Xavier School for the Gifted
The heavily modified Blackbird landed in its secret hanger hidden beneath the basketball court and the engines began to wind down. It had been an ordeal to escape the old orphanage, narrowly avoiding being caught in the imminent collapse.
Save for finding the redheaded woman that now descended the boarding ramp, the mission had been a failure. Madeline Pryor looked around with the sense that she had been there before. Scott followed closely behind, a faint smile touching his face for the first time in a long while.
Everyone disembarked and slowly the group trudged to the War Room, taking seats around the large circular table. Professor X had been waiting only for a few minutes and he looked to Jean Grey's mirror image with a combination of happiness. and fear.
Xavier scanned the rest of the group and paused, falling across Gambit and Rogue. You were ordered to remain behind.
Rogue shifted in her seat and met the Professor's worried gaze. Ah'm fine. Finally Ah feel like Ah can be a part of the team, without worryin' 'bout bein' a liability.
Xavier nodded slowly. "Maybe so, but from now on you must set an example for the younger ones who might one day be our inheritors."
Both Gambit and Rogue nodded their compliance and the Professor turned back to the rest, to Scott and then to Madeline. "I can see that yet, while some things have gone unresolved, we find ourselves with a new mystery."
The woman ran a hand through her hair and looked up to the bald man. "Some of those mysteries I can help to solve." Xavier smiled.
"I know."
The Airport
The main terminal was alive with movement as hundreds of people went on their way, securing tickets, checking their luggage or even relaxing in the lounge.
Two men made their way through the crowds, the younger leading the other and carrying nothing more than an overnight bag. He was tall and thin, with dark hair and glasses and he turned to the man he escorted. "I can't be away from the museum for more than a few days at a time. "
The other man smiled beneath his graying mustache. "Do not worry. You shall only be in Egypt for a short while. As I said, it is long enough for me to recover my assets. then you can be rewarded for bringing me with you."
The younger man nodded and continued along to the counter, turning in the tickets he held. The darker-skinned woman at the desk smiled. "So what takes you to Cairo?"
His pride built up inside and the younger man smiled. "Well, we - my colleague and I - are Egyptologists. Have you ever seen the Valley of the Kings?"
The woman shook her head.
"Well you really should. They're quite marvelous!"
The man behind him shuffled. "Come now Doctor. We are pressed for time."
Xavier School for the Gifted
Most of the group had been excused from the debriefing, though Madeline and Cable had been asked to stay behind. Henry entered a few moments later and took a seat next to Charles, staring at the spitting image of the X-Men's former teammate. "My word, so it is true."
Madeline nodded uncomfortably.
Professor X motioned to his blue friend beside him, his eyes never breaking contact with Miss Pryor. "Henry here is our resident Medical Scientist and I asked him to join our discussion. If that is alright with you?"
The woman nodded. "As I was saying earlier, my father created me. He wanted me to be perfect."
Dr. McCoy leaned forward. "You are a clone? How fascinating. Who was your creator?"
Xavier put his hand out, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "A brilliant geneticist by the name of Nathaniel Essex. Though with the information we have managed to gather, it also appears he is - or was - Walter Prescott."
Beast turned back to Madeline. "How is it you are so self aware?"
She smiled. "After I was born, father insisted I learn. It wasn't hard to break his encryptions. I learned a lot about him and what he was doing. That's when I snuck away."
Professor X thought for a moment, his gaze drifting off. Suddenly a realization dawned on him and he motioned back to Madeline. "During the briefing, you said Nathaniel Essex discovered his mutation, back in the 1800's. His abilities don't include prolonged life."
"Well that's because he made a bargain with the devil, so to speak. He discovered another mutant, even older than himself and wanted access to the knowledge he could give him. In his journal, he said that he had found an Egyptian temple and brought a living god back to life."
Cable perked up and spoke, his voice faintly more than a whisper. "Apocalypse."
Madeline nodded before continuing. "Apocalypse used his technology to change Essex, even granting him immortality; so that one day he could help initiate the final fight for survival. The strong over the weak." Madeline paused. "Apocalypse was defeated once, by a man who said he had come from the future. Father's journal said this took place in 1925."
Cable shook his head. "If Apocalypse was beaten, how do you explain my world? How do you explain the fact that Apocalypse rules over a wasteland?"
Madeline stared back at Cable coldly. "According to the journals, Apocalypse was still alive. He was imprisoned without a body, but ten years after his defeat, Essex retrieved his essence and housed it in a new body. Apocalypse has just been recuperating for decades since."
Xavier smiled at the new information. "Now we know what we're up against, but it still doesn't explain why you were created."
Madeline nodded and took a breath. "Father - Essex - made me so that Apocalypse could be destroyed."
Cable grunted. "Yeah. Right."
"Even with all the power Apocalypse had given him. he was still rejected in the grand scheme. He knew Apocalypse would never let him live so he made me. What he didn't count on; was that I became more powerful than he thought. He couldn't control me."
Xavier sensed a growing feeling of need in the woman and he motioned to her. "Please. go get some rest. Nathan here will show you back upstairs."
Scott sat in his room and stared at the picture of him and Jean. Softly he stroked the frame and set it down.
There was a knock at his door.
Scott stood and straightened his ruby-quartz glasses, before making his way over to greet his visitor. He swung the door open slowly and smiled. "Uh. Madeline."
She smiled back. "Please. I feel like I've known you for ages. It's Maddie."
Scott shuffled and looked away, suddenly snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh please. uh. Maddie. come in."
The woman strode into the room and sat on the bed, looking over to the nightstand. She spotted the picture of him and Jean. "She. uh, I mean I - really do look like her."
Scott nodded.
Maddie patted the bed beside her and he took a seat, struggling to break eye contact. In a lot of ways she reminded him of her and he found himself staring deeply into her eyes. The woman leaned in and kissed him lightly, then pulled away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."
She stood to leave and Scott stood with her, gently taking her by the arm. "It's alright. don't go." Without warning he leaned in and returned the kiss she had given him. They both gained in their intensity and while still in an embrace, inched closer to Scott's bed.
-Well what can I say. I thought about writing more about Scott, but really I don't generally like him. If it weren't for the plot, he wouldn't be there at all. I always thought that Jean should've always gone for Wolvie, but well. Earlier X-Men comics were never perfect. though they had a charm the current comics can't fill. I don't know, maybe I'm rambling. but I loved it when Gambit loved Rogue, Scott loved Jean and Jean was torn between him and Logan. I just thought it would be nice to further merge the movieverse with the comicverse.
Anyhow, hope you all are still reading and still enjoying.
-Ryko