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Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward.
Five Thousand Years Ago
The villagers had long ago learned to recognize the signs of an impending sandstorm, but that didn't make them any less unnerving. Animals grew restless, and the air became eerily calm, with an almost palpable tension.
As Egyptian women and children began to take shelter, the workers in the field and at the pyramids were not so fortunate. As they began to look to each other with trepidation, their task masters continued to enforce their labor with the whip.
"Please," one older man begged. "Our village is over a mile from here. We will never make it before the storm hits."
"You will keep working, abata, until we tell you to stop," answered one of the whip bearers threateningly.
The wind had already begun to pick up, causing sand to whip around their feet.
Another slave simply stopped his work, standing in place. The guards glanced at each other uneasily. They were not so sure about approaching this one. He was much younger, taller, and stronger, easily dwarfing even the average guard.
With a sigh, the leader of the guards approached the uncooperative slave, drawing his sword instead of his whip.
"You would do well to obey our commands, abata," he warned.
The tall man still did not turn to face them.
"This is your last chance."
"No," he answered, still not turning to face them. "It's yours."
The guard finally lost his patience, raised his sword, and stepped towards the tall man.
When En Sabah Nur turned to face his would-be attacker, everyone watching the exchange gasped in shock. The tall, bald man's eyes were glowing with deadly red energy. He raised one hand, unleashing a blast of energy, and the guard and his sword fell in opposite directions, both of them equally inanimate by the time they landed.
"By the gods," one the other guards whispered.
"The gods?" En Sabah Nur repeated with a sneer. "The gods are not nearly as strong as I. I am the Eternal One. All of you now face a choice. Serve me as your rightful god, or die. Your lives have no great consequence one way or the other."
"What is this power?" one of the guards, already kneeling in submission, asked.
"To destroy the weak and make room for the strong."
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X-Men 5: Beyond Good and Evil
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I looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow. He was given a crown, and he rode forth victorious to further his victories.
-Revelation 6:2
Storm stood at the front of the class lecturing. "The historical record is unclear as to the exact circumstances that led to the unification of Egypt, but we know it happened approximately five thousand years ago. Perhaps it was a peaceful, political process. Perhaps it was a war of conquest."
"What about the Scorpion King?"
Storm smiled thinly. "You're such a fine student in every other subject, Kitty… I'd be awfully disappointed to think that you get your history from Hollywood."
"It's not just a movie," Kitty pressed. "I read it in the textbook."
"Yes. There is some evidence that one of the early kings of Egypt used the Scorpion as his symbol, but there is widespread debate about the identity and contributions of that king… and I hope I've trained all of you well enough in the historical method to question the idea that any single man could be responsible for the unification of Egypt."
"Well, we don't have much reliable evidence from that period of history," Jean-Paul pointed out. "So all we really have to talk about is legends, stories… right?"
"I see we have much work to do," Storm observed ruefully.
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The mutant students tended to travel in packs through the Mansion, but within that larger pack certain groups could be distinguished. And no one was particularly jealous when two of their fellow students met up with three members of the X-Men team on their way to lunch.
Kitty, Rogue, and Bobby quickly launched into companionable banter as they merged into the crowd. Jean-Paul paused just outside the classroom door to allow his boyfriend Peter to plant a kiss on his cheek before following in their wake.
It might have been a normal, if slightly small and exclusive, boarding school. But it wasn't. It was the Xavier Institute, affectionately known as "Mutant High" by many of its students. It was a haven and a training facility for those who were hated and feared by the very world many of them would grow up to defend.
In light of that, many of them were very confused as to why Ancient Egyptian History should interest them.
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Kurt did not think he was claustrophobic, but he had spent so much of his time over the past few weeks in various medical devices – MRIs, CATs, and some he didn't even know the name for – that he was beginning to fear he was developing the condition.
"Were the effects of the transformation instantaneous?" Hank asked – one of the few questions he had not thought to ask yet.
Unfortunately, the answer Kurt gave was not substantially different than the answer he had given most of Hank's questions. "I don't know." If he still had his tail, it would be wagging it more quickly than usual to reflect his apprehension. "Vhen the beam hit me, I vas fully mutant. Vhen I voke up, I vas fully human. But I have no idea how long I was asleep."
"Hmm," Hank answered, trying to sound thoughtful, but clearly forcing himself not to sound disappointed. "The scan is complete. You don't have to hold still any longer."
Kurt sighed with relief as the table he was lying on slid out, and he was able to stand.
"Vhat did the tests show?" Kurt asked.
"The same thing all the other tests have shown… you're 'normal.'" Hank smiled apologetically at the word.
"Normal," Kurt repeated the word.
"Gene therapy is very risky," Hank noted, not for the first time. "It might be possible to restore you to your previous state… but I won't know until I've had time to conduct further research."
"No more tests today?"
"I think I've gotten everything I can from you for now, Kurt. The rest is all laboratory work. In the meantime… well, I'm sure you'll find a way to occupy yourself."
"I don't know…" Kurt mused uncertainly, but his expression suddenly brightened. "Perhaps I can go to Mass tomorrow."
"Your appearance will certainly draw less attention than it might have in the past," Hank noted.
Kurt grew very thoughtful, considering for the first time the many possible implications of the word "normal."
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Alex Summers was not a happy man.
He had left Genosha on nothing remotely resembling his own terms. Miss Frost was gone, having betrayed Magneto and mutantkind to join Scott and the other weakling X-Men.
Alex had really not minded serving Magneto, but he couldn't stand those arrogant bastards Quicksilver and Pyro, and without Miss Frost as his ally, he could see that Magneto's more senior subordinates would bully him with impunity. Alex was not interested in being anyone's plaything.
So he found himself on the road, in a stolen car. He wasn't really afraid of getting caught… if the police tried to arrest him, they'd be in for a nasty surprise.
But he had no direction, no destination.
And then he saw the angel.
"What the…"
The winged figure landed in front of him, causing him to stop the car. Alex quickly recognized him. He stepped out of the car, and slammed the door. "What do you want, Warren?"
"You know that name no longer means anything to me, Alex Summers."
"Archangel, then," Alex conceded with a shrug.
"I am the Horseman of War," Archangel introduced himself calmly. "The Herald of Lord Apocalypse. My Lord knows that you do not enjoy traveling without direction. He knows what you really want, and he can help you get it."
Alex felt a chill going up his spine. "That guy you're working for? That Magneto's working for? Miss Frost seemed to think he was bad news."
"Emma Frost is weak," Archangel answered harshly. "She abandoned you and your kind for the safety of the X-Men. She will find that safety short-lived."
"You're going after the X-Men?" Alex asked eagerly.
"The X-Men are standing in the way of evolution," Archangel answered cryptically. "Their efforts to impose order and peace are thwarting chaos and bloody competition, the true friends of evolution. The agents of order must be destroyed for progress to continue. And here we have a common interest."
"Scott," Alex whispered bitterly.
"Lord Apocalypse will augment your powers, give you the ability to defeat your brother. In return, you need only serve him… a reward in itself, as it will give you the direction and purpose you truly seek."
"I don't know…" Alex answered reluctantly. "I don't know if I want to actually kill him."
"His fate is irrelevant," Archangel answered harshly. "Lord Apocalypse is willing to leave that in your hands. You need only defeat him. Whether you kill or humiliate and subjugate shall be your own prerogative."
Alex smiled wickedly. "I guess you've made me an offer I can't really refuse."
"Excellent! Come with me to my Master's citadel. You shall become the Horseman of Conquest. Your powers shall be to win many victories for Lord Apocalypse, and to bring all under his eternal scepter."