X-Men: Come the Apocalypse (pt. 15) Author: Nathan Summers Date: 1997/12/10 Forum: alt.comics.fan-fiction Within the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, three warriors strategize... {Bishop}: You know exactly where this pyramid is? {Magneto}: Yes. {Bishop}: You know exactly where the X-Men are? {Magneto}: Yes. {Bishop}: You know exactly how to get there? {Magneto}: I-- {Deathbird}: Shhhh! {Magneto}: What? {Deathbird}: Did you hear that? {Bishop}: Hear what? {Deathbird}: I heard something. {Bishop}: Where? {Deathbird}: The hanger bay. Listen... {Magneto}: She's right! Something's back there. Come on. Magneto, Bishop, and Deathbird cautiously make their way to the hanger bay ready for anything. These three power houses probably could handle anything right now. {Bishop}: Okay, we know you're in here! You can come out quietly or attack us. Makes no difference to me. {Magneto}: Energy blast! Scatter! Magneto dives out of the blast's way, Deathbird takes to the air, and Bishop barrel-rolls. {Woman}: Leave me alone! {Bishop}: He's up in the rafters! Bishop's hands glow with spheres of bio-energy. He releases it up into the rafters where he predicted the enemy was hiding. {Woman}: Uhh! A frail, limp body falls from the rafters and is barely saved by Magneto before splattering to the floor. He wraps her in a cocoon of magnetic power and brings her to him, face-to-face. {Deathbird}: It is a human woman. {Magneto}: Who are you? Why did you attack us? {Woman}: My name is Aurora. I was with the Brotherhood when we got ambushed by Gene Nation. They left me in the jet over there and fought. I'm not sure what happened, but everyone was gone when I woke up in there. I panicked and hid when you came. {Bishop}: Did you say the Brotherhood? {Magneto}: They were targets for Apocalypse. The X-Men went to find them before he did. I wasn't aware that Aurora was among their ranks. {Aurora}: Where is everyone? {Magneto}: My dear, I have a long story to tell you. The "Arena" located deep inside Apocalypse's pyramid base... {Cyclops}: Look alive! The Horsemen are coming soon. Cyclops was frighteningly correct. The gate is raised gradually and four objects explode out of the entrance into the air. {Storm}: There's four of them and eleven of us! Three of you take Selene, three of you take Exodus, three of you take... that large thing. Two of you take Holocaust. {Iceman}: Storm... we have a problem. {Storm}: What is it, Robert? {Iceman}: The ground is still falling apart. It's taking a lot out of me to keep it covered in ice. It may not survive another battle. {Storm}: Stay out of this fight. Concentrate on keeping us alive. New plan: Two of you take Exodus. {Famine}: Just so you know, the name isn't Selene anymore. I'm Famine now! The Horsemen were all on mechanical flying horse-like creatures which made it difficult for those who couldn't fly to battle them. {Rogue}: Gambit, back me up with Exodus here! {Gambit}: I've got you! Exodus easily flies out of the card's range and swoops in for an attack. An ion blast is fired from the mouth of the "horse" which explodes dangerously close to Gambit. {Angel}: Havok, follow my lead! Angel flies around Death, trying to annoy him while Havok attacks down below. Death sprays nuclear blasts in every direction which narrowly miss Angel. Havok blasts and hits Death directly in the chest. {Death}: Uhh-- That almost hurt. I actually felt it through my armor. Impressive, Prelate Summers. {Havok}: Who the hell is Prelate Summers? Death responds by shooting nuclear blasts at him. {Pestilence}: You will all die for standing against Apocalypse! {Cyclops}: Have we fought before? Cyclops' blast nails the side of Pestilence's horse, damaging it so badly that it crashes. Pestilence was unharmed by the crash and moves in on Cyclops, Phoenix, and Wolverine. {Famine}: ARRRGGHHH!!! Your... psychic blast is... strong... Psylocke. But I still have enough power... to defeat you all. {Beast}: That's fine, but first we have to get you off of this flying thing! Because of Psylocke's assault, Famine had drifted down far enough that Beast could drop-kick her. She recovers quickly and punches him aside. Storm summons lightning from the sky which looked to be sufficient to defeat her. She nearly passes out but recovers again even faster. {War}: Wha--? OOF! Rogue comes in and close lines War. He saw her clearly, but didn't expect her to do that. War falls from his horse holding a long pole-like object. {Gambit}: What's he doin' wit dat? {War}: This! The staff lights up and a wide beam of power is blasted from it. {Rogue}: He's channeling his own power through that weapon. Wait... Exodus can't do that! {War}: Exodus can't, but War can! The ice floor falls apart under War's seige and Iceman works overtime to repair it. Angel sneaks in from behind and dives down toward War. By the time War turns around, Angel's fist is in his face. He is just as quickly blasted by Death's ion cannon on his horse. {Havok}: Damnit! I'm stuck with you alone. The tremendous wave of plasma literally blows Death's horse into particles. He falls and crashes through the ice. War's telekinesis barely saves Death in time. {War}: Enough! Now you die! Psycho-kinetic energy swirls around War and he flies into the air. Rogue tries to stop him before he attempts anything. Unfortunately, War was on to her. As she flies in he knocks her silly with his staff. Rogue crashes into the wall, cracking it. Another blast suddenly hits Gambit and it is followed to Famine. Just as Famine gets stronger, Gambit passes out. {Cyclops}: We're dropping like flies! Pestilence jumps high over their heads and one can only predict what he intended to do. Was he going to land on them? Was he going to imtimidate them? Who knows because he is blasted by Cyclops, forcing him to fall prematurely. Wolverine approaches from behind and stabs straight into his back. A yellowish-brown, tar-like substance covers his hand when he withdrawls. {Wolverine}: What the hell? Whoa... suddenly don't feel so great. {Pestilence}: Can we say, bone marrow disease? {Wolverine}: Shitttt**** {Cyclops}: No! Not Logan too! {Phoenix}: Scott! {Cyclops}: What? She was pointing out the lesions visible on his face and probably covering his entire body. Sweat pours down the side of his head and Cyclops falls to his knees. {Pestilence}: In a matter of seconds, that disease will become unbearable. Lucky for you, it completely disappears in ten minutes. All you have to do is last that long. Cyclops was no longer facing a physical opponent. Now he was facing death itself. A telekinetic blast carrying the properties of a mental bolt is fired from both of War's hands and stikes Jean in the ribs. She falls. {Phoenix}: ARRRGHHH!!! Meanwhile, Famine drops Storm's body, having just fed off of her. Psylocke sneaks in behind her, via shadow slipping and jams her psychic knife into Famine's head. Havok flies past her after being blasted full force by Death. {Beast}: I'll take care of Death! Yeah, right. One punch knocks him out cold. Psylocke is the only one still conscious (that is, still conscious and fighting). But not for long. An incredible psycho-kinetic blast from War's eyes nearly incinerates her. Iceman is nearing exhaustion from keeping the floor from falling apart. The only reason why anyone could stand on it without slipping is because it is littered with so much debris. {Iceman}: I uh, I surrender. {Pestilence}: There is no surrendering. Unless you wish to join us. {Iceman}: That's okay, I'll pass. {Death}: You'll die! Death fires a nuclear blast which strikes below Iceman's feet, hurling him back. War holds him telekinetically so the others can do their damage. {Iceman}: Well, this is very weird. I'm gettin' hot flashes. Water drips off of Iceman as he reverts to human form. This was the work of Pestilence. In human form, Famine could easily suck the life out of him. Which she does. Apocalypse's face appears on a monitor. {Apocalypse}: You have done well. The Dark Riders failed, yet you four were enough to overcome the X-Men. Were there any willing volunteers? {Pestilence}: They all refused you, father. They obviously did not value their lives. {Apocalypse}: Bring them to me where I can properly dispose of them... and the others who dare call themselves mutants. {War}: It will be done at once. {Apocalypse}: My victory is now complete. No one can defeat me. The arena was basically just a huge, deep, rectangular chasm carved into a great block of granite. It was thirty feet long, forty feet wide, and sixty feet high. About forty feet up, a section of the wall crumbles and explodes. A man emerges from the hole. {Magneto}: You're wrong, Apocalypse! As long as one man opposes you, victory is never fully complete! And _I_ oppose you, dark lord. {Apocalypse}: I've heard such bold words before. Make this quick. To Be Continued Next Wednesday here on A.C.F.F.! --Nate!