Morning broke with peace—Bill woke to Clara gardening, Lily shaping fire into flowers, the haven a sanctuary. He joined them, Upgrade active—merging with Clara's hoe, sharpening it, then enhancing Lily's fire shield, turning it into a glowing dome. "Fancy," Lily laughed, hugging him.Clara smiled, planting seeds. "You're spoiling us, tech guy.""Gotta keep my girls happy," Bill said, reverting—Upgrade's ease a balm, Four Arms' strain a distant ache. They fished in the moat's pond—Bill upgraded a rod, Lily's fire luring fish, Clara spearing one with her vibroblade. Laughter rang, comics' chaos—Magneto, Trask—muted by their bond.The idyll shattered mid-afternoon—a rumble, then drones swarmed, antidote mist trailing. Prime Sentinels landed, Trask's enforcer in a sleeker mech, voice cold: "Family time's over. The cure claims you."Bill's heart sank—comics' X-Men vs. Avengers, families targeted—but resolve flared. "Clara, Lily, bunker!" Upgrade surged, merging with the moat pumps—Lily's fire erupted, a blazing shield. He flowed to a turret, enhancing its fire rate—drones fell, mist dispersing.Sentinels charged—Bill swapped to Four Arms, four fists smashing one, then Upgrade, merging with its wreckage—turning it into a cannon, blasting another. Clara emerged, vibroblade slashing a drone—Bill upgraded it mid-fight, edge glowing, slicing steel. Lily's fire melted a Sentinel's arm—Bill flowed to it, enhancing it into a flamethrower, her flames doubling.The mech fired antidote rounds—Bill's fear spiked, SCP-096 howling—but Upgrade countered, merging with a round, neutralizing it, then spreading to others—mist turned inert. "Not today," he growled, digital voice fierce.Sentinels swarmed—Bill shifted—Steve crafted TNT, Upgrade fused it with tech—explosive drones swarmed the mech. Four Arms ripped its cannon, SCP-173 snapped its joints unseen—family fueled him. Clara's blade danced, Lily's fire roared—Bill merged with the haven's wall, reinforcing it, reflecting a laser.The enforcer retreated, Sentinels crumbling, drones smoking. Bill reverted, panting—Upgrade's ease held, but SCP's rage lingered in his eyes. Clara and Lily rushed him, hugging tight. "You're unstoppable," Clara said, breathless."With you, yeah," Bill replied, Lily's glow warming him. "Family's my power."The system chimed:
"Host emotional state: Protective, renewed. Templates utilized: Upgrade, Four Arms, Steve, SCP-173. Physical status: Stable, minor strain. Objective: Preserve family haven."The haven stood—walls dented, moat low—but alive. Bill sank, Clara and Lily beside him—Upgrade's renewal, their love, outshone comics' chaos. Trask's cure loomed, but this time, family wasn't just his why—it was his how.