35. Arrival
Upon their return to Italy, Eric wasted no time in getting his men to take Megan and Noi to his laboratory. The young girl was still knocked out having been given a steady supply of a sedative to prevent her from shifting into her shadow form. Megan simply had her hands bound together and was shoved out of the plane into the circular dome overlooking the sea beside his chateau.
"I want them shackled and collared in my lab immediately," Eric ordered a group of waiting Executioners as he exited the Blackbird. He then turned to the massively built African man who stood at attention. "Replicator, I'm expecting the rest to be here shortly with the two I told you about. The male, Cortez, will be the easiest to handle, just piss him off and he'll kill himself. The female, Justine, will be blinded by rage and will fall just as quick. Any others, do with as you wish."
"Yes sir," Replicator answered. He gestured for several Executioners to follow him as the Blackbird took off for another nearby landing spot.
"You a$$hole!" Megan yelled as she fell to the floor then was picked up by two of the soldiers. "You f#$king b $tard!"
"Whoa, I never heard you talk like that before. Must've picked it up from your ex." Flashing a grin at her, Eric led his forces and prisoners into the lab where he had the other three mutants in stasis. "Put the girl in a chair and make sure our rainbow haired guest has an unobstructed view of her in case she decides to unwillingly participate in my experiment."
Pulling a switch beside the prone Charles Xavier, one of the armed soldiers had a metal gurney lower from the wall as the ones holding Megan maneuvered her beside it. After cutting the plastic strip binding her hands together, they roughly picked her up and slammed her on it. With the wind knocked out of her, she couldn't fight them as they strapped her wrists and ankles down before raising the gurney back up.
"I want blood samples, tissue samples, and like the others, I want a spinal tap performed on her with bone marrow samples taken. But before we get to the fun parts," Eric smugly sauntered up to the X-woman. "I want you to give me a sample of your dust. Rub your fingers together and fill the container on the floor."
"And if I don't?" Megan asked challengingly.
Eric pulled out one of his tonfas and held the spiked end to Noi's chest with his thumb hovering over the trigger. "Then I'll just have to press the button and have you watch as the girl's heart is cleaved in two."
Knowing she was in control of Noi's life, Megan sagged in defeat and hung her head low. "Alright. I'll do what you want, just please, don't hurt the girl or my friends."
"Good." Moving away from the sleeping mutant, Eric used the end of his weapon to pick Megan's face up and force her to look at him. "Then make your dust and I'll see to it no harm comes to you or her. As long as I get what I want."
High above the Atlantic Ocean, the sleek black X-Copter streaked across the sky with its top propellers folded back and its rocket engines firing at top speed. With the modifications made to the machine, it was almost as fast as the X-Jet. Inside the supersonic vehicle, Logan and Kurt occupied the cockpit with Piotr, Justine, and Miguel sitting in the passenger area. All were donning X-Men uniforms and couldn't wait to reach where the tracking beacon showed the X-Jet was located.
"Alright, listen up," Logan shouted to the others. "We're two hours behind, which means they'll have a good amount of time to prepare for our arrival. They know we're coming after them otherwise they wouldn't have bothered to take the jet, so when we get there, I don't need anyone going rogue on me."
"I just need to know where that son of a b #ch is," Justine said as she adjusted the neck area of her suit. Unlike the others, she wore one of Jean's old uniforms with a lime green stripe on the front.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about. When we get there, we all stick together. If Eric's controlling those Executioners, there's no telling what else he has in store for us."
"You're staying rather quiet," Piotr said to Miguel when he saw said mutant staring at the floor with a sneer on his face.
Looking back, Justine did not only know what he was going through, but could feel it as well. "Miguel, promise me something. Promise me I get the last hit on Eric. I need it. And don't lose it out there; Megan doesn't need you dying saving her and neither does Noi."
"I can't promise that," Miguel told her after a moment. "Trying to keep calm right now…it's taking everything I have. I'll play by Logan's rules for the time being, but if I see Eric before you, I'm the one who will kill him."
"I want troops stationed here in the dome as well as in front of the laboratory. No one gets to Commander Romano alive, understood?" With a loud, booming voice, the man known as Replicator ordered the few Executioners available to where they would be of most use. Around fifty of the soldiers were scattered throughout the chateau and dome, making coverage of the property too thinned out by his standards.
"Sir," one of the soldiers said with a salute. "Satellite indicates an incoming aerial vehicle approaching fast. ETA, seventeen minutes."
"That's them. Everyone to their positions. I want none of those mutant freaks left alive by the end of the day!
Within the chateau, Wolverine wasted no time in getting to work. The few soldiers stationed directly within the entrance were quickly dealt with. Statues, antique furniture, and paintings were obliterated as the animalistic mutant was fired upon freely. Bullets riddled the walls as the soldier's rounds ripped through him but failed to bring him to a stop as his healing factor did its job.
As they focused on the unstoppable mutant, none noticed a lithe figure get the jump on them as Justine attacked from behind. Her whips cracked through the air as they brought many of the armored men to their knees. Red flashes of light left the lucky ones paralyzed for if they had faced off against Wolverine, they would have ended up dead.
"Colossus, how are you and hot head doin'?" Wolverine yelled into his com unit.
"We have met up with some resistance," the metal mutant responded. "Several Executioners and another mutant."
"What the hell is a mutant doing helping these guys?"
"What the hell are you doing helping these a$$holes?" Miguel yelled as he and Replicator squared off.
"They pay good." Backing up a step, the much larger of the two focused his sights on Miguel and unleashed an optic blast powerful enough to knock his opponent back a ways.
Finished with the soldiers, Colossus joined the fight against Replicator only to have his fist dig into the marble floor of the seaside dome. A black smoke faded from where the African mutant once stood as the Russian looked around in confusion. He was then met with a red whip to the face and knocked away.
"Mutant filth." Raising his hand, the whip forming from Replicator's fist turned into a set of claws similar to Wolverine's. He was about to strike when Miguel's own set of blue claws brought his attack to a stop. A metal fist connected soon after as Colossus connected with a right hook to his foe's face.
"You are a mutant, and you call us filth?" Colossus asked as he went toe to toe with the now metalized version of Replicator. "This, I do not understand."
"It's because I'm not a mutant! I'm a product of Commander Romano's design! Your mutant powers and those nearby are mine!" Blocking an uppercut from the X-Man, Replicator prepared to fire another optic blast when Miguel swiped through his arm holding Colossus.
Feeling his arm go weak, Replicator dropped his foe and formed blue claws similar to Miguel's and began to attack him. Before he could be countered, he teleported behind the Hispanic mutant and landed a straight punch to the back of his head with a metal fist. Tumbling forward, Miguel had just enough time to look up as a set of blue claws came down on him. Blocking the attack with his claws, he closed his eyes as a bright spark ignited between the two sets, blinding Replicator and giving him time to get back to his feet.
Yelling from being blinded, Replicator covered his face and let out a pain filled yell. The momentary lapse in his defense allowed Colossus to grab him from behind in a bear hug. Acting fast, Miguel's eyes flashed blue, imprinting his teammate's strength as he leapt into the air and delivered a knockout blow to Replicator's steel covered head with a blue shrouded fist.
"Very good." As Colossus let Replicator fall to the floor, Eric entered the dome while clapping steadily. "You two made a formidable team."
"Where's Pix?" Miguel growled as he formed his claws, which took on a dark blue shading.
"Nearby and in pain, I assure you." That was enough to send Miguel over the edge and attack the smug Italian.
"Miguel!" Colossus yelled as he watched his partner take a swipe at Eric only for him to disappear from his spot and attack from the side, sending Miguel toppling off his feet.
"You never learn." Turning just in time, Eric saw Colossus charging at him and moved out of the way at the last possible moment. He watched as the X-Man's metal skin retracted suddenly, leaving him completely vulnerable to an incoming spiked tonfa to his side.
Flying through the air and crashing into the large metal door to Eric's private laboratory, a soldier slumped unconscious to the floor from being thrown by Wolverine as another was wrapped in Justine's whips. From interrogating the last of the remaining soldiers, they had found where the captured Megan and Noi were. A quick jab to the electronic lock with his claws made the door slide open to allow the two entry.
"What is this place?" Justine asked as she took in the high tech laboratory.
"Chuck!" Rushing to where the captured X-Men were, Wolverine ran his hands over the chamber Charles Xavier was in. "Jean, Scott, what the hell?"
"Noi, sweetie? Wake up," Justine said as she gently slapped the sides of the Asian girl's face after pulling several tubes from her arm.
"Jus…Justine?" Noi managed to say as she woke.
"Stay still. I'm gonna get Megan and we'll get out of here."
"Chuck, what happened?" Wolverine asked as he helped the professor sit on the ground then went to free Jean and Scott.
"I…I don't exactly know," Xavier began. "I was heading to my hotel after arriving and...I felt a strong psychic presence overwhelm me." He watched as Jean was sat by his side before Wolverine went to work on freeing Scott. "I couldn't use my powers after that and everything went black."
"Well we're here and we're getting you home."
"Logan? Professor! What…what…" Scott tried to find out what was going on but couldn't get past the pounding headache he developed after waking.
"Kurt's outside securing the X-Jet and copter," Wolverine told the field leader of the X-Men. "I need you to help carry the prof out of here while I go get hot head."
"Miguel's here?" Megan asked as Justine helped her from her chamber. "Where is he?"
"You worry about getting out, I'll get him and Colossus."
"No," Justine objected. "I want Eric. He killed Sarah."
"Look, woman, you help the others back…hey…where's the kid?" Looking around, Wolverine couldn't find Noi who was just there a moment ago.
"Piotr, don't move," Miguel told his friend as he looked over where Eric stabbed him. "He didn't get too deep but it was-"
"Close to a fatal blow to his kidney and liver." Pacing some distance away, Eric twirled his tonfas as he looked the two over. "You mutants truly disgust me. Given god-like powers, thinking you're better than the humans you should be serving, and in the end, it doesn't matter if you're born with powers or gain yours by artificial means, you all will die just the same. You see, the reason I chose the name Executioners is simple…I am death to you and your kind."
With a roar, Miguel fired off two blue streaks of lights from his claws. Refusing to move, Eric took both blasts head on and disappeared, it was another one of his illusions. A laugh echoed throughout the dome as he went to attack Miguel when instead, he was met with a hard kick to the gut. Rolling away, Eric gripped his abdomen as he watched the clawed mutant unzip the top of his uniform and toss it to the side to reveal his black shirt with white lettering underneath, which read, 'Stronger Than Death'.
Backing up, Eric doubled over and coughed up a bit of bile from the hard hit. "I don't know how you did that, but it will be the last time any of you mutant pigs lay a hand of me."
"Then how 'bout a whip mother f#$ker!" Leaping from the overhead balcony, Justine lashed out with her now white whips, leaving twin scorch marks in the marble flooring.
Barely able to dive out of the way, Eric landed in a rollout and unsheathed both spikes from his weapons. At that moment, fifty different copies of the Italian appeared and charged the Brazilian and Mexican. Both mutants attacked the crowd of illusions, knowing all but one was real and the others would disappear when hit. White whips and dark blue claws attacked every one they came across, making their numbers dwindle before more took their place. From time to time, the real Eric would attack the duo then fade back in with the rest as he played a lethal game of hide and seek with them.
"Miguel!" Wolverine yelled as he entered the dome from the downstairs entrance.
"Get Piotr out, Logan! He's hurt!" Miguel didn't stop attacking the numerous Eric copies when he heard the Canadian X-Man.
"What the hell happened to you?" Wolverine asked as he drug Piotr towards the entrance to the chateau.
"I de-metalized somehow," he explained. "I was attacking Eric it happened suddenly."
"He's not a mutant. We found evidence in his lab where he gave himself powers like us. He's a fake."
"What about Miguel and Justine?"
Looping Piotr's arm around his shoulders, Wolverine managed to get into a fast walk as he half carried, half drug the Russian to rendezvous with the others by the aircraft. "Hot head and Dreadlocks know what to do. I'll come back for them after I get you to the others and find Noi."
Back at the dome, Miguel and Justine continued attacking anything resembling Eric. The two literally tore up the entire dome as the stair case and balcony crumbled from their energy attacks. Chunks of flooring were cracked or missing completely, along with the columns supporting the roof. It was so bad, even parts of the structure began to fall into the sea itself.
"I'm starting to bore of this game." It was impossible to tell which Eric copy said those words as the two mutants continued fighting.
Having no choice but to go back to back, Miguel and Justine fought every copy of Eric that came their way. Occasionally, one would be hit in which the other would try to counter attack if possible. It was all they could do when an explosion erupted near Miguel and collapsed part of the floor underneath him. The eruption was strong enough to break a large piece of the cliff off and send it into the water below.
"Miguel!" Justine yelled as she saw him disappear over the edge.
Barely holding on, Miguel clutched onto whatever he could to save himself from falling some hundreds of feet into the sea. He could still hear Justine fighting above him as he climbed back to the floor of the dome. Reaching the marbled surface, he saw the Brazilian woman running out of Erics to fight when she fired off several energy blasts before reaching to help him up.
He never had time to grab her hand as two spikes exited out from her chest.