psinex@yahoo.com Blood and Iron: Conclusion: Nightfall DISCLAIMER: They're Marvel's, except for Buffy and Co., who're 20th Century Fox's, and Steve, who's mine. Please don't sue. -------------------------------------------------------- 9/27/2003: Somewhere over the Arctic Circle: 08:00 hrs local: -------------------------------------------------------- "They killed Apocalypse," Charles Lehnsherr smiled to himself, gazing over the brainwashed hordes En Sabah Nur had left behind aboard his Ship. "They have faced innumerable challenges," the New Son continued, talking to the Voght sisters from atop the Ship's bridge. "And now, I will reward them." "Er ... boss, this plan is a little - well, nuts," Gloria Voght gulped. Charles eyed her and growled, "Beware, Fontanelle. Your ability to transduce to a pure astral form will prove useless if you push me too far." "I think what my dear elder sister means, New Son," Amelia interrupted, "is that there is inherent risk in what you're proposing to do. What of the thousands in the air at the time ... ?" "The pulse will be kept at low levels - just enough to remind humanity that there is a power far beyond their - eh ?" Charles continued. The Ship began to rumble, and ceramic restraints clasped the New Son to his chair. The Voghts found themselves in an energy bubble, and a voice rang throughout their heads. [YOU DARE TRESPASS UPON OUR PROPERTY ?] "Oh no ..." Charles whispered, going pale. "THE SHIP'S OWNERS ARE COMING BACK ..." The vehicle shook, and the Voghts ... vanished. Charles screamed himself - - and all was flame. -------------------------------------------------------- Sol System Oort Cloud: -------------------------------------------------------- As spatial anomalies go, it was inconsiderable. There one moment, gone the next, barely a frozen comet nucleus incinerated by the space-bending grav-wave and the radiations of hyperspace. What was deposited out of it was another matter entirely. -------------------------------------------------------- Baxter Building: 08:02 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- "AAH !" Frank sat bolt upright, terror in his mind and heart. He threw on his training uniform and ran to the secondary sensor lab, checking the astrometric scanners. "Oh God no," he whispered. "DAAAAD !" Reed came running, ashen, and checked the sensors, muttering, "They are returning ... the energies are similar to ones found in the records of the Eternals - " "Then it IS them," Frank whispered. Reed met his son's gaze, as the sky was suddenly split by titanic shapes. "Yes," Reed nodded, horror in his voice. "THE FIFTH HOST OF THE CELESTIALS HAVE ARRIVED." -------------------------------------------------------- Mass. Acad.: -------------------------------------------------------- "... no idea what they want yet in this, mankind's first verified contact with extraterrestrials -" Trish Tilby's voice cut out as Erik slagged the TV with an impatient flick of the wrist. "Idiots," he growled, pacing the length of the rec room. "It's obvious - they're going to test us, and -" ~DAAAAAAAAADDDDDYYYYY !~ Erik's head snapped up, and he ignored the other Mutants' calls. "Charles," the man/boy whispered. Magnetic energies flickered about him, and he took off north ... ... and began to grow. -------------------------------------------------------- He'd been with his mommy and daddy seconds before. Now, he was all alone in a big chair with clothes too big for him, and he was being looked at by big robots. In short, 5-year-old Charles Lehnsherr was extremely scared. #Please don't hurt me,# the boy pleaded, brown locks dangling in his face. He tried to sneak inside the huge shirt he'd found himself in, but screamed when the ship began to come apart around him. His hiding place shattered, and Charles cried as he floated in midair, bare, before giant eyes. ~INTRIGUING,~ the Celestials sent. ~OUR STERILIZATION PULSE OF THE PROBE LEFT THIS MEAGER BOY ALIVE. THE INTERACTION OF THE TEMPORAL REVERSAL WITH HIS POWERS SHIELDED HIM FROM ITS' EFFECTS.~ "SHIELD THIS !" "Daddy - !?" Charles called, hope in his tone. The Celestials watched as a blue-glowing streak of red, purple and white slammed into Oneg the Prober - - and the giant's hand began to shatter. #HOLYGODTHEPAINCAN'TGIVEINIREMEMBERMAGDAISABELLEANYA- #-CHARLES !# The Celestials remained silent when the energy nexus continued to grow, solidifying into a man in his mid-30's. "YOU DARE !" Erik Magnus Lehnsherr challenged. ~WE DARE AND MORE,~ the Celestials replied. ~HAIL, MAGNETO.~ "And to you, Lords of the Stars," Magnus bowed. "I seem to have found myself once more." He caught Charles in his arms and wrapped the boy in a fold of his cloak, hugging him gently. "It'll be all right," Erik smiled. "Daddy !!" Charles cheered, snuggling into Magnus' shoulder. ~... YOU CHALLENGED US FOR ONE CHILD'S LIFE ?~ the Celestials queried. "Any child would be worth my life," Erik snarled. "Do you think me so heartless as to not care about innocents ? My dream of mutant survival would be worthless if built on the blood of children ! If you knew ANYTHING of my past - the things I witnessed - " ~WE KNOW,~ the Celestials replied. ~AND WE KNOW WHAT WAS LOST BY YOUR ABSENCE.~ Erik gasped as a melange' of images flicker-flashed in his mind: mutant youths, stronger, perhaps darker, winning battles which here they had lost; an army of worshippers, many lost, elsewhere gathered in hope of a better day; and a nation, still in chains, which elsewhere was at least freed to determine its' own fate. "My ... GOD," Erik whispered. "All this, because ... ?" ~YOU WERE MEANT TO BE THE FORGE IN WHICH XAVIER'S DREAM WAS TEMPERED,~ the Celestials replied. ~BUT INSTEAD YOU PLAYED AT REGAINED YOUTH. YOU COULD HAVE BEEN AN ICON, MAGNETO.~ ~INSTEAD, YOU FLOUNDERED.~ "Then take me instead of this world !" Erik cried. ~WE SHALL.~ Then all was white light ... -------------------------------------------------------- ... and the tinkling of crystal against starfields. -------------------------------------------------------- FINIS -------------------------------------------------------- NOTES: Is it a copout ? You bet'cha. I broke two of my own rules when I started this cycle of stories: 1: Never break your own Bad Writer! rule. 2: RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH. As a profligate fanficcer, the first should have been obvious to me. As a professional newspaper reporter, the second was just common sense. The third problem were the twists and turns. Oh, sure, it's cute to play off Buffy against Scott, Jean and co., but toss a deaged Magnus into the Summers clan and it's just too much. It's two stars clashing for the same spotlight - either concept, if done well, could have made a great story, but together it was too vast an arena. Someday, I'll take up the challenge of Buffy again. Someday, I'll tackle the deaged Magnus concept again. (Anyone who wishes to go for either of these, may you have more success than I did.) But for now, I'm going back to my own little playpen and starting clean. Rule # 4: Know thy limitations ! Thanks for the feedback, though, Phil H. -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com