| abstract | - The bustling streets of New York were unusually quiet other than the booming crash of falling buildings and the howl of sirens. Everybody was either shivering with fear inside their homes or had evacuated the city. The source of this fear was a raging sentinel: a colossal robot designed to target and eliminate mutants. However, the sentinel was not programmed to protect normal human life, and would go to extraordinary lengths just to destroy a single innocent mutant. It was painted with mostly fluorescent pink and dark purple, but its happy colors were deceptive. With a loud whir, the sentinel sent a blazing beam of energy from its mechanical palm, incinerating a car, transforming it into a pile of red-hot debris. Logan, or Wolverine as he was nicknamed, zipped up his new uniform as the X-Jet (or Blackbird, as it was better known) soared through the cloudy sky. Unlike his old black one, this outfit was blue and yellow, with a mask that covered some of his face. Much to his distaste, it was made of spandex, and made him look quite ridiculous, but Professor Xavier had insisted on him wearing it because it coud prevent scanners from detecting that he was a mutant. This would be a great advantage against the sentinel. Seated beside him was Kurt Wagner, also known as Nightcrawler, and on the other side was Ororo Munroe, better known as Storm. Scott Summers, or Cyclops, was at the controls, piloting the Blackbird down to New York, where a rogue sentinel was destroying buildings. Scott was still grieving over the recent death of Jean Grey, who had sacrificed herself to save the other X-Men from a flood at Alkali Lake. Wolverine smelt the distinct salty flavour of a tear running down Cyclops’s cheek. "So, think we can handle a giant robot?" Logan asked Nightcrawler, who flashed him a nervous look. "Maybe, but…" he trailed off. As the Blackbird descended, the sentinel scanned it for life. Inside its robotic brain, the sentinel calculated that there were four sentient beings, three of which mutants, and it sent a missile rocketing from its metallic shoulder. The missile slammed into the engines, detonating them and blasting a hole through to the cockpit. Wolverine leaped through the hole, plummeting to the ground. He impacted hard, tearing the flesh from his cheek and right arm. However, his mutant healing power kicked in, and in a mere twenty seconds he was back on his feet, the wounds completely healed. Following him, Nightcrawler teleported with a loud bamf sound to the sentinel’s shoulder, where the missile had been fired. He flipped, landing on its head, then somersaulting on to its back. He pounded the plating with his fist, only to recoil in pain, for the sentinel had given him an electrical shock. He tumbled from his perch, hurtling towards the hard asphalt road beneath, only for Storm, who had also just left the Blackbird, to swoop down and snatch him. She gently lowered him down into Wolverine’s hairy arms. "What do you want me to do with ‘im?" Wolverine protested, shaking his head. Image:Sentinel head.jpg Rather than debate what to do with the unconscious Nightcrawler, Storm soared back into the smoky air. Suddenly, the sky turned dark as Storm used her powers. A sizzling bolt of bright blue lightning flashed, striking the sentinel hard. It stumbled backward into a nearby skyscraper, and the building began to topple toward the ground. Cyclops flicked the Blackbird onto autopilot and leaped from the cockpit, unleashing a scarlet force beam from his visor. The beam hit the falling building and deflected it back to the sentinel. The skyscraper collapsed onto the sentinel, crushing it beneath over thirty tonnes of shattered bricks, twisted metal, broken glass and smashed furniture as Storm plucked Cyclops from the air and slowed his fall. The Blackbird piloted itself down to land several hundred meters away, and Wolverine didn’t hesitate to climb aboard. He dumped the still-unconscious Nightcrawler onto a small white bed in the back of the aircraft and grabbed the controls. The moment Storm and Scott settled into their seats, Wolverine took off, and the Blackbird ascended into the cloudy sky. Back at the X-Mansion, a frown crossed Professor Xavier’s face as he watched the incident with the sentinel on the news. The setting sun shone on his bald skull, reflecting the light onto the wall. Sensing that his X-Men had returned from their mission, he rolled down the hallway on his mechanized wheelchair and out to the elevator. He took it down to the subbasement - a section under the X-Mansion containing Cerebro, a machine that could amplify his telepathic (mind reading and controlling) abilities, and what was known as the 'Danger Room', a training area that used hologram technology to simulate battles. Professor Xavier moved down the tiled corridor to the hangar, where the Blackbird had just landed. "We’re back!" growled Logan as he stalked into view. Cyclops followed, holding Nightcrawler in his arms. Storm came next, cape flowing behind her. "I've seen better performances." said Xavier, glancing at Nightcrawler. "He's out cold, but breathing." assured Cyclops, taking Nightcrawler into the medical ward that had previously been run by Jean Grey. A tear rolled down Scott's cheek as he thought of her. Wolverine's keen senses suddenly detected a familiar scent. He raced into the elevator and ascended two levels. Sabretooth... Logan thought as he unsheathed his gleaming adamantium claws.
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