X-Men: Come the Apocalypse (pt. 22) Author: Nathan Summers Date: 1998/02/12 Forum: alt.comics.fan-fiction {Angel}: It's your move, Jean. {Phoenix}: We wait until Psylocke returns. {Cable}: How hard could it be to find four blasted mutants? {Caliban}: Caliban is picking up nothing. {Maggott}: Ag, it's almost as if _we're_ the prey here. {Angel}: I know what you mean. Cable's shadow suddenly becomes significantly thicker and more three-dimensional. It forms into a distinct shape and Psylocke's upper torso emerges from it. {Psylocke}: Nothing! I couldn't find them anywhere. This complex is so vast... it's possible I overlooked something. Still, my telepathic powers didn't tell me anything my instincts didn't. {Maggott}: Eany... Meany... what is it, girls? {Cable}: You don't mean to tell me those slugs know something we don't? {Maggott}: Something's got em in an uproar... below us! The ground explodes from below and all six mutants are scattered about the area. Cable stumbles over a ledge he didn't even know existed. {Cable}: That was some spill... Then, like an omen of destruction, War floats down, baggy clothes flowing all around him. His hair was as black as the darkest night, his skin, pink as molten lava. Psionic power represented by orange electricity swirls around his body. {Cable}: Oh... damn. {War}: Today is a good day to die! He harnesses the spectacular power through his fingertips, sending shockwaves through Cable's body. The assault was enormously dangerous. Cable cries out in agony as his body is paralyzed by the pain. His T.O. arm protrudes outward as he loses control of the virus. The left side of his face is also horribly disfigured. {War}: How ironic. You are in a war with your own body. If you stop to get the virus back under control, the pain I am inflicting will overwhelm you. If you continue fighting me, the virus will overwhelm you. {Cable}: Arrrghhh!!! Go-go to hell! {War}: Soon, but not yet! {Cable}: Aliya... I love you. I'll see you soon. {Maggott}: Look out, girl! Maggott pushes Jean out of the path of a nuclear blast from Death. The blast instead blows the ground out from under her. Maggott manages to save her once again, catching her hand as she falls. {Maggott}: Now what kind of skollie are you supposed to be? {Death}: I am simply Death! {Maggott}: Sounds very unpleasant, maat. {Phoenix}: Maggott... what's going on up there? {Maggott}: Nothing at all. {Death}: Are you prepared to face my wrath? {Maggott}: Ag, I... uh... {Phoenix}: Pull me up now! {Maggott}: I think we're about to get our guavas handed to us. {Phoenix}: What? Jean takes matters into her own hands and lifts herself to the surface with a T.K. beam. Death awaits them. {Phoenix}: Oh... no... {Caliban}: Arggh! Watch it with those claws! Pestilence licks Caliban's blood off his finger claws. {Pestilence}: Are we in smart mode now? {Caliban}: Yes. Caliban ducks as Pestilence makes a clumsy swing at him. He misses and dents a support column. Caliban savagely pounces on the Horseman once known as Carrion. {Pestilence}: Not a good idea. {Caliban}: Oh no... I- Caliban feel... not good. Caliban dizzy. Caliban getting... sick. {Pestilence}: You'll be admitting defeat in no time thanks to my plague pheromones. {Caliban}: Nooo... {Famine}: I have other powers other than my dissecation beam. Once you're subdued, the next blast won't miss. {Angel}: Doesn't matter. We still have the adva-- hurk! Famine grabs Angel by the collar and yanks him back. She tosses him forward at Psylocke. Expecting to collide with her, Angel instead lands on the ground. {Famine}: Cursed witch shadow slip-- ugh! Like a wraith, Psylocke makes no sound and delivers a flying kick to Famine's back. Famine gets up slowly gritting her teeth. {Famine}: Come on! How about a fair fight. {Psylocke}: Either way, victory will be mine. Angel wipes the blood away from his lip. {Angel}: That's "ours." He rejoins the battle. {Cable}: (thinking) die? I can't die. No one else will be able to stop this lunatic. Furthermore, I have no desire to die. Gotta keep fighting. It hurts, but physical pain eventually passes. {War}: I can continue this all day. {Cable}: Then I'll withstand it all day! Besides, I have a solution. With every remaining once of strength, Cable clutches his T.O. arm. He violently tears it off at the shoulder. AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!! {War}: Such pain! Cable pulls off most of the T.O. side of his face as well. ARRGGHH!!!!!!!! {War}: You can't possibly keep going. {Cable}: Yeah, well, it's done now. The lingering pain will eventually pass. {War}: What good did that do you? {Cable}: For now, I don't have to worry about the techno virus. I have access to my full powers. I can achieve my full potential. I never would have thought to do it if you hadn't skrewed me up so bad. Cable releases a relentless psionic blast from his remaining eye, blowing War out of the sky. {War}: That actually hurt me. Astounding! I am bleeding! {Cable}: How does it feel to know that you're not power incarnate? {War}: How does _this_ feel? War punches Cable across the jaw with a psionically charged fist. {Cable}: Ow. I think you knocked a few teeth out of alignment. {War}: Look at yourself! You've mutilated your body in order to live. Even if you survive, you'll never lead the life you used to. As he preaches the words, War blasts Cable in the upper chest with a psionic burst from his eyes. Cable has a serious burn, but he continues fighting and ignores it like many of his other injuries. {Cable}: Now you're starting to sound like Stryfe. {War}: You compare me to Stryfe! Ha! I'll show you. War reels Cable in with his telekinesis and presses his finger- tips to his temples. He forces in psycho-kinetic energy in enormous amounts. Blood begins flowing first from Cable's ears, then his nose, and finally his mouth. Something else was happening as well. Psionic energy was building in his eye. More and more until it was overflowing out. {War}: What? Cable releases the blast, striking War directly in the middle of his head. War's eyes roll back as his psyche is wiped clean. {War}: No! {Cable}: That... wasn't cool... Before blacking out, Cable begins thinking. {Cable}: He tried to fry my brain with all that power. Instead, I gathered it up, combined it with my own power, built it up. Then I released it and blew his mind away. Pretty much the same thing Xavier did to Magneto. Look what happened to him because of it. I better have my mind scanned for any residual traces of Exodus. Ugghh... {Phoenix}: We won't let you destroy everything we've accomplished, Holocaust. {Death}: I told you, it's Death now, Grey! Jean is not happy. She shuts him up with a telekinetic burst. {Phoenix}: It's Summers now. {Maggott}: Eany, Meany, get ready! As Death lands, the two slugs begin chewing away at him. {Death}: What are these things?!? {Maggott}: A distraction, maat! Maggott grows larger as his skin changes from tan to blue. He smashes his fist into Death's face-plate, cracking it. {Maggott}: That didn't help. {Death}: No, it did not. Death pins Maggott against the wall and has his cannon poised at Phoenix. The slugs slither down the arm holding Maggott and begin devouring it. Weakened, Death drops Maggott. He loses his complexion and the blast misses Jean. {Death}: (thinking) My armor is a combination of adamantium and vibranium yet these things are eating it as if it were paper. What's worse, they are draining my energy as well. I can't manage to get them off! {Phoenix}: Maggott, get out of the way! Jean was holding back because she was building up for an attack. She fires a telekinetic blast from her left hand, followed by another from her right, and a telepathic attack from her head. They hit Death and nearly blow his to pieces. {Maggott}: That one should've donnered him. If not, this will! Maggott punches a struggling Death in the gut knocking him back down. {Maggott}: That should've done it. {Death}: Not just yet! With the remainder of his strength, Death blasts a lethal nuclear blast at the both of them. Jean throws up a shield just in time and the blast is deflected, blowing away much of the ceiling. Maggott easily pushes Death in the path of the falling rubble and he is buried beneath it. {Maggott}: The girl managed to skiet him, but she took herself out too. At least that's the end of this one. {Caliban}: Caliban... is not so sick anymore. {Pestilence}: Ah, you must have developed anti-bodies. But you're dumb as a rock again too. {Caliban}: Caliban... is not dumb. {Pestilence}: I can't help it if you're stupid. {Caliban}: Ororo-lady said Caliban was not stupid! Do not call Caliban stupid! Like a child throwing a tantrum, Caliban picks Pestilence up over his head and throws him into a nearby wall. Pestilence gets back up and back-hands him. {Pestilence}: I'm sick of fooling around with you. {Caliban}: Ororo-lady told me I had to beat you. And I will! {Pestilence}: At least you're speaking in first-person again. {Caliban}: RAGGHH!!! Like some savage animal, Caliban tackles Pestilence and pounds him furiously. Despite being raked by Pestilence's venom-tipped claws, Caliban continues beating him. Pestilence eventually swats him away with his newly formed tail. {Pestilence}: I'm out for blood now! Caliban finds a pole-like piece of debris to serve as a weapon. Pestilence smashes a stone into his head as Caliban drives the pole through his ribs. {Pestilence}: Arrgh! You probably would've broken some ribs if I still had real bones. Caliban doesn't react to his words in the slightest. Bile sprays out of the open wound as Caliban pulls the pole out. He then breaks it over Pestilence's head, defeating him. As Angel flies by clothes lines her, Psylocke sweeps Famine up from behind. Famine flips through the air and is turned inside-out. {Famine}: Not too embarassing. Let's see how you do against inanimate objects. Under Famine's command, debris begins flying all about the enclosure. Psylocke and Angel are pummelled, but Psylocke leaps into a shadow along with Angel. Angel appears ten feet above Famine. He picks her up and carries her on a joy-ride. Psylocke materializes below them just as Angel drops Famine. She catches the woman, twirls around, and slams her into the ground. {Famine}: Enough! {Angel}: It sure is. Just as Angel flies in and punches Famine square un the face, he is brought down by a telepathic assault. Stunned, Famine falls. {Psylocke}: You'll pay for that. Psylocke drags Famine to her feet only to plunge her psychic blade into her dead. Her nervous system shocked, Famine loses consciousness. {Psylocke}: I think I liked her better as Selene. Look's like this mission's complete. Now to see how the others did. Hmmm... Jean's out, Cable's out, and Warren's out. Half of our number unconscious. At least we were victorious. I telepathic jolt has Jean up and running... Cable is recovering now... poor Warren will be out for a while. Now to regroup everyone. Psylocke does so using her shadow slipping power. {Phoenix}: Let's get to that rendezvous point. {Caliban}: I am confused. {Psylocke}: What is it? {Caliban}: How did they ambush us. {Maggott}: Allow me to explain. There was a set of catacombs beneath this complex. They were completely masked from us and linked to every corridor. {Cable}: And you know this how? {Maggott}: The girls could sense the rustlin' beneath us and that's why they were acting funny. {Cable}: I can't come up with anything better. Let's get moving! Next Week: Part 1 of the 2 part conclusion to this story! It's everybody vs. Apocalypse and no henchmen to interfere! Plus: a revelation! See you here next Wednesday for part 22 of Come the Apocalypse! --Nate! ------------------------------------------------------------------------