A/N : My Mutant superpower is super-long author's notes. And thus;
1. This is the penultimate chapter.
2. Yes, I know the defeat of Apocalypse is lame. It's pretty lame in the film too.
3. This one is bloody and gory and violent, but if you're old enough to see the movie you've seen worse.
4. Thank you, all readers and reviewers, you are as always inspiring and wonderful.
5. I'm after new prompts and story ideas now, and will write almost anything. Fluff, gore, romance, humour, you ask and I try to deliver.
and finally...
6. I could be really *really* mean and not post the final chapter until tomorrow...
Hank had run out of medication, reverting to the huge, hairy blue form that resembled a mutated gorilla before they had landed. Erik was glad, they would need the full strength of his Beast form in the battle that was to come. Alex had snapped off the radio after the earthquakes had begun, huddled in the corner of the cockpit until Erik had gone over to him, raised his chin with his hand. His eyes were wet and red.
"I've got a little brother down there," he'd said, "And parents. Well... foster parents, but they're our Mom and Dad. They're all down there"
Erik nodded. Understood, but said nothing for a long while until he had reached out and squeezed the boy's shoulder hard.
"Family is the best reason to fight" he told him. "Don't cry for them. Fight for them and don't give up. Do you understand me?"
Alex nodded. Knew that Erik was speaking to himself as much as to the frightened boy in front of him. Pulled himself together as best he could. By the time they stepped out of the Blackbird into the swirling sandstorm, he was as ready as he was ever going to be.
"Search the building, find Charles and Raven" Erik told them, pointing out the half-ruined edifice they could barely see through the stinging sand. Hank bounded off immediately, Alex hanging behind a little
"What will you be doing?" he asked
"I'm going to find Apocalypse," he said, "and I'm going to kill him."
Inside the place was in half-darkness, the storm-clouds gathering outside lending it an unearthly air. Hank could feel his fur standing on end with static electricity, sniffing the air carefully. He could pick up the faintest trace of Charles's scent, followed it until he had rounded a corner and seen in a shadow a reflection off Raven's iridescent skin. Charles was with her, he saw, her body protectively curled around him. She set eyes on him and immediately yelled out
"Hank, don't!"
But it was too late, he had advanced straight into Psylocke's ambush, jumping down from the rafters. He smelled the burning fur as her energy blade almost severed his arm. Baring his teeth and charging the woman with all his strength, she deflected his attack with a stinging whip of purple energy that flung him into the darkness. He looked up, locked eyes with Raven,
"Get him out" he growled. Then Psylocke was on him again, raining down a hail of strikes that he barely blocked. The smell of burning hair and blood filled his nostrils.
Outside, Alex gazed around for an entrance to the maze-like ruins, thinking he had found one when a flash of silver heralded a slice across his back that made him scream with pain and surprise. In a heartbeat, Archangel had carried him up to the rooftop, standing over him. He spread his wings wide, lightning reflecting off them and thunder rolling as the storm reached its full fruition and rain began to batter them. The ground began to quake. Alex dived for the other boy, barrelling into him with a rolling force that send them both dangerously close to the edge of the rooftop.
Apocalypse was nowhere to be seen. Beneath his feet, Erik felt the ground tremble, sending him off balance as he ran to where the tremors seemed most intense, seeing the silver-haired boy there. He was vibrating the ground with all his strength, tendons standing proud in his neck with the effort. He looked exhausted, but did not stop his assault on the earth. If he didn't stop soon, he would disrupt the movement of tectonic plates and cause a worldwide quake. He tried to come closer, thrown off his feet by the revolt of the ground, reached out with one hand and screamed above the rumbling earth
"Peter! Stop, please!" he screamed. The boy did not relent, "You don't want this! Think of your family!"
"They're probably dead already!" the boy yelled back. Erik thought he could see tears on his face, "Why stop now? There's nobody left!"
"You have family closer than you think, Peter! If you end this now, maybe you can save the rest!"
It was hopeless, the boy had bowed his head. Erik thought he looked like the effort he was making was going to kill him. Augmented powers or not, he simply couldn't keep this up for much longer. He was sickly pale in the thundery light, eyes squeezed tightly shut. Out of the corner of one eye, Erik spotted a glint of light from Apocalypse's armour, reluctantly crawling away from the boy toward the risen god. For the first time in what felt like eternity, he felt Charles' voice in his mind, and almost wept for happiness that he was alive.
Stop him! He was yelling inside his head, I'm inside his mind, I'll try to give you a chance.
Charles, he's too powerful! Erik thought back
Perhaps. In which case, goodbye old friend
He said no more. Erik regained his footing, and charged for the god to meet him in battle.
The rain hammered on Alex like needles, seemed to follow his every move and make his footing treacherous. Blinded with water, he swung out wildly. Archangel sidestepped his swing and he was falling, catching himself only by the tips of his fingers on the edge of the rooftop.
Psylocke's blade was at Hank's throat, his breathing heavy and ragged. He was losing blood, vision dimming. He snarled, ignored the searing burn as he grasped her blade with both hands, wrenched it away from his body, kicked with both powerful legs to reverse their positions and pin her to the ground at the mercy of her own weapon.
Alex reached, grabbed Archangel's ankle and they were falling together. He loosed his control over his plasma blasts and the angel screamed in agony, released his hold as the beam heated his metal wings to white heat in moments. Alex hit the ground hard, and passed out.
Erik picked up a fallen girder, wielded it clublike and swatted Apocalypse down. He was barely down for a moment before he was on his feet, roaring in rage and heading straight for Erik again. He got one more lucky swing with the girder in before the god was on him, hands on his head, ready to snap his neck like a new twig. Then the ground cracked beneath them.
Apocalypse was flying backwards, thrown by a punch with unbelievable acceleration behind it. Erik saw a flash of blue and the god was down again. Once more, as though he was tossed by a raging hurricane, and then the boy was reaching down into the crack in the earth, offering Erik his hand. He had barely clambered up when with a scream of shock the boy was pulled away, held above En-Sabur-Nur's head, fury ringing from his voice
"Traitor!" he screamed, "You will pay with your life!"
He smashed the boy against the ground, keeping hold of both arms in one huge hand, raised him again and brought him down like a rag doll. Did not raise him again, but brought one massive foot down on both of his legs. There was a sound like a double gunshot, and a howling screech of agony that Erik knew he would remember until his dying day. He stood, he raised his hands, he found the copper and iron in the god's body and he pulled.
And Apocalypse was no more. Faint particles of dust shimmered on the calming winds. He went to the boy. Somehow he was still conscious, though sobbing in pain.
They collected themselves. Hank limped, bleeding, but carrying an unconscious Xavier. Raven led a dazed Alex up the ramp, staggering under a head injury. Erik scooped his arms under his son's pathetically light form and carried him with them. He had remained conscious for a long while, though breathing in hitching gasps and writhing with the agony of two broken femurs. Hank popped his dislocated shoulders back into the sockets with ruthless efficiency. Refused to give him any morphine, claiming he didn't know how a speedster's body would react to the drug. Erik thought he was withholding that relief to punish the boy. Thought he had been punished enough. Gathered him in his arms and stroked his bloody hair.
"It's true isn't it?" the boy whimpered in his ear, "You're my Dad?"
Erik nodded, held him tight whilst Hank applied splints to his legs, didn't let him get away. When the doctor was done, he let Peter lay back. He was an awful shade of grey, gasping for breath, in unimaginable agony.
"I'm glad you came" he smiled at him through the pain.
Then his heart stopped.
A/N : So I'll just leave it there for now, yeah? You can all wait a few days for the conclusion, I'm sure...
