It had been three months since he had awakened in a strange place with no memory of who he was. It was a nursing home, and after a lot of paperwork he had been reunited with his wife, but strangely not his wife. Once he had rested, the small amount of power Tobin could muster had jolted Freda awake as well, but things were still difficult. They both needed rest, both needed to recover what had been taken, and both agreed that they both needed a holiday.
“It does seem to be very exciting at this time of year doesn't it?” said the old man as he sat across from his wife in a small cafe in central park, “I mean, giant robots of all things.” but his wife looked unamused.
“And I suppose we’re just going to sit here and watch hmm?” She asked, crossing her arms, and he smiled as he sipped his coffee.
“I was going to order breakfast. Pancakes maybe?” but she scowled and leaned forwards, lifting the menu from his hands,
“This has gone on long enough Tobin. We can help these people, and you should stop shirking your responsibilities.” but he just smiled again and motioned for the waitress,
“Yes, can we have two breakfast platters, one with extra bacon and two jugs of syrup.” and his wife tutted,
“Two platters, no extra bacon and one jug. You need to watch your weight,” and as the waitress hid a smile behind the menus she collected she left them to continue their argument,
“You know I’m always hungry after a sleep dear,” but Freda shook her head,
“And all that meat and sugar is bad for you, be thankful I let you keep the order. Oatmeal should have been prepared, you are becoming soft,” and as she looked down at his stomach line, “in more ways than one.”
Tobin waved a hand at her, “And you, my dear, are becoming a nag. We haven't had a holiday in a thousand years, even after the children were raised. Relax and enjoy,” and he smiled as he smelt and then sipped his coffee,
“Yes, and look how that turned out, half the galaxy is in ruins and you’re eating enough for three. I mean, you did order one of those breakfasts for me, yes?” and Tobin coughed,
“Of course, of course, Freda my love.” he hadn't and they were both for him, but she was in a particularly prickly mood this morning.
Knowing he was lying she reached over and smiled as she took his hand, squeezing it tighter than usual, “good, and then we can go home?” but he shook his head,
“They need to learn, and they cannot if we are there to mother them.”
“I am their mother, and the galaxy suffers for their lessons. Tobin” but he just patted the back of her hand with his,
“The galaxy would suffer even if we were there dear, it always suffers. Tyrants rise and fall, warlords pillage and plunder, as it was in my father's time, and as it is now.”
Freda tutted, and as a giant purple robot landed next to them she waved her hand and as its eye glowed slightly for a moment its jets fired and it lifted off leaving them in peace,
“Thank you, dear. I fear I would make too much of a scene.” but unamused Freda glared at him as the waitress brought their breakfasts, placing one down in front of Freda, much to the disappointment of Tobin. His mood brightened as the blonde and very attractive waitress slyly winked at him, and seeing his plate, he noticed the extra slices of bacon hiding stealthily under one of his pancakes. With a huge grin, he was about to cover the pancakes in maple syrup when tutting Freda took his plate and swapped it with hers.
“You are several thousand years too early for that ever work, Tobin,” and as he sighed, he used most of the syrup in consolation.
As the elderly couple argued with smiles in their eyes, the rest of America was not as happy. Trask industries had been busy, constructing, refurbishing and collecting mutant cell samples to make the final release of their masterpiece perfect.
New York was the testbed. Other cities had minor hero activity, but New York was the epicentre of all the trouble lately and had been chosen to field the first unit of Sentinels. Over one hundred Sentinels were deployed in the city, and as they booted up and began their gruesome task, as Coulson had predicted, it became a war. Not everyone knew they were an Augment, some were small children, with no powers and no idea of what fate befell them.
The president's announcement had sent a shock throughout the populace, and though illegal, it only took one man to pull his gun on an advancing Sentinel, his other hand pressed against a small boy hiding behind him before hell broke loose.
“Violent Response Recognised. Use Of Lethal Force Authorised To Complete Primary Mission.”
At the Sentinel Control Centre, the situation was being monitored. As Senator Malik watched the monitors, he saw the protocols that had been activated due to violent reprisals he smirked, all according to plan. As the red phone on his desk flashed he lifted it.
“I understand. Tell them to stand down. The Avengers are not to engage the Sentinels on US soil.”
Placing the handset back down he stared at the map, as each purple dot spread out across the state of New York. A separate group, of twenty, was heading off the coast. Nothing was there, or so he told himself, but the reports on Genosha indicated it was protected against intrusion, not well enough, and as the satellite image showed the island in its entirety, it was only protected from man, and not machine.
This was the outcome he wanted. Trask had been suitably paid, and he would get his revenge but Malik wanted the chaos, the disorder that he could use to push through his own agenda. The others had been too sloppy, too quick to push forwards. No, he knew the best way was to incite chaos and let them beg to be saved.
Unaware of the change, Peter was in the process of examining the remains of the three broken and smashed Sentinels before him. Even with no power, he could still feel the connection between them, the shared network data and to his other senses, the hidden danger. There was still an alien presence within the metal as if the metal itself was alive somehow.
When Wanda had floated from the roof of the warehouse she had blasted on Sentinel with her power, and as its frame twisted, Peter felt something stir within the machine and before he could yell a warning it had shimmered, and the banding around its body had shifted, almost transformed in some way, and the energy simply bounced from it and impacted against the side of a nearby building.
As the newly designed armour slid over him, hiding his features he leapt and sliced at the machine, Talon leaping down as well and as the pair tag teamed, Talon occasionally using his much larger frame as a springboard, soon all the Sentinels had been reduced to a pile of parts.
With all seven plus Peter, the Sentinels hadn’t stood a chance. The only member missing was Jean, who was still helping the professor with his secret project.
“I like the new look, uh, V,'' Gwen said, as she poked a piece of armour. Peter's new armour was slick. The crash helmet design and thin shoulder pads lay flat over his taut muscles, and the bumpy armoured thick shoulder pads and chest armour were replaced with a sleeker, smoother chest piece. It came down in a V across his torso, and the usual white spider on it was now dyed a deep golden colour and the lines continued down his arms and legs. From his back thinner but stronger adamantium clad tentacles flooded back and lay flat against his back.
“Yeah, still no name though, so V, for now, is good.” as he looked at the pile of scrap he shook his head. “We need to get out into the streets.” and he placed a hand over the chest of one Sentinel, shaking his head, “the gene scanner is too imprecise. It detects the X-Gene, but that's it.” and Gwen shook her head,
“No wonder it went crazy.” Every human had either the X, K or V variant, and with an adaptive AI, the Sentinels would simply mark everyone as an Augment.
“Felicia. Get Electra on the phone and warn her, I need to head to the mansion. Wanda, Laura. You need to stay here,” but Wanda crossed her arms and scowled at him,
“Why?” she asked angrily. If Erik and Pietro were in danger then she needed to do something.
V sighed, “Because they are learning.” and as he lifted a piece of the strange banded metal armour, “use your power on this, just a little.”
Wanda tutted and waved her hands lifting the piece floated free, the metal rippled once more and fell from the red energy field.
V shook his head, “They can adapt. I'm fine because I just punch stuff, but Scott, Jean, you, and a lot of others will find the Sentinels too much. I need you to stay here with Laura, I need you to protect her.”
Wanda huffed, “I have my magic you know.” and V nodded,
“Right, and if they can adapt to that, then.” and he paused as a horrible realisation crossed his mind, “In fact, call Stephen, fill him in as well. I don't want super robots stomping New York flat because we accidentally power them up.”
Wanda still huffed but Laura nodded and smacked Wanda on her butt while she nodded at the warehouse, “Come Red, I’ll keep you safe.” and startled at the not too unpleasant stinging on her rear, Wanda stared at the smaller woman who winked at her. Talon had been making things clearer, Ororo had been helping too, and as she led Wanda back into the warehouse, “In more ways than one,” and her hand gently but firmly pushed Wanda through the doorway, giving her a small squeeze on the way in.
Looking over the group, “anyone without combat experience is to stay here and keep low. Sorry Friday, you too. I don't want a nutcase with a gun thinking you're some Sentinel wannabe, but call Tony. If the Iron Legion can help, we might need it,” and she nodded and headed back inside as well.
He turned to Gwen, Liv and Felicia,
“We need to get this metal analysed. We already know you’re safe, at least for now, but the metal is strange. It's weird, I don't know, but we need to find out how they adapt,” and Gwen grabbed the bundle of plating and circuits V had webbed into a bag. She was glad she had been Enhanced again, as the package was cumbersome and heavy. “But take Huntress with you. Safe now doesn't mean safe in the future. I don't want anyone to get hurt, okay?”
As he stepped forwards he gently cupped a hand on her cheek, “love you all,” and she kissed the back of his hand.
“Love you too,” She said as she and Felicia shared the bag between them and headed to the Parker Inc building a few blocks away.
“Carol, Nat. You need to get out onto the street and stop these things. Carol, no powers. If they adapt to you, then we’re in really big trouble, but you're strong enough to just punch holes in them. I doubt they’ll be resistant to that,” the pile of scrap metal a testament that they weren’t.
The pair nodded at V and Ravage covered Carol, and Widow flowed over Natasha. Picking her up, V heard his mic click as they checked their communications and the pair flew off into New York. “I’ll head to the mansion. If Jean and the others are in trouble I need to be there. Plus, if we can get Erik’s help, this will be over before it begins.” said Peter and as his harness sprouted two small thrusters, he took off and headed towards the mansion.
Can Peter not just eat the metal and get stronger?
Yeashh!!