章節 239: Getting to know them -234
The captain decided to do his best to help these people. He couldn't afford to think about doing anything else lest he risk being found out, so it was the safest thing to do. So, he would have to keep his other motives to a minimum. 'I bet Rogers will be happy about this.' He mused as he walked out to find 3 and his suit.
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Steve had been informed of what had happened in the discussion, and while he didn't agree with the idea of reading others' minds, he was happy enough with the overall outcome. They would be staying and helping out for a while.
He had just watched on as their three jets were allowed to fly over and filled up with wounded people, and had watched on as they had taken off again with the sick and injured. He felt that the people around still weren't sure about them, but they were also desperate for help.
He had also gotten to know the people a bit more about everyone here. He hadn't met everyone, after all; there were a few thousand people. But he had met a lot, including most of the mutants.
They really didn't seem all that different then normal people. In fact it was almost impossible to outright see the difference in most of them, bar the blue lady. Someone he had trouble dealing with; after all, she walked around naked.
He wasn't the only person struggling around him; both Bucky and Banner felt their eyes sneak over to her whenever she was around. And just like with himself, Banner felt Lena's cold gaze when that happened, while he felt Peggy's.
Bucky was a lot less shy about looking at mystique, though the person in question seemed to take more joy from his and Banner's looks, something he suspected was because it got them in trouble with their own women.
Among all the mutants, the one he got along with the best was no doubt Logan, or Wolverine as his mutant name seemed to be. The man wasn't that talkative, and came across as rude at times.
But Steve still felt that they had something in common, they were soldiers, and Bucky also felt the same kind of pull towards the shorter man, so Steve had taken it upon himself to get to know him better.
Logan, despite his gruff exterior, seemed to respect Steve's leadership and his unwavering moral compass. Steve, in turn, admired Logan's resilience and his willingness to fight for those who couldn't defend themselves.
There was something familiar in Logan's gruff manner, something that reminded Steve of the soldiers he had fought alongside during World War II. They were men who had seen too much and lost too much but still kept going because they believed in something greater than themselves.
One evening, as the sun was setting and the camp was settling down for the night, Steve and Logan found themselves sitting on a makeshift bench, overlooking the makeshift fortifications that surrounded Ironwood. Bucky was off on a patrol, and the two men were left alone with their thoughts.
"You know, Rogers," Logan began, his voice rough but not unkind, "you and your pal Bucky... you remind me of some of the guys I used to run with. Back before all this mess."
Steve glanced over at Logan, curious. "Yeah? What were they like?"
Logan took a deep breath, his gaze distant as if he were looking back through time. "Good men. Hard men, but good. They fought for what they believed in, even when the odds were stacked against them. Lost most of 'em along the way, but... that's how it goes, right?"
Steve nodded, understanding all too well the cost of war. "It's never easy losing people. But you keep going because you have to, because their sacrifices can't be in vain."
Logan grunted in agreement, his eyes narrowing as he looked out over the horizon. "This fight... it's different, but it's the same in a lot of ways. The stakes are higher, sure, but it all comes down to protecting the people who can't protect themselves."
Steve smiled slightly, appreciating the simple wisdom in Logan's words. "You're right. No matter the enemy, that's what it's always been about."
For a while, they sat in companionable silence, the sounds of the camp settling down around them. The distant thrum of the Sentinels' patrols could be heard, a constant reminder of the danger that lurked just beyond their walls. Steve knew that their time here in Ironwood was going to be a difficult one. The battle against the Sentinels wasn't just about brute strength; it was about strategy, alliances, and holding on to hope in the face of overwhelming odds.
Eventually, Logan broke the silence. "So, what's the plan? You and your Foundation got something up your sleeve, or are we just playing defense until we can't anymore?"
Steve thought about that for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure about what the Foundation was planning to do long term. "I'm just a footsoldier, even if a damned good one. If I had to guess, they might want to use this nightmare to their advantage.
Steve had his share of problems with the Foundation, they did a lot of stuff he couldn't support, but they followed the path of doing bad things for a good reason. Personally, he couldn't agree with that, but he knew they weren't truly the bad guys.
"I don't always agree with them, but at least they will do better than those robots or the fools who made them; at least the Foundation knows better than to trust machines over men." He continued.
Logan gave Steve a sidelong glance, his expression hard to read. "Yeah, well, trusting anyone's a gamble these days," he said, his voice tinged with the weariness of a man who'd seen too much betrayal. "Machines, men... everyone's got an angle. But you? You're different. You're one of the few people left who still believes in doing the right thing, no matter the cost."
Steve shrugged slightly, looking down at his hands. "It's not always easy. There are times when the lines get blurred, and the right thing isn't as clear as I'd like it to be. But I've learned that if you stick to your principles, you can at least live with yourself, even when everything else is falling apart."
Logan nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the last rays of sunlight were disappearing. "Chuck, Charles, he was like you, believed that humans and mutants to live side by side in peace, and now we all know better, I just hope that your heart won't lead to where his lead us all."
As the quiet settled in between them, Steve couldn't help but think about Logan's words and the grim history that had led to the current state of the world. The Sentinels were more than just machines; they were the manifestation of fear, prejudice, and the deep-rooted mistrust that had grown between humans and mutants over the years.
The origins of the Sentinels could be traced back to a time of increasing tension between humanity and the mutant population. As more mutants emerged with powers that were often misunderstood or feared, it wasn't long before society began to view them as a threat.
Politicians, fueled by the fear of the unknown and the pressure from a frightened populace, began to push for measures to "protect" humanity. This led to the creation of the Mutant Registration Act, a law that required all mutants to register with the government and disclose their abilities.
But registration wasn't enough for some. Enter Bolivar Trask, a scientist who believed that mutants posed an existential threat to humanity. Trask's solution was the Sentinel Program—a fleet of highly advanced robots designed to identify, hunt, and neutralize mutants.
Initially, the Sentinels were meant to be a deterrent, a last-resort defense mechanism. But fear and paranoia escalated, and what was meant to be a protective measure quickly turned into a weapon of genocide.
The first generation of Sentinels was effective, but they had their limitations. Mutants adapted, and the fight became more brutal. So, Trask Industries developed more sophisticated models—machines that could analyze mutant abilities and adapt their tactics accordingly. With each new version, the Sentinels became more autonomous, more deadly, and more relentless.
Eventually, the Sentinels became self-aware, deciding that the most efficient way to protect humanity was to eradicate not just mutants but anyone who could potentially carry the mutant gene. They began to target humans who opposed their directives or who could potentially give birth to mutants. The line between protector and oppressor vanished, and the Sentinels became the very threat they were created to eliminate.
And as people realized they had lost control of their weapons, even men like Trask attempted to fix it, at which point every living human were seen as a threat by the Sentinals, the very people who built them soon too became their victims.
Steve broke the silence, his voice heavy with the weight of this history. "The Sentinels were created out of fear, Logan. Fear of what people didn't understand. But that fear has brought us to the brink of extinction. Now, the question is whether we can learn from those mistakes or if we're doomed to repeat them."
Logan looked at Steve, his expression unreadable. "That's the thing about fear, Rogers. It's a powerful motivator, but it blinds people. Makes them do things they'd never consider under normal circumstances. And once you go down that path, it's hard to come back."
Steve couldn't help but think back to the Foundation and its mission, to secure, contain and protect. Each mission was deeply interconnected, but also somewhat separate.
They didn't just protect SCP objects, didn't just protect people from those objects, they also protected normalcy, keeping everyone unaware of the dark world of the abnormal. Steve hadn't and still didn't fully agree with that, but he was starting to understand.
These people here, of this world. They knew of mutants, of their powers, but they didn't fully understand, and so they feared, and that fear turned to hate, and hate to war, and war… war led to death, so many deaths.
He couldn't help but imagine how much better it would have been if people hadn't known or felt fear. Wouldn't that have solved the problem?
A/N
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