American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

188. Sentinel Robot!

At the Canadian border...

Snow was falling heavily, blanketing everything in white. The trees were adorned with icy crystals that reflected beautiful glows under the sunlight, adding a touch of brilliance to the landscape.

In this snowy wilderness, all that met the eye was desolation and bleakness. It seemed as though there were no signs of human activity here; the only visible features were the snow-covered mountains stretching as far as the eye could see.

Following a pair of footprints, two figures slowly moved through this vast, white world.

"Honestly, Melissa, you didn't have to come with me. This is my mission, not yours," said old Barton, leaning on his cane as he trudged forward.

Given his age, long-distance travel was no longer easy, especially when he was trekking through snow-covered mountains. The extreme weather conditions were taking a toll on both Hawkeye and Songbird's stamina.

"No, this is my choice too. I'm not going to stay silent any longer. I don't deserve to say something like 'avenging my teammates.' What I need to do now is atone for what I've done before. If I end up dying, then so be it," Melissa replied in a calm tone, one that suggested she had long since come to terms with the idea of death. In fact, it seemed she would rather die alongside Hawkeye than continue living. This mentality made her seem more like a 'true' hero.

Perhaps it's a reflection of how warped the mindset of these extraordinary beings in this world has become. Most villains hope to die in battle against heroes, while heroes hope to die in the old wars of the past.

Whether it's the Punisher, Old Man Logan, or the other surviving heroes, they've long since been 'broken.' They can never recover that hopeful, resilient spirit they once had. Maybe this is why Hawkeye decided to embark on this journey.

Hawkeye had had enough of years of mediocrity. When he set out on the path of vengeance, placing himself in the crosshairs of every villain, he had already disregarded his own life. To him, perhaps death would be a more fitting end. At the very least, this act could reignite the passion in some of the people living in this wasteland.

After a moment of contemplation, Barton didn't know how to respond to Melissa. He simply continued to study the map in silence.

When it came to Melissa, old Barton felt deeply conflicted. On one hand, even though Songbird didn't attack the heroes back then, she was still branded as a 'traitor.'

She was one of Barton's targets for vengeance. But on the other hand, Barton couldn't bring himself to harm her. At the same time, he felt a sense of relief that Songbird had chosen to follow him on this journey, at least showing that she hadn't completely abandoned her heroic spirit. Unlike a certain old wolf who stubbornly refused to leave his fenced yard...

However, despite this relief, old Barton still harbored significant resentment towards Melissa. He both longed to rekindle their old camaraderie and was reluctant to get too close to her. These contradictory feelings left Barton unsure of how to handle his relationship with Melissa.

Melissa understood this as well. She didn't expect Barton to forgive her because she couldn't even forgive herself. Her desire to help Barton in his quest for revenge was simply because she had been waiting for this day for a long time.

With their minds occupied by different thoughts, the two of them barely exchanged words along the way, maintaining an eerie silence.

Until—

"Something's not right," Melissa said, coming to a halt. She placed her hands over her ears, using her superhuman abilities to listen to the faintest sounds around them.

"What is it? What did you sense?" old Barton asked, also stopping in his tracks. He hadn't heard anything, but that didn't mean he doubted Melissa's judgment. As an old teammate and the former leader of the Thunderbolts, old Hawkeye quickly readied his weapon, preparing for the worst.

"Something's approaching," Melissa replied, closing her eyes tightly.

"From which direction?" Barton asked calmly.

The vast expanse of white snow had severely limited his vision. He frowned slightly, growing more vigilant since he was also unfamiliar with this area and had no idea what they might encounter.

"Four o'clock direction. It sounds like something mechanical. Familiar... We've encountered it before," Melissa said, offering her assessment. But instead of relaxing, she grew even more alert.

Likewise, old Hawkeye tightened his grip on his bow. Although they still couldn't see the enemy, the overwhelming noise suggested that whatever was coming wasn't something they could easily deal with.

Moments later, a colossal robot parted the pine trees, emerging from the forest.

It was a robot with blue and purple as its primary colors, though it was covered in scars, with one of its eyes destroyed and some of its circuit boards exposed. It was hard to imagine what kind of battle this thing had been through before.

"You've got to be kidding me..." old Barton muttered, his mouth agape. Although his glaucoma had impaired his vision, he could still identify the robot by its enormous body.

"Songbird, you didn't tell me there'd be mutant-hunting Sentinel robots here!"

"I didn't know either—look out!"

Just as Songbird was about to say more, the Sentinel robot launched an attack.

Old Barton dodged the Sentinel's massive hand with a quick leap, but before he could counterattack, the robot's remaining eye fired a red laser beam.

"Oh, come on! Why is this thing targeting me? I'm not a mutant; I've had tests done!" Hawkeye cursed as he dodged the laser, narrowly avoiding it.

In his current state, it was clearly impossible for him to take on a Sentinel robot one-on-one, even if this particular Sentinel was already severely damaged. After all, Barton was still just a regular human. But just then, Songbird made her move.

...…..

📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
189. Just in Time.
190. The Shock of Songbird and Hawkeye.
191. Another Conversation with Hawkeye.
192. New Clues.
193. About Moonstone.