X-Men: Come the Apocalypse (pt. 19) Author: Nathan Summers Date: 1998/01/21 Forum: alt.comics.fan-fiction An attack is about to be made on the Dark Riders in Apocalypse's current base in Egypt... {Cyclops}: Remember what Storm told us. We've got to follow the plan exactly. However, how you chose to take your opponent down is entirely up to you. {Bishop}: On the count of three then? {Gambit}: Why wait? {Bishop}: That certainly sounds familiar. Bishop swan-dives off the high-rise catwalk and Gambit back-flips. Nate wraps Bishop in telekinetic energy as he lowers himself down. Cyclops drops down, spraying his crimson optic blast all over the huge open room. It also slows his fall. Iceman swoops in and provides an ice sled for Gambit. Aurora flies down carrying Domino with her. Beast simply drops down since the fall wasn't nearly enough to hurt him. Rogue follows the plan bringing in Havok and everyone soon begin what they came to do. {Cyclops}: Gambit, you're with me. Remember the procedure we went over? {Gambit}: So's not to get in each other's way? Yeah, I remember. {Moses Magnum}: You wish to challenge my awesone might? Foolish mutants. I cannot be stopped! {Cyclops}: So, you don't always talk in third person? Wow, I'm impressed. {Gambit}: Must be a new battle tactic. Gambit charges three of his cards and just as quickly throws them. Magnum had no idea what hit him. Still, he was only stunned. He was only meant to be. {Magnum}: Very interesting power you have there. I must confess, I didn't get to experience its full effects the first time we met. Now I'll be sure to-- Whoa! An enormous optic blast from Cyclops pulzarizes the granite beneath Magnum's feet. He falls, but manages to grab hold of one of the hole's edges. {Cyclops}: Spare us your dribble. We came here for one thing only-- to put you out of our misery. {Magnum}: You wouldn't really let me fall. It must be a fifty foot drop. {Gambit}: Prob'ly fifty-two even. {Magnum}: I'll never fall before you worms! Not so long as I am still master of the magnum force! Moses Magnum blasts Cyclops with his free hand and pulls himself up. {Cyclops}: Urrghh! Past experience... didn't do a damn bit of good. A second devastating laser/force blast carries Cyclops through the air, just as Magnum slams Gambit into the wall by his head. Once Cyclops in out of commission, Magnum slaps Gambit away like a rag- doll. {Gambit}: I t'ink maybe Stormy-- made a lil' misjudgment. Rogue drops Havok off and flies in to contend with Hazzard. She flatens her arm and rams into him with her shoulder. {Hazzard}: OOOFFF! Back off, Rogue. I don't want to hurt you. The randomly fired plasma blast sails past Rogue. {Rogue}: Ah'm sure ya won't. On the other hand, Ah might end up bruisin' you up just a little. {Hazzard}: Well, since we understand each other so well-- Rogue immediately takes to the air, dodging Hazzard's blasts. She flies down a nearby tunnel and he disappears after her. {Iceman}: I hurt you pretty bad last time we met, Post. I can do it again too. {Post}: We'll have to see about that, Drake. A small blaster pops up out of Post's right shoulder and blasts a hole the size of a baseball in Iceman's upper chest. {Iceman}: That tingles a little, but I generally don't feel pain in this form. Good effort, of course. I would be dead if I wasn't iced up. This seemed to be only a distraction. A miniature cannon resting on a perch was now visible over Post's other shoulder. Iceman barely gets a shield up in time to stop its energy ball. {Post}: I have every means necessary to take you down. {Iceman}: Riiiight! Iceman freezes the cannon, making it brittle. The weapon falls to pieces, but Post expected as much. {Post}: I'm getting tired of this already. An odd looking panel pops up from Post's left fist. He points it at Iceman. {Iceman}: Now what are you going to do with that? Post doesn't reply. Or perhaps he does-- with an energy blast from the weapon. Iceman was caught totally off guard. {Iceman}: Uhhh! {Post}: Direct hit. Now for phase two. Post removes a tiny capsule from his belt and shatters it against the ground. Blue, laser-like beams ricochet all over the room. They soon begin to connect into a lattice work and form into a net which hopelessly traps Iceman. {Post}: Everytime you make a sudden movement, it will jolt electricity through your body. I don't suggest struggling. {Iceman}: Guess I'm really stuck in a rut now. {Beast}: thinks he'll just slow down after a while... All I've got to do is wear him down. Yeah, right. Here goes nothing. absolutely nothing. Beast goes charging head-long at Random, who's back was turned against him. He turns around just in time for Beast to smash his fists into his chest. {Beast}: Er, um, I er, I mean I uh, you see... oops? {Random}: You mean, "big mistake?" {Beast}: Well, I guess that's what I'm trying to say. Random enlarges one of his fists and back-hands Beast aside. A perfect mold of Beast's fists are visible in Random's chest. Random turns his enlarged hand into an enlarged firearm. {Random}: Today was not a good day to mess with me. {Bishop}: This is getting on my nerves! {Fatale}: Maybe if you could aim with those blasts, I wouldn't be such a "pest" to you. But apparently you can't. Fatale leaps over another blast and flips over Bishop's head. While airborne, she twirls around so she is facing Bishop's back. Bishop doesn't have enough time to react. She drives her wrist spike into his ribs and rips it back out. {Bishop}: ARRGHHH!! Reflexes take over and Bishop drops to his knees. Fatale bends her forearm around his neck and prepares to drive the spike through his skull. Then something unexpected happens. Bishop actually gets up. {Fatale}: My, my, quite impressive. A wound like that should keep you out for some time. {Bishop}: You're exaggerating. {Fatale}: You certainly aren't. To keep him from escaping, Fatale wraps her legs around Bishop's waist and pokes at him with her spike, drawing a little blood. {Bishop}: Now you're begining to annoy me. As Fatale continues to prod, Bishop grabs the cuff of her shirt. He throws her into the wall headfirst. Fatale was quick to recover. {Bishop}: Back to square one! Elsewhere, McCoy hoists an unusually large weapon, a gun of some sort, on to his shoulder. He prepares to fire it at Rogue. {Havok}: Ahem. {McCoy}: Oh, dear me. {Havok}: Back off before I blow the stars and garters out of you. {McCoy}: Hehehehe, of course. You don't think I was really planning on using this do you? {Havok}: Now, do you take me for a complete-- {McCoy}: No, no! I just was saying that-- {Havok}: I've heard enough crap from you. Meanwhile, Aurora plans her own battle tactics... {Aurora}: (thinking) it would be best to engage Mimic in the air, so I can provide the others with more room. {Mimic}: Come on already! What's a little girl like you gonna do against me? {Aurora}: Oh, you'll find out. Aurora rockets into the air, hoping Mimic will do the same. He does indeed. Bolts of lightning crackle around Aurora. She could strike out at Mimic any time. {Mimic}: Nice light show. I don't handly think it will do you any good. {Aurora}: Uhhh! The optic blast grazes Aurora's side and she falters, but only a little. All it really did was make her madder. {Aurora}: I'm through skrewing around with you! Now you've really pissed me off! {Mimic}: Talk about P.M.S. {Aurora}: Don't you dare mock me! {Mimic}: {Domino}: Sooo... how am I supposed to take you down, Mr. Fat incarnate? {Blob}: Hey, don't underestimate me. {Domino}: Believe me, that's the least of your worries. {Blob}: Screw you, bitch! Domino draws her single handgun from the holster on her theigh. She loads it and fires, praying it won't malfunction due to the water which held her in stasis. Her prayers are answered, perhaps with her mutant luck power. The weapon fires a fine stream of ions at the obese mutant. As spectacular as the sight was for Domino, it was basically useless. Blob shrugs it off as if she had thrown pebbles at him. {Domino}: Damn! Domino then pulls a throwing knife from her boot and hurls it at Blob with years of specially honed mercenary skills. It gets lodged between layers of Blob's fatty chest. He pulls it out and throws it back at Domino, with absolutely no experience with the weapon. {Domino}: Looks like I'll have to improvise a little. Another battle is fought here as well that we must turn our attention to... {Nate}: Arrggghhhh!!!! {Jacknife}: I'll peel your psyche like a banana! The psycho-kinetic, psycho-pathic mutant Jacknife has his fingers pressed against Nate's temples, tearing his mind apart and gritting his teeth. {Jack}: That's what you get for humiliating me in public. {Nate}: Humiliating? Those people were scared out of their minds! I hardly think they were cracking jokes about you. {Jack}: What do you know?!? Nate has provided the distraction he needed. He smashes a psionically charged fist into Jack's jaw, ending his attack. {Nate}: You've given me one hell of a headache. {Jack}: I'll kill you! Jack slashes at Nate with psionic finger claws. Nate backs away and forms a telekinetic shield. Jack slashes away at it. {Nate}: You're nuts! You need big time help. The shield shatteres to pieces under Jack's onslaught. Nate is now backed into a wall. {Jack}: I don't want any help! I like being nuts. Spikes of psionic energy explode from Jack's head and bounce all across the room. They hit Jack just as much as Nate, leaving glowing patches on their skin. {Nate}: Owww... {Jack}: Ha ha ha ha ha ha, what a rush! Nate knows he has no choice. Jack has to be taken down once and for all. He attempts a psychic attack, but Jack manipulates his own blast, making it feed back on Nate! {Nate}: ARRRGHHH!! {Jack}: Hehehehehe! Psychc tendrils lash out at Nate from Jack's fingertips, entangling him. As Nate's mind is being literally torn apart, his powers go out of control. Telekinesis takes over and Jack and Nate levitate into the air. There, both of them could witness the entire battle. {Nate}: My God... we're losing! Things don't look too good, do they? We'll find out how it turns out next Wednesday when the battle against the Dark Riders concludes. Later! --Tim