Categories > Cartoons > X-Men: Evolution > Extermination
The Final Solution
0 reviewsTakes place 2 years after Apocalypse, 1 year after the Phoenix. The mutant problem has grown and a obscure general named William Stryker thinks he has a solution. Has Scott/Jean, Wanda/Kurt, Kitty/...
0Unrated
Extermination
Chapter 33: The Final Solution
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William Stryker, the general of all military forces in the United States and leader of the Friends of Humanity, stood proud before the crowing achievement of Operation Extermination...The plan he had meticulously and arduously prepared over many years. His goal at first seemed to simply be to rid the world of all mutants...But now, upon hearing his justifications for so many murders of innocent people, it was clear that his goals were a lot broader than the X-men ever could have imagined. He didn't simply with to rid the world of the mutant scourge...He wanted to mold the world. And this final plan would be carried out by the machine that now stood behind him, ready for deployment...Sentinel X.
"That's it? That's yer big plan to wipe out every last mutant on Earth?!" bellowed Logan at the general, "After all the shit the sentinels have done before and all the times they've failed, you still think this bucket of bolts is the answer?!"
"Still the shallow minded animal I see..." scoffed Stryker, "You really have no idea how to look beyond what is merely on the surface do you?"
"Surface or not! These things won't stop us! Not after everything you've done to us!" yelled Scott angrily at the calm, collected general.
Stryker simply laughed again, hinting just how much he was enjoying this. A feeling of complete superiority in both intellect, planning, and execution dominated Stryker's mindset as he looked at his enemies unafraid and undaunted by their feeble attempts in thinking that they could win something that they've already lost.
"You pathetic genetic rejects..." said Stryker as he shook his head in pity, "You have no idea the capability of these machine that stands behind me now do you? This machine in all it's glory is equipped with technology from my company 50 years ahead of it's time. It has advanced weaponry, tracking, armor, defense, AI, and flight capabilities that help it fulfill its one purpose..."
"Let me guess..." interrupted Raven in a bitter tone, "Eliminate all mutants?"
A slow grin spread across Stryker's face as he heard her predictable response.
"No...Yield completely to human command. You see, that is where the old models failed and where this final model will succeed. And with the weaponry and capabilities of this ultimate war machine...Every last mutant on the face of the planet will be dead by sunrise."
"No way! We'll destroy it before it can even be turned on!" yelled Jean at Stryker.
This time, Bolivar Trask took the initiative as he pulled out a small, hand held remote control that he had been keeping in his lab coat pocket.
"You lousy freaks...Do you really take me for such stupidity?" he said pressing the large, blue button on the controller, "What one robot can't do...Many can!"
Suddenly, the rest of the lights all throughout the warehouse came on and the floor of the old warehouse began to rumble as hidden opening located all along the floors of the vast facility opened up and dozens of identical sentinels rose up out of the ground. None of them had glowing eyes, hinting that they had not been turned on yet...But each one looked as menacing as the first. Soon, they were surrounded completely by 40 foot tall robot killing machines. Every area surrounding the inner perimeter of the building was now lined with Sentinels while the one that was turned on remained standing ominously before them with its glowing red eyes. The shock and bewilderment that followed for the X-men only further amused both Stryker and Trask, while Senator Kelly looked somewhat nervous, but remained silent.
"And the funny thing is...This is only part of my army," said Stryker, "There are hundreds in an underground facility stretching all throughout these docks. Each one of them is scheduled to be activated in under 30 minutes...And once they're activated, there's no stopping them. You see...The military strike I brilliantly orchestrated was but a mere amusement for both myself and the Friends of Humanity. It distracted all of you from the development and full implication of these awesome killing machines while also thinning your numbers so that there would be as few mutants to deal with as possible. The heart of the mutant menace was taken out along with any hopes of survival long ago...Now, there is nothing left for you freaks and no future awaits you or your kind. Sentinel X will be the mediums for which mutants everywhere shall perish and they shall be the tools that humanity uses to bring forth a new era of achievement."
The X-men at this point had just about taken all they could stand of this incessant taunting. William Stryker, Magnum, Bolivar Trask, and Senator Edward Kelly were the ones responsible for all the death and destruction that had plagued them. Their homes were gone and many good friends now lay dead because of them and this 'plan' of theirs. There was no qualm, guilt, or hesitation in killing mutants for them...It was as if they were swatting mere flies and nothing more. People of such savagery could not be allowed to torment the innocent in this world no matter how much they tried to justify their actions. Now, the united X-men were ready to launch their attack on this man for all of his indiscretions towards both them and their kind.
"ERR! Enough games Stryker!!!" yelled Wolverine as he and X23 unleashed their claws, "You'll pay for all the shit you've done and all the people you've killed! And no piece of shit robot will ever keep me from making you pay!"
"Oh...I beg to differ...Weapon X," smirked Stryker as he watched the entire group of mutants prepared to attack this madman and his henchmen.
Then suddenly, a strange antenna emerged out of the head of the giant 40 foot robot and began emitting some strange blue wave of energy. Then, before any one of the mutants could take a step closer, a sudden feeling of immense pain overcame their bodies as they all let out loud moans of pain and fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. They tried to get up...But something about the wave that the sentinel was emitting was sapping their energy clean, making every bone in their bodies feel like it weighed a ton. An intense, sickly feeling from within paralyzed and immobilized each one of them with great pain...But for some reason, this mysterious wave had no effect on Stryker, Magnum, Trask, and Kelly.
Some tried to crawl their way towards them...Still desperate to fight back against this man. But the pain and weakness was too great to overcome. Slowly, Stryker and his associates casually made his way towards the fallen group as they all moaned out in agony from the effects of the strange weapon from the sentinel. Still, they tried to attack...But it did little to dissuade the confident general.
"Enjoying a little taste of one of the many new toys that sentinel X has at its disposal?" mocked Trask, "What you are all feeling now is a unique physioelectic pulse wave specifically resonated to the subtle mutagenic field created by the natural life energy of all mutants. While completely and utterly harmless to humans...Its effects are quite intense as you all are figuring out now."
"You...Bastard!" struggled Mystique as her gaze met with that of Trask.
The shape shifter then tried to fight her way towards Trask, but was too weak to attack and was met with a swift kick in the face from the angry scientist that they had helped put in jail.
"Insult me all you want...It won't lessen the effects," taunted Trask, "And you know what the pathetic thing is? It's not even halfway to full power! Once every one of these sentinels employs this new technology on a grand scale...There will be no way for you freaks to fight back!"
"Go to...Hell!" struggled Alex as he clutched his stomach in pain from the effects of the wave.
But no amount of taunting could stop them from using this powerful technology to their full advantage. Senator Kelly now stood before the downed children that he used to watch over every day in the halls of Bayville high. Scott, Jean, Kurt, Kitty, and Pietro all looked at him with utter distain in their eyes as they saw the look on the bigoted man's face while he watched over their pained forms.
"You see...I told you I'd find a way to make it so you freaks could never harm another innocent human," said Kelly to his former pupils, "Consider this long overdue for the lot of you!"
"Fuck...You!" grunted Pietro angrily.
"Senator Kelly..." struggled Kitty, "We were...Supposed to...Trust you! You were...Our principal!"
"And the job of a principal and a senator is to protect those from threats like you. I'm just doing my duty as both!" shot the angry Senator back, standing before those he had once protected.
Scott then managed to grab the senator's ankle, using his anger over what this man had helped do to his family to fight through the pain. But he was still too weak to make much of a difference as the senator soon felt the grab and easily shook him off.
"Don't ever touch me freak!" said the Senator as he gave the young man a hard kick in the stomach.
While Kelly and Trask traversed the younger part of the group, Stryker and his loyal associate, Magnum, made their way over towards Wolverine and X23 as they lay paralyzed on the floor like somebody who had just been shot in the heart, but was lingering to suffer a slow, painful death. But as he neared them, Stryker's eyes fell more upon that of X23 instead of the angry mutant he had faced at the Watergate hotel when he was with the Professor. Both Stryker and Magnum grinned at the struggling young girl and the old man beside her, but it didn't stop them from looking closer as a look of great intrigue came over Stryker's face.
"My, my, my Magnum..." said Stryker as he forcibly grabbed X23's face, "I don't think I've ever seen this little specimen before."
"Neither have I..." said the Russian woman as she then took the girls face from Stryker with her powerful, strong grip.
"Why Logan..." grinned the general, "I didn't know you had a daughter."
Upon seeing the way they were both holding the former living weapon that was created from his own blood, Logan let out an angry growl as he nearly managed to stand up despite the intense pain.
"Get away from her! Or I swear I'll..." but before he could finish, he was swiftly drop kicked by Magnum.
Then, Logan was once again forced to watch as the two mass murderers took in X23's appearance and listened to her pained, animalistic growls that resembled Logan so well.
"She has his looks..." said Stryker as he looked the young girl in the eye, "Same eye color...Similar skin tone...Same animalistic rage."
"Not to mention the same accessories," said Magnum, pointing out the adamantium claws protruding from her knuckles.
"Like father like daughter I guess..." smirked Stryker.
The Russian woman then threw the former living weapon that had lived such a harsh life down to the ground, evoking an angry roar from Logan...But it did not register at all in the minds of the unaffected. Soon, Trask and Senator Kelly joined them before the downed young girl as Magnum pulled out her 44 caliber from the open holster strewn along her side.
"Should we kill her first?" said Magnum as she pointed the gun at X23's head.
"And make the animal watch the death of his child?" thought Stryker aloud with an amused grin on his face, "It would only prolong his suffering since they'll all be dead soon anyways. But...As long as they're still breathing..."
"NO!" yelled Logan, trying to fight his way through the pain to help X23.
"Don't hurt her!" yelled Alex as he tried as well, but with no luck.
"Well, what do you think? We have two reasons to do it and none so far not to," said the general with a snide tone.
"Then I guess it would be illogical not to make the animal suffer even more," said Trask, "I know that man's history...If anybody deserves it, he does!"
While the men taunted and teased the former living weapons to no end, Mystique tried to make her way towards them as she saw the look on Logan's face turn from one of rage, to one of sorrow. He was about to watch them murder X23. It almost reminded her of how she was forced to watch the same kind of men murder her daughter. Now Logan was about to experience something she had...And there was little that could be done to stop it. A small tear fell down her face as she tried not to watch, but was unable to tear her gaze away from the horrid scene she knew that she was about to witness.
As the others looked anxiously towards X23, Scott secretly hit a button on his uniform even as his body continued to fail him like all the others. He kept panting and gasping for air...But he knew that he and everybody else for that matter would have to stay alive if they were to handle what was to come.
"I think it's unanimous then..." said Stryker with a sinister grin as he looked down at the immobile X23, "The animal's offspring shall be the first to die among these most tenacious survivors."
"No..." struggled Logan, wanting so badly to find the strength to lunge forth and eviscerate these monsters for hurting X23.
The young girl that had spent most of her life in a laboratory as a sub-human project growled in defiance, but it wouldn't change what was about to happen in her mind. Her whole life had been an endless mess of confusion, anger, and uncertainty...Now it looked as though it was going to finally end. Part of her took comfort in that...But as she looked back over at Logan, the man whose blood created her, a subtle longing to live on and find more answers to the questions and feelings about life persisted. But for both of them...There seemed to be no choice at this point.
"Take comfort little one..." said Magnum in her usual stoic voice, "At least you're suffering will be cut short compared to your comrades."
Magnum was less than a second away from pulling the trigger and killing X23. Then suddenly...A deafening bang shattered the moment as the ceiling above them gave way to an immense force.
"What the?!" however, Trask was unable to finish his words as he was forced to avoid the pieces of the falling ceiling along with his three associates.
The still downed X-men were forced to shield themselves from falling debris. It was a most unexpected us of strategy...For the button that Scott had activated summoned the autopilot from the X-jet and caused it to initiate its rescue protocols. It was a risky, unplanned move...But it seemed to work in some ways. The chaos from he shattered ceiling quickly escalated as deadly debris began to fall upon the surviving X-men. Scott shielded Jean with his body, Kurt did the same for Wanda, while Piotr grabbed Kitty and pulled her out of the way of a rather large shower of sharp glass. Logan quickly made his way to X23 as he, Alex, and Pietro quickly made it off to the side where Raven already was. Then...As more sections of the ceiling collapsed, one particularly large chunk fell upon the antenna atop the head of the sentinel and caused it to break and fall to the ground, stopping the paralyzing pulse wave in the process.
Upon seeing this, Stryker knew that incidents like this were definitely times when unnecessary risks should not be taken. And like always, he knew exactly what to do.
"I believe that this would be our queue to make our exit," said Stryker, still as calm as ever despite the suddenness of this situation.
"Exit! Now?!" said Senator Kelly as he looked at the havoc that now surrounded him.
However, his insolence only prompted Magnum point her powerful gun directly at the head of the senator, causing him to quickly cower in a state of fear before the intimidating Russian woman.
"That wasn't a request senator..." said Stryker in a stern, yet subtle tone.
Not having a choice at this point, Senator Kelly followed his associates to an open door concealed behind the active sentinel. The rest of the powerful robots were still scheduled to be activated, but neither of them wanted to stick around for the messy fight that was about to ensue. As Trask and the senator left, Stryker and Magnum took one last look back at the group of survivors that had done so much to fight off their attacks as they struggled to recover from the effects of the pulse wave.
"Have fun my worthy enemies," he said over the noise in a voice still dominant with confidence, "In a mere fifteen minutes...Every sentinel in this facility will be fully operational. After that, it will all be over for your kind. I'd love to stay and witness this magnificent creation annihilate you...But I have more pressing matters to attend to. Farewell...X-men."
And with that, the general was once again gone and the X-men were left to face down the ultimate mutant slayer. The pulse wave generator was disabled, but that did not do anything to the rest of the vast array of weapons it had. Through the machine's highly controlled AI, it identified the group of mutants before it as the motor functions of its limbs came to life.
"Mutant's identified. Objective...Destroy."
With a single raised hand, the robot let out a powerful blast of energy towards where the lone group of mutants that it was now set on destroying.
"Everybody down!" yelled Logan as the energy from the blast shattered the glass windows all around the area.
It was a powerful burst unlike anything they had ever faced with previous sentinels. However, the X-men were not dissuaded as they prepared to fight back at this monstrosity.
"X-men...Let's take this thing down!" said Scott as he and the others quickly regrouped.
With a powerful optic blast, Scott targeted the shoulder area. Alex did the same with the other side, but both of them soon found out that this wasn't like the other sentinels...This one had heavy alloy armor that was even strong enough to resist their blasts.
"Damn man! That thing's armored tough!" said Alex as he tried to step up the intensity.
"Then we'll just have to improvise..." growled Logan as he made a mad dash towards the giant humanoid robot.
X23 soon followed him while numerous other armaments were activated and deployed against them in response to the blasts. Several openings were revealed along the arm and the chest area unleashing barrages of bullets, laser fire, and fireballs. Colossus, Mystique, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Quicksilver drew its fire while Jean worked with Wanda to put up shielding from the attacks were it was needed. This din of noise echoed through the warehouse, but it only added to the level of mayhem that quickly developed.
While the machine tried to focus on the speedy Quicksilver, Logan and X23 managed to fight their way onto one of the shoulders of the robot and quickly began to tear into it. The alloy armor was thick and strong, but adamantium proved to be every bit as indestructible and useful as it had before as the two former living weapons managed to open several gashes along the shoulder and leg area. However, for that...The sentinel had a strong counter measure.
"Surface interference detected. Electrostatic defense field engaged."
Then, the entire body of the humanoid robot was engulfed in a powerful field of energy that did not act favorably to the metal components of Wolverine and X23's bodies. With angry, pained yells the two mutants were blasted away from their positions and were sent flying. Alex and Mystique quickly rushed to their aid.
"Are you two all right?" said Mystique as she helped Logan up while Alex did the same for X23.
"I'm fine..." grunted Logan, now more driven than ever to tear this metal monstrosity to pieces.
X23's reaction was similar as she quickly regained her fighting stance much to Alex's surprise and made a mad dash back into the thick of the fight. Alex didn't have much of a choice at this point as he was left to dodge another laser blast that nicked him in the arm.
"Damn! This thing has been taking its vitamins!" said Quicksilver as he was forced to avoid another wave of bullets and laser blasts.
"Just be glad that this is simply one sentinel comrade!" said Piotr as several bullets bounced off of his tough metal skin.
The Russian born mutant tried to use his superhuman strength to ram the giant robot as hard as he could. But other than widening the gashes that Wolverine and X23 had already made...It did little to stop the rampaging robot.
"This thing is pretty tough Cyclops!" said Jean as she tried to hit it with some debris through her telekinesis, "We're not getting anywhere with this!"
"I guess that means we'll have to improvise..." said Scott as he jumped out of the way of another fireball.
"I'm game...Anybody know how though?" said Wanda as she hexed several bullets away from her body.
It wasn't a question that they had a lot of time to think about as they were once again forced to dodge a high energy blast from the cannon located in the chest. The area around them was starting to look like a demolition site as the surviving mutants started to run low on places to hide behind. To make matters worse, they were working against the clock and if they couldn't subdue this one sentinel...Then they would have no chance at the rest of the hundreds of killer robots that lurked within the lower levels of the facility. The longer they fought, the further Stryker got away from them. They had to make their move fast...But against something this powerful that was much easier said than done.
Logan once again was thrown off of the menacing behemoth as the electric defense field blew him off before he could made any more gashes in the thick metal armor. Everything was going too slow now and they needed to finish this fast. As the feral mutant looked around at his surroundings, he suddenly felt something drip from the ceiling onto his head. Looking up...He finally got an idea.
"Hey Havok!" yelled Logan as he, Mystique, and Kurt jumped out of the way of another blast.
Alex, who was still trying to fire upon the sentinel with his cosmic blasts alongside his brother, turned his attention to the former living weapon.
"Look above you!" he ordered as he was once again forced to scramble from another attack.
Doing as he was told, Alex looked at the fixtures on the ceiling above the sentinel. After a brief moment of trying to find out what Logan was referring to...He saw it. It was the old sprinkler system of the warehouse. Looking back at the sentinel with its electric defense field fully engaged, the young mutant got the picture and turned towards his brother.
"Hey bro!" he called out, getting Scott's attention, "The sprinklers!"
Looking above him, Scott quickly ascertained what he was about to do and gave an affirmative nod in his direction. Then, taking close aim with their powers, Scott and Alex blasted the old rusted pipes that riddled the roof and caused a torrent of water to come falling upon the area around them and the sentinel.
"Water and electricity don't mix bucket butt!" grinned Logan as he saw what happened next.
Because of the open holes ripped by Logan and X23 coupled with the electric field it was using as defense, the water quickly caused sparks to fly as the robot quickly shorted out as a result. In addition, water began seeping into the open cuts, causing more sparks to fly and threatening the motor functions of the machine. While this would have disabled many other machines, this sentinel quickly showed its worth by continuing to fight hard with the weapons that had remained fully functional. But knowing that this was a window they best not squander, Logan quickly launched an attack upon the robot with his claws ready and eager. X23 soon joined him and so did Colossus as they frantically fought to disable this monstrosity as quickly as possible.
"Come on!" bellowed Logan, knowing that this was their chance, "Don't let up!"
"I'm with you comrade!" said Colossus as he burst through a fireball of flame and charged the oversized robot.
Both Logan and X23 let out similar growls of fury as they jumped upon the arms and torso and began tearing into the robot. Without the electric defense field, there was little to keep them from being thrown off again as they opened up new holes in the armor that allowed more water to seep through and further damage the circuits. More damage was done and more sparks kept flying as the X-men continued to concentrate their firepower.
"All together now...FIRE!" yelled Scott as he, Alex, Jean, and Wanda unleashed their powers simultaneously on the powerful sentinel robot.
Colossus continued to land devastating blow after blow with his super strength as he fought to disable some of the weapons while Mystique managed to use her shape shifting abilities to get onto one of the arms and disable the flame thrower. However, the sentinel was still moving and not letting up in the slightest. This prompted Pietro to hold it still by using his speed to generate a powerful whirlwind around the robot causing it to be stuck in place. The sentinel responded by trying to apprehend him with metallic, tentacle-like extensions, but was too slow to get a hold on him.
"Hold it steady!" urged Logan as he continued to tear into the thick armor with his indestructible claws.
"Work faster! This thing won't go down!" said Pietro in response as the sentinel continued to work with a fury of activity.
"Then I guess ve'll have to improvise again!" said Kurt as he took Kitty's shoulder and teleported her up to one of the catwalks.
They both looked down at the imposing view below them at the renegade killing machine below as it continued to operate despite its disabilities. It was truly unlike anything that they had ever faced, but if they were to survive they would have to beat it. Therefore, drastic measures had to be taken.
"Wow..." said Shadowcat as she looked down at the view from above.
"Are you sure you're ready for this Kitty?" asked Kurt anxiously, not liking what they were having to go through simply to stop one sentinel.
"Dose it look like I have a choice?" replied Kitty as she prepared to make her leap of faith deep into the sentinel's interior.
While it remained stationary thanks to Pietro's whirlwind, Kitty took one long jump directly into the head of the giant robot and quickly began phasing through it. Along the way, she was careful to damage as many inner circuits as possible. However from what she saw, this thing had components more advanced than she had ever seen...But they were still electronics. Inch by inch, foot by foot...Kitty Pryde phased her way through the robot causing irreparable damage to the core components. But as she phased out the other side, she was left with nowhere to land.
"Oh shit!!!" she yelled as she felt herself fall through the air.
"I got you Katya!" yelled Colossus as he rushed towards her and caught her in his arms.
It took a moment for Kitty catch her breath after that, but once she did she managed to flash a brief smile to her savior and if he wasn't in metal form...He most certainly would have blushed.
"Damn it! This thing is still going!" grunted Mystique as she was thrown of one of the arms as it began whipping wildly through the air.
"Not for long!" said Scott as he and the others prepared for one final blast.
The sparks were now bigger than ever as the motor functions of the sentinel finally began to falter after Kitty's damaging run. The sensors were now overloading and the power cells had been damaged. Yet it was still fighting to fulfill its objective. It tried another blast from on of its arm cannons, but the damage to the circuits had made it unstable and caused the arm to explode clean off of the main body. Not wanting to squander this window of opportunity Scott, Jean, Alex, and Wanda all stood on opposing sides to the robot and prepared for what they hoped would be the final death blow.
"Okay everybody...Don't hold back this time! Use full power...NOW!" ordered Scott.
In a powerful burst of optic blasts, cosmic burst, telekinesis, and hex bolts...The sentinel X robot was engulfed in the deadly melee of attacks. Its super strong armor was scratched, dented, and torn by the attacks from Logan, X23, and Colossus. With the vulnerable interior exposed, there was no hiding from the sheer magnitude of each blast. Then finally, everybody stood back and watched with intent as the powerful robot that they had struggled so hard against...Exploded with a bang.
"We did it..." said Kurt as he appeared behind his tired friends.
"Yeah...One down, hundreds to go!" said Wanda as she and the others struggled to catch their breath.
The rest of the sentinel army still lined the whole structure and the thought of going up against all of them was a daunting task in of itself. They had barely survived this one...That luck may not permeate towards another one.
"Then we'll have to destroy them all before they become active!" said Scott, knowing that there was little time for rest as the countdown towards the final step of Stryker's plan grew ever closer.
"And how do you propose we do that in a place this big?" said Pietro, reminding the young leader of the magnitude of such a task.
"Simple...This is a dock area turned manufacturing center," answered Mystique, who had some experience with jobs like this, "That means that there are power generators to drive the equipment, fuel lines to deliver gas to them, and plenty of burnable structure and explosives within the sentinels themselves!"
"Sounds like fun..." grunted Logan, "But what about Stryker?"
"We'll have to take this one step at a time Logan," said Scott, "First...We have to eliminate all these sentinels before they can bring even more death to the world."
"Scott's right Logan..." coaxed Jean, sensing his anger and rage towards Stryker as he projected them, "We have to destroy these monstrosities while there's still time!"
It was clear that Logan didn't like the idea of simply letting Stryker go, not after what he had put him through. And what he threatened to do to X23 right before his eyes was the clinching factor in this feeling that he had to pay. Looking over at her and the hallow look she had in her face from years of being tortured and treated like an animal was hard. It was like a weight on his very soul being that she was created from his blood. He remembered the feeling he got with Stryker referred to her as his daughter...And by definition that was in many ways true. But it only further enraged the former weapon X warrior because Stryker threatened to take another piece of his family away from him after having already done so much.
X23 looked back at him with an expression that showed just how hardened she had been in her brief life. But beneath that stern outer look, a genuine concern for this man still lingered. She remembered how she had broken down in tears when she encountered him...Twice. His words to her on that fateful day when they first met, 'I'm the closest thing to family you have,' kept repeating over and over again. She wasn't supposed to have a family...She wasn't supposed to have a lot of things...Yet here she was. X23 had a feeling what Logan was about to do and part of her wanted to stop him...But remembering that he was like her in so many ways, she knew that there was nothing she could say or do to stop him.
"To hell with that!" yelled Logan as he stormed past everybody towards the door that Stryker and his crew had left out of, "I'm gonna find this asshole myself and put a stop to him permanently!"
"Mr. Logan wait!" urged Kitty, but her words had no effect on the enraged mutant as he soon fell out of sight.
"Don't worry Kitty...I'll follow him," said Mystique, not waiting for anybody to argue.
"Mother!" cried Kurt as she started to go the same path as Logan.
"Don't worry son!" she yelled back as she neared the door, "I'll be fine! You do you're part...And I'll be sure to do mine!"
Kurt was about to teleport himself over to her and make an effort to stop her, but he suddenly felt Wanda's gentle hand grab his shoulder, dissuading him from simply adding to the number of those going after the madman behind all this carnage.
"Let her go Kurt...Trust her," said Wanda.
Kurt had lost his sister in this whole ordeal. He had seen her body, he had seen the look permanently etched on her face upon her death, and he had seen his mother cry endless tears for her. Now Mystique, his biological mother, was the only family he had left. But that didn't make letting her go after the man responsible for all these murders any easier. Now...They had much more daunting tasks at hand.
"Okay people...We have hundreds of killer sentinels more advanced than anything humanity has ever created all around us and in the levels below," said Scott as he reviewed the grim situation to his friends, "We have less than 15 minutes to find a way to blow this place sky high and take every last one of these things with it. Like Mystique said, we have generators, fuel lines, and plenty of burnable structure around us. But we're working against the clock! If even one of them becomes active, we're pretty much done for!"
"So we have to blow up a building in under 15 minutes or everybody dies?" summarized Pietro, "Sounds like a challenge!"
At this point, the surviving mutants of the attacks that devastated their homes were beyond fearing impossible tasks. They had faced more of them in the last three weeks than most people face their entire lives. And this one just seemed like any other task at this point even with the stakes so high. Now all that was left was to make William Stryker's final solution to the mutant menace go up in smoke.
"Anybody else have something to add?" said Scott before they began this overwhelmingly daunting task.
Nobody said a word...Only looks of determination from hardened mutant fighters whom had struggled for their lives for so long now remained. And for the survival of their kind and the end of this senseless war...It was no or never.
"Good...Now let's get to work!"
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AN: Well, that's it for now folks! Things are really heating up now! Stryker is still alive and the ultimate sentinels are close to becoming active! And don't forget about Wolverine and Mystique! They are actually going to go after the source! So what do you all think? Have you enjoyed this story up to this point through its long length? Please tell me! Send me your thoughts to my email address or post them on the fanfiction website! I love getting reviews and they really help inspire me to write better, so I urge you all to REVIEW! Thank you very much for reading and until next time I wish you all the best!
Chapter 33: The Final Solution
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William Stryker, the general of all military forces in the United States and leader of the Friends of Humanity, stood proud before the crowing achievement of Operation Extermination...The plan he had meticulously and arduously prepared over many years. His goal at first seemed to simply be to rid the world of all mutants...But now, upon hearing his justifications for so many murders of innocent people, it was clear that his goals were a lot broader than the X-men ever could have imagined. He didn't simply with to rid the world of the mutant scourge...He wanted to mold the world. And this final plan would be carried out by the machine that now stood behind him, ready for deployment...Sentinel X.
"That's it? That's yer big plan to wipe out every last mutant on Earth?!" bellowed Logan at the general, "After all the shit the sentinels have done before and all the times they've failed, you still think this bucket of bolts is the answer?!"
"Still the shallow minded animal I see..." scoffed Stryker, "You really have no idea how to look beyond what is merely on the surface do you?"
"Surface or not! These things won't stop us! Not after everything you've done to us!" yelled Scott angrily at the calm, collected general.
Stryker simply laughed again, hinting just how much he was enjoying this. A feeling of complete superiority in both intellect, planning, and execution dominated Stryker's mindset as he looked at his enemies unafraid and undaunted by their feeble attempts in thinking that they could win something that they've already lost.
"You pathetic genetic rejects..." said Stryker as he shook his head in pity, "You have no idea the capability of these machine that stands behind me now do you? This machine in all it's glory is equipped with technology from my company 50 years ahead of it's time. It has advanced weaponry, tracking, armor, defense, AI, and flight capabilities that help it fulfill its one purpose..."
"Let me guess..." interrupted Raven in a bitter tone, "Eliminate all mutants?"
A slow grin spread across Stryker's face as he heard her predictable response.
"No...Yield completely to human command. You see, that is where the old models failed and where this final model will succeed. And with the weaponry and capabilities of this ultimate war machine...Every last mutant on the face of the planet will be dead by sunrise."
"No way! We'll destroy it before it can even be turned on!" yelled Jean at Stryker.
This time, Bolivar Trask took the initiative as he pulled out a small, hand held remote control that he had been keeping in his lab coat pocket.
"You lousy freaks...Do you really take me for such stupidity?" he said pressing the large, blue button on the controller, "What one robot can't do...Many can!"
Suddenly, the rest of the lights all throughout the warehouse came on and the floor of the old warehouse began to rumble as hidden opening located all along the floors of the vast facility opened up and dozens of identical sentinels rose up out of the ground. None of them had glowing eyes, hinting that they had not been turned on yet...But each one looked as menacing as the first. Soon, they were surrounded completely by 40 foot tall robot killing machines. Every area surrounding the inner perimeter of the building was now lined with Sentinels while the one that was turned on remained standing ominously before them with its glowing red eyes. The shock and bewilderment that followed for the X-men only further amused both Stryker and Trask, while Senator Kelly looked somewhat nervous, but remained silent.
"And the funny thing is...This is only part of my army," said Stryker, "There are hundreds in an underground facility stretching all throughout these docks. Each one of them is scheduled to be activated in under 30 minutes...And once they're activated, there's no stopping them. You see...The military strike I brilliantly orchestrated was but a mere amusement for both myself and the Friends of Humanity. It distracted all of you from the development and full implication of these awesome killing machines while also thinning your numbers so that there would be as few mutants to deal with as possible. The heart of the mutant menace was taken out along with any hopes of survival long ago...Now, there is nothing left for you freaks and no future awaits you or your kind. Sentinel X will be the mediums for which mutants everywhere shall perish and they shall be the tools that humanity uses to bring forth a new era of achievement."
The X-men at this point had just about taken all they could stand of this incessant taunting. William Stryker, Magnum, Bolivar Trask, and Senator Edward Kelly were the ones responsible for all the death and destruction that had plagued them. Their homes were gone and many good friends now lay dead because of them and this 'plan' of theirs. There was no qualm, guilt, or hesitation in killing mutants for them...It was as if they were swatting mere flies and nothing more. People of such savagery could not be allowed to torment the innocent in this world no matter how much they tried to justify their actions. Now, the united X-men were ready to launch their attack on this man for all of his indiscretions towards both them and their kind.
"ERR! Enough games Stryker!!!" yelled Wolverine as he and X23 unleashed their claws, "You'll pay for all the shit you've done and all the people you've killed! And no piece of shit robot will ever keep me from making you pay!"
"Oh...I beg to differ...Weapon X," smirked Stryker as he watched the entire group of mutants prepared to attack this madman and his henchmen.
Then suddenly, a strange antenna emerged out of the head of the giant 40 foot robot and began emitting some strange blue wave of energy. Then, before any one of the mutants could take a step closer, a sudden feeling of immense pain overcame their bodies as they all let out loud moans of pain and fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. They tried to get up...But something about the wave that the sentinel was emitting was sapping their energy clean, making every bone in their bodies feel like it weighed a ton. An intense, sickly feeling from within paralyzed and immobilized each one of them with great pain...But for some reason, this mysterious wave had no effect on Stryker, Magnum, Trask, and Kelly.
Some tried to crawl their way towards them...Still desperate to fight back against this man. But the pain and weakness was too great to overcome. Slowly, Stryker and his associates casually made his way towards the fallen group as they all moaned out in agony from the effects of the strange weapon from the sentinel. Still, they tried to attack...But it did little to dissuade the confident general.
"Enjoying a little taste of one of the many new toys that sentinel X has at its disposal?" mocked Trask, "What you are all feeling now is a unique physioelectic pulse wave specifically resonated to the subtle mutagenic field created by the natural life energy of all mutants. While completely and utterly harmless to humans...Its effects are quite intense as you all are figuring out now."
"You...Bastard!" struggled Mystique as her gaze met with that of Trask.
The shape shifter then tried to fight her way towards Trask, but was too weak to attack and was met with a swift kick in the face from the angry scientist that they had helped put in jail.
"Insult me all you want...It won't lessen the effects," taunted Trask, "And you know what the pathetic thing is? It's not even halfway to full power! Once every one of these sentinels employs this new technology on a grand scale...There will be no way for you freaks to fight back!"
"Go to...Hell!" struggled Alex as he clutched his stomach in pain from the effects of the wave.
But no amount of taunting could stop them from using this powerful technology to their full advantage. Senator Kelly now stood before the downed children that he used to watch over every day in the halls of Bayville high. Scott, Jean, Kurt, Kitty, and Pietro all looked at him with utter distain in their eyes as they saw the look on the bigoted man's face while he watched over their pained forms.
"You see...I told you I'd find a way to make it so you freaks could never harm another innocent human," said Kelly to his former pupils, "Consider this long overdue for the lot of you!"
"Fuck...You!" grunted Pietro angrily.
"Senator Kelly..." struggled Kitty, "We were...Supposed to...Trust you! You were...Our principal!"
"And the job of a principal and a senator is to protect those from threats like you. I'm just doing my duty as both!" shot the angry Senator back, standing before those he had once protected.
Scott then managed to grab the senator's ankle, using his anger over what this man had helped do to his family to fight through the pain. But he was still too weak to make much of a difference as the senator soon felt the grab and easily shook him off.
"Don't ever touch me freak!" said the Senator as he gave the young man a hard kick in the stomach.
While Kelly and Trask traversed the younger part of the group, Stryker and his loyal associate, Magnum, made their way over towards Wolverine and X23 as they lay paralyzed on the floor like somebody who had just been shot in the heart, but was lingering to suffer a slow, painful death. But as he neared them, Stryker's eyes fell more upon that of X23 instead of the angry mutant he had faced at the Watergate hotel when he was with the Professor. Both Stryker and Magnum grinned at the struggling young girl and the old man beside her, but it didn't stop them from looking closer as a look of great intrigue came over Stryker's face.
"My, my, my Magnum..." said Stryker as he forcibly grabbed X23's face, "I don't think I've ever seen this little specimen before."
"Neither have I..." said the Russian woman as she then took the girls face from Stryker with her powerful, strong grip.
"Why Logan..." grinned the general, "I didn't know you had a daughter."
Upon seeing the way they were both holding the former living weapon that was created from his own blood, Logan let out an angry growl as he nearly managed to stand up despite the intense pain.
"Get away from her! Or I swear I'll..." but before he could finish, he was swiftly drop kicked by Magnum.
Then, Logan was once again forced to watch as the two mass murderers took in X23's appearance and listened to her pained, animalistic growls that resembled Logan so well.
"She has his looks..." said Stryker as he looked the young girl in the eye, "Same eye color...Similar skin tone...Same animalistic rage."
"Not to mention the same accessories," said Magnum, pointing out the adamantium claws protruding from her knuckles.
"Like father like daughter I guess..." smirked Stryker.
The Russian woman then threw the former living weapon that had lived such a harsh life down to the ground, evoking an angry roar from Logan...But it did not register at all in the minds of the unaffected. Soon, Trask and Senator Kelly joined them before the downed young girl as Magnum pulled out her 44 caliber from the open holster strewn along her side.
"Should we kill her first?" said Magnum as she pointed the gun at X23's head.
"And make the animal watch the death of his child?" thought Stryker aloud with an amused grin on his face, "It would only prolong his suffering since they'll all be dead soon anyways. But...As long as they're still breathing..."
"NO!" yelled Logan, trying to fight his way through the pain to help X23.
"Don't hurt her!" yelled Alex as he tried as well, but with no luck.
"Well, what do you think? We have two reasons to do it and none so far not to," said the general with a snide tone.
"Then I guess it would be illogical not to make the animal suffer even more," said Trask, "I know that man's history...If anybody deserves it, he does!"
While the men taunted and teased the former living weapons to no end, Mystique tried to make her way towards them as she saw the look on Logan's face turn from one of rage, to one of sorrow. He was about to watch them murder X23. It almost reminded her of how she was forced to watch the same kind of men murder her daughter. Now Logan was about to experience something she had...And there was little that could be done to stop it. A small tear fell down her face as she tried not to watch, but was unable to tear her gaze away from the horrid scene she knew that she was about to witness.
As the others looked anxiously towards X23, Scott secretly hit a button on his uniform even as his body continued to fail him like all the others. He kept panting and gasping for air...But he knew that he and everybody else for that matter would have to stay alive if they were to handle what was to come.
"I think it's unanimous then..." said Stryker with a sinister grin as he looked down at the immobile X23, "The animal's offspring shall be the first to die among these most tenacious survivors."
"No..." struggled Logan, wanting so badly to find the strength to lunge forth and eviscerate these monsters for hurting X23.
The young girl that had spent most of her life in a laboratory as a sub-human project growled in defiance, but it wouldn't change what was about to happen in her mind. Her whole life had been an endless mess of confusion, anger, and uncertainty...Now it looked as though it was going to finally end. Part of her took comfort in that...But as she looked back over at Logan, the man whose blood created her, a subtle longing to live on and find more answers to the questions and feelings about life persisted. But for both of them...There seemed to be no choice at this point.
"Take comfort little one..." said Magnum in her usual stoic voice, "At least you're suffering will be cut short compared to your comrades."
Magnum was less than a second away from pulling the trigger and killing X23. Then suddenly...A deafening bang shattered the moment as the ceiling above them gave way to an immense force.
"What the?!" however, Trask was unable to finish his words as he was forced to avoid the pieces of the falling ceiling along with his three associates.
The still downed X-men were forced to shield themselves from falling debris. It was a most unexpected us of strategy...For the button that Scott had activated summoned the autopilot from the X-jet and caused it to initiate its rescue protocols. It was a risky, unplanned move...But it seemed to work in some ways. The chaos from he shattered ceiling quickly escalated as deadly debris began to fall upon the surviving X-men. Scott shielded Jean with his body, Kurt did the same for Wanda, while Piotr grabbed Kitty and pulled her out of the way of a rather large shower of sharp glass. Logan quickly made his way to X23 as he, Alex, and Pietro quickly made it off to the side where Raven already was. Then...As more sections of the ceiling collapsed, one particularly large chunk fell upon the antenna atop the head of the sentinel and caused it to break and fall to the ground, stopping the paralyzing pulse wave in the process.
Upon seeing this, Stryker knew that incidents like this were definitely times when unnecessary risks should not be taken. And like always, he knew exactly what to do.
"I believe that this would be our queue to make our exit," said Stryker, still as calm as ever despite the suddenness of this situation.
"Exit! Now?!" said Senator Kelly as he looked at the havoc that now surrounded him.
However, his insolence only prompted Magnum point her powerful gun directly at the head of the senator, causing him to quickly cower in a state of fear before the intimidating Russian woman.
"That wasn't a request senator..." said Stryker in a stern, yet subtle tone.
Not having a choice at this point, Senator Kelly followed his associates to an open door concealed behind the active sentinel. The rest of the powerful robots were still scheduled to be activated, but neither of them wanted to stick around for the messy fight that was about to ensue. As Trask and the senator left, Stryker and Magnum took one last look back at the group of survivors that had done so much to fight off their attacks as they struggled to recover from the effects of the pulse wave.
"Have fun my worthy enemies," he said over the noise in a voice still dominant with confidence, "In a mere fifteen minutes...Every sentinel in this facility will be fully operational. After that, it will all be over for your kind. I'd love to stay and witness this magnificent creation annihilate you...But I have more pressing matters to attend to. Farewell...X-men."
And with that, the general was once again gone and the X-men were left to face down the ultimate mutant slayer. The pulse wave generator was disabled, but that did not do anything to the rest of the vast array of weapons it had. Through the machine's highly controlled AI, it identified the group of mutants before it as the motor functions of its limbs came to life.
"Mutant's identified. Objective...Destroy."
With a single raised hand, the robot let out a powerful blast of energy towards where the lone group of mutants that it was now set on destroying.
"Everybody down!" yelled Logan as the energy from the blast shattered the glass windows all around the area.
It was a powerful burst unlike anything they had ever faced with previous sentinels. However, the X-men were not dissuaded as they prepared to fight back at this monstrosity.
"X-men...Let's take this thing down!" said Scott as he and the others quickly regrouped.
With a powerful optic blast, Scott targeted the shoulder area. Alex did the same with the other side, but both of them soon found out that this wasn't like the other sentinels...This one had heavy alloy armor that was even strong enough to resist their blasts.
"Damn man! That thing's armored tough!" said Alex as he tried to step up the intensity.
"Then we'll just have to improvise..." growled Logan as he made a mad dash towards the giant humanoid robot.
X23 soon followed him while numerous other armaments were activated and deployed against them in response to the blasts. Several openings were revealed along the arm and the chest area unleashing barrages of bullets, laser fire, and fireballs. Colossus, Mystique, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Quicksilver drew its fire while Jean worked with Wanda to put up shielding from the attacks were it was needed. This din of noise echoed through the warehouse, but it only added to the level of mayhem that quickly developed.
While the machine tried to focus on the speedy Quicksilver, Logan and X23 managed to fight their way onto one of the shoulders of the robot and quickly began to tear into it. The alloy armor was thick and strong, but adamantium proved to be every bit as indestructible and useful as it had before as the two former living weapons managed to open several gashes along the shoulder and leg area. However, for that...The sentinel had a strong counter measure.
"Surface interference detected. Electrostatic defense field engaged."
Then, the entire body of the humanoid robot was engulfed in a powerful field of energy that did not act favorably to the metal components of Wolverine and X23's bodies. With angry, pained yells the two mutants were blasted away from their positions and were sent flying. Alex and Mystique quickly rushed to their aid.
"Are you two all right?" said Mystique as she helped Logan up while Alex did the same for X23.
"I'm fine..." grunted Logan, now more driven than ever to tear this metal monstrosity to pieces.
X23's reaction was similar as she quickly regained her fighting stance much to Alex's surprise and made a mad dash back into the thick of the fight. Alex didn't have much of a choice at this point as he was left to dodge another laser blast that nicked him in the arm.
"Damn! This thing has been taking its vitamins!" said Quicksilver as he was forced to avoid another wave of bullets and laser blasts.
"Just be glad that this is simply one sentinel comrade!" said Piotr as several bullets bounced off of his tough metal skin.
The Russian born mutant tried to use his superhuman strength to ram the giant robot as hard as he could. But other than widening the gashes that Wolverine and X23 had already made...It did little to stop the rampaging robot.
"This thing is pretty tough Cyclops!" said Jean as she tried to hit it with some debris through her telekinesis, "We're not getting anywhere with this!"
"I guess that means we'll have to improvise..." said Scott as he jumped out of the way of another fireball.
"I'm game...Anybody know how though?" said Wanda as she hexed several bullets away from her body.
It wasn't a question that they had a lot of time to think about as they were once again forced to dodge a high energy blast from the cannon located in the chest. The area around them was starting to look like a demolition site as the surviving mutants started to run low on places to hide behind. To make matters worse, they were working against the clock and if they couldn't subdue this one sentinel...Then they would have no chance at the rest of the hundreds of killer robots that lurked within the lower levels of the facility. The longer they fought, the further Stryker got away from them. They had to make their move fast...But against something this powerful that was much easier said than done.
Logan once again was thrown off of the menacing behemoth as the electric defense field blew him off before he could made any more gashes in the thick metal armor. Everything was going too slow now and they needed to finish this fast. As the feral mutant looked around at his surroundings, he suddenly felt something drip from the ceiling onto his head. Looking up...He finally got an idea.
"Hey Havok!" yelled Logan as he, Mystique, and Kurt jumped out of the way of another blast.
Alex, who was still trying to fire upon the sentinel with his cosmic blasts alongside his brother, turned his attention to the former living weapon.
"Look above you!" he ordered as he was once again forced to scramble from another attack.
Doing as he was told, Alex looked at the fixtures on the ceiling above the sentinel. After a brief moment of trying to find out what Logan was referring to...He saw it. It was the old sprinkler system of the warehouse. Looking back at the sentinel with its electric defense field fully engaged, the young mutant got the picture and turned towards his brother.
"Hey bro!" he called out, getting Scott's attention, "The sprinklers!"
Looking above him, Scott quickly ascertained what he was about to do and gave an affirmative nod in his direction. Then, taking close aim with their powers, Scott and Alex blasted the old rusted pipes that riddled the roof and caused a torrent of water to come falling upon the area around them and the sentinel.
"Water and electricity don't mix bucket butt!" grinned Logan as he saw what happened next.
Because of the open holes ripped by Logan and X23 coupled with the electric field it was using as defense, the water quickly caused sparks to fly as the robot quickly shorted out as a result. In addition, water began seeping into the open cuts, causing more sparks to fly and threatening the motor functions of the machine. While this would have disabled many other machines, this sentinel quickly showed its worth by continuing to fight hard with the weapons that had remained fully functional. But knowing that this was a window they best not squander, Logan quickly launched an attack upon the robot with his claws ready and eager. X23 soon joined him and so did Colossus as they frantically fought to disable this monstrosity as quickly as possible.
"Come on!" bellowed Logan, knowing that this was their chance, "Don't let up!"
"I'm with you comrade!" said Colossus as he burst through a fireball of flame and charged the oversized robot.
Both Logan and X23 let out similar growls of fury as they jumped upon the arms and torso and began tearing into the robot. Without the electric defense field, there was little to keep them from being thrown off again as they opened up new holes in the armor that allowed more water to seep through and further damage the circuits. More damage was done and more sparks kept flying as the X-men continued to concentrate their firepower.
"All together now...FIRE!" yelled Scott as he, Alex, Jean, and Wanda unleashed their powers simultaneously on the powerful sentinel robot.
Colossus continued to land devastating blow after blow with his super strength as he fought to disable some of the weapons while Mystique managed to use her shape shifting abilities to get onto one of the arms and disable the flame thrower. However, the sentinel was still moving and not letting up in the slightest. This prompted Pietro to hold it still by using his speed to generate a powerful whirlwind around the robot causing it to be stuck in place. The sentinel responded by trying to apprehend him with metallic, tentacle-like extensions, but was too slow to get a hold on him.
"Hold it steady!" urged Logan as he continued to tear into the thick armor with his indestructible claws.
"Work faster! This thing won't go down!" said Pietro in response as the sentinel continued to work with a fury of activity.
"Then I guess ve'll have to improvise again!" said Kurt as he took Kitty's shoulder and teleported her up to one of the catwalks.
They both looked down at the imposing view below them at the renegade killing machine below as it continued to operate despite its disabilities. It was truly unlike anything that they had ever faced, but if they were to survive they would have to beat it. Therefore, drastic measures had to be taken.
"Wow..." said Shadowcat as she looked down at the view from above.
"Are you sure you're ready for this Kitty?" asked Kurt anxiously, not liking what they were having to go through simply to stop one sentinel.
"Dose it look like I have a choice?" replied Kitty as she prepared to make her leap of faith deep into the sentinel's interior.
While it remained stationary thanks to Pietro's whirlwind, Kitty took one long jump directly into the head of the giant robot and quickly began phasing through it. Along the way, she was careful to damage as many inner circuits as possible. However from what she saw, this thing had components more advanced than she had ever seen...But they were still electronics. Inch by inch, foot by foot...Kitty Pryde phased her way through the robot causing irreparable damage to the core components. But as she phased out the other side, she was left with nowhere to land.
"Oh shit!!!" she yelled as she felt herself fall through the air.
"I got you Katya!" yelled Colossus as he rushed towards her and caught her in his arms.
It took a moment for Kitty catch her breath after that, but once she did she managed to flash a brief smile to her savior and if he wasn't in metal form...He most certainly would have blushed.
"Damn it! This thing is still going!" grunted Mystique as she was thrown of one of the arms as it began whipping wildly through the air.
"Not for long!" said Scott as he and the others prepared for one final blast.
The sparks were now bigger than ever as the motor functions of the sentinel finally began to falter after Kitty's damaging run. The sensors were now overloading and the power cells had been damaged. Yet it was still fighting to fulfill its objective. It tried another blast from on of its arm cannons, but the damage to the circuits had made it unstable and caused the arm to explode clean off of the main body. Not wanting to squander this window of opportunity Scott, Jean, Alex, and Wanda all stood on opposing sides to the robot and prepared for what they hoped would be the final death blow.
"Okay everybody...Don't hold back this time! Use full power...NOW!" ordered Scott.
In a powerful burst of optic blasts, cosmic burst, telekinesis, and hex bolts...The sentinel X robot was engulfed in the deadly melee of attacks. Its super strong armor was scratched, dented, and torn by the attacks from Logan, X23, and Colossus. With the vulnerable interior exposed, there was no hiding from the sheer magnitude of each blast. Then finally, everybody stood back and watched with intent as the powerful robot that they had struggled so hard against...Exploded with a bang.
"We did it..." said Kurt as he appeared behind his tired friends.
"Yeah...One down, hundreds to go!" said Wanda as she and the others struggled to catch their breath.
The rest of the sentinel army still lined the whole structure and the thought of going up against all of them was a daunting task in of itself. They had barely survived this one...That luck may not permeate towards another one.
"Then we'll have to destroy them all before they become active!" said Scott, knowing that there was little time for rest as the countdown towards the final step of Stryker's plan grew ever closer.
"And how do you propose we do that in a place this big?" said Pietro, reminding the young leader of the magnitude of such a task.
"Simple...This is a dock area turned manufacturing center," answered Mystique, who had some experience with jobs like this, "That means that there are power generators to drive the equipment, fuel lines to deliver gas to them, and plenty of burnable structure and explosives within the sentinels themselves!"
"Sounds like fun..." grunted Logan, "But what about Stryker?"
"We'll have to take this one step at a time Logan," said Scott, "First...We have to eliminate all these sentinels before they can bring even more death to the world."
"Scott's right Logan..." coaxed Jean, sensing his anger and rage towards Stryker as he projected them, "We have to destroy these monstrosities while there's still time!"
It was clear that Logan didn't like the idea of simply letting Stryker go, not after what he had put him through. And what he threatened to do to X23 right before his eyes was the clinching factor in this feeling that he had to pay. Looking over at her and the hallow look she had in her face from years of being tortured and treated like an animal was hard. It was like a weight on his very soul being that she was created from his blood. He remembered the feeling he got with Stryker referred to her as his daughter...And by definition that was in many ways true. But it only further enraged the former weapon X warrior because Stryker threatened to take another piece of his family away from him after having already done so much.
X23 looked back at him with an expression that showed just how hardened she had been in her brief life. But beneath that stern outer look, a genuine concern for this man still lingered. She remembered how she had broken down in tears when she encountered him...Twice. His words to her on that fateful day when they first met, 'I'm the closest thing to family you have,' kept repeating over and over again. She wasn't supposed to have a family...She wasn't supposed to have a lot of things...Yet here she was. X23 had a feeling what Logan was about to do and part of her wanted to stop him...But remembering that he was like her in so many ways, she knew that there was nothing she could say or do to stop him.
"To hell with that!" yelled Logan as he stormed past everybody towards the door that Stryker and his crew had left out of, "I'm gonna find this asshole myself and put a stop to him permanently!"
"Mr. Logan wait!" urged Kitty, but her words had no effect on the enraged mutant as he soon fell out of sight.
"Don't worry Kitty...I'll follow him," said Mystique, not waiting for anybody to argue.
"Mother!" cried Kurt as she started to go the same path as Logan.
"Don't worry son!" she yelled back as she neared the door, "I'll be fine! You do you're part...And I'll be sure to do mine!"
Kurt was about to teleport himself over to her and make an effort to stop her, but he suddenly felt Wanda's gentle hand grab his shoulder, dissuading him from simply adding to the number of those going after the madman behind all this carnage.
"Let her go Kurt...Trust her," said Wanda.
Kurt had lost his sister in this whole ordeal. He had seen her body, he had seen the look permanently etched on her face upon her death, and he had seen his mother cry endless tears for her. Now Mystique, his biological mother, was the only family he had left. But that didn't make letting her go after the man responsible for all these murders any easier. Now...They had much more daunting tasks at hand.
"Okay people...We have hundreds of killer sentinels more advanced than anything humanity has ever created all around us and in the levels below," said Scott as he reviewed the grim situation to his friends, "We have less than 15 minutes to find a way to blow this place sky high and take every last one of these things with it. Like Mystique said, we have generators, fuel lines, and plenty of burnable structure around us. But we're working against the clock! If even one of them becomes active, we're pretty much done for!"
"So we have to blow up a building in under 15 minutes or everybody dies?" summarized Pietro, "Sounds like a challenge!"
At this point, the surviving mutants of the attacks that devastated their homes were beyond fearing impossible tasks. They had faced more of them in the last three weeks than most people face their entire lives. And this one just seemed like any other task at this point even with the stakes so high. Now all that was left was to make William Stryker's final solution to the mutant menace go up in smoke.
"Anybody else have something to add?" said Scott before they began this overwhelmingly daunting task.
Nobody said a word...Only looks of determination from hardened mutant fighters whom had struggled for their lives for so long now remained. And for the survival of their kind and the end of this senseless war...It was no or never.
"Good...Now let's get to work!"
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AN: Well, that's it for now folks! Things are really heating up now! Stryker is still alive and the ultimate sentinels are close to becoming active! And don't forget about Wolverine and Mystique! They are actually going to go after the source! So what do you all think? Have you enjoyed this story up to this point through its long length? Please tell me! Send me your thoughts to my email address or post them on the fanfiction website! I love getting reviews and they really help inspire me to write better, so I urge you all to REVIEW! Thank you very much for reading and until next time I wish you all the best!
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