Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution

Chapter Twenty – Race Against Time

July 1997

"Our goal is two-fold," Professor Xavier told Magneto as they moved through the lower levels of the mansion, "we have to prevent Rogue from securing the final key and, in the likely event that we fail…"

"We find the door first and defend it." Magneto finished. "But for that, we need to assemble only our most experienced team members."

"I've had limited success determining Apocalypse's place of origin beyond ancient Egypt." Hank admitted as they joined him at the main computer.

"Search under his real name." Magneto suggested. "En-Sabah-Nur."

Out on a remote road, with only a few trees to serve as landmarks, Logan slashed through a door on one side of an abandoned car, while Sabretooth ripped off the opposite. Both stuck their heads in, sniffing around.

"Rogue." Logan concluded.

"Mesmero." Sabretooth growled.

"Neither of them was in the driver's seat." Logan pulled his head out. "But I'm not getting a scent."

"That's because you don't know what you're talking about." Sabretooth told him.

With a snarl, Logan leapt onto the roof of the car. "I'm not putting up with this shit anymore!"

Any move they could have made was blocked by Remy's bo-staff. "Here's a news bulletin." He snapped. "This ain't about you two pit-bulls! Now let's go find Rogue!"

Sabretooth scowled. "She must have taken a boat."

"Or a plane." Remy suggested, catching sight of an isolated cluster of buildings in the distance.

"En-Sabah-Nur." Magneto read from the screen. "Ruled about five thousand years ago. In Giza."

"Which would logically be where he's entombed." Hank agreed. "But the specific location of that tomb is unknown."

"I fear the only place that information lies is in the mind of Mesmero." Magneto frowned.

"I've been in that mind." Professor Xavier remembered. "Perhaps I've had the answer all along. With Cerebro amplifying my powers, I may just be able to interpret the jumbled knowledge I took from him."

Sabretooth, Remy and Logan burst into the control tower of the airport to find overturned chairs, spilled papers and unconscious watchmen.

"Yeah, they were here." Sabretooth concluded.

"Gee, what was your first clue?" Logan growled sarcastically. "You think maybe they stole the jet too?"

"Hey!" Remy called, forestalling an argument. "Is this them?" He pointed at a blip on the radar.

"Looks like it." Logan agreed. "They're passing over California, heading for the Pacific."

Remy looked out at a lone plane, waiting innocently on the runway. "Hope you boys brought your 'Frequent Flier' cards."

That evening, a strange group gathered at the feet of the Sphinx in Giza: Magneto, Professor Xavier, Beast, Storm, Iceman, Jean, Cyclops, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, Pyro, Quicksilver and Colossus.

"I believe the door is housed in an underground chamber." Professor Xavier told them. "Kitty?"

Hank helped her don an oxygen mask and switched on a torch. "We'll be in radio contact."

"I'll let you know what I find." Kitty phased down halfway. When she didn't feel air around her feet, she pulled herself out and dived in headfirst.

Absently, she noted that several geologists and archaeologists would kill for her powers. As she moved through the earth, she could see the layers of rock and fossil. Finally, she emerged into a chamber. Keeping herself intangible so she could float down safely, she landed at the feet of a gigantic statue.

"I'm in some kind of chamber." Kitty said into the radio. "Statues and everything. I'm on a stairway, I think."

"Kitty, do you see any kind of lever at the top of those stairs?" Hank asked.

"Hang on, I'll look." Kitty moved upwards; instead of a door, there was a painted wall. In the centre was what looked like a spider and, above it, was a stone circle. "I think I've found it; like a stone knob?"

"Push it in and get out of the way." Hank told her.

Kitty pushed; it was harder than it looked. Finally, it moved in and she ran down the stairs. Looking back, she saw that the wall had parted and a stone staircase was forming; she could see the moon through a pin-prick of light. Removing the mask, she sat down and waited.

Pietro was down in seconds. "Not exactly the Ritz, is it?"

Kitty shivered. "Gives me the creeps if I'm honest. Didn't they tell you to go slow?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't want to sit down here on my own." Pietro told her, taking a seat on the step next to her.

"Who are you and what have you done with Quicksilver?" Kitty asked immediately.

"What? I'm not allowed to be nice to you?" Pietro asked. "You and Lance keep going at this rate; you'll be family before you know it and I'll have to be nice to you."

Kitty blushed but Magneto and Professor Xavier floated in before she could retort and the others weren't far behind.

"Pyro, light the way." Magneto requested. "Then let's find that door."

Resigning himself to the fact that he'd have to work with Magneto again, at least for now, John powered up his flame-thrower and sent a ball of flames to each of the torches. "No problem."

A sudden roar echoed around the chamber; one by one, the statues of gods lining the walls came to life, some drawing weapons. At the same time, the bottom of the staircase closed off and the torches extinguished.

"Pyro!" Magneto prompted sharply.

The chamber was lit up again by John's flame-thrower and everyone gasped as one of the statues stepped forwards and the battle began.

Scott blasted it, but it made no difference and he was forced to dive out of the way as a column collapsed. As Colossus ran to help, the floor caved in, sending him plummeting, along with Kurt and Kitty.

Falling rocks separated the rest of the team and the floor began to descend, carrying Scott, Pietro and John down with it.

Hank attacked another of the statues, clinging to a column for safety, but it was brought down seconds later. He jumped clear, but it knocked Professor Xavier from his wheelchair. As the floor gave way, Magneto managed to save him and lift him clear.

As Bobby stumbled, the floor beneath him beginning to give way, Jean lifted him to safety, but they were attacked by another statue. Storm flew in and struck it with lightning, giving Jean and Bobby time to run, but it knocked her away, taking down another column

Jean threw up a telekinetic shield to stop any more flying rocks from hitting them, but the ground shook, throwing her off balance and the two fell down the stairs. Bobby groaned and got to his feet, but Jean lay lifeless beside him.

Magneto and Professor Xavier managed to get into another corridor; the door began to descend, but Hank skidded through just in time. It looked like the four teams were on their own.

Down with Pietro, Scott and John, the three boys were staring up at two huge statues.

"Nobody move." Scott told them quietly. "Nice and slow, let's find us a way out of here."

"You got it!" Pietro sped off.

"What part of slow didn't he understand?" Scott groaned.

"For Pietro, that was slow." John told him. "Looks like we've got a fight on our hands!"

Both blasted them, but it was to no avail; they were knocked backwards and forced to find a new strategy.

Another of Storm's lightning bolts hit the statue, knocking it back. Taking the opportunity, she shook the unconscious girl in her arms. "Jean! Wake up! Jean!"

Bobby iced the floor under the giant's foot and set it skidding across the chamber to hit the opposite wall. It got to his feet but he concentrated harder and put the whole thing on ice.

Ororo sent a ball of lightning up, revealing a door. Bobby approached it cautiously and the lion statue either side came to life, condensation dripping from them like drool.

Storm laid Jean down and flew up, conjuring lightning and striking them over and over again.

Kitty phased through a wall and was nearly met with a steel fist. "Whoa! Take it easy! I said let me check it out first."

"What did you find?" Colossus asked.

"Nothing." Kitty sighed. "Just more tunnels."

Kurt teleported in. "I found the headset, but it won't do us any good."

Kitty took it and tried to repair the wires. "I should have kept it on." She murmured, fear coursing through her.

"Then we must keep looking for the others." Colossus stated, stomping away.

Kitty pulled out her torch, which had mercifully survived the fall and she and Kurt jogged after him.

"Hello? Shadowcat, do you read?" Hank called into the head-set. "Anybody? We need to search for them."

"No." Magneto disagreed. "We must not lose sight of the objective."

"He's right, Hank." Professor Xavier added. "They've been trained to take care of themselves. I'll send out a telepathic message, telling them all where to find us."

Magneto observed the hieroglyphics on the walls. "How's your ancient Egyptian?"

"Rusty." Hank admitted. "But I do recognise some of these markings. Especially that one." He pointed.

"Apocalypse." Magneto whispered.

Hank frowned. "This speaks of an age when the pharaoh Rama Tut seemingly fell from the stars and brought with him some kind of …" He hesitated, examining the markings. "It doesn't really translate … technology, I think. Anyway, he used this as a source of power to take control of the land.

"During this time, a mutant grey-skinned infant was abandoned in the desert to perish. The child's cries were answered when he was found by a tribe of bandits, ruled by a warrior named Baul. He saw the power in the child and took him as his own. He named him En-Sabah-Nur, which means 'The First One'. Under Baul's protection and training, Nur became a powerful warrior; his speed and strength were without equal and no one could touch him. He was a natural.

"Rumours of En-Sabah-Nur's inhuman might had reached the pharaoh, Rama Tut, who saw Nur as a threat to his rule and ordered his destruction. In the end, Baul and his army were defeated. Only En-Sabah-Nur remained. Since nothing could withstand his wrath, En-Sabah-Nur took the name Apocalypse."

Elsewhere, Scott managed to blow an arm off one of the statues, with interesting results. "They're mechanical!"

"Either someone's been down here or these Egyptians were smarter than we give them credit for." John ducked one arm, but was hit by another, knocking him into the wall.

It was at this point that Pietro reappeared. "I've found a way out, so let's finish these guys!" He took off, speeding around the robot and creating a tornado-like vortex that threw it into the wall.

The impact made a few bricks loosen on the other side, where Storm was finishing the lions.

Bobby, carrying Jean, backed away, catching sight of their original attacker breaking free of the ice.

The two lions blew up and Storm fell from the sky, exhausted, just as the first robot escaped from its prison.

Moving so that Jean was behind him, Bobby sent a beam of ice at the robot, but it made no difference. His second attempt was even less effective; nothing happened. "I'm totally iced out!" He warned, as their attacker took a swing towards them.

However, it was thrown into the wall, breaking through into the chamber where the others were, and Bobby turned to see that Jean had woken just in time.

Jean flew into the air and created a telekinetic bubble that threw the last robot into the wall, eliminating the last threat.

"Scott!" Jean flew down into his arms.

"We're alright." Scott hugged her tightly.

"Did you get the Professor's message?" Jean asked.

"Yes, he's somewhere above us." Scott told her.

"Follow me." Pietro told them, supporting most of John's weight. "There's a tunnel."

Hank was still translating the ancient text. "Apocalypse hunted down the pharaoh who fled, never to be seen again. Apocalypse then discovered the source of Rama Tut's power, deep within these chambers; a vessel. And, inside the vessel, a device called the Eye of Ages. He mastered the secrets of this strange technology to reshape the world in his own image."

"Mutants." Professor Xavier concluded. "He was going to turn humans into mutants. All humans."

"The Eye was powered by Apocalypse himself." Hank continued. "But when he activated it, his life-force was nearly depleted and it was then he was betrayed. Fearful of the future he planned, his trusted counsels sealed him inside. Apocalypse was entombed, hidden in the highest reaches of the world and locked behind three doors, in the hope that he would never again walk the earth."

"And…" Magneto prompted.

"That's it." Hank turned to them. "It just stops."

"Then this isn't the tomb of Apocalypse." Magneto frowned.

"And worse," Professor Xavier sighed, "we have no idea where it is."

AN: I apologise for how close this is to the show, but, as I believe I've mentioned, I don't like leaving things out; makes me feel like I've left something incomplete, which I hate. So I'm uploading this chapter with the next one to get them both out of the way :)