#drumfire

Mystique as "Magneto" VS Sentinel Cyborgs

Mystique is on her mission in Madripoor when she notices a group of cyborgs in Sentinel armor waiting to apprehend a rogue mutant. These cyborgs used to be humans who volunteered for experiments which involves in grafting sentinel armor onto their bodies and taking mood-regulating drugs. Mystique shapeshifts herself into Beast to sprint across the roof to check what is happening below. She sees Fabian Cortez dashing out of the building and running away from the Sentinel Cyborgs. Then, Cortez bumps into "Magneto" (who is actually Mystique in disguise) and begs for help.

As Cortez touches "Magneto", he gives a new-found power boost that he/she unexpectedly gains magnetic powers. "Magneto" throws Cortez to the wall and starts fighting the Sentinel Cyborgs. One of the Sentinel Cyborgs notices that something is off with "Magneto" as he heard the rumors that Magneto is crippled and the opponent whom he is fighting with is using martial arts instead of the usual magnetic field barriers. Magneto-Mystique counters by using the magnetic powers to impale the cyborg and ties him up with steel cables. Then, more Sentinel Cyborgs arrive to take down "Magneto" but they are easily defeated. As the Sentinel Cyborgs are finally defeated, "Magneto" changes back to Mystique, tired out from the battle and wonders how she could manage in replicating powers of any mutant she shapeshifts. Mystique tries to put the Sentinel Cyborg out of his misery but she spares him instead as she decides that he isn't worth killing. Then, Mystique shapeshifts herself in Colossus and takes the unconscious Fabian Cortez out of Madripoor.

“I came here to save you—to save all of us!” – Lockstep

Cover art for Sentinels #005, “Factory Settings”

Upon seeing the body of Juston Seyfert in the stasis tank, Sawtooth (Camila Rivera) the Cyborg-Sentinel discovers the truth about the Sentinel grafting. What exactly is causing "grafting" in the new Sentinels? It is revealed that it is a corruption of the "never abandon Juston, no matter what" directive that Juston's Sentinel once had. Since the nanomachines used to create the Sentinels were derived from Juston (and thus his Sentinel), they all carry that protocol; as a result, they're directing the Sentinels to Juston's location and mutating them to better serve the protocol. Sawtooth tries to get Juston out of the stasis tank when she gets her hand blown off by Lockstep (Bradley Hansen) the cyborg who looked more machine than a man from more upgrading experiments.

Meanwhile, Drumfire (Patricia Pham) is talking to the astral version of Charles Xavier who hides her presence from the prison guards. Although Xavier is still locked up, he is able to contact her through the astral projection but he uses his illusion of Onslaught from the previous issues which also traumatizes her. Xavier gives a mental info-dump to Drumfire about the truth of the Cyborg Sentinels, Juston's fate, Voivod's death and Larry Trask's resurrection in Krakoa. After the mental info-dumping, Drumfire yells at him for creating Onslaught and seemingly not caring enough to resurrect any of the humans he got killed, i.e. her mother, like he did for all the mutants. Xavier makes it up to her by giving her the means to rescue Sawtooth, in the form of Juston's Sentinel.

Back to the warehouse, Lockstep is ready to neutralize the Seyfert Strain by destroying Juston under the orders from Corina Ellis. Just as Lockstep is ready to destroy Juston, Sawtooth stops him from doing it and throws him out of the warehouse. Just before Lockstep could beat her, the Sentinel (piloted by Drumfire) comes in and squashes him with its fist. Since he is badly hurt and nearly dying, Lockstep requests Corina Ellis to call his son but she cruelly refuses and instead, she orders him to take down the two cyborgs and destroy Juston. As Lockstep starts to fight Drumfire, Sawtooth crawls to the spot and releases Juston from the stasis tank. Even though Drumfire managed to shake off Lockstep by using a supersonic scream, it wasn't enough when he recovers and tries to choke her to death. Fortunately, Juston Seyfert arrives just in time to put down Lockstep, mercy-killing him and saving Drumfire. This mini-series ends with Sawtooth & Drumfire going on the run with Juston taking Sentinel along with them.

“More of you? *sigh* I don’t have time for this.” – Magneto

Cover art for Sentinels #003, “Mud and Metal Mixing Good”

A preview of Sentinels #3

SENTINELS #3

ENTER MAGNETO! A routine mission has gone horribly wrong! The team must finally take on the biggest and baddest of all mutants… Magneto! Will they be ready? Or is this the beginning of the end for the Sentinels?

From Sentinels #002

Art by Justin Mason and Federico Blee

From Sentinels #003, “Mud and Metal Mixing Good”

Art by Justin Mason and Federico Blee