As the light filled hole spread, a full figure strode through and into the darkness. Yet with each moment the darkness was changing. There was a platform of bright white that now rested under the portal of light and the figure. Another figure slid through the light as well and the world continued to shift. Bright whites were appearing all around as the world took on a more slick and expensive vibe.
Two more figures came through and the light began to wane. A large staircase grew from the platform to another far above. Large walls appeared around the area in the shape of a large mansion. Rooms were formed and floors and ceilings of pure light appeared. While the walls were solid they were able to be peered through at the same time. It was stunning to look at.
Standing tall clad in a blue and yellow jumpsuit, Xavier turned to each of his companions. Betsy had pulled her purple hair back into a ponytail as she stood at the ready in her dark purple and black jumpsuit and a glowing purple katana in each hand. Dani held a glowing bow in one hand while a quiver of glowing pink arrows filled the other, and she kept glancing around looking for trouble as she was clad in something that was more akin to something her ancestors in the tribe might wear crossed with the typical X-Men uniform.
It was Emma of course that was dressed to a T. Instead of a jumpsuit she wore a stunning white uniform that was covering of the majority of her skin yet still spoke of her sexuality and the power behind her. This was not the corsets and heels of her days in the Hellfire Club. It was something more becoming of the woman beside the ‘throne’ of the entire X-Men operation.
Xavier’s hand gestured towards the stairs. “Shall we?”
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#3
NOV 13 |
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Snow Valley, Massachusetts
The threat of a possible Apocalypse return was not something to be taken lightly by the X-Men, especially when it was affecting their students and threatening their home. So it was no wonder that Warren was pacing back and forth within the medical labs, a frustrated look upon his face.
“Wings, calm down, you’re making me damn nervous,” Logan muttered, holding a half-full beer can tightly in his hand.
If Logan was any other man the glare he received would probably have sent him scurrying. “It’s Apocalypse. I think I have a right to be a bit antsy.”
The sound of a throat clearing brought both of their attention to the far side of the room where Beast stood between two of the beds within the room. Charles, Emma, Dani and Betsy were all laid out upon the various beds with the figure of Celeste in another nearby. While it was not necessary for the telepaths to be that close to the person’s mind they were slightly reaching out too, it was just convenient.
“I would ask that should you both feel the desire to slide into a testosterone fueled showing of your manhood you do so outside, if you don’t mind,” the scientist said, not bothering to even look at the men.
There were more important things to do, including monitoring the vitals of those that had gone on the dire mission to the Astral Plane. There was no telling what they might face outside of the Shadow King and possibly more to do with Apocalypse. It made the blue furred mutant shiver slightly at even the implication that Apocalypse was returning. A great evil they thought vanquished returning was never a good sign.
“Men…” Amara Aquila, otherwise known as Magma, muttered from the far corner as she sat perched on one of the countertops.
Amara, along with Kurt Wagner, had been called in as they were around at the time to provide support in case something should happen. With the four telepaths down for the count and preoccupied it paid to have extra hands around in case everything went south real fast.
The aforementioned Kurt was hanging from the ceiling by his tail, watching all as one hand was always on the hilt of the sabers sheathed on his back. While the fuzzy elf was as jovial as he had always been, there was also a slightly more dangerous edge as he was prepared for anything that might come.
“If you’re spoiling for a fight, elf, I’m down for a few rounds in the Danger Room,” Logan said as he let out a belch and crushed the empty can. “Beats sitting round here doing nothing.”
“No thank you, my friend. I prefer to wait. There is too much at stake I fear.”
Logan grunted. “Yeah. Ain’t that the damn truth.”
Astral Plane
Silence had reigned as the quartet made their way through the astral mansion, climbing the spiral staircase for what felt like a lifetime. At last they seemed to emerge upon a space that was not even part of the mansion they had been going through before.
It was Dani that broke silence first. “The Astral Plane reacts to telepaths and creates things from our minds and our direction, so should I guess which one of us is driving at the moment?”
“Such a simple view of something so grand; I should not be surprised though,” Emma said with a bit of a scoff.
Per usual when it came to interactions Emma had with others seemingly, Xavier stepped in before tempers could flare. “All of us yet none of us, Danielle. Clearly our minds fixated on a facsimile of the mansion upon our arrival. Now there is something more powerful at work…force leading us to where they desire us. I would wager that the Shadow King is, of course, more than prepared for us.”
“Lovely,” Betsy said. “Would it be too much to ask that we don’t gladly walk into a trap on these grand missions?”
Emma smirked. “Where would be the fun in that, Betsy dear?”
“Leave it to the White Queen to find the fun in this situation,” Dani murmured.
Before them a long white hallways seemed to stretch into the distant horizon. There were no doors or turns anywhere, just a long white hallway.
“Am I the only one getting an ominous feeling about this?” Betsy said.
Emma frowned and gripped the diamond tipped weapon that had appeared in her hand in that moment. “I hate to concur with Braddock, but clearly this is the trap part of the trap we spoke of.”
“Hmm,” Xavier offered as he glanced up, having missed part of the conversation. “Yes, of course. I believe though this is where we part company.”
“What?” Emma asked as she turned back.
Suddenly the ground changed and the three women let out a cry as they were plummeting through open space, the astral floor having given out under them. They fell till suddenly there was another platform under them and a path forward.
Far above, Xavier turned back towards the long hallway and began to walk. With each step his mind changed things on his very being. A gladiator style helmet covered his head as thick plates of body armor clicked into place. A long curved sword appeared in his hand. Heavy boots completed the change.
“Charles, Charles, Charles. When will you learn? You’ll never be a match for me upon this plane. This is my domain.”
As if melting, the hallway began to fade away to be replaced by a large coliseum style venue with Xavier standing in the middle of the open area, and the large menacing figure of darkness that was the Shadow King sat occupying a seat above leering down at the telepath that put him in the plane for all time. A pulsating object was nearby. There was darkness of a familiar nature emanating from within. Apocalypse.
“Your friends are no better off away from here. Their pain is inevitable. Still as foolish as the day we met, Charles. Will you ever change?”
“Not as long as dark souls such as yours continue to plague mankind.”
A booming laugh came as Shadow King oozed from the upper levels down into the center ring. The large form coalesced into a billowy white being that was at least eight feet tall. The form was almost imposing with the bulk and the sharp teeth that ringed the maw that could be considered a mouth. Two deep set onyx black eyes stared through Charles as if they could bore right through is astral form to his very soul.
“As idealistic as that day we met. Yet, that idealism, where has it gotten you? Even now you fight the same fight you have been engaged in since then. Yet your soldiers dwindle. Moira. John. Kevin. Doug. Angelica. Nils. Kwannon. Rusty. Shall I go on?”
“Don’t speak their names,” Xavier said with a hint of anger, his grip tightening on the large axe that appeared in his hands.
Farouk just laughed. “Very well. Let us finish this the way we should have years ago.”
With a roar the large being rushed at the smaller man, large claws springing from his hands. The astral battle had begun.
Elsewhere
Astral Plane
“That damn man. How I would hate him if I did not love him so much,” Emma muttered, stomping forward through the maze of areas in the Astral Plane.
“Pretty sure we’re going in circles, or at least not getting any closer to the Professor,” Dani said.
Betsy looked around at the surroundings. “Not that we could ever tell where we’re going.”
“Charles is blocking us, keeping us from finding him. That man...” Emma continued to mutter and murmur to herself as she moved forward.
“So how do we find the Professor then?” Dani asked content to ignore the former White Queen and her muttering rant.
Betsy focused and stared ahead, ignoring them both. Her mind spread through their environment, picking up so many things. Pinpointing a location was not always easy even on the Astral Plane. Yet it only took a moment to encounter the highest concentration of telepathic activity.
A finger extended as her arm rose. “That way.”
Dani glanced in the direction pointed, the same direction that Betsy just began to walk without another word. “Umm, okay…that way it is.”
Without another word the three women began their journey towards the man they had arrived with and the man they would have to fight.
Snow Valley
Everything had seemed fine at first. The machines made their steady sounds as the telepaths remained prone and on their telepathic mission. Then slowly there began to be a louder and louder beeping sound being made.
Brought back to reality out of musings being made, Beast moved across the room to check the machines. Logan and Kurt looked up from the small poker game they had begun, while Amara just watched with arms crossed. Warren had given up and went for a flight through the clouds after Henry had asked him to stop pacing for the umpteenth time.
“Curious…even curiouser,” the scientist muttered as he stared at the readout.
“What is it, fuzzball? We’re dying of anticipation over here.” Logan was slightly exaggerating but the long wait was putting a toll on them all.
With a frown, Henry turned back towards the others. “There is quite a bit of activity going on within young Ms. Celeste’s mind – too much activity for her state. There is also an anomalous reading that seems to correspond to a set of brain waves differing from her own.”
“Meaning it’s begun then, Apocalypse is merging with the girl,” Warren offered from the doorway as all eyes turned his way. “The Professor and the others haven’t stopped him yet.”
A scream interrupted all thoughts as the blond teenager rose in the bed, a long shriek emanating from her wide open mouth. There seemed to be energy in the air as she rose into the air and stared at them. The shriek did not last long as instead it merged quickly into a cackle.
“I’m gonna guess that this merging is going on right now, but that’s just a guess.” Amara offered, moving to stand by the others.
Shoving the poker table aside, Logan rose and unsheathed his claws. There was no ‘enemy’ just yet but he was prepared. “What’s our next move?”
“We cannot hurt the child, she is innocent,” Kurt said, pulling his saber out of the scabbard to prepare as well.
“Clearly, but unless any of us have recently become or are a closet telepath I do believe that we are proverbially screwed,” Henry offered as he backed away from the beds.
Before they could even respond, all cried out as their very minds were violated. Telepathic ‘fingers’ crawled across their very brains pulling out memories and tragedies of times past. The pain was almost unbearable as the X-Men succumbed to the young woman’s attack.
Astral Plane
Telepathic energy crackled across the landscape as blow after blow was struck by the two men trapped in a seemingly never ending battle. While their battle had its moment of pause for years at a time, eventually the two men were fated to battle one another again. From the moment they met it was clear that they would forever be enemies.
“Give up, Charles. You’re failing. Your age is catching up to you. While I’m ageless in this bodiless position you cast me, you are gaining years and becoming more and more feeble.”
“The body is weak, but the mind is strong, Farouk.” Xavier said, raising an armored arm to block a blow from the Shadow King’s blade.
The battle could be waged for some time as the Astral Plane and time did not go hand in hand. Yet the more time taken the closer Apocalypse was to rising.
A blow to the side caught the man off guard and sent him reeling, his opponent seeking to take advantage of the momentary weakness. Another blow struck and the psychic armor began to buckle. As Xavier struggled to regain himself and his footing, another blow struck his back and sent him right back down again.
“Pathetic. You should not have sent your friends away.”
“Funny thing about friends, they tend to show up just when you need them,” Psylocke called out as she drove her telekinetically created katana right into the head the Shadow King.
With a roar the villain reeled back and tried to buck her off. As Xavier tried to rise he found a hand clad in white offered to him. “Take the hand now, darling, before I consider how I’m going to punish you later for your little trap door maneuver.”
“Emma…”
“Oh save it, Charles, please. Not quite in the mood for the heroic sacrificial speech. Just make it up to me with a month of back massages, telepathic sonnets and a nice bottle of wine.”
Moonstar took advantage of all that was going on the reach the glowing embryo that was pulsating. There were seemingly mere moments before Apocalypse fully merged with Celeste and would rise into the world again. That could not happen.
“Here we go,” Dani muttered, holding a weapon created from her mind high and slicing it down.
The effects were instant. Screams came as the connection that Apocalypse had with Celeste was severed. Tremors moved through the Astral Plane as the agony was palpable. Thrown backwards, Dani scrambled around to get to the side of Emma and the Professor.
“Just going to take a guess but I’m thinking it’s time to leave for us,” the former New Mutant offered.
“Yes, best that we leave now.” Xavier reached out and summoned Betsy to their side, causing her to just appear there with them. “Leave Farouk. He is little threat trapped here without any way to strike at us.”
With a gesture all four vanished as the Shadow King came back into sight with a loud yell. All was ruined. “Xavier!!!”
Snow Valley
Telepathic forces overwhelmed most of the gathered X-Men as they tried to deal with the floating, shrieking and cackling Celeste. Her words were gibberish at times but flawless Egyptian other times. A merging is what Xavier had warned them of – a merging of Celeste and apparently all that was Apocalypse.
Wolverine struggled across the room, fighting off her telepathic attacks somewhat easier than the others. Easier in the sense that he was not on the ground clutching his head, instead was grimacing and slowly trudging across the room. It was a victory, if just a small one really.
“Damn it, kid, don’t make me have to do this,” he muttered, flashes of Jean as Dark Phoenix and the need to stab her entering his mind. He would not be behind the death of a sixteen year old girl if he could help it.
Suddenly her shrieks changed. They were louder for a moment and then ceased. As if she was a marionette whose strings were just severed, Celeste slumped and then crumpled to the ground in a heap. As her mind faded into unconsciousness her attacks stopped.
Beast muttered as he rose and moved towards the young woman. Nightcrawler, Magma and Archangel rose as well rubbing at their heads. It would not stop the telepathically induced mind pain they went through but it was a comforting gesture in a way.
Archangel flexed his wings and crossed his arms over his chest. “Charles must have been successful.”
Nightcrawler’s eyes trailed over to the mentioned teacher and watched as the man and his companions were beginning to stir. Their trip to the Astral Plane ended.
“So…is it over?” Magma asked staring at the fallen and sedate body of young Celeste.
“Kid, these things ain’t over when they seem to be over,” Wolverine muttered, the rest just grimly nodding. Their battle to stop Apocalypse return was clearly far from over.
Epilogue I
Egypt
The land of ancient pyramids and kings and gods was the place they had made their home for quite some time. It was only right because of the tie to their worshipped being, Apocalypse. It was his home and therefore it was where they were to wait for him until his arrival back to Earth.
The clan Akkaba, loyal followers of Apocalypse, had waited and waited. They would continue to wait till the ancient mutant rose again and culled the weak from the strong. It was the way things had always been.
“Is there word of our Lord Apocalypse?” one of the many loyal disciples spoke, his head raising as he was knelt before the other man.
As much as Ozymandias at times loathed Apocalypse and all that he had done for the man, there were bigger things in motion that he was but only a cog in and his part had to be played. Even the parts that were not as desirable as others.
“Yes, there is word.”
Their eyes were eager as they stared at the stone man, waiting for the words he would bestow upon them.”
“The word is now. You’re Lord is preparing to rise. His disciples must begin the plans within plans,” the stone man said. “Apocalypse is rising.”
Epilogue II
Astral Plane
Foiled again by the damned X-Men. No matter what happened they always seemed to be there and get the upper hand. The rising of Apocalypse through the young woman was not fated to be. While Shadow King didn’t entirely gain anything out of the ancient mutant’s rising again, there was no reason to think that he could not gain something out of it if he played it all right. That would require Apocalypse to rise though.
Someone else was needed. With the connection to the girl severed the astral fetus was dying. Someone more powerful and not connected to the X-Men. It had been amusing to try and steal one of their charges out from under them to bring back one of their greatest enemies, but getting them involved was a fool’s choice.
What many didn’t realize was that the minds of capable telepaths were always touching the Astral Plane. They may not be crossing over to the plane but their minds were slipping in and out of it from time to time without them even knowing it. Not enough that Farouk could ever do anything to them or use them really, but enough to know of their presence.
That was how the right one was found. It was clear. The power that emanated was great and the irony of the choice was not even lost on him and his limited experience outside of the plane in so long.
“Apocalypse will rise again,” Shadow King murmured as he stared at the psychic impression left by his choice.
It was only fitting that the body that would bring Apocalypse back was only in existence because of Apocalypse having existed. In that matter Stryfe would make the perfect host. The perfect new Apocalypse.
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To Be Continued...
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