sorry the last two posts were so short. only times i've had time to write, i've only had so much to add, but i wanted to keep the story rolling.
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The vehicles taken by Bobby and the students were all together in a parking garage. Most of the group had gone in a blue S.U.V. with tinted windows. With the mall security looking for Sara after her outburst, Kurt Wagner had grabbed her and, in a series of teleports, put her securely into the large vehicle, under Bobby's orders.
"Dammit, elf, crack a window," Sara coughed. "That sulfur smell doesn't just go away!"
"I am sorry, Sara, but I was told to keep you hidden, and I can't risk giving us away," Kurt responded.
"You know, they'll probably just start looking around here, and find us then," she insisted. "Come on, I can't breath!"
"In time." Kurt stared anxiously out the window, hoping to see the others approaching. Minutes after they'd reached the car, he saw Betsy approaching, alone. Finally, much to Sara's satisfaction, Kurt opened one of the windows, just enough to speak to his classmate. "Betsy, where is everyone else? Are they okay?"
"I went ahead," said the English woman. "Bobby got stopped by someone from the press, and the others are just trying to get out without drawing attention. It's probably for the best that you went with Sara, Kurt, otherwise I don't think you could've gotten out easily, even with that trick you do."
"So do you know if anyone else is close?" The blue mutant asked.
"At the moment, no. I... I rushed a bit to make sure you two were here safely." Betsy instructed Kurt to unlock one of the doors, and she got in, still carrying a bag with some things she'd picked up at Bath and Body Works.
I'm sure they'll be along shortly."
"...She isn't used to that kind of attention, that's all!" Bobby snapped at the nosey reporter. "Listen, there was minimal property damage, which we can easily reimburse, and no one was seriously hurt, now please just stop bothering me."
"But Mr...?"
"Drake."
"Mr. Drake, aren't you concerned for the people who were stabbed-"
"Stabbed!? Stabbed!?" He threw up his arms in frustration. "Two people got pricked by those damn things, lady! If they'd been stabbed, tthis'd be a problem, but I bet they've gotten bee-stings worse than that. I looked at both of them, and one wasn't even bleeding. The man who was was the one harassing her anyway, and even then, all it did was leave a mark on that stupid 'I Love Beer' tattoo on his shoulder. It was a mistake coming out here today, and the last thing we need, especially after how you hacks have been reaming us since Washington, is some no-name sensationalist trying to get ratings by making it look like Scarface introduced his little friend in the middle of the damn food court!" Bobby stopped to take a breath. "Now, what's your name?"
"Trish. Patricia Tilby," the reporter said, a little frightened.
"Listen, Trish, I'm not in the best of moods right now, and I was trying to save most of my ire for that girl, but you are seriously pushing me. You gonna leave us alone? I know some great lawyers, if you won't."
"Fine." Tilby ordered her camera-man to turn away and head out to their news-van. "What's wrong with you?" Bobby's eyes narrowed.
"Alot of things!" He snapped. While she rarely told people about it, that unlucky reporter would never forget how horribly cold his breath was at the end of their conversation. Bobby himself stormed off, joining Ororo, who had stayed behind to wait for him as he shook off the reporter.
"Wow, Bobby," she said, "you really let her have it."
"Sometimes," he said, taking a beat for effect, "you need to let them have it."
Forge, Logan, Kitty, and Piotr found the S.U.V. where three of their classmates were waiting. Next to it, there were two motorcycles, which Logan and Forge drove. They got on them, and said that they'd go ahead to the Institute, and told the others to be extremely careful on the back. Logan waved, and drove off, with Forge following shortly. A few minutes later, Bobby and Ororo reached the vehicle, and got in the front seats.
"Sara," Bobby said, coldly (no pun intended). "Do you know what your actions could mean?"
"What? Some slob gets an infection?"
"Sara!" Bobby roared. "This isn't funny! Look, we all know the media's given us all sorts of **** since we took on Magneto's goons in D.C., even though we were the ones trying to stop them, but that does not mean we have free reign to just cause problems everywhere. You need to control yourself. I'll let the Professor decide how you're punished." He saw her shrink back into her seat in the mirror. "I know you aren't used to this kind of thing, but you still have no excuse for such a lack of self-control."
"Come on, Bobby," Kitty protested. "That guy was being a creep."
"What about those other people? She still scared the hell out of all of them, and we really can't have anything like that right now. The whole reason Xavier puts these classes together is to teach mutants how to control what they can do, and to break the stereo-types that people like Magneto, or that psychic creep from those carnivals in Virgina have set. Anything like this is kind of a step back for us."
Over the city, people were pointing at the two things flying across the sky. Bolivar Trask's first two completed Sentinels were scanning for any mutants that were in groups, in the part of Manhattan where the report of the mutant attack had come from. Their scanners picked up two mutants traveling through the streets on motorcycles. Far below, Logan noticed the strange shadows, and slowed down to look up.
"Hey Forge!" He called. His companion pulled over, and spotted the Sentinels. "Any idea what those are?"
"Umm... they look like big robots," Forge said.
"Thanks, Einstein, but have you seen them before? You're the big techie guru."
"Can't say I have." Then it hit him. "Logan, they're coming down! I think they're after the two of us!" The two mutants started their bikes up, and zoomed off, weaving through the semi-crowded streets.
On the radio, Bobby and the others heard about the two massive robots. The station had been informed that they were a new government project, designed to deal with mutant threats. They were searching for the mutant who had caused commotion in the mall. Bobby gunned the engine, and took off.
Hank McCoy had gotten on the phone to his superiors at the former Avengers' mansion immediately after seeing the Sentinels on television. He was told that they were merely there to contain a possible terrorist threat. He didn't care. Those things were much bigger than any 'police' needed to be. The former X-Man estimated them to be each about twenty-five feet high, and God-knows-how-heavy. The station he had on followed them all the way to the ground, where he recognized the two unfortunate mutants immediately. They were two of the Professor's new students, and they needed help. McCoy bounded out of his office, and down to the lower level where his patient for the last few weeks, the strange man who called himself 'Bishop', and was dressed strangely like an X-Man when he'd first been discovered, was being housed.
"He's being moved! I've got to work with him in some different settings! I've got clearance!" He'd shout to various people who tried to question McCoy as he dragged the confused Bishop out.
"SURRENDER." One of the Sentinels said, in it's creepy, robotic voice. "DO NOT MAKE US USE FORCE."
"Eat it, Kilroy!" Logan yelled, popping out his claws. "We didn't do ****!"
"Easy, man," said Forge, who had removed the glove concealing his bionic hand. "It might just be confused."
"NEGATIVE, MUTANT." The other Sentinel said. "YOU ARE IDENTIFIED AS 'PATTERSON, FORGE-OF-THE-ANCIENTS'. THE OTHER IS 'X, LOGAN'. YOU ARE BOTH MUTANTS."
"Hell of a first name, Forge, but Patterson?" Logan asked.
"Speak for yourself. Were you pissed when your uncle Malcolm got shot?"
"DISCONTUE CONVERSING AND SURRENDER." Said one of the Sentinels, still completely flat in its tone. "SENSORS INDICATE MORE MUTANTS APPROACHING." Both Sentinels turned to a corner, where the S.U.V. which carried the other X-Men was turning. It stopped, blocking a few cars carrying people who hadn't been able to get away from the massive robots earlier. "ORDERS ARE TOO APPREHEND ALL MUTANTS. SURRENDER NOW, OR FORCE WILL BE USED."
"Bring it!" Logan snapped, springing into the air, ready to slice into the robot, which simply swatted him away.
"MUTANTS HAVE BECOME VIOLENT. FORCE AUTHORIZED." The Sentinel extended its arm, and a beam shot out, hitting Logan before he could get back up.
"Logan!" Ororo yelled. "Bobby, those things are going to kill him!"
"****," Bobby muttered. He clenched his fists, and watched them start to turn to ice. "Okay then, X-Men, let's deal with these things." Ice covered his whole body; Piotr transformed into his large steel form; Ororo took to the sky; the others all stood behind their leader, bracing for a fight. "Nightcrawler, grab Wolverine and bring him into one of these stores. Colossus, Storm, you two come with me and help Forge out. The rest of you, make sure none of the people here get hurt. Go!"
"What the hell is going on?" Bishop demanded. "Doc, I've been cooped in their for weeks, and now you're dragging me out like the place is gonna explode."
"Xavier's students are in trouble, Lucas. I think you can help them."
"And if I can't?"
"Then," Hank McCoy said, "God help us."
"Does anyone have any aloe?" Nightcrawler asked, desperate for something to say to the scared people inside a book store where he'd teleported his injured friend.
"Leave 'em alone, elf," Logan said, gaining some composure back in his voice. "Give me a little time, and I'll be alright." As his skin was horribly burned, and he sounded like he had just been hit by a car, Kurt found this hard to believe.
Forge dodged a Sentinel's foot, and, with his bionic arm in it's gun-shape, shot at it. The blast was nowhere near what had hit Wolverine, but it still had the potential to seriously damage something, which he'd done on accident before. It did little but char the outside of the robot. The other had lifted into the air on rocket-propelled feet, and was chasing Storm. From below, Iceman froze one of its feet, throwing it off balance. It went careening towards a building, but slowed down. Iceman noticed the strange purple glow around it, and saw Psylocke concentrating on the robot, trying to slow it down.
"Iceman, I can't stop it!" She shouted desperately.
"Colossus, can you grab it?" Iceman asked. The steel mutant nodded, and bounded away. "Psylocke, try and guide it to him! Storm, use some wind to help her out!" He turned his attention to the other one, which Forge was still trying to evade. He raised his hands, and the air above him started to freeze. When the moisture above him had become a large ball of solid ice, he shoved it at the Sentinel, propelling it with more ice. The ball smashed into it, knocking the robot down, causing it to smash a sidewalk and a parking meter. Behind him, Colossus had torn the head off of the other Sentinel. The body, however, was still flailing, and had started to blast blindly. Storm headed higher into the air, and shot a bolt of lightning at it, frying the circuits. The head, which Colossus had dropped to the ground, start shooting smaller blasts from its eyes, hitting the X-Man, and causing him to stumble and fall over. Psylocke jumped out of the way before he could fall into her.
"Are you sure the Army, or the police won't handle this?" Bishop asked. "Man, I barely even understand what my power is!"
"Neither do I, Bishop," Hank said, "but I doubt the authorities are intervening, and they'll need our help."
As the X-Men battled the remaining Sentinel, and tried to dispose of the head of the other one, more shadows fell over them, and they all knew that more had arrived. Three more Sentinels descended, ordering them, like before, to surrender.