* FLAP *

* FLAP *

* CRASH *

Mystique crashed through a window and entered Val's mansion.

She tried to slow herself down but she fell on the floor and rolled herself on it multiple times before she stopped.

* THUD *

She changed into her normal blue self and held her bleeding arm.

She stood up and limped toward a cabinet.

Opening it, she took out the gauze and alcohol from it and gritted her teeth as she poured the alcohol on her wound.

* SIZZLE *

"Urghhh!", She clenched her teeth in pain and hurriedly applied the gauze over it.

After patching herself up, she looked around and found no sign of Val.

She thought, 'Where is he? It's 1 in the morning now. Maybe he would be in the training room or he would be in the living room.'

She limped downstairs and entered the living room and found Val.

Mozart was playing in the background while he was reading a book while relaxing on the couch.

Mystique burst through the glass door and limped toward him hurriedly.

Val raised his head from the book and turned toward her.

Seeing her injuries and disheveled state, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "What happened to you?"

Mystique arrived near him and hurriedly said, "Y-You... h-help... C-Charles... S-School... R-Robot... Please!!"

Val placed the book aside and stood up from the couch and said, "Relax Mystique! Calm down! You aren't making any sense!"

He walked toward the fridge and brought her a glass of water which he gave to her and said, "Drink! It would help you to calm down."

Mystique nodded and took the glass and drank it.

A sigh escaped her lips as she placed the glass on the table and sat on the couch beside Val who then asked, "Now, tell me. What happened?"

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Mystique took a deep breath and began, "Well, everything was the same. I and Charles were..."

. . .

* BOOM *

Angel picked up Havok and flew to the side as they narrowly avoided getting evaporated to death.

"You okay?", She asked him with a concerned expression on her face.

"Y-Yeah!", He replied as he gazed at the Sentinel firing energy beams at Banshee who was flying in the sky, dodging them.

Angel flapped her butterfly-like wings and asked, "What should we do now?"

Havok formulated a plan of attack and ordered, "Hold me steady, Angie. I will attack him with my plasma beams."

Angel nodded and kept him steady as his chest glowed red and a plasma beam shot forth toward the Sentinel.

* BOOM *

The Sentinel skid a few meters ahead and then, it stopped and turned toward them.

It's eyes glowed blue ominously and it aimed and shot two energy beams at them.

* BOOM *

* BOOM *

While it was focused on Angel and Havok, Hank ran toward it and climbed it's back.

He reached it's shoulders and punched it's head repeatedly.

* WHAM *

* WHAM *

. . .

"So, will you help?", Mystique asked hopefully.

"No!", Val replied and he calmly drank his water.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a few seconds.

Mystique clenched her fists and asked angrily, "Why?"

"Why?", Val turned to her and asked as he glared at her, "Ask yourself that question. Why would I not help you?"

Seeing her glare at him, he continued, "Who told me that he didn't need my help? Who told me that he wouldn't help me? Who is a stubborn fucking idiot?"

He narrowed his eyes at her when he saw her keeping mum and said, "It's your brother, Mystique. C - fucking - harles!"

"T-Then... you won't help me? You won't help the kids that are being killed by the robot. You won't help those poor kids? All because... my brother said those things to you.", she asked.

"Duh! Genius! Of course, I fucking won't!", he replied.

Then, he stared into her eyes and said, "If I listen to you and help him now, you know what he would say after he wakes up?"

Seeing her silence, he shouted angrily, "He would say - I didn't need your help."

Mystique sighed heavily and nodded to herself, "I understand now. It's... become all clear to me."

She looked at him and said, "Both of you have huge egos. This ego is preventing any of you from accepting help from each other."

"No! No! No!", Val shook his finger at her and said, "When I needed his help with the Trask situation, I went to him and asked for his help. He would never do that for me, okay? He is the one with the ego. Not me."

"Then, at least help those poor kids. They are the ones suffering.", she pleaded him.

However, Val shook his head and replied, "No! They're not my problem. It's his school, isn't it? They are dead because of him. He failed to protect them, not me."

Mystique clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into her palms and blood began seeping out of her hand.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Good! Very good! You have finally shown me your true colors. You have finally shown me what a selfish man you are. "

She stood up from the couch and stared at him and said, "Goodbye, Val. You are dead to me from now on."

Val watched as she walked away while her tear drops fell on the floor and he sighed heavily and thought, 'What a mess!'

. . .

* BANG *

* BOOM *

* BOOM *

"Run!"

"Aaahhh!"

"Help me!"

The people on the streets were running erratically.

Some clutched their children and ran toward wherever they thought was safe while some left their cars on the road and pushed others and ran away.

* BOOM *

* BOOM *

* BOOM *

In the middle of the street was the Sentinel pounding his fist onto a bruised and battered Hank, lying on the ground.

* BOOM *

"Urghh!", Hank tried to get up but his vision blurred and he fell unconscious.

* WHIRR *

In the sky above, a helicopter hovered in the air, and inside it, Victor adjusted his camera while Sarah sat in front of him.

She asked, "Is everything ready?"

"What? What did you say? I can't hear you.", He asked her.

"I asked - Is everything ready?", She repeated.

Victor nodded and focused the camera on the Sentinel on the ground.

He gestured to her that they were live and Sarah began her job as a reporter.

A few minutes later, Victor noticed the Sentinel turned it's metallic head toward the helicopter and aimed it's hands at him.

He panicked and shouted, "Fuck! Fuck! It's aiming at us! It's going to shoot! It's going to shoot!"

Sarah looked at the robot and her eyes widened in alarm.

She turned to the pilot and ordered, "We need to go! Right now!"

However, the Sentinel was one step ahead of them and fired the energy beams.

Victor and Sarah's eyes widened in alarm and fear and they shouted, "Nooooo!"

They closed their eyes in fear and thought, 'We are going to dieeee!!!!!!'

However..... a few seconds passed and nothing happened.

They reluctantly opened their eyes and what they saw left them shocked.

In front of them, a man wearing black and golden armor was hovering in the air and shielding them from the energy beam.

The energy beam was assimilating within him.

Victor's cameraman instincts were activated and he focused the camera on the man.

The man turned around and stared at the camera and smiled widely and declared, "Don't fear! Because Starlance is here!"