X-Men: Come the Apocalypse (pt. 17) Author: Nathan Summers Date: 1998/01/07 Forum: alt.comics.fan-fiction Within Apocalypse's laboratory, a heroic duo fight for their lives... {Bishop}: Magneto was right-- The Hounds are Gene Nation! {Ever}: WERE Gene Nation, imbeciles! Bishop blasts without hesitating at the Hounds. He wasn't aiming for anyone in particular, just as long as he hit someone. {Sack}: ARRRGGHH!! {Aurora}: Your bio-blast made a direct hit, Sir. {Bishop}: Aurora! Nice to see you up and about. {Aurora}: Yeah, well, I kinda freaked out back there. {Ever}: ARGH! That bitch got me with her lightning. Kill her! {Joseph}: Stop! {Vessel}: Because _you_ said so? {Bishop}: Joseph, no! I need you to free the others. {Joseph}: Right. {Hemingway}: Hrrr, I will stop him. {Bishop}: I can't allow you to do that. Bishop jumps on Hemingway's back, knocking him down from behind. Though he wouldn't admit it, Bishop was almost running on empty. {Joseph}: Thanks. Joseph turns off the gravity surrounding him and floats ten feet above the ground. From there, he releases a massive electro-magnetic wave which washes over the room and destroys the pods containing the others. Glass splinters and water (along with mutants) rushes out all over the floor. Joseph collapses from the strain. He wasn't fully recovered. {Vessel}: Oh-- {Sack}: Crap. {Hemingway}: I believe it is time for us to go. {Ever}: Yes. Psiloplasmic energy swirls all about Ever and soon surrounds the other Hounds as well. {Sack}: Wait! Master wanted Joseph too! {Ever}: Ah, yes. Ever extends the energy around Joseph and all five of them are swallowed up. {Bishop}: Gone! Transported. The cowards... {Aurora}: Should we check on the others? {Bishop}: Wha--? Oh, yeah. {Aurora}: They all appear to be conscious. Cable sat with his bionic hand over his face, moaning. Cecilia massages her temples. Cannonball sits there, looking stunned. {Someone}: UHHHHH.... Caliban is slouched over on his hands and knees. Maggott rubs the back of his neck. Nate stands on his knees and struggles to get up. {Aurora}: Looks like everyone Magneto said would be here is. Wait, where's-- {Bishop}: There's Domino! Who's that next to her? Bishop walks over to investigate. {Bishop}: Hmmm, let's see now... My God!!! {Aurora}: What?!? {Bishop}: It-it's Charles Xavier! Elsewhere in Apocalypse's sanctum... {Wolverine}: Damn... what hit me? {Hazard}: I dunno... the Horsemen kicked your ass... ask them. {Wolverine}: Oh, yeah. Pestilence. Umm, where are you dragging me? {Hazard}: To the rest of the prisoners slated for execution. {Wolverine}: I can walk, you know. {Hazard}: You sure couldn't when I found you. It's really too bad that you woke up... you'll be terminated the same way as everybody else. Something tells me it'll hurt a lot more if you're awake for the experience. {Wolverine}: Then you realize I won't let you take me anywhere. {Hazard}: I had a feeling you'd resist. {Wolverine}: Really bad move keeping me un-shackled. That and keeping your back turned on me. {Hazard}: Is that so? Wolverine simply smiles and replies: Yep! He spins around on his stomach, twisting Hazard's arms in a knot. Wolverine then thrusts his feet from Hazard's hands, rolls back over on his back, bends his knees, and kicks Hazard as hard as he can in the back. {Hazard}: Ugh! Wolverine heads down the hall and tramples right over Hazard, who's armor was damaged when he hit the granite floor. {Wolverine}: (thinking) That was a new experience for me. Not using the claws on a powerhouse like Hazard, that is. I'll be long gone before he even gets back up. A few yards ahead of Logan... {Moses Magnum}: How should we get rid of them? {Fatale}: Good question. {Mimic}: Why does 'Poccy even want 'em dead? He kept telling us how important they were. {McCoy}: I believe that the mutants were but a bonus to his plans. Apocalypse would have ultimate power if he had the X-Men on his side. But they refused. Continuously. {Blob}: I get it. And now he's fed up with them. {McCoy}: Correct. Apocalypse has precious few allies. Only the strong are among them. The weak aren't even considered enemies... they are insignificant insects to be crushed. Those who are fit but do not join him are considered enemies. And enemies must be swiftly dealt with. The X-Men meet this criteria. {Post}: What he said. {McCoy}: Still, the question remains: what to do about these enemies? {Random}: We could use them for target practice. {Blob}: Yeah, or-- {Wolverine}: You won't be doing jack, losers! {McCoy}: I wondered what was keeping Hazard. Wolverine's escaped! {Random}: I've got him. With total confidence, Random morphs his left hand into a mallet and his right hand into a fire-arm. He lowers the gun and prepares to shoot. Wolverine pops his claws and continues running with no indication that he was going to stop. He charges right through Random just as he's firing and slashes wildly. The man splatters like clay. {Fatale}: Damn... The femme assassin swipes at Logan with her deadly wrist-spike. Wolverine notices her and jumps, kicking Moses Magnum swiftly in the chin on his way up. He back-flips and comes down on Fatale's head. McCoy then tries for a tackle. {Wolverine}: Just too slow, darlin'. Next? Logan reaches up and maneuvers McCoy so that he lands on Mimic instead. {Wolverine}: Judo... one of the best defenses. Whoa! {Post}: That was a warning shot. Surrender now and I won't have to fire again. {Wolverine}: You're really an idiot, Post. Number one, that's a nasty shoulder cannon and you don't get warning shots with me. And number two, I never, ever surrender. {Blob}: RAGGGHHH!!! Nothing moves The Blob! {Wolverine}: I don't have to move your fat ass to beat you, tubby. Wolverine waits for Post to make his move. When he sees the cannon powering up, he ducks out of Blob's grasp and slashes the cannon making it blast the ceiling. {Blob}: Huh? The absent-minded Blob is burried under a ton of granite. Wolverine prepares to contend with Post now. Just then Mimic approaches. {Wolverine}: Those flapping wings give you away. Logan grabs Post and throws him in front of the blast. {Wolverine}: That takes care o' him. {Mimic}: You can't possibly beat me. I've got the powers of all the original X-Men. {Wolverine}: So I guess, all-in-all, you're pretty powerful. But you don't have the experience. I can take down folks as powerful as you even with experience. Maybe if you had it, like the original X-Men do, you'd be a real challenge. Too bad. {Mimic}: Whatever. Logan easily rolls out of the ice wave's path and kicks Mimic in the stomach. Then punches him in the cheek. Then knees him in the abdomen. Elbows him in the mouth. Punches him in the gut. Finally, the savage X-Man twirls around and kicks Mimic in the side of his head with the outside of his heel. Mimic falls, bloodied. {Wolverine}: Hit him with everything I've got before he can put up any real fight. That'll take care of almost anybody. {Moses Magnum}: Enough! This has gone too far! {Wolverine}: ARRGGHHH!!! co-con-concentrated... laser blast... {Magnum}: I am master of the magnum force! You will yet fall before me. {Wolverine}: sorry... 'bout that bloody lip a second ago... don't... give a rat's ass what you're the master of... what the hell is the magnum force anyhow? {Magnum}: Would you like another demonstration? {Wolverine}: bring... it on... pal. Moses Magnum struts up to Logan and back-hands him across the room. He hits the wall with a crunch. {Wolverine}: wow... didn't even wind me. still, i think a few ribs are broken... can't get up-- ARRGGHH!!! {Magnum}: You are a very mysterious man. I was wondering when you would enter the battle, Jacknife. Has your psionic blast taken care of him? {Jacknife}: Just about. A psionic halo appears above Jack's head and he fires thousands of psionic spikes from it. They tear Logan up pretty bad, leaving glowing patches on his skin. Wolverine is too weak to cry out in agony. {Wolverine}: (thinking) C'mon! God this hurts... my body can't take it... I'm shutting down. But I can't die now. Blast, why won't my body respond!?! Oh, wait, never mind. I can rest now. {Magnum}: He's taken too much. It's over. We can begin killing them now. {Wolverine}: we can't let you... do that... {Jacknife}: "We?" {Wolverine}: ...can we, Cyclops? {Cyclops}: Nope. Elsewhere... {Apocalypse}: Are the subjects ready? {Ozymandias}: Yes. {Apocalypse}: Then you may begin. {Ozymandias}: Very well, master. What are Apocalypse and Ozymandias up to? Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until next Wednesday to find out. I'll see you here on A.C.F.F. then! --Tim