The safe haven stood battered but defiant, its walls pocked from the last assault, the moat's fire flickering low. Bill worked tirelessly at dawn, Steve template active, mining stone to patch breaches—each block fused with Iron Man's nanites for resilience. Clara swept debris from the bunker, her spear propped nearby, while Lily rekindled the moat, her flames steadier with every passing day. The comics' memories—Trask's Sentinel factories, Magneto's war—urged Bill to fortify, but the antidote's shadow loomed largest, a threat to their very being.The radio crackled mid-morning, Cyclops's voice cutting through. "Bill, X-Men intel's picked up chatter—Trask's ramping up antidote production. They're targeting havens like yours, sending more controlled mutants. Stay sharp."Bill's jaw tightened—comics' Operation: Zero Tolerance replaying, mutants rounded up, powers stripped. "Thanks, Scott. We'll hold."Lily overheard, her glow dimming. "Dad, what if they get in? What if they take my fire?"He knelt, meeting her eyes. "They won't. I've got you—templates, haven, everything. We're stronger than they think."Clara joined them, wiping sweat from her brow. "Rumors say they're testing it nearby—mutants disappearing. We need to be ready."Bill nodded, triggering Iron Man's HUD to scan for weak points. "Let's rebuild, then plan." He mined with Steve, crafting turrets—arrows now laced with SCP-173-inspired stone shards, brittle but deadly. Iron Man's repulsors welded a new piston door, biometric lock humming—only their prints would open it. Lily's fire glazed obsidian panels, Clara hammering them into place.Afternoon brought a rare calm. They ate in the bunker—Clara's bread, Lily's roasted fish—laughter cutting the tension. Bill swapped to SCP-173 briefly, testing its speed to grab a fallen tool—Clara blinked, and he was back, grinning. "Still freaky," she said."Freaky's good," Lily laughed. "Keeps us safe."The system chimed:
"Host emotional state: Determined. Templates utilized: Steve, Iron Man, SCP-173. Haven integrity: Restored. Objective: Prepare for antidote assault."Night fell, Bill on patrol—Wolverine's senses sharp, catching distant engines. The comics warned of escalation—Prime Sentinels, maybe worse. He returned to Clara and Lily, sleeping soundly, and vowed to hold the line, whatever came.