Disclaimer: I dont own X-men
The March to Second Coming
Chapter 5: Heroes of the Arena
His name is Jack Robinson; he is a hunter, a warrior and a hero in his own right. As Slayer, Jack houses the spiritual entity Yoshinto. He is the collective knowledge, strength and souls of great warriors whom have represented the ideals of honour and heroism beyond others. Slayer's abilities derive not just from his connection to Yoshinto, but from his mutant abilities. As one of the few mutants left after M-Day, Slayer is now an even rarer breed of energy manipulators. He absorbs and controls magical energy, that specific type of energy is what makes him so powerful. Combined with that he possesses strength and agility enhanced by years of training, swordsmanship skills not seen since the samurai. But perhaps his most powerful tool is his eye, the eye of Yoshinto, an eye that sees all truth, be it the deceptions of evil, or the illusions formed by those that abuse magic.
Now however Slayer stands in a place he has only heard of. Mojoworld, a place ruled by the titular ruler Mojo. Jack feels disgust as he looks at the creature for the first time. He also chides himself for falling for Spiral's trick. His eye warned him of danger, but just because the eye gives him messages, doesn't mean that Slayer always understands them. Cursing his situation, Slayer could only raise his sword as he prepared to fight his way out. The eye symbol on his forehead glowed and Slayer saw the truth of this place.
Slayer saw an energy field over his head, not the kind of energy he could absorb unfortunately. The people cheering for the imminent fight weren't under any mind control. His eye flashed for a moment before Slayer was slapped back to his current situation. He rubbed his head, wondering what could have thrown him out of his eye state. Slayer shuffled his feet as the gates before him opened. Whatever was coming through the doors to face him, Slayer swore he would be ready. He widened his eyes slightly as he looked at his opponent, being guided in by guards.
The mask and the equipment on his belt was a dead giveaway, but above all that was his aura. Slayer knew whom he was facing as soon as he laid eyes on him. Soldier, the masked warrior who helped him face the Phoenix alongside the X-men. His costume had changed, but Slayer knew that it was the man, not someone merely using his mask. Soldier walked across the arena, never touching his weapons. When the two warriors met, they merely nodded to one another. The crowds began to boo and jeer at them, demanding that they fight.
"Been here long?" Slayer asked as he looked at his surroundings.
"Not too long, from what I've gathered this is a death arena, we have to kill each other to gain points for a grand prize. But not even the people that have been here for weeks know what that prize is," Soldier explained.
"I don't play games for psychopaths, have any of the people you've talked to told you about a way out?"
"No," Soldier said as he turned to a gate.
The gate slowly began to open, revealing the five first X-men. They were teenagers, astonished by the crowds cheering them on. Narrowing his eyes at the X-men, Soldier identified the costumes as the ones they wore when they first started their super hero operations. They were definitely inexperienced, as the supposed leader Cyclops immediately pushed the button on his visor.
"WHAT THE HELL! STOP!" Slayer yelled.
But his warning came too late as Cyclops fired the first shot. Slayer grit his teeth together as the beam hit him in the shoulder. Angel took flight, diving towards Soldier, while Marvel Girl fired telekinetic blasts at Slayer. With a blue aura glowing around him, Slayer spread the magical energy to his feet, propelling himself off the ground. He shoulder-barged Angel, knocking him into Iceman. Soldier raised his arm, using the armour on his glove to deflect Cyclops's energy blast into Marvel Girl. Beast rolled forward and jumped towards Soldier, kicking him across the head.
"Listen you idiots, we're not your enemies," Slayer said.
Iceman ignored Slayer, firing an ice blast towards the warrior. Slayer's angry expression froze as he was covered in ice. Bobby Drake grinned as he blew on his knuckles. Suddenly, the ice began cracking as energy built up inside the diamond prison. Slayer yelled, shattering the ice with a shockwave that threw Iceman back. Shards of ice flew across the arena, obscuring Cyclops's vision. He froze as he felt the barrel of a gun press against the back of his head.
"Please stop fighting us," Soldier said, his voice calm and collected. "You're shooting at the wrong people!"
"How do I know that?" Cyclops asked.
"Because we wouldn't be having this conversation," Soldier put his pistol back in its holster and looked to Slayer.
Jack sighed as he shrugged his shoulders, helping Angel up off the ground.
"The wonders of youth, I remember when I was young enough to make mistakes," Slayer said.
"What's the last thing all of you remember before coming here?" Soldier asked.
"I was on a date with my girlfriend, when all of a sudden this crazy chick with six arms shows up and teleports me here with the rest of my teammates," Jean explained.
"Now when you say "girlfriend", do you mean…"
"Yes she does," The four males of the team spoke together.
"Alternate realities equals infinite possibilities, Jean Grey isn't in love with Scott Summers and vice versa in every world," Soldier's calm voice gave away the deadpan expression underneath his mask.
"I'm not judging, I'm from San Francisco after all," Slayer shrugged his shoulders.
"Lets get focused on the matter at hand," Soldier said as he turned away from the group.
"Who put you in charge?" Scott asked.
"Look kid, its pretty clear your inexperienced, right now Soldier here is the only person present with any actual leadership skills. I know you've got potential Summers, but out of all of us, Soldier's the one that understands the situation the most. I'm with you Soldier," Slayer explained, walking to Soldier's side.
Soldier lowered his head slightly, as if thinking on whether or not to lead the ragtag group. The young X-men didn't notice it, but Slayer picked up on it even without his eye. He understood that Soldier had baggage just like him. Whoever he was before putting on the mask, Soldier must have led people into battle at least once.
"Ladies and gentleman, I present you with the next bout for today, the Mysterious Slayer and Soldier fight alongside the First Class of X-men from Earth 497. Their opponents will be seven of your favourites from the top sixteen, presenting the appropriately named "Deadly Ultimates!" Mojo's grinning face appeared on the screen as he presented the next fighters.
Slayer and Soldier both turned to the gate opening before them. Electricity gushed out of the chamber as the crowd banged their feet against the floor. The banging shook the arena like a chorus of drums as the opponents walked out.
At the front was a version of Captain America. He wore a green version of his costume, which resembled a military suit more than a super hero costume. His shield was grey with black circles on it and a silver American star. The cowl also functioned as a helmet, with a strap visible on his chin. Soldier noticed an assortment of guns and knives on the Captain's equipment belt, as well as blades attached to his gloves.
The electricity came from a version of Thor. A collection of tattoos covered his thick bare arms. The symbols were based on Fenrir, a dark and twisted version of the Bifrost Bridge and a representation of Hela's dimension. Slayer shook his head in dismay as he saw a tattoo of the Enchantress on this Thor's shoulder. He wore a black chest plate with the Asgardian circles on it. Bandages covered his wrists and his hair was dirty and unkempt. A multitude of piercings also decorated his face. Finally his hammer was bigger than any version of Mjolnir the heroes had ever seen. It more resembled an axe than a hammer.
Angel shivered as the only female of the group looked at him with a predatory smile. She swayed her hips as she walked with her teammates. This version of the Wasp wore a black suit, with a red corset design around her chest. Her black nails were exposed, electricity sparking around them. Her focus seemed to be on Angel as she licked her black-coated lips. A black helmet protected her head, but her face was exposed.
The Hulk of the group looked very familiar to Soldier. He was dressed in the Gladiator costume that Hulk wore when he returned to Earth. This Hulk seemed to be calmer than others though, looking almost out of place amongst the more ferocious members of his "team".
It was clear that these Avengers, or Ultimates as Mojo called them were not all native to one another's universes. The Black suited Spider-man was short and slim enough to be Peter Parker. He was clearly wearing a Symbiote, his eyes narrowed into a furious frown unfitting the friendly neighbourhood Spider-man.
The Iron Man of their team was also a twisted version of the man Soldier knew on his Earth. His gold and red armour had several cracks on it, weapons exposed on it back and shoulders. The armour seemed more like a sinister fusion of the Iron Man and War Machine armours.
The final member of the opposing team was clearly a version of Hawkeye. He wore a brown and yellow costume with a mask that exposed his face and mouth. His weapon of choice was of course a bow, but it looked primitive to Soldier. He didn't underestimate the man though, seeing an Asgardian symbol attached to the handle of the bow. Another symbol Soldier noticed was a Hydra emblem on Hawkeye's mask, but the usual Hydra symbol also seemed to sport an Avengers "A" along with it.
"NOW LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! LET THE KILLING COMMENCE!"
Soldier and Slayer wasted no words, because it was clear these people wouldn't be stopped. Slayer formed his mystical energy into a shield as the "Avengers" sprung their attack. Jean added to the barrier with her telekinesis. Thor fired a lightning bolt, Iron Man launched volleys of missiles, while Wasp fired her stingers, without growing. Slayer endured the attack, but Jean's face paled as she felt the full force of the attack. Her vision blurred as she stumbled backwards. Soldier drew his pistols, Intercepting Hawkeye's arrows. He shot two apart, one narrowly touching Jean as she struggled to regain her bearings. Insect wings slid out of Wasps back as she flew at Angel.
"WORTHINGTON DON'T LET HER HIT YOU WITH HER STINGERS!" Soldier yelled.
Angel wasted no time in arguing as he dodged Wasp's stinger blasts. He was well aware of the power of the Wasp stingers. On his Earth, Janet Van Dyne was a successful hero and model, but this other version of her seemed to be a twisted opposite. While he still couldn't help but find her attractive, he knew that she was a deadly psychopath. Slayer raised his sword as the Hulk stampeded towards him. Blocking Hulk's sword strike, Slayer widened his eyes as he was lifted off the floor. He then remembered Hulk's monstrous strength. Flipping in midair, Slayer landed on his feet and fired an energy bolt at Thor, knocking him away from Iceman.
"How dare you stand against a god…OF ROCK!" Thor yelled.
He fired an electric bolt from his hammer, hitting Slayer in the chest.
"OOOOH! Now that's gonna wake you up in the morning Slayer, just to remind our viewers that on his Earth, Thor is both the god of thunder and a punk rock star, his band includes Dazzler, Pixie and a Black Spider-man, no not a black suited guy but an actual black guy, don't ask people I didn't write the script!" Mojo commentated.
"This guys really getting on my nerves," Slayer growled.
"You and me both, I mean a black Spider-man, I'm all for diversity but something's are still sacred," Spider-man said.
The Black suited Spider-man shot a tentacle out of his wrist, grabbing Marvel Girl's arm. He tugged on the line, pulling the girl to his hand. Gripping Marvel Girl's neck, Spider-man pulled his fist back, spikes protruding from his knuckles. Beast jumped at Spider-man, kicking him across the head. Spikes suddenly flew into Beast, stabbing his shoulder. Captain America moved towards Marvel Girl and Beast, firing the spike launchers on his glove. Iceman quickly formed a wall, blocking Cap's bullets.
"We need to strike back, staying on the defensive just leaves us as sitting ducks," Cyclops said.
He fired his optic blast, hitting Iron Man in the chest and knocking him out of the sky. Angel dived to the ground, barely dodging Wasp's electric blasts. Thor slammed his hammer into Slayer's sword, electricity and energy flowing from their weapons. Slayer slashed Thor across the chest, cutting off part of his armour. Soldier activated his energy shield as Cap ran towards him. Both men slammed their shields together, knocking one another back. Cap slid a blade out of his wrist and thrust it towards Soldier. The masked man tilted his head back, narrowly missing Cap's strike.
"Two men facing off in a no holds barred shield fight, Soldier a masked man unwilling to compromise his beliefs and Captain America, a former Avenger that killed the president and declared himself leader of all America, who will win? Wait and find out," Mojo laughed as Cap punched Soldier across the head.
Hulk swung his sword at Marvel Girl. Jean rolled out of its path, jumping to her feet and pushing Hulk back with a telekinetic shove. Iceman fired an ice blast at Iron Man, freezing his systems as Cyclops fired multiple blasts at Spider-man. Spider-man easily dodged the blasts, kicking both Iceman and Cyclops in the chest. The force of his kicks threw the two teenagers back, sending them sliding across the floor. Angel yelled in pain as one of Wasps stinger blasts hit his left wing. He fell to the floor, smoke rising from the damaged limb. Slayer deflected Thor's hammer strike and turned invisible. Thor looked around in confusion, trying to locate the warrior.
"This is gonna be so good," Wasp giggled as she dived towards Angel.
"I don't think so," Slayer said, appearing in front of Angel.
He swung his sword at Wasp, who shrunk to insect size. Slayer still tracked her movements with his eye, slashing off Wasp's wings. She fell to the floor, banging her fists in a tantrum. Jack turned to check on Angel, only for a lightning bolt to fly into his chest.
"Foolish warrior, I'm a god, nothing can beat me," Thor laughed.
The Thunder god threw his hammer, hitting Slayer in the chest. Jack coughed out a clot of blood as the force of the hammer strike threw him cross the floor. He bounced to a halt at Marvel Girl's side. Wasp grew to her full size and turned to Thor. He raised his hammer, ready to finish Angel off.
"Wait Thor," Janet said.
Thor looked at the woman in confusion as she walked towards him. She then kicked Angel onto his back, looking at the semiconscious boy with a blank expression on her face. Soldier slammed his fist into Cap's shield, both men glaring at one another before slamming their heads together. They stepped back and Cap grinned as Soldier looked towards the Wasp.
"X-men, help, Warren!" Beast spoke like his namesake as he jumped towards Thor.
"Down, Boy!" Iron Man said before blasting the side of Beast's chest.
Wasp straddled Angel's hips, smiling as he regained consciousness. She bought her face closer to his, staring at his terrified expression. He tried to raise his arms, only for Wasp the firmly grip the sides of his head. Soldier drew his pistol, aiming it at the Wasp. But Cap quickly grabbed Soldier's arm and slammed his shield into his shoulder. Soldier yelled as he felt his arm dislocate. Quickly changing his shield to buzz saw mode, Soldier swung his arm round and forced Cap to jump back.
The X-men widened their eyes as Wasp locked her lips with Warren. Cyclops turned his eyes away as electricity covered Angel's body. He screamed inside Wasp's mouth as she fired the inside of his skull.
"WARREN!" Jean screamed.
"NO!" Slayer yelled.
Wasp stepped off of Angel's body, wiping the floor off her lips as she moaned. The cheers of the crowd grew ecstatic and Slayer realised, this really was a match where the loser had to die. Guards marched out of the gates as the "Ultimates" made their way out of the arena. Slayer sheathed his sword, looking at the X-men sympathetically as they gathered around Angel. Jean screamed, holding Warren's body tightly.
'They really have just started out,' Slayer thought.
He looked to the pedestal Mojo stood on, his eyes flaring in anger.
"You want to play games Mojo, well game on!" Slayer growled.
A bitter silence accompanied the group as they were led to their prison cells. Slayer understood that if they were going to escape, it was better to do it when morale was high. When they reached their cells, Jean finally fell to her knees. It had taken the guards ten minutes to pry her away from Angel's body. Slayer went up to Soldier and pulled on the masked man's arm. Soldier bit his teeth together, doing his best not to scream as Slayer popped his arm back into place. Iceman flinched as he heard the bone click. Soldier kept his arm still, knowing that he couldn't move it around too much.
"Nothing can keep you down huh?" Slayer asked.
"I've broken arms before, its nothing in comparison to what they're feeling!" Soldier said.
"So you people have learnt the intensity of your situation!"
The group looked into the shadows as numerous alternate reality X-men made their presence known. An alternate version of Magneto had been the one that spoke. He was a much younger version of the one that the young X-men were familiar with. In his mid thirties, this Magneto had short brown hair and wore the familiar helmet. He also wore a red uniform type shirt with gloves and a cloak.
"Eric Lensher, they haven't designated the Earth I came from, out of everyone here, I'm the one that's been here the longest," Magneto explained.
A bare-chested, bald version of Elixir walked over out the crowd. He put his hand to Soldier's shoulder, covering it in gold light.
"There, your arm should be as good as new," Josh said.
Soldier flexed his healed arm as he walked past the X-men. He looked at his cellmates, various versions of the X-men. Soldier identified a Wolverine wearing the Alpha Flight Uniform, at least two versions of Storm and many others. Slayer spotted another version of Cyclops; he was dressed in a Black Hellfire Club uniform and lacked the ruby quartz visor. Something about this Cyclops made Slayer feel uneasy, he could see that the man was no stranger to death, unlike the younger version of him.
"How long have you been here?" Soldier asked Eric.
"A month, one minute I was leading a march across America, the next I'm fighting for my life against an older version of myself, he was good but like I said he was older!" Eric smirked slightly.
"What exactly is Mojo after?" Slayer asked.
"I could answer that question," A version of Jubilee said.
She explained that she came from an Earth where Charles Xavier had recently been wounded during a UN summit meeting. Lilandra took him into space to heal him and the X-men were left under the leadership of a reformed Magneto. Jubilee herself was a young girl aged sixteen. She wore a pink tank top, blue boots with shorts and her familiar yellow coat. Her black hair was straightened out past her shoulders and she generally seemed to be a good natured, though Naïve teenage girl. She explained to those present who Mojo was, an insane man capable of travelling to different dimensions and taking those dimensions heroes.
"I'm already aware of Mojo and his actions, but he's never pulled something this big before, he might have an ulterior motive," Colossus said.
This Colossus was dressed in his third costume with the addition of, but he also seemed to be stuck in his metallic form. Beside him stood Rogue, dressed in a feminine version of Colossus's uniform. Judging from the way she looked at him, Soldier assumed that they were teammates and perhaps lovers.
"If Mojo does have graver intentions for us then alls we can do is wait for an opportunity to make an escape, we rest up, learn what we can and plan as much as possible," Soldier explained.
"Who put you in charge?" The Hellfire Club Cyclops asked.
"Military experience, a sharp tactical mind and a willingness to get his own hands dirty, plus I trust him more than I trust you," Slayer said, narrowing his eyes at Summers.
"Jack Robinson right, I recognise you, on my world you were one of many idiotic heroes that tried to stop the Hellfire Clubs rise to power. I had my wife wipe your mind completely, turning you into nothing more than a sex slave alongside the fools that followed Selene!" Scott smirked as Slayer gripped the handle of his sword.
"Jack Robinson? No it can't be!"
Slayer froze, recognising the gentle voice behind the other alternate heroes. His mouth trembled as a blonde haired girl walked past Summers. She was…cleaner than Jack remembered, and older too, but in a good way. Her blonde hair was longer, her body stronger and above all she wore armour near identical to his. He widened his eyes as he saw the symbol of an eye glow on her forehead. She put a hand to her mouth, stepping back slightly.
"Jack, it really is you," The woman said.
"Layla," Slayer whispered.
He stepped forward, only for Layla to hug her arms and step away from him.
"I want to speak with you Jack but…not now," She said.
"If any of you have something to get off your chest, now is the time to do it, because these favourites of Mojo's, they'll try to kill us and we need to endure for as long as we can. But there's still the risk of anyone in this room dying, if your going to fight you need to do it without distractions or regrets," Soldier explained.
The masked man walked over to Slayer, grabbing his shoulder.
"You once told me to put my soul at peace, you cant give advice without following it Slayer, so talk to her and find your peace!"
"I really need a drink," Jack muttered.
"Funny you should say that," Wolverine grinned.
"Yes come, let us show you to your living quarters," One of the Storm's said.
She was in her late twenties and wore a version of the 616 Storm's wedding gown. The younger X-men followed her, while Slayer and Soldier walked with Wolverine. He led them deeper into the prison facility, grinning as they looked at their surroundings in confusion. The room they were in had suddenly changed into a bar, with a brown haired bartender.
"Get us a round Hugh," Wolverine said
"No problem," The Australian man nodded his head as he began filling glasses of whiskey.
Slayer and Wolverine both took seats while Soldier re-examined his surroundings. He put a hand to his head, thinking of something most people wanted in pubs. A pool table suddenly appeared beside the bar, causing Slayer to whistle.
"The rooms in the prison react to our thoughts, but there's obviously going to be limits to what we can create," Soldier said.
"I suppose they're trying to convince us to like it here," Slayer shrugged as he downed his whiskey shot.
"Me, I'd rather get back to my team, Alpha Flight must be falling apart without me," Wolverine grinned, lifting off his cowl.
Slayer spat his whiskey out as he looked at this Wolverine. He tried not to laugh at this Wolverine's lack of any hair.
"So you and Layla huh? I could always tell she had a special someone in her heart," Hugh said.
Slayer lowered his head slightly before asking for a refill. For the first time in his life he didn't know what to do. Give him a spiritual and cosmic threat and he would be fine. But alternate realities were a whole different matter for the warrior.
'Do I even have the right to interfere with this Layla's life? To know what happened to make her an Avatar of Yoshinto?' He sighed before drinking another shot.
The younger First Class of X-men were taken to their rooms. While his teammates settled in and each mourned their own way, Cyclops stood on his own. The room he stood in reacted to his thoughts, forming the image of his worlds Xavier Institute. He turned and hesitantly smiled as Storm walked into the room.
"I remember this place, its where I first met my husband, I later left for Africa to untie the mutants there," The woman stated, walking up beside Scott.
"I hope I live long enough to find someone worth marrying," Scott sighed.
He sighed as he rubbed the fabric of his cowl. The teenager couldn't shake off the urge he had to cry. But he knew he had to be strong for the sake of his teammates. His attention was so focused on his emotions that he forgot about his surroundings. Catching the younger boy off guard, Storm cupped his cheeks.
"Forgive me," She whispered.
Scott Summers eyes widened underneath his visor as the taller woman pulled him into a gentle kiss. The kiss intensified as Storm pulled away Scott's cowl, gripping his locks of brown hair. He closed his eyes; falling deeper into the passion this woman filled him with. Gripping her hips, Scott returned the kiss. They both stood in place, their lips locked in a peaceful embrace. Scott's cheeks went red as their lips finally separated. He wouldn't admit it to her, but this was his very first kiss.
"I am sorry, my husband was you, at least in my home reality," Storm said.
"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have returned that kiss!"
"Did you regret it?" Ororo asked.
"No of course not, you can do it again if you like…" Scott blushed again as he realised what he said.
Ororo laughed, holding her sides as Scott sheepishly chuckled. She kissed Scott's cheek, slowly walking away.
"Thank you, it felt good to kiss my husband again, I hope you survive Scott," Ororo said.
"Likewise Miss Storm!"
"Its Ororo," The white haired woman smiled.
"Ororo," Scott whispered her name as she walked away.
He brushed a finger across his lips, he forgot about the grief over his friend's death and thought about the white haired goddess that stole his first kiss.
The arena shook with cheers as they watched yet another battle. Various alternate reality heroes and villains lay on the floor. The seemingly final two survivors of this match engaged in a furious close range sword fight. One of them was shirtless and wore a pair of red trousers. Metal blades had slid out of his knuckles, his skin devoid of hair and his mouth was sown shut. His opponent was someone much more familiar. His blue furred form jumped and flipped around the arena, dodging optic blasts fired by the silent man. This version of Kurt Wagner bared a fresh scar over his left eye. He was dressed in a padded version of his first uniform. It looked more like battle armour than a circus costume. A shoulder guard was also strapped to his right shoulder, baring the X symbol of the X-men. Nightcrawler held two cutlass swords, both of which would slide neatly into the scabbards on his back.
"May the lord watch over these souls lost in battle, may he guide them on their journey to his kingdom, let him forgive them of their sins as his servants forgive them!" Kurt prayed as he fought, deflecting optic blasts and dodging sword strikes from the silent man.
He blocked another sword swipe and kicked his opponent across the head. The silent man then turned his head towards Nightcrawler, firing an optic blast into the hero's chest. Nightcrawler slid across the floor, stopping near the corpse of an alternate Kitty Pryde. He looked at the body for a moment before turning to the silent man in anger.
"Kurt!" A voice drew Kurt's attention away from his opponent.
A blonde haired girl, Illyana Rasputin slid her soul sword towards Kurt. Picking the weapon up with his tail, Kurt flipped the sword into his hand and ran towards the silent man. He deflected one optic blast, and then jumped to avoid another. Nightcrawler yelled as he swung his sword around, beheading the version of Deadpool. He got up off the floor and looked at the cheering crowds.
"ARE YOU NOT PLEASED YET!" He yelled. "IS IT REALLY SO ENTERTAINING TO WATCH MEN MURDER EACH OTHER LIKE THIS HUH!"
He threw the soul sword aside and knelt on the floor. Bringing his hands together, Nightcrawler began to pray for the dead, friend and enemy alike.
Another battle was taking place between a team of alternate dimension Avengers and X-men. However in a reality where one had to kill to escape it, it seemed even the most noble of souls had fallen under the spell of the arena. An Alternate version of Wolverine swung his claws at a version of Wither. Kevin Ford wore a blue and black costume, with a skull and cross bone design on his chest. Despite his ability to kill with one touch, he refused to remove his gloves. His opponent, an alternate version of Wolverine was dressed in some kind of battle armour, with a cybernetic hand that was also equipped with energy claws.
"Stop this Wolverine, your playing right into their hands," Wither said.
"I don't care, I just want to get back to my home reality, if that means shedding a little blood then it doesn't matter," Wolverine explained.
A pale white version of Mystique shot a version of Captain America in the head. She was dressed in a black uniform with yellow X's across it. Taking her pistols, Mystique shot the armoured Wolverine in the back. Wither rolled out of his way as Psylocke ran towards Wolverine. She was dressed in a dark blue version of the armour she wore when she first joined the X-men. Its colour wasn't the only thing different, for Betsy also protected her mouth with a steel guard. She created two Psionic daggers and stabbed them straight through the sides of Wolverine's head. He yelled in agony as his brain was fried from the inside.
"IT DIDN'T HAVE TO END THAT WAY!" Wither yelled.
"Wake up Ford, the only end in the arena is death, god I cant believe how much of a pussy you are, the one in my reality is a cold blooded killer!" Psylocke explained.
"My powers don't define me," Wither said.
"There was only one way to end this fight Kevin, Braddock did the right thing," Mystique put a comforting hand on Kevin's shoulder.
"It's Worthington, Elizabeth Braddock-Worthington, and unlike you idiots I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get back to my home reality and my husband!"
When the participants returned to their cells, Eric demanded that the older members of the "team" met for a briefing. Slayer sat with Soldier, his eyes occasionally joining with Layla's, who sat across from him. Other senior members of the arena team included Colossus with his teammate Rogue, Storm, Eric, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Psylocke and Mystique.
"First thing we should get out of the way is that teleporting out is impossible, explain it to them Kurt," Eric said.
"They have a device in place that disrupts teleportation abilities," Soldier interrupted Nightcrawler before he could speak.
"Wait a minute, why bring in teleporters when they cant use their abilities?" Slayer asked.
"Mojo said something insane about "popular characters getting more ratings,"" Nightcrawler said.
Slayer chuckled while Soldier shook his head in dismay.
"Has anyone tried to escape before?" Soldier asked.
"One version of the Hulk tried rampaging his way out, he was apparently teleported to a lifeless Earth that was decimated by nuclear war. Someone called King Hyperion tried to take over the arena, but he was lobotomised by another version of himself, who is more willing to play by Mojo's rules. A Captain America managed to rally a few heroes and villains for a riot, but Mojo's "stars" killed all of the rioters, I only survived by keeping my head down and praying," Mystique explained.
"So as you see the only option we've got is playing the game, such a shame isn't it?" Sarcasm dripped from Psylocke's mouth.
"There's always another way out, we just need to endure long enough to find it," Soldier said.
"He's right," Layla said.
The masked man stood up, looking at each person around the table. He motioned for them to follow him. When they reached the main hall of the prison, Soldier caught every one's attention by tapping his pistol against the wall.
"Everyone, I promise you that I'll figure out a way to get you all home, just stay alive and don't compromise, if we play Mojo's game then he's won and we'll never get home, he'll keep us here forever because we please the crowds. Getting home is on my list of priorities for you, but another is finding out what Mojo has planned, this is not just another one of his games; he has something planned for all of us," The Masked man explained.
The younger members of the arena team listened to every word he spoke. Adults and senior members however remained sceptical.
"We stay alive, in here," Soldier tapped his head, then moved his hand to his chest, "And in here, then we win, not Mojo!"
The Hellfire Club version of Cyclops clapped his hands together, clearly mocking Soldier's speech. His actions lowered the self-esteem of members such as Bobby and Jubilee. Slayer widened his eyes in shock as he looked at his hands. He and several others were slowly fading. His eyes locked with Layla's before he disappeared. Jack reappeared at the gates of the arena, with Colossus, Storm, Beast and Jubilee.
"We fight," Beast growled.
"Was that a question or a statement?" Jubilee asked.
Colossus shrugged his shoulders while Slayer drew his sword. When the gates opened, air threw Storm and Jack's hair back. The crowds were cheering again, begging for bloodshed this time. Slayer led the participants towards the centre of the ring. He narrowed his eyes at the gates on the opposing side. Once they were fully opened, Jack stepped back in shock. He could see several alternate versions of his comrades, but the ones he focused on where the two at the front. One was a version of Selene, wearing a black costume nearly identical to the one Emma Frost wore when she joined the X-men. Her arms were wrapped firmly around the shoulders of her lover. This lover, a blonde haired man in black armour carried a black sword on his shoulder. The Ebony blade was trapped to his hip, while several skulls hung off his belt. But what struck Jack the most, was this warrior's face, so similar yet so different.
"My, my, my, who is that handsome devil at the front?" The Dark Warrior grinned.
"That's impossible," Jack whispered.
"Jack!"
"Yoshinto?"
"He is you, and he is bonded to the warrior spirits, but unlike you the fusion of these souls has been corrupted, he sports the souls of warriors without honour or mercy, men made famous by the blood they have spilled!"
Even though his master had said so himself, Jack still couldn't believe what he saw. An alternate version of himself with no concept of honour or compassion. The possibilities of the Multiverse really were Infinite.
Next Chapter 6: Dark Origins
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time the origins of some of these alternate characters are told as Slayer faces off against...well Slayer :)
Some of these alternate versions came from the top of my head, others were inspired by alternate realities in the comics, like this Jubilee is one from the famous Animated Series in the nineties, the Black suited Spider-man is from the black suit ending in Web of Shadows, this Mystique is based on a version seen in Weapon X: Days of Future now and the Hellfire Club version of Cyclops was partly based on a fic I read by slickboy444 titled New Blood, though I'm throwing in my own imagination with this version of the character.
If your interested in reading more about slickboy444's character Slayer then check out his page, his origin specifically is told in Hellfire and Brimstone, a story found on the page of Agent-G, another good fanfiction writer I'd recommend
I might introduce more versions of characters, I'll do one more chapter of events taking place in Mojo World then I'll go back to the main universe to show whats happening with the X-men over there.