[Third Person Pov]
Nightwing took the vibranium lance square in the chest, the impact driving the weapon clean through him with brutal force. Blood trickled thickly down the blade, splashing against the ruined floor beneath his boots. He snarled through clenched teeth and, instead of falling, lunged forward—grabbing the Sentinel by the arm and locking it in place with sheer stubborn will, muscles screaming in protest.
"Now, Star!" he barked.
The Sentinel struggled, servos whining, just as Lizzy's hands came alive with swirling light. Geometrical shapes—triangles, hexagons, impossible angles—spun wildly around her fingers as reality itself seemed to obey her will. With a sharp motion, she remodeled the machine mid-struggle, its solid vibranium frame unraveling into colorful, absurd coils.
The Sentinel collapsed into a useless pile of shimmering, multicolored strands.
"Babes…" Harry groaned, dropping to one knee as the adrenaline finally ebbed, "silly string? Really?" He winced as pain flared through his chest. "They're inside my body now."
His regenerative factor kicked in just in time, flesh knitting itself together around the ragged hole in his chest. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, breathing heavily.
Lizzy landed a few steps away, hands braced on her knees as she panted, sweat rolling down her face. "Sorry," she said breathlessly. "It was the first thing that came to mind. I had to think fast—these things are getting way too dangerous to handle."
She wasn't wrong.
All around them, the team bore the marks of battle: torn uniforms, bruised limbs, scorched armor, and blood staining the floor. No one walked away clean from a Sentinel encounter anymore.
"Would you be able to fix these?" Scott asked, holding up the remains of his shattered visor. His eyes were tightly shut, a deep diagonal gash cutting across his face from forehead to chin, still bleeding slightly.
Lizzy raised a hand, fingers twitching delicately. The broken pieces of the visor lifted into the air, hovering as they reassembled themselves with precise, almost surgical movements. A moment later, the visor dropped neatly back into Scott's hands, good as new.
"Thank you," Scott said, sliding it back over his face. "We can't stay here long. We don't know when—or how many more—Sentinels are going to show up. We need—"
"We have bigger problems," Aria interrupted sharply.
She had already taken hold of Colossus's dislocated shoulder, gripping his loose arm firmly. "Grit your teeth," she warned him flatly.
Before he could protest, Aria snapped his shoulder and arm back into place with a loud, metallic crack. Colossus roared in pain, the sound echoing down the corridor, but Aria didn't even flinch.
"Look around us," she continued calmly.
Everyone did a quick survey of the battlefield—and froze.
The ruined Sentinel remains were shifting. Twisting. Crawling.
"Wha—shouldn't they be dead?!" Kitty exclaimed, panic creeping into her voice.
"They're adapting," Aria said grimly. "Even to that." She gestured toward the fragments. "They're breaking down into nanobots and reconfiguring themselves. They can survive off even the smallest fragments now."
Colossus rolled his shoulders experimentally, grimacing but functional. He muttered a thank you to Aria.
"They just went from dangerous," Aria finished, "to straight-up lethal."
"Then let's move," Jean said firmly. Beside her, Nightcrawler supported Angel, one arm slung over his shoulders as Angel struggled to keep pace. "Our priority was never to win the fight. We run the whole stretch."
No one argued.
They broke into a full sprint through the winding corridor, boots pounding against metal flooring. Behind them, the Sentinels they had just destroyed began to rise once more—nanobots swarming together, rebuilding skeletal frames, reforging armor plates.
Cold, artificial eyes ignited with a menacing glow.
Their hands reshaped from steel blades into humming energy cannons. Their feet transformed into powerful boosters, lifting them effortlessly off the ground as they blasted forward in pursuit.
"Firestar!" Aria called as she flew alongside Lizzy.
"I got it, I got it—no need to shout!" Lizzy snapped, spinning midair to face the incoming Sentinels.
She weaved her hands in an elaborate, rapid pattern. Energy beams tore through the corridor toward them—but Lizzy slammed her palms together, conjuring a massive Shield of Seraphim that flared to life in brilliant gold.
The blasts struck the barrier, sending shockwaves rippling through it.
Lizzy grunted as the force pushed her backward through the air. She dug deep, pouring more power into the spell, then layered it with microwave radiation, amplifying and reinforcing the shield until it vibrated like a living thing.
The shield held—for now.
"You're going to be okay?!" Nightwing shouted as he noticed Lizzy deliberately slowing, falling behind the rest of them.
"Just go!" Lizzy yelled back, never once taking her eyes off the approaching Sentinels. Her stance was firm, resolute. "I'll hold them back as long as I can!"
"Is she really going to be alright?" Jean asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice as they continued to retreat. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the crazed smile stretching across Lizzy's face, flames beginning to coil and dance around her body like living things. "I know she's strong—but can she really handle an entire group of Sentinels on her own?"
"Yes," Harry replied without looking back as he ran, his breathing steady despite the pain still lingering in his chest. A faint, almost proud smile tugged at his lips. "I wouldn't worry about her. She's one of the strongest people I know."
Behind them, Lizzy's eyes widened slightly.
'Wait!' she exclaimed inwardly as a sudden epiphany hit her like a bolt of lightning. 'I just remembered something… my powers can interfere with technology.'
A shuddering laugh escaped her lips.
"Ohohoho!" Lizzy laughed as the red headlights and blaring sirens around her began to flicker and glitch erratically. Systems stuttered. Targeting reticles scrambled. Her grin widened into something feral, unhinged. "You fools are so done for!"
Even as the others fled deeper into the facility, they could still feel her—an oppressive wave of heat rolling through the corridors, growing stronger by the second. The air itself seemed to vibrate with her power, and even after they lost sight of her completely, the sensation lingered.
Then the entire facility began to shake.
Metal groaned. Lights flickered. The ground rumbled violently beneath their feet, nearly sending everyone crashing to the floor.
"Up ahead!" Scott shouted, pointing as they struggled to regain their balance.
A massive mechanical door loomed before them. Scott didn't hesitate. He tapped the side of his visor, and it began to glow a deep, ominous crimson. A split second later, an optic blast tore through the air, slamming into the door with devastating force and ripping it clean off its hinges.
They burst through into a vast containment facility.
A prison.
Clear reinforced cells lined the room, each one holding mutants of various ages and abilities. Thick inhibitor collars were locked around their necks, suppressing their powers entirely. Some sat slumped against the walls with hollow, despairing expressions. Others paced impatiently, fists clenched. A few stared out with burning defiance, their eyes filled with rage, hatred, and barely restrained fury.
Every single captive turned toward the sudden intrusion, watching the X-Men with confusion and curiosity.
But not one of them looked hopeful.
The rescue team stopped short—not because of the prisoners, but because the room was crawling with Sentinels. Groups of them patrolled the floor in rigid formations, towering and silent.
As one, they turned.
Metal heads rotated simultaneously, eyes narrowing as they locked onto their new targets in eerie, dead silence.
"Well… shit," Angel muttered, his wings twitching nervously as his confidence faltered. "This just got a lot more difficult."
"It's fine," Scott said calmly, stepping forward despite the overwhelming odds. "We knew this wasn't going to be easy." His visor glowed brighter as he tapped it again. "So this is nothing new. And we have nothing to despair about—not yet."
He took another step, posture straight, unwavering.
"Well?" Scott said, glancing back at his team. "What are you all waiting for? We have mutants to save. Do I really need to say it?"
One by one, the X-Men began to smirk.
Steel nerves hardened. Fear burned away, replaced by purpose.
They moved forward together, following Scott's lead.
"To me," Scott declared firmly, power humming behind his eyes. "My X-Men."
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