X-Men: Come the Apocalypse (pt. 9) Author: Nathan Summers Date: 1997/10/29 Forum: alt.comics.fan-fiction Outside the Shi'ar galaxy... {Deathbird}: Pressure suit is sealed... here we go! She presses a series of codes into the circuit board behind her, opening a door. Deathbird steps in, cautiously. {Deathbird}: Why am I so nervous? I do not understand. Is it space? Could I possibly fear... death? Though she would admit it to no one, not even herself, Deathbird _did_ have fears. It would be too broad to say that she was afraid of death in general, rather space. Indeed, she didn't much like the idea of having a pressure suit as the only thing between her and the madness of an anti-environment. Deathbird didn't much like the idea at all. {Deathbird}: I must get ahold of myself! Soon I will find Bishop and get him out of there. Then we can go home. My home that is... now to get back to the task before me. Deathbird punches another code into a console on the wall and a pod-like one-person capsule machanism appears. The door slides back, she steps inside, and the door is re-sealed. The pod/capsule lowers down, down, down beneath the floor into space. {Deathbird}: I-I have stopped. The top of the pod is just dangling from the bottom of the ship. I'm sitting in space! Must calm down... open the door She manually opens the door and is immediately caught by the vacum. Deathbird then makes her way over to the mammoth ship using her rockets. She watches the pod re-seal the sliding door as she moves. {Deathbird}: Mustn't get any closer to that thing. I can already feel its gravity pulling me. How in the world did Bishop do it? Last I heard, mass still increased with speed. He should've been pulvarized when he hit that thing. He didn't even hit it that fast. Or hard. Its like the craft didn't have a gravitational pull. But it does, I can feel it now! More like it turned it's own gravity off? But that is impossible. Or... some outside force could've grabbed him. Yes that makes more sense. It could've protected him from being atomized by the ship's gravity. Perhaps it will catch me too if I get close enough. But what if it doesn't?!? Deathbird didn't have time to think about that. She was already being pulled in. Before long, it would have her as easily as it did Bishop. {Deathbird}: I seem to be moving slower than I would've expected. And-- eh? An opening in the ship? And I'm going to get pulled in! Can't move! Can't free myself! Apocalypse's Master HQ in Egypt... {Cyclops}: So many stairs! How are you doing? {Caliban}: I am fine. Betsy is still hurt. {Cyclops}: But the lesions on her skin have disappeared. I can't tell if that's a good sign or not right now though. She still seems feverish, chilled, and delirious. Mostly signs of a severe flu. But it could be more. Can you still carry her and manage these steps? {Caliban}: Yes. {Cyclops}: Wonder where our opposition is this time. Pestilence sure didn't put up much of a fight. Course, we never really gave him any time. {Caliban}: Indeed. {Exodus}: I believe _I_ am your opposition! {Cyclops}: Spoke too soon again! Do you do that just to get me discouraged? {Exodus}: Are you going to fight me or what? {Cyclops}: Well maybe once I see you I will. Exodus floats down from the top of the staircase in front if Cyclops. He had an evil "villian grin" and his arms were crossed. Exodus floated nonchalantly for a moment, waiting for the next move. It didn't take long for Caliban to recognize a threat in his "intelligent state." {Cyclops}: Exodus! I thought you died when Avolon was destroyed by Holocaust! {Caliban}: You will not stop us! We have come too far now! {Exodus}: Only because you were allowed to. Now get back to your cells! Or face me! {Caliban}: RRRROOOOAAAARRRR!!!! Arrgghhh!!! Exodus barely made a gesture at the savage Caliban and blasted him down the shaft with a psycho-kinetic blast from his now smoking eyes. {Cyclops}: Caliban! Its a good thing he put Betsy down. That psycho would've killed her if she went down with him. Great... I'm next. {Exodus}: Not necessarily. Much as I enjoyed slaying your teammate, you don't have to suffer the same fate. Come quietly and I will be lenient with you. {Cyclops}: Hmmm??... No. {Exodus}: Then I am truly sorry for what I must do now. Exodus floats from his original spot over near Cyclops. But as he does so, like a shining ray of hope, the sun flows through a crack in the wall. {Cyclops}: (Thinking) Wha?? Sunlight! it isn't much, but its not going anywhere. It'll take a while, but I will eventually be fully recharged. Can't let Exodus kno-- Whoa! Exodus points his index finger and Cyclops is scooped up telekinetically and thrown into the wall. He's then pulled five feet off the ground and dropped down the staircase. {Cyclops}: Ouch! Oooff! T-that hurt. B-bad. Cyclops was lucky enough to roll over on his chest as he was falling and slow down enough to get back on his feet. He still had to climb back up the steps though. He soon realized that he wouldn't have to worry about that. The stairs went back and forth up until the top and the case above him exploded everywhere, raining down tons of rock. Exodus emerged and was ready to kill. Cyclops wasn't quite ready for him. {Cyclops}: No! The stairs... I won't be able to get back up! {Exodus}: What is it that you're so interested in up there? {Cyclops}: Get a clue! I'm trying to escape! That and there was the small bit of sunlight shining through. He prayed he could find a way back up there. Exodus was already on him. Psionic energy consumed Exodus as he prepared to attack. Tendrils of mental power lashed out of Exodus' energy field at Cyclops. They missed, but blew the stairs up even more. Exodus then gathered all of his power into his fist which he intended to annihilate Cyclops with. {Cyclops}: Oh, God... {Exodus}: Good bye, Summers. I had high hopes for you. He barely missed. Cyclops leaped out of the way just in time so that Exodus punched a large hole in the wall instead of his head. Stunned, Exodus didn't notice Cyclops making a break for the stairs. Or what was left of them. {Cyclops}: Nothing left! I can't leap up to the next level. Exodus destroyed the entire stair-case above me! {Caliban}: Jump, friend-Cyclops! Caliban will catch you! {Cyclops}: No time for questions. No time to think. Gotta just jump! And he does. As high as he possibly could. Caliban catches him by the arms and pulls him up. Even if Cyclops hadn't jumped as high as he could, Caliban still would've caught him. And that's what really matters. {Caliban}: You get knocked down stairs farther than Caliban did. {Cyclops}: Yeah, but know we've gotta get back to Betsy. And something else. Before Exodus does. Run! They ran quickly, not knowing where Exodus was. It didn't take too long for them to reach the top. {Cyclops}: Yes! The light-- Caliban, you stay there and watch for Exodus. I'll be with you in a moment. {Caliban}: Too late! {Cyclops}: Blast, he's already here. I havn't finished powering up completely yet. But I'm gonna give him all I've got! {Exodus}: Seems you're more resourceful than I gave you credit for. I'll kill the woman first! {Cyclops}: You won't touch her, you slime! {Exodus}: YEEAAARRRGHHHH!!! Cyclops didn't realize how much power he'd already regained when he nailed Exodus all the way down the stairs. In fact, he didn't care either. Even if he did know, he still would've hit Exodus with everything. Even if he had full power. {Cyclops}: Good to know these blasts can still get the job done. Probably knocked Exodus for a loop. It may have killed him. Either way, we'll be long gone before he gets back up here. I'm sure I blew him all the way the the first floor. I'll re-charge for a moment and we'll get moving again. Go ahead and gather up Betsy. We'll continue down that hallway once I'm ready. {Caliban}: Right! Somewhere between Manhatten and Westchester... (closer to Westchester) {Nate Grey}: I feel awkward coming back here. Assuming I was with the Avengers on my first trip. {Cable}: You know you're not obligated to stay. When this whole mess is over you can leave and-- {Nate Grey}: As long as that part's clear. You know how I feel about the X-Men. {Cable}: Why do you have such animosity towards us? I don't understand this-- {Rogue}: Ya'll better continue yah convahsation later. We're landin' now. {Nate Grey}: You bet we will. Once the Blackbird has been parked in the docking bay, the X-Men make their way to the War Room, only to find it in shambles. {Wolverine}: What in blazes happened here?!? This place is a wreck! {Beast}: Oh, you're back. As for your inquiry, it was a holographic mishap. {Maggott}: Spill it. {Beast}: Well you see I was on standby when Gambit showed up and started-- {Rogue}: Gambit-- Remy's here? Where!?! {Beast}: He's in the infirmary {Rogue}: Ah have tah see him! {Beast}: O-Kay. Anyway, Gambit said there was something really important he had to tell me. I told him of the previous days' events first. Then he said that his thing wasn't important. Then a holographic projection of Apocalypse appeared and tried to kill us. Domino showed up and we-- (Cable}: Domino-- Where is she!?! {Domino}: Can't a girl us the bathroom in peace?!? Her voice yelled it from the back hall-way. {Cable}: Oh. he,he. Sorry. {Beast}: We got beat up good but Warren was able to shut the Danger Room down. {Phoenix}: Warren-- what happened-- {Beast}: I sent him back to the infirmary. {Wolverine}: Was anyone but me paying any attention to that? {Maggott}: I was. Wolverine took a puff from his cigar and blew it in Maggott's direction. You can decide for yourself what he thought about Maggott's comment. {Beast}: Well, what's our next course of action? eh? {Beast}: You don't suppose that's the familiar sonic boom of our second Blackbird do you? I thought so too. Beast, Maggott, and Wolverine went to greet the others in the hanger bay as they landed. {Beast}: Let's see if their mission was successful. Five X-Men and five de-facto mutants all accounted for. Cool beans. Any trouble? {Havok}: A little. They broke our head quarters. {Storm}: We must decide our next course of action. {Beast}: My thoughts exactly. Any ideas? {Ever}: I've got one. How about you die! Within a split-second and by a blinding flash of light, Vessel, Sack, and Hemingway are teleported into the hanger bay. {Fatale}: Ever! What the--? {Sack}: Kill them! Kill them all! {Storm}: Goddess! When Cable mentioned the Gene Nation as targets for Apocalypse, I believed he meant my people in Africa. Not _this_ Gene Nation! {Hemingway}: Ah, but they are no longer your people, witch hrr. {Vessel}: We shall kill them all! {Joseph}: I think not! A magnetic energy blast impacts between the three mutants, breaking them up. Wolverine then moves in for the kill. {Wolverine}: You! Ever, you teleported them here so you die! {Havok}: No! Not until we figure this out! {Wolverine}: Hey! that hurt. What's yer problem. Can't keep yer own team under control? {Havok}: Why you little runt! I'll do even worse! {Sack}: C'mon Storm. I know you want revenge. Kill me. Kill me like you killed Marrow! {Storm}: For the record, Marrow is not dead. And furthermore, I will not kill you. However, you will be rendered unconscious... {Sack}: Arrghhh!!! {Hemingway}: That is all you will do here hrrr. {Wolverine}: Hey! Outta my way, Havok. He's gonna pay for decking 'Roro. RAAAGGHHH! The savage man leaps on Hemingway and mauls him with his claws. Everyone else is too busy to restrain him. {Wolverine}: I'll tear you to pieces! {Hemingway}: hrr... you fight well. Too well. Hemingway tosses Logan away as if he were ten pounds. To him, he was. {Fatale}: Ever! What's the meaning of this? Tell me or so help me I'll... OOOhhhhhh {Ever}: Little telepathic persuasion has you out like a light. Looks like the battle is going in our favor! Hate to do this to you but I gotta jet. See you next Wednesday on A.C.F.F.!