in the middle of the scuffle, the cable that it had used on the young girl. All the while, he wondered who could have created such a thing. Whoever they were, they had clear intentions for Mutants, but they also knew who they were chasing. It hadn't been random, the girl had to have been targeted for a reason. He just had to find out what that reason was.
"Found anything?" Luke asked.
"Just a few giant footprints, crushed cars, rubble and a metal cable that came out of the robot's hand," Adam said. "Did you learn anything?"
"According to the authorities, a group of men drove away from the New Salem Mall before they arrived," Luke recalled his notes. "It seems someone is trying to cover their tracks. Though, they have allowed us to look at the security footage with them."
"One of those cameras had to have caught something to prove a giant robot was here," Adam said. "Did those trucks say anything?"
"Yes, the trucks had the initials 'MRA,'" Luke replied. "And if what you told me is anything to go by, they stand for Mutant Registration Agency."
That didn't sound good.
"Do you know anything about them?" Adam asked.
"Only a few things; they're mostly rumors," Luke replied. "It's a private agency that was started up by two men named Henry Peter Gyrich and Bolivar Trask. The agency claims to want to help Mutants, but they play their cards close to their chest. This despite having some government aid."
Adam was liking this less and less the more he heard about them.
Back at the mansion, the young girl stirred herself awake. She gasped in shock, finding herself in a place she did not recognise.
"It is all right; breathe," Ororo placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Breathe slowly. You're safe here. Can you tell me your name?" She asked.
"Jubileous Lee, but my friends call me 'Jubilee,'" the girl replied, taking in some calming breaths as she oriented herself and fully regained her faculties. "Where the heck am I anyway?"
"You are in a safe place. This is the med bay of our home," Ororo explained. "My name is Ororo Munroe, and I am a mutant like you, Jubilee," she summoned a small cloud in her palm before blowing some cold air in Jubilee's direction.
"Neat… Wait, you're the one that zapped that giant robot with lightning and-Where is it?!" Jubilee looked around for her attacker, unintentionally unleashing small bursts of energy from her hands that looked like fireworks.
"Calm down, Jubilee. We defeated the robot," Ororo said, calming the teenager down once more. "But, I must ask you, why was it chasing after you?"
Jubilee looked down at her hands, remembering what she had heard from her foster parents. How they were afraid of what she could do and what her dad had done. Going to the mall's arcade to escape reality seemed like the best way to blow off some steam, but then it showed up.
"I don't know. I overheard my foster parents about signing me up for the Mutant Registration Agency and just left," Jubilee sighed. "Then that thing showed up out of nowhere and started chasing me and that other guy showed up. He… He called himself Invincible."
"Adam does like to announce his name a lot," Ororo snickered.
"Friend of yours?"
"More than friends I'd say, but yes. We were among the first students of the Professor's second class." Ororo remembered their early days fondly.
"Class?" Jubilee was now more confused.
"If you'd like, I could show you," Ororo held out her hand to Jubilee, offering more answers.
Jubilee took it before leaving the med bay with Ororo to learn more.
They walked through the halls of what looked like an underground advanced sci-fi base, passing other rooms that Jubilee took a peek inside of. Most of them looked like classrooms with desks, blackboards, and books on a different range of topics. But there were some key differences. Some of the books focused on the idea of evolution and mutations. A few desks were made out of steel to support at least an elephant. And there were scorch marks, carbon burns and indentations on some of the classroom walls and floors. It looked like something straight out of a comic book or a video game.
"What is this place?" Jubilee spotted a few pictures of kids with different mutations on the walls as they walked.
"This is Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Children, Jubilee. A special institute if you will," Ororo replied. "It is a safe haven for young mutants like yourself and I to learn," Ororo gestured to some of the pictures where she and her friends were much younger.
"Learn huh? Aren't you a little too old to be at school?" Jubilee asked.
"Not unless you're one of the teachers," Ororo replied. "Here we learn how to control our powers and how to use them for the betterment of mankind. Where some see monsters or things they don't understand, we see people that just want to help and be their best selves. Some of the students go out and have normal lives, while others have chosen to remain here and teach the next generation, such as yourself."
Jubilee looked at her hands as she understood what the older woman was telling her. There were others like her and this school was meant to teach them. It sounded like a dream come true. But it also made her remember that things weren't always so easy. The news never shut up about how Mutants were dangerous and a school teaching those same Mutants how to use their powers was going to ruffle some feathers. Though she couldn't deny that she was tempted to ask what kind of classes they offered at the institute.
Jubilee's thoughts were interrupted as they passed by a room where she spotted someone else. Or more like something else.
"It would be very enlightening to see how these chemicals react, but that also comes with its fair dangers," a large blue-furred gorilla-looking man hung from the ceiling, mixing chemicals. "And yet that is endearing in of itself."
"Hank, do be careful with those," Ororo peeked into the room. "Remember you almost burnt your eyebrows off last time."
"Of course, Ororo," Hank said.
Jubilee and Ororo continued walking until they came upon another room where an ordinary, if a bit mischievous-looking, young man was channel surfing. She watched him giggle at a few of the jokes being said on the program before shapeshifting into the very comedian that said the joke. Then he changed into a woman from a perfume commercial, before finally turning into a politician that always spoke ill about Mutants.
"And I swear my fellow Americans, that I, Senator Kelly, do have butt breath," he laughed before turning back to his normal self.
"Is it always like this around here?" Jubilee whispered.
"Who? Morph? He fancies himself a modern trickster," Ororo said.
"Hey there, Ororo." Morph turned to face them before shifting into Jubilee herself. "Who's the new kid?"
Jubilee didn't reply, she just kept on moving before anything weird (well weirder) happened.
"And this is our mission briefing room," Ororo opened the door to reveal another room filled with advanced computer technology with lots of monitors and a circular table with a holographic projector.
"Mission? Are you guys superheroes?" Jubilee asked in wonder. "Like Captain America and Iron Man?"
"You could say that, young lady."
Ororo and Jubilee turned to see Charles Xavier strolling into the room with a young red headed woman and Scott by his side.
"My name is Professor Charles Xavier, director of this school," Xavier introduced himself. "I take it that Ms. Munroe has told you who we are and what our mission is?"
"I still feel like this is a dream and my teacher is about to wake me up," Jubilee replied. "But I gotta ask, why did you save me?"
"It is my dream to see both humans and Mutants peacefully co-existing with each other, and naturally, given the many dangers that may come to reach that coexistence, I created a team to protect both Mutants and humans from threats," Xavier pressed a button on his chair, showing different videos with Mutants and the X-Men in action, one of them being the giant robot. "Which it would seem that the latest one involved you."
Jubilee turned to see the severed head of the giant robot that chased her all over the mall. Her hands shook as some small sparks from her powers came to life.
"It's alright, Jubilee," Ororo placed her hand on the young girl's shoulder. "The machine won't hurt you. Remember, your powers are a part of you, you can't force them or let them control you. They're like a muscle you didn't know you had control over."
Jubilee took a deep breath before calming down.
"Thanks, Ms. Munroe," Jubilee turned to Professor Xavier. "I'm sorry professor, but I have never seen this thing before. It just came out of nowhere."
"Well, you might not know what it is, but it knows you," the redhead typed away at the computer, pulling up some information on the holographic projector. "According to the information we were able to get out of it, someone programmed it with a picture and information about you."
Jubilee looked on in both shock and horror at the screen before her as it gave personal info such as name, date of birth, height, weight, etc.
"The information looks like it's from a registry," the redhead pointed out. "Did you sign up for anything that could've required this information?"
"No, I don't get it." Jubilee shook her head until a thought came to her mind. "My foster father… He-He signed me up for the Mutant Registration Agency."
"It's too close to call it a mere coincidence, Professor," Scott added.
"We don't think it is one either," Adam walked into the briefing room to meet with the rest. "Glad to see you back on your feet, kid. I don't think you remember me, but I'm Adam Aurelius."
"Your voice… Are you Invincible?" Jubilee looked him over, not believing it to be true. "You look so… not super."
Ororo couldn't help but giggle as Adam's face fell from the comment.
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty awesome once you get to know me," Adam huffed and puffed his chest to look more muscular, but all that got were more laughs from Ororo and Jubilee.
Adam deflated himself, seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere.
"Adam, you had something for us?" the redhead asked, clearing her throat.
"R-Right, thanks Jean," Adam said. "My dad and I went to the mall only to find the robot gone. The cops saw trucks with the label MRA driving away with it in parts. So we did some digging on the private agency. They claim that they want to help Mutants by offering them services and a place where they can get help if they need it. Their website has plenty of pictures and reviews that give them five stars. All legit at first glance, but not really. Over the last three months, eleven Mutants registered with the agency and all those eleven Mutants have gone missing." Adam pulled up the information he and his dad had found out.
"Then it is as I feared, someone in that agency is using their information to hunt down Mutants," Xavier said. "But for what purpose I wonder. Jean, call the others, we may have another mission on our hands."
"Yes, professor," Jean closed her eyes before touching the side of her head, psychically calling for the rest of her teammates.
"Ororo, take Ms. Jubilee to one of the spare rooms," Xavier said. "She needs to rest after what she's been through."
"What? No, those creeps could be going after my foster parents! I gotta warn them!" Jubilee argued.
"And you can, but first you must take your rest, Jubilee," Ororo took her out of the room.
"Don't worry kiddo, the Astonishing X-Men are on the case," Adam gave Jubilee a thumbs up.
"...That just makes you sound like a lame anime character," Jubilee said, causing Adam to deflate once more, "But thanks. I appreciate it," she added, feeling a tad bit more secure in that comfort before she left with Ororo.
Adam sighed. Now that everyone was caught up, they would have to make a plan to deal with whatever the MRA was really all about. He didn't know what they had done with the other eleven Mutants, but if this agency was behind the giant robot, then it was a safe bet that they were not gonna stop.
Ororo showed Jubilee to one of the empty rooms they had. It was a modest room with a bed, a desk, a night stand, and a closet for all her clothes.
"You can stay here for the night. Tomorrow, Adam and I will take you straight to your foster parents, and after all this is over you are welcomed to return if you wish to learn more about your powers," Ororo said as Jubilee sat on the bed.
"Thanks Ororo, but I'm just exhausted," Jubilee yawned. "I think I'll just go to bed now."
"Very well. Sweet dreams, Jubilee," Ororo closed the door behind her.
Jubilee laid her head down on the pillow, listening and waiting for Ororo to get as far as possible. She quietly reached for the window, climbing out without anyone being the wiser.
"Sorry guys, but foster or not, they're my family," Jubilee climbed down the mansion and to the grounds.
Back down in the mission briefing room, Adam, Ororo and the rest of the X-Men were in their uniforms as Professor X pulled up images of the MRA headquarters. A large, fully armed and heavily guarded location on the outskirts of the city and away from prying eyes. Nothing but red flags that no one seemed to notice.
"My X-Men, this might be the most dangerous mission you've ever had. You must go into the MRA headquarters and destroy all Mutant records," Xavier explained. "We must be discreet as well as silent. If any one of you is spotted, we could trigger a conflict."
"So, I guess the front door is out," a man in a yellow and blue outfit spoke before a set of metal claws popped from his knuckles. "That's too bad."
"We'll think of something, Logan, don't worry," Adam waved him off. "Action seems to follow us wherever we go."
"Since this mission will require some level of subtlety, some of you will have to stay behind and help me coordinate," Xavier further explained. "Jean, Gambit, I'm afraid you will have to be benched, as it were."
"Shoot, and here Gambit was lookin' forward to seeing some more excitement."
"Hey, if it makes you feel any better," Morph spoke before changing his face to resemble Gambit's. "I can just go in your place," he said as he changed back with his signature snicker.
"Storm, you will take Beast, Morph and Wolverine with you to destroy the files while Cyclops, Rogue and Invincible cover you from the outside," Xavier further explained their plan. "We need as little attention as possible, but if things turn bad, I want you all to be ready for a fight."
Adam nodded with the rest of the team. Not that he minded playing defense instead of offense.
"Alright everyone, to the Blackbird, we fly out in five," Scott turned to the rest of the team. "Remember to stick to the plan. That goes for you, Logan," Scott turned his sights on the shorter man.
"Don't give me orders, boy scout. I go wherever I wanna go," Logan got up from his seat, leaving the room.
"Do we know why he and Scott are like this?" Adam asked Ororo.
"My guess would be a fight for dominance," Ororo whispered.
"Let's take to the skies then," Adam began floating out with Ororo.
High above the cloudy skies of upstate New York, a high-powered plane of unique design soared high over the Earth's surface. This stealth jet, affectionately referred to by the team as "The Blackbird" was not only capable of breaking the sound barrier almost twice over, but was neigh undetectable by radar.
And right next to it was Adam and Ororo flying side-by-side at a safe distance, holding hands and keeping up with the magnificent flying machine.
While Adam was able to keep pace no problem, were she not holding on and manipulating the slipstream from both he and the jet, Storm would be left in the dust of both.
Soon coming to the destination that Cerebro programmed into the Blackbird's navigation, the team set down a short distance from their target, safe and away from prying eyes.
"And we thank you for taking Invincible Airlines for your lovely flight this evening, we know you have other options but we're thankful for your company," Adam and Ororo landed next to their friends.
"Alright, listen up team, this is gonna be a quick In-and-Out. We have to be quick and quiet," Cyclops reminded. "Everyone got their comms working?"
Each of the group gave a quick check-in before Invincible gave a thumbs up.
"Lead the way, Cyc," he replied.
Logan snickered at the dumb nickname while Scott rolled his eyes behind his visor.
"Alright, let's move!" Cyclops ordered as the team made their way through the forested area outside the MRA. Just making it to the edge of the woods, they spotted the fortress-like building surrounded by metal fencing with a topping of barbed wire and a guard tower at each corner of the perimeter.
"Is this an agency or a prison?" Ororo asked.
Ororo was right to have that worry, as it seemed that the agency knew they were about to be attacked at any moment.
"What do you guys think? Have Wolverine cut a hole in the fence? Or shall I just tear one open for you all?" Adam suggested.
"Easy there, Invincible," Scott interjected, "This operation requires stealth and subtlety like the Professor said. We can't just go around breaking through walls."
"Cyclops is correct," Hank agreed before turning to Storm, "Storm, can you provide us with some dense fog cover to obscure our entrance?"
"Gladly," she said before stepping forward, raising her hands as her eyes began to glow bright white before whispering, "Mists! Rise and render our foes blind!"
Soon, a dense fog blanketed the area, obscuring everything that wasn't directly a few feet in front of them.
"Lovely as always, Storm," Adam praised.
"Thank you," Storm said with a wink.
"Save it, you two. Let's move," Scott ordered as Storm, Beast, Wolverine, and Morph left the woods and headed for the fence, avoiding detection from the guard towers.
Adam stayed behind with Cyclops and Rogue, watching as Storm silently flew over the fence while Logan, Morph and Hank followed close behind. He kept his eyes on the guards as Morph was hurled over the fence before Logan and Hank joined him and Storm. They were soon out of sight, leaving the rest to wait for their return.
'Please be safe,' Adam thought before moving onto the next phase of the plan.
Meanwhile, the infiltration group made their way into the area of the base. Slowly sneaking up to the main security room, Morph managed to catch a glimpse of the security guard on duty. Without missing a beat, he quickly transformed into the guard, snuck up behind him, before hitting him over the head with a hard THWACK of a small bludgeon.
"Sorry," Morph whispered somewhat insincerely before tying up and hiding the body in a nearby cabinet. He then went over to the security monitors and put them on a five second loop of footage before letting the others into the building. He pressed the X badge on his pectoral, activating the comm link.
"Security Room secure, moving to Phase 2," Morph said.
"Roger," Scott replied, "Maintaining watch for hostiles."
As the group continued toward the building, they came to a maintenance entrance on the side of the base. After slicing off the door handle and lock, Wolverine opened the entryway before he sniffed something, stopping them in their tracks.
"Hold up a sec," he said, giving the service hallway a few good whiffs. "Storm, give us a little more fog, will ya?"
Doing as she was asked, Storm condensed the moisture in the air until it turned into mist, revealing a series of infrared security lasers.
"But how did-" Hank began.
"Ozone. Wreakes of it," Wolverine responded, tapping his nose.
"Looks like you're up, Beast," Morph spoke up.
"'With faint, averted feet and many a tear in our opposed path to persevere,'" Hank quoted. "A minor poet for a minor obstacle." With that, he jumped up to the ceiling and silently made his way to the control fusebox, shutting down the lasers.
Ororo, and the rest of her team joined Hank on the other side of the hallway, standing face to face with a door. On the other side, the records room and the objective of their mission. Ororo was about to open the door when Logan caught her hand. She looked at him only for him to put his finger over his mouth.
"I smell gunpowder," he whispered.
"Then let us give our friends on the other side a surprise," Ororo took a step back.
Her eyes turned white as the wind and air coming into the hallway gathered up in her hands, first like two miniature whirlwinds, before furiously spinning into a pair of small cyclones. She thrust her hands forward, unleashing the pressurised wind against the door with all her might. The door was sent flying back like a potato out of an air cannon, knocking all the soldiers back with the sheer weight and speed it had behind it. Like being suddenly struck by a train coming out at top speed, the room was cleared up for Ororo and her team to come in.
"We're in, now what?" Morph asked.
"We destroy any and all records, both physical as well as electronic," Ororo's eyes glowed with lightning as she fired a bolt from her fingertips at a large waste basket, making a fire.
"Storm, you know how to get the fire started," Logan popped his claws and started cutting into the computers as Morph grabbed the files before dumping them into the fire.
Beast typed away at the computer, gathering all the data he could onto a portable disk drive before destroying the original copies. Just as he was finishing up, Wolverine sliced the monitor down the middle like it was made of paper.
"Was that really necessary?" Hank asked.
"Best not to leave anything to chance," Logan smirked.
"Good, we're done." Storm created a small rain cloud, washing away all the ashes and charred remains of the records.
Just then, an alarm started blaring through the building as red lights flashed through the hallways.
"What's going on? What happened?!" Storm asked over the comm link.
"We don't know! They must've gotten wise somehow!" Scott responded. "Everyone, head back to The Blackbird! On the double!" he ordered through the link.
"We must go, now!" Ororo relayed their orders before they ran out of the records room.
Back outside, Adam spotted several armed trucks and tanks driving up to the agency.
"Cyclops, we got company!" Adam called through the comm link.
"Invincible, Rogue, take care of them! If we're boxed in we'll be trapped like rats!" Cyclops ordered.
Adam shot himself at top speeds against the armored vehicles just as the soldiers pulled out their weapons, unleashing a barrage of bullets and laser blasts at him, firing everything they had. He flew around the shots and the laser blasts heading his way, reeling back his right arm for his first punch. His fist collided with one of the tanks, sending it flying back with ease as it lost both its top and one of its treadbelts.
He turned his attention to one of the armored trucks as the soldiers opened fire on him. Swerving around the shots, he landed a mighty stomp on the ground, sending the soldiers stumbling back and onto the ground.
"Sorry about that, but it beats a direct punch from me," Adam grabbed hold of one of the trucks, picking it up over his head before throwing it at one of the other tanks. "All this for one agency that's supposed to be helpful, not suspicious at all."
"Play Sherlock some other time, Invincible!" Rogue flew in, snatching several of the soldiers from the ground before dropping them into a nearby pond. "Right now we gotta take out the rest of these rough boys!" Rogue dropped down on top of one of the tanks, smashing the turret into pieces.
Invincible nodded and joined her in her efforts. He sped through the battlefield, picking up soldiers and armed guards before tossing them where they could not get in the way. Then he flew straight at the tanks and armored trucks with Rogue by his side. They reeled back their fists before punching straight through the metal like it was paper mache. The sound of the metal turning to scrap as they tore through the vehicles was nothing they hadn't heard before but it wasn't gonna stop them now.
"That's all the tanks and the last of the soldiers," Rogue said.
"Good, let's get the rest of the team and leave as soon as possible." Adam and Rogue flew across the battlefield before meeting up with Cyclops as the others exfiltrated the base.
However, as soon as the team were reunited and making their way back to The Blackbird, those still on the ground could both feel and hear rhythmic thumping.
"Someone please tell me that's someone's stomach," Morph looked around for the source of the noise.
"I don't think that's Beast's stomach rumbling, Morph," Adam tightened his fists before spotting the same giant robot coming out from the forest along with some ugly-looking friends of his. "Though it seems they didn't come alone."
"Take them down!" Cyclops ordered, firing his optic blast at one of the giant robots, knocking it back.
"Finally, I was beginning to get bored!" Wolverine smirked, popping his claws and charging at the metal giants.
Dodging around a couple of energy bolts from the robots, Wolverine managed to get in close before slicing into its legs, shredding the metal plating like tissue paper, before quickly following up with a series of slashes that ended with him cutting the robot's legs off at the knees.
Before the robot could do much else, Wolverine leapt onto its back and plunged his claws into its head, skewering its circuits before ripping them out.
Adam joined in the fight, flying in and punching one of the giant robots in the face. He flew up into the air before smashing into another one of the robots in the chest, punching a hole through its chest. However, just as he hit the ground, a red blast struck him from behind, pinning him for a second. Adam looked up to see another robot stomping down on him with its massive foot.
Grunting from under the giant's Size 200, Invincible started lifting it off of him. He slowly got up from under the foot. To anyone else, it would've looked like an ant pushing up an elephant with ease, but to Adam this was a warm up. With a mighty push, he sent the robot back before shooting upwards at top speed, punching through the robot's head like a bullet. He turned to see his friends making their way to The Blackbird, blasting and punching the other robots with ease.
They were winning this fight.
Just then, he was bombarded with a barrage of red lasers, sending him down to the ground.
"Invincible!" Ororo flew to his side, helping him to his feet. "What happened?"
They turned to look up, seeing five more giant robots coming down to the fight. They fired their lasers down on the X-Men, pinning them down.
Morph saw Logan clawing at a robot, but was so focused on it that he didn't see one of the robots getting the drop on him.
"Wolverine, look out!" Morph pushed Logan out of the way, receiving the full force of the blast to the chest.
Time slowed down around the X-Men as more and more of the giant robots fired upon them. Hank became separated from the team as he was launched backwards by one of the robot's beams into the electric fence.
Adam shot out into the sky, tanking as many of the blasts as he could. The lasers stung against his body, slowing him down. But he muscles on through them. He punched and destroyed as many as he could. Going through the robots like a crazy blue bullet on a mission. He punched one, kicked another and tore off the arm of one of the other robots to help his friends out. But it seemed that for every robot he destroyed, another one took its place.
"X-MEN, RETREAT!" Cyclops ordered. Logan tried defying that, however, about to go back and rescue his friends only to be stopped by a direct touch to the arm by Rogue.
They took the chance of an opening, rushing to the Blackbird as Adam did his best to get all his friends. He tried to grab hold of Morph's body but one of the robots swatted him away. Something warm ran down his nose as something metallic filled his mouth. His mask was torn and burnt slightly, so he could see it: blood. He was bleeding.
"Adam, we must go!" Ororo helped him to his feet, using the chaos to escape.
All Adam could see were the friends they'd left behind as the Blackbird took off. He had failed them. He wasn't strong enough.
The team stood before a TV in the briefing room, and the news wasn't good. The president addressed the people, telling them what had happened, or at least what they believed had happened.
"... And among the millions of dollars worth of damages, the terrorist Mutants were responsible for destroying all the records the agency had in its possession. One of their members was captured thanks to the aid of a new security enforcement operative, the Sentinels." The president explained in her address to the people.
"Sentinels," Scott scoffed. "So that's what they're called."
"Funny they don't mention how one of those same things wrecked a mall while hunting an innocent girl," Adam narrowed his eyes.
"At least we know what they are: weapons to attack and capture Mutants," Xavier said.
"Or exterminate them. We need to speak with Jubilee, she can't leave with those things out there." Ororo looked at the images with worry before leaving the room.
"I'll go with you, I need some air anyway." Adam said, accompanying Ororo.
"He's taking it bad, ain't he?" Rogue asked.
"He was there in the thick of it and still he couldn't beat those monsters, cher," Gambit said. "Seen it in his eyes. Anger like Logan's at his worst."
"At least he tried." Scott rubbed his stomach where Logan had punched him. "We failed and it was all my fault." Jean placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him.
"We all wish things were different, Scott. All we can do now is get ready for what could come next," Jean lamented, hugging Scott tight.
Adam's mood could not be any lower. His hands were itchy and his blood boiled for action. There had to be something he could do, anything would be better than just running. He hadn't felt this powerless since his fight with the Shadow King.
"You shouldn't blame yourself, beloved," Ororo stopped Adam in his tracks. "We did everything we could."
"Then why do I feel like I could've done more?" Adam looked away. "I should've done more. Just thinking about all that's happened… Beast getting arrested… Morph…" Adam was near a breakdown as tears began welling up in his eyes.
Ororo hugged her man tightly, feeling his tears boil and drip from his eyes. She was fairing no better. Her sight became hazy from the memory of the empty seats on their way back. But they could not lament and let their sacrifices be in vain. The need to do something urged her to push back the sadness. They had to find these Sentinels and expose them for what they truly were.
"We will not let this define us," Ororo said. "We must choose to rise above the hurt and use it to be better," she kissed Adam on the lips, soothing his mind.
"You're right. We need to be better," Adam tightened his hand. "Now, let's tell Jubilee what we've learned," he knocked on Jubilee's door but no answer came.
It wasn't odd for a teenager to sleep in. But usually they were up after smelling breakfast.
Adam knocked again, louder this time.
"Jubilee? It's Ororo, may we come in?" Ororo called.
No answer.
Adam opened the door a crack, only to find the room empty and the window open.
"Oh no," he fully opened the door to see the room. "We got a runner."
"She must've gone to her foster parents' home. Lets go." Ororo and Adam turned to run back to the others, fearing the worst had happened to Jubilee.
Adam and Ororo took a drive with Scott to Jubilee's foster home, hoping to get some answers. They knocked on the door where a middle aged woman answered.
"Yes?"
"Hello ma'am, sorry to bother you, but we're looking for your foster daughter Jubelious Lee," Scott said. "My name is Scott Summers and these are my associates, Adam Aurelius and Ororo Munroe."
"Is she with you?!" She asked.
"She's not here?" Ororo asked.
Jubilee's mother let them inside, and were soon joined by her husband. They told them that they had waited the whole night for her to return but she had not come home.
"We-I reached out to the agency because I wanted to help her," Jubilee's father said. "They seemed to know what they were doing and when Mr. Gyrich came over asking about some mutants that helped her, we assumed she was hanging out with a dangerous crowd."
"I understand your worry, sir. But we're worried because she snuck out last night after being chased by a Sentinel robot just a few hours ago and now she's gone missing." Adam pulled up a picture of the Sentinel head.
"We just want to be sure she's safe." Ororo added.
"She was chased by one of these?" Jubilee's foster father turned pale. "You need to leave, now. They said that someone would come asking about her and to call them. I'm such an idiot!"
"You're not an idiot, sir. You're just a worried father," Scott said.
Adam looked out the window, knowing that a Sentinel was coming after them. Good thing he wanted to punch something.
"I've got an idea," Adam said.
Scott walked out of the house when from behind the home across the street came out another Sentinel.
"HALT MUTANT!" The Sentinel commanded. "YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!"
"Sure. NOT!" Scott took off his glasses, firing an optic blast, cutting the Sentinel's arm clean off.
"ERROR! ERROR! REPAIRS NEEDED!" The Sentinel took off, flying away from the scene.
Unbeknownst to the large machine, Adam followed after it.
"You guys have my signal?" Adam asked over his comm.
"We have a lock, beloved," Ororo replied. "Now, let's find where these monsters are being built."
Adam narrowed his eyes, knowing that he had to cut a little loose with these things.
The Sentinel flew through the country to a location in the middle of nowhere, where a large factory lay hidden. Inside, Bolivar Trask was working on building more of the Sentinels.
"Stop making them, Trask," Henry Peter Gyrich announced, barging into the laboratory in a foul mood. "The president, in all her wisdom, has cut our funding."
"What? Why?" Trask asked. "We just proved that the Sentinels are the defense humanity needs."
"The destruction of the files and the lack of human casualties has made her get cold feet," Gyrich spat. "It's almost like she thinks these Mutants are innocent."
As soon as he finished his sentence, the busted head of a Sentinel smashed down through their roof.
"Well, you two don't exactly look like saints," Adam, now in his costume, floated down. "Where's the girl?"
"They've found us! Activate the Sentinels!" Gyrich snapped.
Trask pressed a button, bringing the Sentinels online.
"Good thing my friends want a rematch," Adam was joined by the rest of the X-Men busting down the door.
"This one's for you, Morph," Wolverine popped his claws as the Sentinels charged at them.
Scott fired his optical blasts, hitting right between their eyes and blowing their heads off.
Jean levitated objects around her, flinging them at the Sentinels, and clogging their lasers and their other weapons.
Wolverine pounced on top of one of the Sentinel's clawing out its back with animalistic rage.
Gambit pulled out his trusty playing cards, charging them with kinetic energy before flinging them at the Sentinels.
"The name is Gambit, remember it!" Gambit's cards exploded, reducing the robots to rubble.
His eyes landed on Jubilee as she ran out of the cell they were holding her in. A Sentinel tried to snatch her, but he flicked a card at its head, blowing it up.
"Hello petit, miss me?" Gambit asked, getting a hug from Jubilee.
"Come on! There are other cells I couldn't open!" she said, leading the way back to the holding area.
Rogue picked up a Sentinel arm, swinging it at another automaton, smashing its head in.
Storm unleashed the wrath of the elements down on the robots, frying their circuitry with lightning. The rage she felt was worthy of being called godlike against her transgressors.
"You have sown the wind and you shall reap a hurricane!" She slammed her hands together, creating a thunder explosion of pressurized air that slammed into the robots with a mighty gale.
Adam cracked the ground beneath his feet with every step he took. He punched and tore through the Sentinels with a rage he had tried to suppress. It was almost like his blood was calling him to fight with all his might. His fists destroyed the Sentinels that stood in his way. Their large mechanical bodies broke into pieces as he unleashed his anger.
"I won't let you hurt anyone else!" Adam punched through the head of the last Sentinel.
He turned his sights to the assembly line of Sentinels. Raising his leg high, he landed a devastating ax kick, smashing it completely in half.
Turning around, Adam spotted the other missing Mutants being led out by Gambit and Jubilee.
"It's time to go home," Adam said. "All of us."
Adam walked with his father through the offices of Image News, the paper they both worked on as they put down the final touches on their article.
"Well, what do you think?" Luke asked, gesturing to the piece on the Sentinel Program's hidden actions.
"I like that they picked the picture of the damn thing destroyed." Adam's anger had not lessened since the fight and rescue at the Sentinel factory. "This is bound to help Hank with his upcoming trial."
"Maybe, but how are you feeling, son?" Luke looked at his boy now grown into a man. "After everything."
"Still angry. I want to do more, be more." Adam sighed. "I'm supposed to be the strongest, but I couldn't save my friends. Maybe I should change my name to something else."
Luke placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You know son, being invincible isn't all that's cracked up to be. You may not be perfect, but no one is. Everyone struggles," Luke gestured to the article. "But we learn and improve from our faults and our losses. That's what makes our life worth living. You might not have saved everyone, but what matters is you never stop trying."
Adam tightened a fist. The feeling of powerlessness was there. The feeling of failure. But he couldn't let it consume him. He would be better for the future. For everyone that needed it.
This was only the beginning. But for whatever was out there, he would live up to the ideal of being-
Invincible & The Astonishing X-Men