DISCLAIMER:I don't own the X-Men or any other characters, etc. Marvel, etc. I do lay claim to the FOH members, but only with reluctance.
A/N: Sorry this took so long. You have no idea what's been going on in my life, and I don't feel like explaining, but needless to say, finding time to write anymore is very nearly impossible.
Chapter Thirty-Five:
Hank is still translating hieroglyphics. "Apocalypse drove away the Pharaoh and discovered the source of his power. It is a device called the 'Eye of Ages.' How interesting."
"Just get on with it," remarks a rather annoyed Magneto.
Hank glares at him. "He learned its secret and wanted to use it to reshape the world after his image."
"Oh no!" Charles exclaims. "He intends to mutate all of humanity!"
"Well, that would fine with me," Magneto quips, "no humans would mean a tolerance of mutants at last."
"Would you want to live under his control?" Hank asks.
"What do you mean?"
"That's his true intent. . . to rule a world full of mutants." Hank says, "Now, can I finish?"
"Please do so," Xavier says.
"Apocalypse entered the vessel, but it drained him from his powers and left him helpless. Apocalypse was betrayed by his servants and locked into the vessel. It was hidden near the highest summits behind three portals, so he could never return."
"And that means, he isn't here," Magneto growls. "And neither is Rogue."
"And we have no idea where they are. . ." Charles says with steepled fingers. "Gambit, Sabretooth, Logan. . . I'm counting on you all. . ."
Two planes are sitting idly somewhere deep in the Himalayas. Wolverine and Sabretooth sniff around. "They've been here all right," growls Logan.
"Their smell is getting faint. Must be the snow," Victor growls right back.
"Well, maybe, if you two overgrown hairballs are done trying t' impress each ot'er, we could follow t'ose tracks 'fore t'ey disapper, no?" Gambit says arrogantly.
"Man, this Gumbo is really starting to get on my nerves. . ." Logan says, as he starts after the Cajun.
"Oh yeah?" Victor remarks, "Try living with him. . ."
"Knit one, purl two, knit one, purl two, knit one, purl two."
"Siena, how can I get any work done with you chanting over there?" Sinister finally cries out in frustration. He's just finished putting the crib together and now he's trying to focus on the report in front of him.
"Oh, now you've done it!" Siena claims, throwing the beginnings of a blanket at him. "You made me lose track. Now I have to start over." She bursts into tears.
"It's pink!" he yells. "We don't even know if we're having a girl or a boy!"
"I am going to add blue in it too!" She screams, suddenly very angry. "And, since you are such an expert, why don't YOU knit the baby's blanket!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Siena," he states. "You know as well as I do that immortal mutant scientists do NOT knit!"
"Well, maybe you should learn!"
Just then, one of Sinister's subordinates opens the door and walks in. "Um, is this a bad time?"
"YES!" from Siena and "NO!" from Sinister are his replies made at the same time.
"Oh, I see," Siena growls. "Your work is suddenly more important than your child! You have all of eternity to complete your precious studies, but we only have nine months to plan for this child! But oh don't worry about me, I will be fine! I'll just go live with my mother!"
"Siena, don't overreact. . . you don't even know where your mother is!"
"I am NOT overreacting!" She yells and uses her powers to blast him into the wall by changing the magnetic polarity in the air.
"Okay, Okay!" he says, trying to pacify her. "I'm sorry. Nothing is more important than this child. Happy now? Please, say you are happy. . ."
"Um," says the random subordinate. "I come bearing chocolate?"
A smile breaks out on Siena's face. "Chocolate?"
Further into the Sphinx than the hieroglyphics, Magneto, Charles, and Hank discover something interesting. . . a door. Using his amazing powers of magnetism, Erik manages to open it. They gasp in amazement. "What is it?"
"I believe. . .," Beast informs him. "It's the base to the 'Eye.'"
Magneto touches it. A door slides open. The three curious men enter. Stunned to silence, they glance at the marvelous technology that couldn't possibly have been created by the ancient Egyptians.
"I wonder where the rest of it could be," Erik mutters.
Charles, on the other hand, has been exploring. "I think I've found something interesting." He holds in his hand a device that looks almost like a copy of his cerebro helmet. The other two gasp in astonishment as Charles places the helmet on his head.
"Hank, you there?" comes a voice on Hanks communicator.
"Logan?"
"We've followed Rogue to Tibet. She's still with Mesmero and Mystique."
"Oh," Magneto says, smacking himself in the head. "It all makes sense now. . . the highest summits. . . The Himalayas!"
"Well, I feel stupid," Beast says.
"I think we all do. . ." Charles groans. After taking down the coordinates, the conversation is abruptly shortened.
Sabretooth attacks Logan suddenly. Logan fights him off and gets ready to attack.
"Wait, wait!" Victor shouts, backing off. "Mesmero was telling me to push you off the mountain. Problem is, I'm still tempted."
"Oh, I bet he did! I'd like to push you off this cliff, bub!" growls the Wolverine in disbelief and anger.
"Oh, why don't you bot' do Remy a favor and kindly jump off t'e cliff, so he can get back to saving Rogue!"
Inside a cave, Rogue hollowly follows Mystique and Mesmero towards a giant portal. Mesmero stops and turns to Mystique, "Now, it's your turn."
"What? You said Rogue was the key."
"You both are. You must slip in there," here he points to a small hole near the base of the floor. "And then you will find a short pillar beside the door. Put your hand on it and the door will open. Rogue's job is to unlock the Eye and release Apocalypse."
Mystique glares at him, "Listen, circus freak! I agreed to bring Rogue here because I was assured our futures would be secure. Were you lying then too?"
Angered at those rude comment, he calms himself before saying to her, "Apocalypse will not forget those who are loyal."
"Why didn't you just enslave me like you did her?"
"I was unable. Your powers of control are formidable," he says with a sigh.
"I'd advise you to remember that," she says haughtily before changing into a King Cobra and slithering through the doorway.
"The fool," Mesmero whispers under his breath, "there are other ways to manipulate people."
Inside the room is nothing but a small pillar. The room itself is round. The only way in or out is the small hole she entered. She hesitates before placing her hand on the pillar. With a rumbling the room begins to rotate. She pulls her hand away, or at least, she tries too, but her hand is stuck. She watches in horror as her hand begins to turn to stone. She screams.
By the time the room stops rotating, Mystique is a statue, screaming in horror for all eternity. (1)
Rogue walks by and doesn't even see her mother's stone figure. She starts down a long staircase. Mesmero looks back before following her and suddenly notices the entrance to the cave, which he had shut, is now glowing.
Outside the cave, Gambit warns the others to back up, before he does so himself. The rock explodes and they rush in. "See, Wolverine, Remy told you t'at would work faster t'an slashing."
"Yeah, yeah, shut up Gumbo!"
Suddenly they have to stop running. Mesmero stands in front of them. "You can't stop destiny!"
"Well, we can sure as hell try!" Logan growls as Gambit and Sabretooth rush at the strangely marked man. Their attacks bounce off of him as he counters just in time with a huge pole.
Rogue has reached the bottom of the stairs. She walks forwards and takes off one of her gloves. Slowly, still enchanted, she reaches out and places her ungloved hand on the Eye of Ages. A gasping noise sounds as the final doors open and reveal. . . a mummy? She looks closer. Is this what she was supposed to revive? A decrepit mummy? It's dead. . . She starts to turn, but notices something. The mummy's eyes open slowly.
Rogue gasps. The mummy reaches out his hand and grabs her bare arm, and all is blackness for her. His body is regenerated and he begins to look like a man, an old one, and then a young one again, strong, handsome, and arrogant.
En Sabah Nur, the first one, Apocalypse is reborn.
Gambit rushes past as the two rivals finally knock Mesmero out. "Come on, no time to waste!" He shouts over his shoulder.
Victor growls at him as he follows. "You're going the wrong way!"
Gambit stops, "Huh?"
Wolverine sniffs the air, "Rogue went this way." He runs off and they follow.
Soon, they find the petrified remains of Mystique. Logan and Sabretooth stop. They don't notice Gambit running, full speed down the stairs.
"She's. . ." Logan begins.
". . . dead." Sabretooth finishes. "I. . . I can't believe it."
"Maybe she isn't dead?"
"She's a statue, you moron!"
"Who are you calling a moron, litter-box-for-brains!"
"Overgrown Badger!"
"Yarn lover!"
"Drunkard!"
Gambit hears them bickering behind him, but he doesn't care. Nothing matters. Nothing except for his precious Rogue. He reaches the end of the stairs and freezes as he feels his heart nearly stop.
Rogue lays lifeless at the bottom of a tomb-like machine. The pain in his heart is burning him. He grabs it. He slowly walks towards her and brushes her skin. Nothing happens. There is no familiar pull of memories and powers.
His heart clenches tightly, causing the Cajun to gasp from the pain. He takes her hand and reaches to check for a pulse.
He counts, finally, he feels a pulse. He sighs with relief, and grabs her body, holds it. "Roguey, Roguey! You're alive! I've got to get you out of here!"
He hears a noise behind him. He looks up. Floating above the tomb-like machine is a powerful-looking man in ancient Egyptian dress. He is glowing and it's hard to look at him.
And then, everything is blackness.
A blast erupts the room where Xavier, Hank, and Erik are studying the vessel. "I think I understand how it works," Xavier was saying before the blasé cuts him off. "What was that?"
Scott and the other rush into the room. So does the robot.
Magneto blasts it back through the wall. It gets back up. Scott blasts it's arm off. Pyro burns it's other arm. Storm blasts it with lightning. Magneto gets angry and uses his powers to rip the legs off of the ancient machine. He looks at it funny. "Robots?" he asks.
"Don't ask!" all the kids and Storm cry out at once.
"Okay, I won't," he says, still confused.
Beast peeks out of the Eye, "Climb aboard! Everyone! Hurry!"
They all look at the machine.
"You've got to be kidding me?" Bobby says.
"Now!" Hank demands. Everyone climbs aboard. Charles closes it. The robot heads straight for them. It reaches the vessel. It raises it's good arm and slams it down on the vessel, only the vessel isn't there anymore. It's disappeared into thin air.
The vessel reappears seconds later in the cave. "Wow," Kitty remarks. "That was, like totally, amazing!"
"Ja, totally!" Kurt agrees.
"Let's go!" Magneto says as Charles opens the door.
They all run towards the room where Mystique is still stone. Before they reach it, Apocalypse floats through the doorway.
"What. . . Who . . . is that?" Kitty asks.
Magneto and Charles look at him in fear and anger. Everyone prepares for a long and tedious battle.
Only, they are robbed of it. Apocalypse wipes out the entire room with a pulse of his mighty hands.
He floats slowly towards the base of the Eye.
Magneto and Charles are the first to regain consciousness. Magneto raises his hand to stop Apocalypse from leaving, but another pulse and Magneto is thrown back again.
Mesmero has also gained consciousness and rushes onto the base with his master.
The vessel is gone.
"We have. . . failed," Erik says to Charles.
"Yes," Charles says sadly. "Our greatest battle has only just begun."
To be continued . . .
A/N: (1) Well, we all know that's not true, but it sounded good.
No promises on time with the next chapter. I can only promise that it will eventually be written. Sorry, I'm so busy though. Well, if you also read my parodies, you're probably up to speed with why this is taking so long. . . But if you aren't. . . Hmm, what can I say. . . I have three kids, I've had three surgeries in the past year, my grandpa is dying slowly (very slowly) and my favorite uncle very nearly died recently. So. . . I've been stressed out and not writing much lately. However, I do feel this writer's block starting to leave. And, I've so many ideas for the sequel of this tale, that I've started writing it in advance. Yay! Lol Well, I won't be posting it until I finish this one, so I need to get busy on this one. Lol I am probably gonna bug Cat to proofread the sequel, so hopefully, there won't be as many typos! Lol Sorry, but I generally only catch them AFTER I've posted it.
Will Emma drive Jean and Scott apart? Or will the Acolytes drive her crazy instead? Will Sinister ever get any work done? Will Graydon win his election? Will they find and stop Apocalypse in time? Will Rogue be okay? Will Gambit? What happened to Wolverine and Sabretooth? Will I ever stop making up these ridiculous questions? All these answers and more as A Split in Reality continues.
Please Review:) Pretty Please, with sugar on top. :) And a cherry!!!! And nuts. . . And Chocolate sauce! And Whipped Cream! And a banana! And butterscotch! And, um, gummy bears:) ! And candy corn! And um, peanut butter? Jelly? Um, raisins? And M&Ms! And. . . um. . . Marshmellows! And Gummy Lifesavers!