As I landed on the ground, I was already conjuring an Icicle out of the moisture of the air with one hand while casting a bolt of flame with the other. The bolt of flame washed over the Prime Sentinel trading fire with Jubilee, heating the armor up for a fraction of a second before the icicle smashed into it, immediately cooling it and rendering the armor cracked and brittle. That in turn finally allowed Jubilee's dampened powers to get a vital strike in, exploding the Prime Sentinel. I didn't pause to check, however, because I was already turning, Amber Spear forming in my hand as I tossed it at the prime Sentinel currently battering Husk. The Amber Spear took the Prime Sentinel through the side, knocking it down and exploding it with mystical power from the inside out. Husk stood up and immediately brushed the dust off her metallic body.
"They've got power dampeners! If you don't have other powers aside from your mutation, the closer you are to one of them the more they dampen your powers!" I called out.
Husk nodded and hefted a statue with superhuman strength that she then tossed at another Prime Sentinel, smashing into it and bowling it over, where I managed to hit it with a blaster bolt from the Mandalorian Heavy Blaster Pistol I'd taken off the Twi'lek. The bolt took out the head of the downed Prime Sentinel in an explosion of particles and energized Tibanna. I was already moving to use my Zeison-Sha Telekinesis to tear the arm off of another Prime Sentinel and beat it to death with it, cybernetics sparking as it came off with a wrenching noise and a spray of hydraulic fluid and just a touch of blood. I may have hit it too hard as my telekinetically enhanced improvised projectile literally embedded itself in the chest of the Prime Sentinel, cramming the power core in an explosion.
"Priority Target confirmed. Ignore the other Mutants for now." Intoned one of the other Prime Sentinels.
As one unit, five of the Prime Sentinels broke off from the battle to attack me. I conjured a mystic shield as a trio of plasma bolts came in, moving away before the sustained fire could smash through my shield and using my Hydromancy to grab water from the various fountains and moisture in the air to form into a bevy of icicles that I barraged the enemy with, staggering the frontmost trio of Prime Sentinels before drawing my Wan-Shen out of my bag of holding and charging. Thanks to all the magic I had enhancing my body, I closed the distance faster than any of the prime Sentinels thought I could.
I slashed out in a Matukai attack, my Wan-Shen guided by the force to carve the head off of one Prime Sentinel even as it cut the arm off another. With a whirling series of moves known only by the Matukai, I marked out a circle of death around me with my Wan-Shen, any opponent that crossed into the circle caught the blade, butt, or haft of my Wan-Shen for their troubles. I carved off the legs of a bold Prime Sentinel before smashing its head in with the butt of my Wan-Shen. I cleaved another in two, even as a third was smashed back with the haft, retreating with a non-functional leg to show for its boldness. Limbs flew and Prime Sentinels fell to my blade, until, after around five minutes of that, they just stopped coming after me.
I turned to see that instead of futilely trying to take down the Mutant whose powers seemed undampened, the Prime Sentinels had decided to go after softer targets. One of them smashed into Husk with a flying tackle powered by rocket boots and plowed her into and through a tree, while another one grabbed skin by the end of the tendril of skin he'd whipped at it and spun, smashing Skin into a statue like a flail before unfolding a plasma cannon out of its arm and pointing at Skin. Jubilee was moving to save Skin from the energy blast that was sure to come, but she was intercepted by another Prime Sentinel that was firing on her from the air.
I took that moment to reach out with my Ferromancy, causing the energizing chamber in the plasma cannon of Skin's Opponent to have a brief power surge. The plasma overwhelmed the magnetic containment in a catastrophic misfire and suddenly, it looked as if the Prime Sentinel who'd had Skin on the ropes had just self-destructed. I nodded at Skin as he pushed himself up off the ground before turning to put a mystical shield up over Jubilee just before a plasma bolt from a second Prime Sentinel was about to fry her from behind. She turned to look at me before going back into the fight, putting a plasmatic blast right into the optics of the offending Prime Sentinel.
Husk's Prime Sentinel, meanwhile had managed to get her in a headlock and was about to stab her with a spike, which I knew would inject nanomachines into her to turn her into a Prime Sentinel. I coalesced an icicle out of the water in a nearby puddle and was about to fire it at Husk's opponent when a Prime Sentinel smashed into me from the side, knocking me to the ground and making me lose my grip on the Icicle. A plasma cannon unfolded out of both this Prime Sentinel's shoulders and a pair of red glows began to emanate out of the barrels before I conjured an Amber Spear and thrust it up and into that Prime Sentinel's torso. It sparked for a moment as I kicked it off me, grabbing my fallen Wan-Shen and turning for Husk. Unfortunately, I was too late. Emma wasn't.
Just before the Prime Sentinel was able to slide its nano-spike into Husk, it was flung back with a blast of telekinetic force. Suddenly, Emma Appeared, flanked by a Bald Black Student and One with red skin and claws. Synch and Penance had been collected from the dorms just in time to join the fight. Penance leaped at a Prime Sentinel, superhuman strength and diamond-hard claws causing her to drill through the armor of her opponent and tear out the power core. She tossed it at a group of approaching Prime Sentinels even as Synch fired a version of Jubilee's Plasmatic Bursts that took out another trio.
"Where's Monet?" Questioned Skin.
"No idea. Hopefully, she got out all right." Offered Synch.
"Present!" Came the voice of the Twins currently pretending to be Monet St. Croix as she barreled out of a nearby building to smash into a Prime Sentinel in a clothesline that took its head off. I fired off another Amber Spear, taking out yet another flying Prime Sentinel that was trying to get elevation to fire down on us as she, or rather they, appeared.
"There's just no end to these guys!" I called out.
"Quite right. Loathe as I am to admit it, we might need to make a strategic withdrawal." Nodded Emma, telekinetically smashing a Prime Sentinal backward and caving in its chest.
"What about Banshee? Those things dragged him away unconscious!" Queried Husk, tossing a broken piece of a fountain at a Prime Sentinel, staggering it for Penance to finish.
"We'll have to rescue him later!" I frowned, shooting an icicle at another Prime Sentinel, taking it through the optics.
"We can't just leave him!" Protested Jubilee, firing a plasmatic bomb off at another Prime Sentinal and blowing its legs off.
"We can't rescue him without information! I don't like it either, but we need to know where they're holding him first to mount a rescue! The longer we stay here, the higher the chances we join him in getting captured! We won't be able to do anything for him then!" I pointed out, conjuring a shield over Penance to block a trio of plasma bolts, even as I hurled an amber spear that took out a Prime Sentinel sneaking up on the Twins.
"I don't like it, but you've got a point!" Grumbled Jubilee, firing a plasmatic blast into the optics of another Prime Sentinel.
"Ms Frost! Do we have an escape plan?" I asked, using Zeison-Sha Telekinesis to tear in half a Prime Sentinel that was about to flank and stab Synch with its Nano-Spike.
"The tennis courts! If we can get to the Blackbird, we ought to be able to flee!" Ordered Emma.
With that plan in mind, we made a fighting withdrawal, leaving scores of destroyed Prime Sentinels behind us. We almost got cut off as a group of Prime Sentinels flanked us by going around the Chapel and Student Lounge buildings, but thankfully, the Force warned me of the attack in time to fire off a barrage of Icicles and Amber Spears that stymied the assault long enough for Jubilee and Emma to lend their diminished powers to the barrage and beat the attack back leaving a dozen destroyed Prime Sentinels in their wake on the field. We got to the Blackbird and Emma immediately went to the cockpit to start a crash takeoff sequence. I covered the Students as they boarded, using my magic to keep the horde of Prime Sentinels at bay. Eventually, I flung my last Amber Spear and boarded as well.
As we took off and headed into the sky, I finally let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. OK, if this was Operation: Zero Tolerance, then there was tacit US Government Backing for this attack, which meant we had to land soon before they scrambled the jets. We also couldn't land in US Jurisdiction, since that would just lead to more attacks. Canada was out too, since with Weapon Plus, they were so thoroughly infiltrated by bad government actors from the US that I wasn't entirely certain they wouldn't just hand us all over if Senator Kelly asked them to. That only left one place for us to go, really.
"Head for my Island. The coordinates should still be in the flight computer, it's mystically protected and nobody knows it's there." I offered.
Emma Frost didn't need to be told twice and we were soon winging our way toward the Tower of the Axis Mundi. Fifteen minutes later, we arrived to find Bartholomew and the Staff already anticipating that I'd be bringing guests with me. There was a tea service and snacks waiting and everything. Personally, I felt I could use a stiff drink. Bartholomew had that waiting as well, a glass of Cormyrean Brandy was pressed into my hand, the sweet yet fiery liquor going down smooth as all hell. I let out a sigh as I finished the glass and sat down to think. We had time to plan and train now.
The question was just how much and what could we get done in the time we had. . .
XXXX
Sean Cassidy woke up in chains with a power-dampening collar around his neck. He looked to his right and found that Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops, was also present. Scott was similarly chained up, with his chiseled jaw sporting a massive bruise and his lip split from rough treatment. Notably, he had not only a power-dampening collar on but also a headpiece that blinded him, preventing him from using optic blasts even if he could get the collar off. If that's what they did to Scott, he dreaded what the people behind this might do to someone like Jean.
"Don't tell me they got ye too, Scott?" Asked Sean.
"Sean? So they hit the Massachusetts Academy too, huh?" Questioned Scott, jerking his head over toward where Sean was chained up.
"Aye, though it doesn't seem t'me like they managed t'get th' students. Or Emma. I woke up briefly on th' way t'wherever we might be now and found meself the only one o' us on my transport. 'Course, then they shocked me again and I passed out." Admitted Sean.
"They caught us on the way back from a mission. They took me, Jean, Ororo, and Logan captive. Sam escaped, hopefully he managed to warn Bobby and the others at the Mansion. I don't know where they're keeping Ororo or Jean, but it isn't here." Explained Scott.
"Where's Logan?" Queried Sean.
"They took him for questioning a little over an hour ago. Sean. These guys, they have government backing. I saw a few people with National Security Agency clearance badges before they put the blinder on me. This is what Magneto was always going on about, it's finally happening and all it took was one high-profile assassination!" Scowled Scott.
"And Onslaught, ye can't forget about that." Reminded Sean.
"That isn't the point. What do we do now? If Magneto was right all along, if the Professor's dream really was just a fantasy, what do we do then?" Growled Scott.
Sean wasn't sure he liked where Scott's thoughts were taking him. Coexistence was something that Sean'd been striving for his whole life, first in Northern Ireland trying to help stop the Troubles, then with Charles Xavier trying to get humans and mutants to live together. He'd seen governments crack down before with mass arrests and indefinite holding of prisoners, but he'd heard that a cease-fire was being negotiated in Northern Ireland now. If that bloody history could be left behind in favor of coexistence, Sean had to believe the same could hold true between Humans and Mutants. Scott on the other hand, was sounding a lot like those lads back home who wanted to keep fighting rather than make peace.
Before he could say anything to bolster Scott's flagging spirits, however, the cell door opened, and a pair of guards threw the bloody, barely breathing, form of Logan into the cell. Logan landed with a wet thump, and as Sean got a good look at him, he grimaced as he saw they'd literally torn off chunks of his skin as a method of torture, flaying his back and shoulders to get Logan to talk. Of course, Logan was one of the toughest Lads that Sean'd ever met in his life, and he'd just regenerate the skin within a few hours. That just meant whoever these bastards were, they'd be able to torture Logan without fear of him dying on them any time soon, though.
As he looked back at his captors, he spotted one of them that was more machine than man, with silvery white hair. That one pointed at Sean and said, "Him next. There was an unexpected issue at the Massachusetts Academy. Our Prime Sentinels were only able to secure him, not the primary target or any of the tertiaries."
Sean growled and tried to muster a Sonic Scream or a punch. Something to throw off the two Goons who unchained him from the wall and started frogmarching him out of the cell, but the Power Dampener combined with electric shocks from the shock batons the Goons wielded meant he didn't accomplish anything aside from having the two Goons laugh at him.
"Thrash all you want, Mutie. You ain't getting out of this." Sneered one. The other just chuckled darkly.
Eventually, Sean found himself stretched out on a table, arms and legs secured by metal clamps as the full form of the Commander of this operation, or at least this facility, lurked nearby. The man was all mechanical parts, with only his head still showing any traces of humanity, being a white-haired, green-eyed, Man. He grabbed a tool from off a rack, a set of pincers made of stainless steel, before making his way back over to Sean's prone form. The Man gave the pincers a preparatory squeeze to test if they worked before nodding in satisfaction.
"Mister Cassidy, I am known as Bastion. I'm sure you have a great many questions, but sadly, you're not in a position to be asking them. Instead, you'll be answering my questions, beginning with the New Mutant at your school. Why was He unaffected by our power-dampening technology, and what are his known weaknesses, if any?" Demanded the Man, Bastion.
"And why should I be helping you lot out?" Retorted Sean.
"Because if you don't answer my questions, then I'll be forced to hurt you until you do. Thanks to this New Mutant's intervention, we left most of a Battalion of Prime Sentinels destroyed on the Academy Grounds and only captured you to show for it. That sort of issue transcends any conventions on the treatment of prisoners, even were we inclined to follow them." Intoned Bastion.
"Feck off!" Spat Sean. At least Emma and the Kids were safe, if nothing else he could content himself with that.
"Wrong answer! Just what I was hoping for!" Grinned Bastion as he moved to use the Pincers.
Then there was nothing but pain for Sean Cassidy as he was sliced, stabbed, electrocuted, burned, beaten, and scalded as Bastion tried every torture he could think of to get him to break. Sean had been trained to resist torture and interrogation during his time in Interpol, however. He refused to break. After an hour or so of constant torture, however, Sean passed out. When he woke up he was once more chained up in his cell. He could only hope that rescue would come before he broke.
If not, then things were going to get a lot worse for Emma and the Kids. . .
XXXX
AN: So yeah, turns out that Jan's training let him improve to the point where he could absolutely wreck groups of random Prime Sentinels as part of a larger force. Unfortunately, they still managed to capture Banshee. On the bright side, Banshee is a former Irish Interpol Agent who used to be part of anti-terror operations against IRA Cells, even before joining the X-Men. That means he's trained to resist torture and interrogation. Unfortunately, the IRA didn't have access to the kind of technology that Bastion has access to. It isn't a question of if he'll break, just how long it takes. And since he knows where Jan's tower is, there's a ticking clock for any safety that the Tower can give Generation X.
I also have Scott Summers starting to question if Magneto was right. Remember, one of the drawbacks taken as part of the CYOA was that he becomes more unstable and gets more powerful as time goes on. This shows that said drawback is starting to kick off. It also provides a stark contrast to Banshee, who would know about the cease-fire negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement between the IRA and the British Government. He believes if that conflict can be settled, then there's still hope for Mutants and Humans. It's a more hopeful outlook than the one Scott is starting to sport.
At any rate, the next chapter will be Generation X in the Tower of the Axis Mundi as they and Jan try and come up with some kind of plan.
Stay tuned. . .