Bab 130: Sentinels
Inside Alex Manor, Johnny roamed around with wide-eyed wonder, his gaze tinged with envy.
"Sis, when did you land such a wealthy boyfriend?" Johnny exclaimed, awe evident in his voice.
"Just yesterday," Susan replied, recalling the night a hint of amusement. If he fancied her, why not simply say so? No need for all the theatrics. Yet, she couldn't deny the thrill of it all.
"Yesterday? Come on, sis, don't pull my leg," Johnny protested, skepticism written all over his face.
"Why not?" Susan chuckled. If Alex was only after a fling, why go to such lengths?
"This manor is incredible!" Johnny gushed with excitement.
"It's alright. You're Susan's little brother, right?" Alex, clad in casual attire, approached with a warm smile.
"Yeah!" Johnny chimed in, his words smooth as butter.
"I really like her," Alex chuckled, wrapping his arm around Susan's waist, lifting her chin, and planting a kiss on her lips.
Susan's face flushed crimson as she pushed Alex away and hurried into the manor.
Now I was truly embarrassed. How could I face my brother after this?
Despite her embarrassment, there was a sweet warmth in her heart. Isn't it every woman's desire to find a man who loves her, cares for her, protects her, and makes her feel secure?
With Susan dashing away, Alex couldn't help but smile. She was such a cute girl.
His gaze then shifted to Johnny, one of the future members of the Fantastic Four.
But whether the Fantastic Four would come together was still uncertain.
"Are you still at work, Johnny?" Alex inquired.
"Yeah," Johnny confirmed with a nod.
"Where do you work?" Alex asked. If Johnny was struggling, Alex didn't mind extending a helping hand. After all, he was his woman's younger brother.
"I'm a professional racer, and the pay is pretty good!" Johnny replied with a grin, scratching his head.
"Racing? That sounds exciting," Alex chuckled.
"It definitely is! Feeling the wind rush past, the roar in your ears, it's exhilarating!" Johnny exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm as he talked about his passion.
"That sounds like a great hobby. Is there anything you'd like to improve in racing? Or perhaps start your own racing club?" Alex suggested, looking at Johnny.
Money was the last thing Alex lacked.
A spark of interest flickered in Johnny's eyes. For a racer, what could be more important than customizing his own rides? He was a whiz with machinery, and car modifications were his specialty.
Starting his own racing club was every racer's dream.
Considering his relationship with Alex, which was mostly based on his sister being Alex's woman, Johnny hesitated before declining. "No, I hope you treat my sister better that's more than enough for me, Alex."
Alex was taken aback at first, then his expression softened into a smile.
"Let me make two things clear: Firstly your sister will live like a queen. And secondly do you think I care about money? I may lack some things, but money isn't one of them."
"Is what you said true, Alex?" Johnny asked eagerly.
"Absolutely. Here's a check for fifty million dollars. With that, you should be able to pull it off," Alex replied casually, jotting down the amount on the check.
"Absolutely! I can definitely make it happen!" Johnny exclaimed, his excitement palpable.
Alex handed the check to Johnny and watched as the young man scampered off.
Approaching Susan, Alex listened as she expressed concern about Johnny's penchant for dangerous stunts.
"He's always been a thrill-seeker. Let him have his fun; he knows what he's doing," Alex reassured her, his touch lingering a bit longer than necessary.
.....
Meanwhile, Stryker surveyed the Sentinel robots before him with a sense of satisfaction.
"What's the progress on Mystique's genetic research?" he inquired.
"It's nearly complete. Mystique's genes exhibit remarkable adaptability, capable of countering Mutant abilities and even surpassing them," his subordinate reported.
"Excellent! Let's put our findings to the test," Stryker declared with a sinister grin. Mutants? They'd soon be a thing of the past, thanks to the Sentinels.
Dragging a Sentinel into the vast and desolate room, a ragged human shuffled in on the opposite side.
Though he appeared unremarkable, he was exceedingly dangerous. A Mutant and a notorious criminal at that.
"How much did Nick Fury promise to fund us?" Stryker observed the skirmish below, questioning his assistant, the deceased woman at his side.
"Nick Fury allocated 300 million U.S. dollars. He mentioned it's the maximum amount he could mobilize," the deceased woman replied.
"Three hundred million? It's a tad underwhelming, but it'll do for now," Stryker frowned, considering that each Sentinel cost only a million dollars to produce, allowing for the creation of around three hundred Sentinels with that budget.
However, these Sentinels still lacked significant strength. It typically took three to five of them to handle Mutants like Charles or Magneto.
Although the Sentinels hadn't yet proven their worth, having 300 million at their disposal was a boon. Stryker had constructed over a dozen of them in the past few years alone.
One of the three-story Sentinels below scanned the Mutant opposite it, instantly analyzing and simulating the opponent's abilities after integrating Raven's genes.
The Mutant appeared terrified as a layer of bony armor enveloped his body—clearly, this was his power: the ability to manipulate his own bones at will.
The Mutant charged toward the Sentinel, his five fingers sprouting pale, glowing claws, evidently aiming to dismantle the Sentinel outright.
However, he was overestimating his chances.
The Sentinel's eyes gleamed as it exerted the same power to manipulate its own bones.
With a mere clench of his hands, Mutant's expression before him contorted in agony, and in the next instant, the Mutant's body exploded into fragments, even his bones scattered, morphing indiscriminately in the grip of the Sentinel.
Stryker witnessed this brutal scene without a flicker of emotion, instead, a twisted sense of satisfaction lingered.
Mutant's demise was imminent.
"Is the video recorded?" Stryker inquired.
"It's recorded," the woman confirmed, pushing her glasses up indifferently.
"Send it to Nick Fury. The Sentinels will commence full production. Mutant's reign ends now," Stryker declared, his eyes gleaming with cold determination.
.....
At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick Fury's expression betrayed a hint of satisfaction as he spoke to Phil Coulson, "Contact Stryker. Have him send all Sentinels so that Congress members witness the results and allocate more funds to him."
"Understood, Chief," Phil Coulson acknowledged, hastening to relay the message to Stryker.
Watching the scene unfold on the screen, Carol couldn't help but question the morality of it all. The Sentinels' ruthlessness left her unsettled.
She also pondered whether Stryker and Nick Fury were colluding to confront Mutants like Charles and Alex. Despite her favorable impressions of Charles and Alex, she couldn't shake the feeling that Nick Fury was calculating, cunning, and ruthless.
Comparatively, Logan, though lacking in manners, was genuine. If he liked you, he liked you; if not, he made no pretense. He was straightforward in his likes and dislikes, cutting off ties with those he disliked without hesitation.
Carol shook her head, realizing it was time to distance herself from Nick Fury. Seeing his true colors, she preferred not to be caught in his plans.
(End of this chapter)
.....
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Bab 131: Support
"Our research once believed that Neanderthals went extinct while competing with the more evolved Cromagnons. But recent studies of our DNA suggest that the two races may have interbred, eventually evolving into modern humans. In other words, they evolved into us," Storm explained with a smile to the group of children dressed in white, pacing back and forth as he elucidated the origins of the ancient peoples and the modern race.
Some of the children looked puzzled, unsure if they were regular humans or mutants.
"Yes," Storm confirmed, acknowledging that mutants were indeed the ancestors of the current mutant population. His gaze swept over the children, focusing momentarily on a little boy who stuck his tongue out mischievously at a girl with a lollipop.
With a hands-on-hips stance, Storm called out to the mischievous boy: "Ati, not now!"
Ati promptly withdrew his tongue, scratching his head sheepishly.
Observing this, Jean approached the boy, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. "Stay focused, Ati," he advised before nudging him back into the attentive crowd gathered around Storm.
"These little ones seem quite engaged in the lesson," Alex remarked with a chuckle as he glanced at the scene beside him, where Jean sat.
"Just here for the session. Storm handles the explanations; they have other stops after this," Jean replied with a smile.
"Ah, I remember Charles mentioning something about Neanderthals and Cromagnons back then," Alex reminisced, recalling a conversation from 1962.
"Hehe, I remember Emma soaking all my notes," Charles chimed in from behind, joining the conversation.
"That's on you for knowing my least favorite thing is essays," Alex shot back.
"Haha, you hate paperwork? That's not necessarily true. Remember how eloquently you dissected human nature in the beginning," Charles chuckled softly.
"Is he questioning my expertise? Time to show him what I'm made of," Alex chuckled, then inquired casually, "Got any other plans for me?"
"Just come and see these little ones, it'll be worth your time," Charles replied, watching the children with a fond smile.
As Storm finished her commentary, the children scattered, Katie leading Anna and Anya off to play.
Storm approached Alex, brushing his white hair aside, and addressed Charles, "Professor."
"Excellent work," Alex praised.
"It's the least I can do," Storm replied, bashful.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed, and Emma, sporting glasses, hurried over.
"What's going on, Emma?" Alex inquired, noting her serious expression.
"We've got a situation. Take a look at this," Emma said, presenting a video screen to Alex and Charles.
The screen displayed footage of Sentinels attacking Mutants.
Charles maintained a cold demeanor, his hands tightly clenched, the whitened knuckles betraying his inner turmoil.
Alex shook his head, recognizing the gravity of the situation.
"This is a Sentinel! Didn't we alter the future? Why has the Sentinel reappeared?" Charles inquired with remarkable composure.
Stryker hadn't relented; instead, he clandestinely continued his research on Sentinels. Over the years, he had manufactured more than a dozen of them, garnering support from Congress. The impact of Eric's previous actions had been immense. Emma sighed, recalling her involvement in the original debacle. Little did she expect Sentinels to resurface.
"They received support from Congress?!" Charles couldn't contain his agitation. What did this signify? The war between Mutants and humanity had commenced.
"However, they claimed it was to apprehend Mutant criminals," Emma retorted with a sardonic smile, her tone dripping with disdain. "Thirty billion dollars to apprehend Mutant criminals? Ridiculous."
"Perhaps Sentinels are costly," Charles conjectured uncertainly.
"Costly?" Emma scoffed, her smile tinged with mockery. "Maybe with limited technology, it's indeed expensive. But a million dollars could suffice. Thirty billion dollars? That's a plan to exterminate Mutants."
This situation underscored the dire consequences of Eric's past actions, driving humanity's resolve to eradicate Mutants. The radiation that permeated New York served as a catalyst for Mutant transformation. But what if it proved lethal? No one could guarantee otherwise.
(End of this chapter)
.....
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