Thunderbird || X-Men

Chapter 27 - Chaos Ensues

Erik and I locked eyes, unable to say anything at all to each other. It was as if time stopped. We seemed surrounded by all the negative feelings toward each other that we ever had. Even now, it was strange to see him like this. This was the side of him I didn't like remembering. The space around us was screaming in silence.

"Kayla." He finally spoke.

"Erik." I replied with the same coldness. "What is the meaning of all this?"

"I told you. I'm securing our future. This is the only way."

"No, it's not." I argued. He sighed.

"Even now you deny it. I know that in your heart this is what we always wanted."

"No, Erik... this is what you wanted." I could feel my eyes water. I glanced around at the mess this one man had made and everyone he hurt. "I didn't want this..." I motioned to the wreckage around us.

"But-"

"No, this is never what I wanted!" I stomped my way closer to Erik, staring daggers at him, tears flowing down my face. "I trusted you to make the right decision!"

"This is the right decision!"

"No, it's not! This is why they hate us!" Erik and I were only inches apart now.

"This is what you wanted!" He shouted through gritted teeth.
All the anger drained from me there and was replaced with fear and guilt.

"I loved you, Erik. But this..." I take in my surroundings once again. "I can't let you do this."

"Kayla, I-" Before he could interrupt, I extended my hand towards one of the Sentinels. It began to short out, its head and limbs twitching and yellow eyes flashing. I could hear it power down. Erik looked behind him at the other robots beside him.

"You know that I can't bring myself to lay a finger on you." He started, gazing through me rather than at me.

"I know." I replied. He turned to the Sentinels.

"Do what you were made for."

Instantly, two of the Sentinels started coming after me. I backed away slowly. Then, I ran as fast as I could away from them, their heavy feet shaking the ground as they followed me. I spotted Logan and Hank, now blue, poke their heads out of the rubble. One robot shot at me as I ran, and the other started shooting at Logan and Hank.

I tried to focus on shutting the hunk of junk off, but I couldn't focus long enough to get anywhere. I distracted it, jumping behind pieces of the stadium and between its legs. It kept spotting me and taking no chance of letting me get away with my life.

I ducked behind a concrete slab, hoping to calm myself down and make a plan. I heard the bullets bounce off of the concrete in front of me, preventing me from thinking clearly. Finally, it stopped shooting. Without any prior thought put in, I jumped out from behind the slab and, luckily, on to the giant robot's back.

It reached its hands behind, trying to grab me off, but couldn't quite reach. I placed my hands against its exposed wiring and focused, feeling the electric currents flowing through them. After a moment, the Sentinel shorted out, falling to the ground with a clang. I turned back towards Erik.

Logan was running his way, chunks of metal and concrete being tossed at him. A larger piece hit his back, knocking him over. The metal pipes from inside of it slithered out, inserting itself through Logan's legs. He roared in pain.

"Logan!" I yelled, running over as fast as I could to help him. Erik pulled a piece of metal plating from the wreckage, shoving down in front of me, blocking my path. I couldn't see over it, and I was blocked in on all sides by other rubble. I scrambled to the side, trying to weave my way through the chaos. Before I could reach him, I saw Logan overhead, being flung from the stadium, metal pipes all through his body.

I finally managed to crawl out of the wreckage. Erik stood there, his hands outstretched, as a huge, square box came hurtling towards him, ripped right from the white house. It smashed onto the dirt in front of him. I watched as he ripped the front of it off, revealing a group of terrified congressmen, government officials, the President, and Bolivar Trask. Just as they all reached for their guns, they were snatched away from them. Erik held them above his head, all of them aimed and ready to fire whenever he so pleased.

Erik turned around, turning the cameras towards him. He wanted the whole world to see what he was about to do. Once all eyes were on him, he began.

"You built these weapons to destroy us. Why?" I held myself back from going after him. I felt like I needed to hear what he had to say. After all this trouble, whatever this speech was about was thought out. "Because you are afraid of our gifts. Because we are different."

"Humanity has always feared that which is different. But I'm here to tell you... to tell the world..." I approached Erik a bit more, but far enough where he didn't see me. I'll never forget the look on the President's face.

"You are right to fear us." I glanced between each individual person. It seemed all of them had so many emotions. "We are the future! We are the ones who inherit this Earth!" He turned back towards the cameras.

"And anyone who stands in our way will suffer the same fate as these men you see before you." There it was. I already knew what was to happen. It dawned on me that we lost. We failed.