Professor X and Magneto turned their heads sharply, their eyes filled with urgency. Magneto's gaze burned with fierce determination. Among the group, there were Mutants who could track other Mutants across long distances. This ability was one of the key reasons the Mutants had managed to survive this long. But now, with the Sentinel robots mobilizing again, it was clear—something significant was happening.
"What location did they go to?" Magneto asked, his voice deep and grave.
"Alkali Lake," Scott responded immediately.
At the mention of that name, Wolverine's body visibly tensed, his instincts instantly on high alert.
"Not good," he growled. "That kid Robert is still there!"
"They wouldn't be targeting Robert, would they?" Jean asked, concern darkening her expression.
Magneto and Professor X exchanged a meaningful glance.
"Very likely," Professor X said, nodding slowly. "Robert is the Mutant with the greatest potential right now. Capturing him would be an immense strategic gain."
"They definitely want to use him for their own purposes," Charles continued, his tone heavy with conviction. "We absolutely cannot allow this to happen!"
Magneto's voice rang out with steely resolve. "Agreed."
Despite the fact that Robert had once bested Magneto in a previous encounter, Magneto remained unwavering in his principles. His dedication to protecting Mutantkind was greater than any personal grudge. This, truly, was the charisma that made Magneto a legendary leader.
"We must go and rescue him. Robert cannot handle this many Sentinels alone," Magneto said, rising to his full imposing height. "This time, I'll take action personally."
"Then we X-Men will definitely not stand idly by," Scott affirmed. "Professor, you stay here and safeguard the X-Men Academy. We'll go retrieve Robert."
Charles nodded in agreement. With the headmaster's approval, no further debate was necessary.
A team of six elite Mutants assembled—Magneto, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Gambit, and Sunspot. This was the Academy's strongest rescue force. Professor X remained behind to guard the Academy with Storm and the younger students.
With Blink's Portal ability, they were able to bypass conventional travel altogether.
Although Blink wasn't a powerful combatant—her strength only marginally above a regular human—her Mutant ability was extraordinary. Much like the mystical Portals of Kamar-Taj, Blink could open wormholes between two distant points. A strategic godsend.
Thanks to Blink's Portals, the team had previously evaded many dangers. On this day, she once again stood at the frontlines, throwing her arm forward to release a ball of glowing purple energy. A swirling Portal emerged instantly in the air before them.
Magneto didn't hesitate. Despite his age and grey hair, he was still unmatched in both presence and power. He led the way through the Portal.
One by one, the other Mutants followed—Cyclops, Jean, Wolverine, Gambit, Sunspot, and Blink herself.
Through the Portal, they arrived deep within the Alkali Lake forest—thousands of miles away in an instant. The air was cold and the environment eerily silent.
"It looks like we arrived just in time," Magneto said after scanning their surroundings. "The Sentinels haven't reached here yet. Robert may still be safe."
Scott nodded but remained wary. "Even so, we must proceed with caution. These Sentinels can hide in plain sight."
Unlike the now-deceased Mystique, who could disguise herself as any human, the Sentinels had evolved. They could not only mimic humans but could also transform into inanimate objects—trees, rocks, or even pieces of the terrain. Their ability to camouflage made them terrifyingly effective at ambushes.
A single mistake could mean death.
Jean closed her eyes and extended her telekinetic awareness to scan the area. She was trying to detect hidden threats before they fell into a trap.
Under her lead, the group began moving quickly toward Alkali Lake.
Within minutes, they reached the edge of an artificial dam that spanned the lake's narrowest point. The structure was silent, looming against the backdrop of the grey sky.
Jean's eyes suddenly opened wide. Her face was pale, her voice tight.
"They're here."
Instantly, everyone went into high alert.
The power of the Sentinels was no secret. Anyone who underestimated them was either already dead—or soon would be.
Dozens of small black dots appeared in the overcast sky—Sentinel transport ships.
"Prepare for battle!" Magneto barked, his voice thunderous.
He descended from the air and landed on the dam. Immediately, all the metal in the vicinity responded to his will—rusted beams, exposed pipes, fragments of scaffolding—rising into the air as though given life.
Magneto raised his arms, and the hovering metal shards twisted into spears and blades.
He hurled them toward the approaching aircraft.
The others jumped into action, launching their powers at the oncoming threat. Gambit charged cards with kinetic energy and flung them skyward. Sunspot's solar flames blasted toward the ships. Jean amplified and redirected attacks, while Cyclops unleashed his signature optic blasts with devastating force.
Their initial barrage connected.
Several aircraft exploded mid-air, debris raining down into the forest.
However, Magneto's expression didn't show relief. If anything, his face darkened even more.
"We only took down two, maybe three Sentinels," he growled. "That's barely a scratch on their numbers."
Indeed, against thousands of these adaptive machines, their full-powered attacks had done little more than dent the surface.
"Continue the assault!" Magneto roared. "They haven't fully activated yet—this is our only chance to do real damage!"
He waved both arms, and new spears of metal shot from the air like missiles. The others rallied again.
Cyclops was especially formidable. His energy output was virtually unlimited—his optic blasts tearing through ship after ship with a force akin to artillery fire. Yet he couldn't control the strength fully, and Jean had to shield the area around them from collateral damage.
Despite the destruction they were dealing, the threat still loomed.
Jean suddenly gasped.
"They're adapting."
Indeed, the remaining transport ships began to shift, transforming mid-air. They released a fleet of fully operational Sentinel robots, which began descending like metallic angels of death.
"We need to regroup!" Scott shouted. "We can't fight them all at once!"
But Magneto stood firm. His eyes glowed faintly under the strain of manipulating so much metal at once.
"No," he said. "We hold this ground. Robert is somewhere near. If they find him before we do, it's over."
As the first wave of Sentinels touched the ground, the battle escalated. Each Sentinel possessed multiple abilities—some shot lasers, others shifted into razor-sharp forms, while a few even mimicked Mutant abilities. Wolverine charged forward, claws unsheathed, slashing through one of them, but even as it fell, it began to reassemble itself.
"These things repair themselves!" Logan shouted.
"Jean!" Magneto barked. "Can you locate Robert?"
Jean focused, narrowing her awareness.
"He's close—within a kilometer—he's underground, I think!"
Gambit and Sunspot exchanged looks. "Then we need to cut through these things fast."
A strategy quickly formed. Cyclops cleared a direct path with a massive blast, Jean formed a telekinetic shield, and the team raced through the opening.
They reached a hidden steel hatch embedded in the dam's service floor.
Wolverine ripped it open with his claws.
Inside, the boy sat—bloodied but alive.
"Robert!" Jean called out.
The young Mutant's eyes widened as he recognized the team.
"You came for me?" he asked weakly.
Magneto stepped forward. "Of course. You're one of us."
Behind them, the Sentinels regrouped, beginning to close in again.
"Let's get out of here," Scott said.
Blink, though exhausted, mustered the last of her strength and summoned another Portal.
One by one, the team escaped back to the Academy, carrying Robert with them.
The battle wasn't over, but for now, they had won the most important fight—saving the future of their kind.
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