At the GateThe safe haven shimmered under a late afternoon sun, its walls reinforced with Upgrade's liquid metal, the moat's fire a steady glow. Bill sat with Clara and Lily in their gazebo—Steve-crafted, Upgrade-enhanced—sharing a quiet moment after days of repairs. Clara stitched a torn shirt, Lily shaped fire into tiny stars, and Bill tinkered with a Sentinel scrap, Upgrade merging to turn it into a lantern. Comics' lessons—X-Men's sanctuary, Tony's refuge—kept him vigilant, but family time soothed the strain of Four Arms and SCP-096.A sudden thud broke the peace—Bill's Wolverine senses snapped on, catching footsteps, ragged breaths. He stood, Upgrade flowing—HUD scanning—Five humanoids approaching. "Stay here," he told Clara and Lily, stepping to the haven's edge.Five mutants emerged from the woods—tattered, desperate. A woman with glowing eyes led them—night vision, Bill guessed—followed by a man with stone skin, a teen with buzzing wings, a girl with sparking hands, and a hulking figure with quills. "Please," the woman rasped, "we need shelter. Trask's hunting us—antidote squads. We heard about this place."Bill's comics memory flashed—Xavier's school, mutant havens—but caution lingered—Magneto's spies, Sinister's traps. "Who are you?" he demanded, Four Arms' growl slipping in."I'm Lena," she said, eyes dimming. "We're not Brotherhood—just scared. They've got our families, our powers in their sights."Clara joined him, vibroblade in hand. "Bill, they're like us—running."Lily's glow flared, hopeful. "Dad, we can help, right?"The system chimed:
"Host emotional state: Wary but compassionate. Templates on standby. Objective: Assess newcomers, protect haven."Bill softened—comics' X-Men took in strays. "Okay. Inside—but you pull anything, you're out." Upgrade merged with the piston door, opening it—Lena's group shuffled in, awed by the haven's tech and fire.Clara offered water, Lily sparked a torch—Bill watched, Upgrade scanning for deceit. Lena explained—Trask's squads razed their camp, antidote darts caging their powers. "We fought," the stone-skinned man—Rok—grunted, "but they're relentless.""They'll follow you here," Bill said, comics' paranoia kicking in—Days of Future Past, hunted mutants drawing doom.Lena nodded, grim. "We'll fight with you. We just need a chance."Bill glanced at Clara and Lily—their nods sealed it. "Rest up," he said. "Trouble's coming."