Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men; they are the property of Marvel. Warlock, Shift, Lobo, Seraph, and Hardcase are all my creations.
Author's Note: This is the beginning of "The Protector Saga", and was formerly called "Catastrophic Events". I never liked the title, and the story was never exactly the way I liked it. I had also begun writing "The Dark Army", which was to be the last story in the series, but skipped too far into the future without a good enough explanation of what happened between the two stories. Also, there was the matter of explaining certain aspects of the last story, which, as I was writing, I realized would not be easily explained in the story. With that in mind, I have "started over". Therefore, this is "Catastrophic Events", but with a number of improvements, and with much more detail. Also, before going on, I would like to point out that this is, for all intents and purposes, an AU fic. So, with that in mind, enjoy, and please read and review!
The Protector Saga I:
A New Beginning
Prologue Hamunaptra- City of the Dead, c.2970 BCECarak stood before the great alter of Ra in the center of the ancient city. As the high priest for the pharaoh, he was one of the few people who were allowed access to the sacred place. Tonight, he had been ordered to learn of the day of the death of the pharaoh. He had already seen that in a vision. The pharaoh, En Sabah Nur, would not die for a very long time, and would only be killed by a man half flesh and half metal. He had already sent the information back to Thebes along with several of his guards. But, for a reason unknown to him, he was compelled to stay. That was why he was still at the city after three days away from the Egyptian capital.
Carak stopped praying for a moment to reflect on what had happened that morning. The previous night, he had sent three guards back, leaving two behind. He knew that they were two of the best soldiers in the army, both earning great status as result of their heroism. That morning, though, he had found on of them mutilated. His insides had been ripped out, his genitalia severed, and his head literally ripped off, as the skin was not cut, but torn. Both he and the other guard were frightened, but still something held him to the city, preventing him from leaving. The guard, either fearing Pharaoh, the man who would later become Apocalypse, or being extremely duty-bound, decided to stay with him.
Returning to his prayers, the high priest began to have another vision. The guard, whose name was Arnat, stood next to him, ready to take the dictation handed to him. The old man began speaking in a voice much more powerful than his own. Arnat began writing down what was being said, but not really paying attention. Despite this, he couldn't help but to hear phrases such as "marriage of the Great Warriors" and "coming of the Evil Ones".
Nearly an hour later, Carak's vision stopped, and he fell to the floor, momentarily weakened. He looked up to the guard and asked if he had gotten all of what he had said down. The guard replied he had, and several minutes later, after drinking a little water, the priest looked to the papyrus where his vision had been was recorded. He began to read.
There shall be a day unlike any other. That day shall herald the coming of the Evil Ones. On this day shall be the marriage of the Great Warriors, the two chosen to be the generals of the Protectors, those born to prevent the destruction of humanity. The Protectors, the one reborn and the one born of the wheel, shall be the champions of the cosmos and shall be unparalleled.
They shall know what the animal knows. They shall know what all men know. They shall know near invulnerability and strength beyond comparison. They shall know the might of the great winged Lord of the Other Realm. They shall be chosen to defeat the Great Evil, who may not be named.
They shall be kin with the Goddess, the Lord of the Thieves, and the Living Throne. Their father shall be the Great One, he who knows what all others know, who shall be the sole being who may find the hiding place of the Great Evil. They shall-
Carak was cut short by the sound of heavy breathing coming from beyond the torchlight. He looked to Arnat, who had his sword drawn and his face grim. The breathing continued, followed by loud footsteps. Stepping out of the shadows came a creature that neither of them had seen before. It stood on all four limbs, with large, feathered wings jutting out of its mid-back. Its head was that of an eagle, as was its forelimbs, the claws digging into the loose sand. The rest of its body, save the wings, was that of a lion. It slowly made its way to the priest, as if it were hunting. The guard, trying to protect one of the most important men in the kingdom, ran forward, his sword ready for a killing blow. As the sword came down, the creature stood on its hind legs, took the sword in one talon, crushing it, and with the other, slashing the guard across the chest, killing him instantly.
As the priest looked on, the griffin began to feast on the dead man, forgetting about him. Taking the opportunity, Carak left, creeping slowly away, until he was outside the temple. As he approached the horses, he found they were all slain, their bodies mangled almost beyond recognition. Realizing he would die in the desert, but not wanting to face the creature once again, he began to run out of the city.
The man left the city, hoping to give his information to someone who would believe him.
He would never be heard from again.
North Carolina, 1589 CE
The full moon rose over the dark landscape, casting its ever-smiling face over the marsh. The music of crickets resounded through the night, eliminating most other noise. Except for the crickets and the occasional cry of an owl, everything was silent. This was land that was still wild; man had not touched it. There might be some who travel through it, perhaps Tuscarora or Catawba. They rarely came through, though, and almost always during daylight. Tonight was an exception though.
The forest quieted, the owls no longer hooting, and the crickets no longer making their music, only to hear the sound of heavy breathing and running footsteps. An owl, sitting on the overhanging branch of a tree next to the muddy path, watched as a woman, clad in a dirtied nightdress, ran past. Though the nocturnal bird did not know it, this woman's name was Catherine Black, and had been, until the night before, a resident of the English colony of Roanoke.
She had been born in England, and was the daughter of a wealthy and prominent merchant. She had come to the colony because her betrothed, Thomas Ringworn, was the son of a member of the House of Commons who happened to be a close friend of Sir Walter Raleigh, the man who promoted the colony. Thomas' father had seen it as a favor towards his friend to have a member of a wealthy family as a colonist, thereby promoting colonization. They had arrived earlier in the year, just days before the governor went back to England for supplies. They had been waiting for their families to visit them in the colony. It was not to be.
Three days ago had been their nine month anniversary; their families were expected to arrive within the week. As the sun had set that day, she had an odd sensation that she should get away from the island. She would never know why she had that sensation, but because she had almost done it, her life was saved. She had sat on the beach, watching the sun set. There, she had stopped, trying to ignore the sensation. She forced herself to think of something, and her mind turned to their trials at having a child. Since their wedding night, she and Thomas had been trying to become pregnant, but it was not happening. She wondered for the thousandth time if there was something wrong with her, if she was cursed not to have children. It was then that the need to flee came on her the strongest; she nearly doubled over as the sensation hit her with all the force of a cannon ball. That was when it happened. A blood curdling scream suddenly burst through the night, filling her with dread terror, and a need to know what was happening. What she was about to see would be a sight that would haunt her until the end of her days.
She had instinctually crept slowly towards the village, remaining low, so as not to be seen. At the brush on the outside of the small colony, she saw people, colonists, running from natives that looked like they were from an island not far from their own. She had quickly seen, though, they were not human. As one of them neared Elizabeth Bracken, who was clutching her newborn in her arms, the creature's arm became something like a spear. The woman turned just before the spear entered her, trying to protect her baby. As the spear was pulled from her body, Catherine saw that steam was coming from her wound, as if her blood had been boiled. The child, who had miraculously survived the fall, was now on the ground, crying loudly. The creature only looked at the child, and then, changing its arm into a sword, cleaved the child in half in a horrific display of brutality.
Disgusted, Catherine looked away only to see another one of the creature's holding a man, seemingly interrogating him. She saw that it had eyes of pure glowing crimson, like that of hellfire. She strained to hear, and caught the man's voice saying something to the effect that he didn't know where someone was. Turning her head slightly, she picked up the words of the creature.
"Where is your woman? Where is Catherine Black, human?" Thomas again said that he did not know. The creature then reached out his hand, and placing it on Thomas' chest, started pushing. Wretched screams spewed from his mouth as the nauseating sound of breaking bones filled the night sky. As the being pulled back, she saw that in its hand was Thomas' heart. Again, there was no blood, only steam. In that moment, pure survival instinct took over her mind. She could not grieve for Thomas nor her friends; there was no time. Forcing herself to stand, she began to run back to the beach where Ben Jacobs had built a boat modeled after the canoes of the Indians.
Finding the double-sided oar inside, she shoved the boat into the water, and proceeded to head west, towards the mainland.
That was how she found herself here, in the marsh. She was almost exhausted, pushing her utmost limits. Up ahead she saw a clearing, and what looked like several fires. Pushing herself with her last remaining strength, she ran the rest of the way. She was stumbling, but was determined not to fall, for she knew she would not get up again. Using the last of her energy, she collapsed less than a yard from the first fire, around which several people were gathered.
Catherine awoke to see the face of an Indian man who was raising her head so she could drink some water from some kind of cup.
"¿Comó está usted? Soy . . . Lo siento. I mean, I'm sorry. I usually speak either my native language or Spanish. My brother speaks only those two languages, and the rest of my people only speak the former. I am Running Wolf, chief of this tribe."
"How is it you speak Spanish and English," Catherine asked. She noticed his face, which she realized was not that of a native. Though his hair was in the same style of those she had seen just before passing out, he had a full beard.
"My father was on a Spanish galleon traveling to the New World. He, unlike the rest of his countrymen, felt that the natives should have been left alone. The ship was carried off course by a storm and was sunk close to shore. My father was the only survivor. He traveled inland, where he found this tribe. He married the chief's daughter, and soon I was born. He taught me English, Spanish, Latin, and French. Then, my brother was born. He was supposed to learn all of the languages I was taught, but my father died before it could be done. Now, I have explained who I am. May I ask who you are, milady?"
"My name is Catherine Elizabeth Black. Until two nights ago, I lived in the colony of Roanoke, awaiting the day when I would marry Thomas Ringworn. But, two nights ago, something came. Creatures who looked as men," she finished, beginning to cry.
Running Wolf, his interest suddenly piqued, asked, "Could you describe what these creatures looked like? My brother is our shaman, and he might know what they are."
"T-They walked as men, but had the eyes of the devil. They made their arms into weapons, and fought with those. When they killed someone, the wounds steamed, as if they were caused by brimstone."
"I will tell my brother what you have told me. I will be back shortly."
Several minutes later, he returned, his face grave and saddened. "We must leave and go north and west. These things, they will hunt you. They will not stop. And, because we have helped you, we, too, are in danger. My brother has told me that the only place that is safe from these creatures is the north, as they do not like cold weather."
Several days later, the entire camp left their home. They traveled northwest, going across the land of the Kiowa, the land of the Sioux, and the land of the Kickapoo. It would be some time later when they would arrive at their new home, in what is now southwestern British Columbia. It was here that Catherine and Running Wolf married. Sixteen years after the events on Roanoke Island, Catherine would give birth to her last child, a boy, who would be named Little Bear. His namesake would be an animal that the indigenous peoples worshiped as a god.
It would be many years later when the boy became a man that he would learn of the English word for the animal. Believing the name to be much more menacing than that of Little Bear, he adopted it as his own. And, thus the man became known as … the Wolverine.
Serengeti Plain, Africa – The near future
The sun rose above the sub-Saharan plateau, its light quickly enveloping the land. A lion pride was gorging on a kill stolen from a pack of hyenas during the night. The hyenas were still around, waiting well away from the big cats. Beyond the hyenas were vultures, waiting for their turn. Other scavengers, in turn, were waiting to feed on the carcass. It appeared as an ordinary morning in the savanna. And it would be; at least for a short time.
As the pride moved away from the kill, a woman walked into view. It was not uncommon for humans to be in this land. Some hunted here, and many scientists came to study the fauna as well as the flora. But, none of them walked in the savanna without shoes, and without any piece of clothing. The woman was completely nude and was moving as if she were delirious. A lioness saw the woman, and for a moment, was considering attacking her. Instinctually moving herself downwind, the female lion caught a scent she recognized. She called to the leader of the pack.
The male lion made its way towards its mate, where it, too, recognized the smell. The big cat let out an odd sound, which seemed to be a cross between a whine and a growl of a dog. It was almost beyond human perception, and even to those few humans who did hear it, it was less than a whisper. But to the other creatures, it was a sound that all recognized, but which had not been heard for years beyond comprehension. The call meant one thing: this woman could not be harmed and was to be protected. The animals on the plain then put themselves into such positions so as to seem that the lions were stalking her, and that other carnivores were waiting in their respective pecking order.
It was not long before the safety of the lone woman was threatened. Ahead, in the distance, appeared two creatures that did not belong in the African savanna, or in any other place on the planet. The first was a dragon that appeared to be of both Chinese and European lore. It was green and had the general shape of a Chinese dragon, but it had the large wings and the breath of fire of European dragons. The other seemed to be a cross between a scorpion and a man. It had the face of a man, except for its mouth, which were the mandibles of a scorpion. It had two pairs of arms, each terminating in a hand with three fingers and a thumb. Below the arms, it had a pair of pincers with razor-sharp "teeth". It had eight legs and a tail that split halfway to give it two stingers, each the size of a man's hand.
The dragon creature took to flight, and was about to grab the woman when out of the blue it was knocked down, incredibly violently. An elephant had charged it, and had hit the serpent broadside, breaking one of its ribs. The giant mammal then reared up on its hind legs, and brought its forefeet on the head of the serpentine creature, crushing the contents within. Seeing its comrade fall to the great animal, the scorpion-man let out a horrific hiss, and charged forward. Before it got ten feet, a group of hyenas and lions were on it, trying to tear it apart. Two of the canine-like animals attacked its stingers, slowly ripping them off of its body. Meanwhile, three lions had attacked it from the front, one each to its pincers, and one going for the throat. Finally, they were able to fell the alien creature. After both of the xenomorphic beasts began to melt into the earth, their black blood seeping in like a whirlpool.
Several hours after the death of both of the alien organisms, the woman finally collapsed. Not long after, a shadow fell over her.
"By the Goddess," the shadow exclaimed, and picked up the woman. The nude woman's purple hair began to swirl as a strong wind began to carry them north.