Chapter 37
The Final Battle pt 2
Batman gritted his teeth as he popped his shoulder back into place. Alfred stood by his side a pistol in one hand, even though both of them knew it wouldn't do any good. And in the contest unfolding at the moment all they could be was spectators.
There was a clash of Gods happening before them after all.
The only combatant that remained stationary in the room was Professor Xavier. He stood, his hands clasped to his forehead while the other combatants, Storm, Magneto, Rogue, Gambit, and Cyclops engaged the hulking form of Apocalypse. Broken debris and pebbles trembled at the powerful optic blasts released by Cyclops, the air smelt of ozone and the halls echoed with the thunder claps Storm's lightning bolts left in their wake, and the barely perceptible shifts in the air around them mirrored a magnetic onslaught from Magneto. Rogue took Apocalypse on directly, the only one able to exchange physical blows with him. Gambit had long ran out of cards but there was plenty of rubble for him to charge and throw.
Apocalypse roared and his chin snapped back when Rogue caught him in the face. Gambit, Storm, and Cyclops all fired then, Apocalypse staggered back and fell on his rear. His head smacked on the kryptonite chamber's doors, leaving a massive dent in the metal.
"While he's down!" Cyclops hollered.
Gambit latched onto a steel I-beam and the entire thing flashed in a crimson glow. Apocalypse was already pulling himself up. The beam took off into the air as Magneto fired it at the other villain. It hit him straight in the chest and launched him into a wall at the far end of the room, then exploded, all of them felt the heat against their faces.
"I hate dat we make such a good team," Gambit glanced at Magneto.
"Goddess!" Storm breathed, and a wind blew away the smoke. "He's getting up!"
Apocalypse scowled as his body undid the damage the explosion left. He roared loudly and charged again. The X-men and Magneto fired at him and Rogue charged once again to meet him in hand to hand combat.
Batman grabbed a hold of Alfred's arm and started toward Xavier at the edge of the room. There was a rumbled and the Dark Knight swerved both himself and his butler aside to avoid getting caught by a stray slab of concrete Apocalypse had hurled, Rogue was plastered on the end of it but shrugged off the blow after she hit the wall with the boulder.
Their foe, Apocalypse, was uniquely suited to counter his mutant adversaries. His hand would morph into an unbreakable wall to shield himself from Cyclops and Gambit's blasts. He could catch metal projectiles thrust at him by Magneto, and he could change the very essence of his feet to ground himself from lightning.
Even with all that though he was barely managing to keep them at bay. He occasionally got a shot through but he was being driven back. Steadily but slowly.
Alfred shook his head as he glanced back at the battle, they were halfway to Xavier but at least they were out of the path of destruction…for now.
"My word sir," Alfred breathed, his eyes wide as Apocalypse fired an energy beam from his hands at Magneto, only to be blocked by a hunk of metal Magneto used as a shield. "You engaged him in combat? By yourself?"
"Combat wouldn't be the word I'd use," Batman replied. "He played with me the entire time. The only reason I was able to get any shots in was when he was underestimating me, even then those weren't much more than nuisances to him. Once he got serious there wasn't much I could do."
They were nearly to Xavier and Alfred smiled. "Then shall we endeavor to show him the error of playing with his food?"
Out of anyone else's mouth such a statement would have induced eye rolls from the Dark Knight or even a grumbling retort, but coming from Alfred…Batman gave the faintest of smiles as they reached Xavier. The mutant's psychic energy was nearly all focused on Apocalypse but even still, Batman could feel a tingle in his brain.
"Do you know how to shut down this machine?" Xavier's brows furrowed. "Karina will not survive long and she will not survive if it fires."
"I'm working on it," Batman replied. "But I may need to borrow Magneto, you'll need to persuade him to work with me."
"Magneto is occupied with keeping Apocalypse at bay, as are we all, you need to take this time to prevent this machine from…" Xavier's eyes widened and his hands dropped from his forehead. "Oh my…"
Everything around them rocked, portions of the already damaged ceiling tumbled and alerts fired out in ear splitting wails. Apocalypse stopped fighting as did his adversaries and all of them listened to the thundering boom that occurred above them.
"What happened? Alfred asked.
"Charles?"
A smile crept up Xavier's face and he looked directly to Apocalypse. "You've failed in every way En Sabah Nur. Superman is alive and he has destroyed the firing mechanism for the machine. It's over and done with."
All eyes fired from Xavier's triumphant look to Apocalypse looming over them. His hands balled up in fists and his eyes shimmered an icy blue. His fists came to his side and he straightened out, keeping his gaze on Xavier.
"Let that then be written," He said. "As an ironic note upon your headstone."
Then he attacked.
Then he fell upon them like a hurricane.
Xavier, Alfred, and Batman all remained back. Magneto and the X-men took the full brunt. Rogue was out in one punch. Cyclops jinxed to the side, barely avoiding a ground-crushing blow. He fired his optic blasts, but Apocalypse just shrugged it off and in a backhand motion sent the X-men field commander sprawling. Apocalypse received a blast of lighting and staggered back, his arm lanced out at Storm but the wind flicked her away. Apocalypse stomped his feet and Gambit collided with the ground.
A metal beam ripped itself from he ceiling and fired at Apocalypse. He caught it with two of his massive hands and swung it like a baseball bat. Storm cried out and flew backwards to avoid it. The beam clipped her legs and she crashed to the wall Magneto now hovered between Apocalypse and the remaining heroes.
The ancient mutant roared and rumbled at Magneto. Metal spiraled and smashed from every direction but Apocalypse thundered forward. A magnetic barrier flew up and Magneto flinched when Apocalypse burst through. Metal realigned and formed a pike lined barricade between them. Apocalypse crashed into them, pikes sticking in and out of his body but he kept coming.
Magneto managed to look back at the group he was protecting just before Apocalypse reached him. "Run Charles. While you can."
A second later the ancient mutant slammed into Magneto with his hand the shape of a mallet. The master of magnetism dived to the side but an added limb sprang from Apocalypse's waist and smashed him into the ground. The metal protruding from his body warped and twisted until the ends jabbed back into him. Apocalypse reeled and Magneto struggled to get up while one hand commanded the metal which now wormed its way beneath their foe's flesh.
"Run Charles!"
It was Batman that took the next action. His hand clasped both Alfred and Xavier's shoulders and shoved them toward the exit. "You heard the man!" he said. "He's giving us the chance we need."
"I can't leave him!" Xavier shouted and tried to go back but Batman's arm was practically hauling him toward the door.
"And what are you going to do?" Batman continued to herd Xavier away. "My guess is the fact that he's still standing means he's blocking your telepathy. So unless you have an ace in the hole we need to make the most of Magneto's last stand!"
"Spider-man is in the control room!" Xavier said. "I was able to prevent Apocalypse from registering he was here so he could get in and shut the machine down! We're not out of allies yet!"
"If he's shutting down the machine then that's where he's needed, it might not be able to fire but Karina is still getting pumped full of radiation if she's still alive."
"She's still alive," Xavier said. "I'm keeping a hold of her mind, not letting it shut down. It's torture for her but she's still alive."
"Charles," Alfred said. "You must listen to Master Bruce. Magneto is giving us an opportunity to--"
A blue tentacle, jagged and sharp at the end impaled Alfred in the stomach, cutting his sentence short. Batman started toward his butler but the tentacle withdrew and wrapped around Xavier's leg. Batman grappled onto his arm and pulled but was only dragged with him into the room.
Magneto lay still, metal debris covering half of his body. Apocalypse stood, dragging the heroes toward him with one appendage while the other ripped out the last remnants of the metal pikes Magneto had afflicted him with. Rather than toss it aside, he thrust it at Batman. The Dark Knight swiveled aside and the pike impaled the remnants of his cape. Apocalypse closed in on Batman but then his head pitched backwards and he clamped his hands over his head.
Xavier remained on the ground, one hand touching his forehead. "You got careless, forgot to block my telepathy didn't you?"
Batman tugged at the pike and ripped his cape loose. Xavier was already up, his brows furrowing with concentration. Apocalypse's hands were now digging into his head and the entire room was trembling again. The Dark Knight gripped Xavier's shoulder and began pulling him backward.
"I almost have him defeated," Xavier said and his brows knitted tighter together.
"It's a--" Batman started but was interrupted when Xavier cried out and tumbled backward, blood streamed from his nostrils and his eyes went wide. Batman started pulling him up.
"Didn't like that did you?" Apocalypse grinned. "Do you like the feedback loop Xavier? A failsafe I created that pathway in my mind in case you managed to get through. Do you think I would have you here in my headquarters and not be prepared for an attack by you?"
Batman placed himself in between Apocalypse and Xavier, clutching a vial of acid, a last ditch effort. Apocalypse didn't meet this front with the same mirth he did earlier. Instead his hands went above his head and ripped out a massive chunk of the ceiling. Batman flung the acid at Apocalypse's face, it shattered and steamed but had no effect. Apocalypse sighed and smashed a foot into Batman sending him a few feet away from Xavier.
"Both of you have survived longer than you were fit to. Both of you survived because of my good graces." He held the chunk of metal and concrete at the ready above Xavier. "Better hope that my aim is true, better hope I don't miss. Otherwise you'll find yourself a cripple again.
"It's not going to happen Apocalypse," Batman struggled to get up.
"Oh and you're going to stop me? We both know you can't."
"He has no intention of trying," Xavier said. "Haven't you noticed En Sabah Nur? The room is shaking and it's not your doing."
Apocalypse eyes squinted and pebbles around his feet shook. Then the wall behind him erupted and a blue and red blur struck him with a thunderclap. He and the blur continued into and through the next wall and the stone he'd been holding boomed to on the ground inches from Xavier's feet.
"Superman knows how to make an entrance," Xavier wiped his face and pulled himself up, extending a hand to help Batman.
Batman took Xavier's hand and winced as he got up. "I just wish he'd show up on time for once."
Over the course of the centuries, Apocalypse had bloodied his fists in countless battles. He'd enslaved nations, ground kings beneath his heels, fought with the X-men, died and was reborn more than once.
But none of that could have prepared him for the foe that he now faced. No one had ever hit him with the same force that the Man of Steel slammed into him. Each punch came in less than the time it took to blink and this was all the while he was being crashed through stone from behind.
A few seconds after the initial impact Apocalypse realized that they were no longer even in the sub-levels of the pyramids but actually tunneling into the very bedrock. Each punch Superman threw only added to the momentum and dug them in deeper.
Apocalypse clenched his eyes shut along with his fists…then brought one crashing into Superman's back. The blow wasn't enough to halt Superman's onslaught but it did cause him to falter, which gave Apocalypse the moment he needed to grind his feet into the stone and bring their perpetual motion to a halt. Superman struck again but Apocalypse blocked this one and channeled his strength into a blow that sent Superman staggering back a few feet.
The mutant villain pressed his advantage and angled his shoulder into Superman's chest. Charging headlong he thrust to both of them out of the bedrock and back into the sub-levels of the pyramid. Apocalypse leveled a hand, now transformed into a beam cannon, and fired, point blank at the Man of Steel. The blast met only the ground where Superman had been standing on. And in the next second Apocalypse was being pounded on from behind by his opponent.
Rather than turning, Apocalypse's body morphed until his front and back had switched places. His hand caught one of Superman's fists and then the other. The pair grappled for a moment and Apocalypse shoved everything he had into keeping Superman at bay.
"All this power," Apocalypse said. "Everything you can accomplish and this is what you do with it? Stop me from making the rest of the Earth as strong as you and I?"
Superman's brows furrowed, "You're not strong Apocalypse and you're not unique. How many other over muscled megalomaniacs do you think I've brought down? You're nothing but Darkseid lite."
The pair broke their lock and the force from that sent them staggering a couple steps back. Apocalypse straightened up to his full height, easily dwarfing Superman, his head nearly touching the high ceilings.
"A joke," Apocalypse cracked his neck. "I did not expect it from one such as you. I did not expect you to be alive. Clearly we underestimated you."
"Most people that do later regret it," Superman replied and his knuckles popped as he tightened his fists. "Batman, Spider-man, and Xavier are working on getting that little girl out of your machine as we speak. I know you know more about how it works than anybody. Help us get her out. You know you've lost, there's no reason to fight anymore."
"Wrong, I fight for the same reason that I always have," Apocalypse assumed a battle stance. "To prove who is the strongest and who is worthy to survive."
Superman barely had time to get out a sigh before Apocalypse launched himself at him. The Man of Steel threw his fist out and met his opponents in mid air. His eyes widened when not only did it not stop Apocalypse but that both of their fists were deflected downward and the blow dragged blood from his knuckles. The evil mutant grinned at Superman's realization.
"I can give myself strength greater than the Hulk!" He threw another punch, this Superman caught with both hands but caused him to lose a couple steps.
"I can control ever molecule of my being! Anything you can do, Man of Steel, I can do!"
A blast of heat vision caught Apocalypse in the face and he staggered back. Superman hovered over the ground with his arms folded. "I've never heard that before."
Apocalypse charged again but Superman drew in a deep breath and fired the oxygen from his lungs. An all out blizzard assaulted the mutant as his charge froze to a slow march. Ice formed on his feet, then his legs, until he could not move, and then the ice crawled up his arms and chest until he was up to his neck in it. Only then did Superman cut the frost breath and remained hovering where he was.
"You were saying?"
The mutant glared at Superman and opened his mouth. But instead of words, an energy blast shot out and caught Superman in the chest, smashing him through the ceiling. Apocalypse burst from the ice the fired himself through the hole Superman had created.
"Xavier's tending to the wounded," Batman said at the doorway. "Superman is fighting Apocalypse. It's going to buy us time."
"Superman's alive huh?" Spider-man said as Batman entered the room. "That's good. His last funeral was a real downer."
"You were there?" Batman stepped over a crisscross of wires.
"Yeah I was…doing a job," he replied and stuffed another wired into the mother board he was working on.
"Jameson didn't want to pay for Olsen's pictures."
"How did you!" Spider-man's voice sounded in alarm but Batman was already moving to the computers.
"I'll tell you how I figured it out later, it later, how's your job in here coming?"
Spider-man straightened up and gestured at the computer he'd been hunched over. Even with the limited time he had been in the demolished room, the Wall-crawler had reworked much of the shattered circuit boards and wires.
"Have you found a way to disconnect the kryptonite from the girl?" Batman examined the cracked computer screen. Spider-man tapped on a keyboard, half of its keys lay scattered around the room. Xavier and Magneto entered though Xavier did most the walking as he held one of Magneto's arms on his shoulders. Rogue and Gambit remained outside tending to Cyclops, Storm, and Alfred.
"The only thing I've been able to access are firing controls and cameras," Spider-man said. "The radiation flow control was on the blister on the other side of the room and there's not enough ashes left from that thing to fit into an urn."
"We must hurry if we're to save her," Xavier said. "Her body would have shut down long ago if I wasn't forcing it to continue to function. But she won't last much longer even with that. Is there anything we could do with the firing mechanism? Perhaps release some of the radiation? Just enough to get to a radiation level safe for us?"
"No," Spider-man shook his head. "Whatever Superman did to it, has it completely sealed. The only way that radiation is getting out of that room is if it leaks into this one or the adjoining one with the ginormous doors."
"I must tend to Scott and Alfred," Xavier started toward the door but Batman grabbed his wrist.
"This is more important," he said.
"They need medical attention."
"They'd want us to save the girl."
Xavier stared at him a moment then nodded and furrowed his brows for a moment. "I'm in contact with Superman. If things go badly we'll know. Now how are we going to disconnect Karina and then get her out?"
Batman stared at the computer for a moment then up at the metal sheath that protected them from the room. The same spot that had earlier been a viewport at Karina and Superman's suffering. "We need to cut the flow of the radiation to her."
"And we do that how exactly?" Magneto said. "the controls are in pieces."
Batman stepped to the viewport and rapped his hand against the metal. "You do it. If you're as powerful as you claim to be you should be able to find the mechanisms for cutting the flow and trigger them."
"Unless they're not made of metal," Spider-man observed.
"There's a possibility they're not," Batman replied. "But most likely they—"
"Silence!" Magneto said, his eyes were pressed closed. "Manipulating metal you cannot see is a matter that requires the utmost concentration. I have to feel my way around."
Spider-man raised a finger to where his mouth would be and shushed at Batman. The Dark Knight's mask flexed downward at the brows and he turned to the computer and brought up a video image of the rooms interior. In the center was the tangle of wires that Karina was coiled beneath. Around it, in a green haze, floated pieces of metal. Every now and again a piece would detach itself from the ceiling, or the floor and hover around with its companions.
Xavier was examining Storm but soon joined Batman's side. "Alfred is going to bleed to death if we don't help him soon."
"I know," Batman whispered and looked back to the screen just in time to see all the metal fall to the ground as if invisible strings holding them up had been cut. All eyes went to Magneto.
"It's done," he said. "The kryptonite is now shielded by led covers several feet thick. She is no longer drawing radiation from it."
"Well that's one problem down," Spider-man said. "Now how do we get her out of there?"
Xavier's eyes widened and he gripped Magneto's shoulder and looked to Batman. "We need to hurry! Superman just told me to get everyone clear as soon as possible!"
"Get ready to open the outside doors," Batman pointed to Magneto and started out of the control room. The others followed a half step behind him. He rushed past Cyclops' prone form and to the massive metal doors. Spider-man raised a hand in question but Batman tugged at part of his torn cape until he ripped off a large piece, which he then wrapped around the exposed portion of his face.
"Wait what are you-" Spider-man started but Xavier pushed past him.
"You're not going in there!"
"My costume might supply me with enough insulation to survive," Batman said. "At least long enough to get her out."
"Might?" Spider-man said. "Hold on, I got a good look at radiation levels in that room on the computer. There's enough radiation in that room to make Chernobyl look like a bad sunburn ! There's no might about that Batman. You go in there, you'll die."
"Stand back everyone," Batman stepped toward the doors then turned toward Magneto. "Open the doors on my say so and close them as soon as I'm on the other side."
"I can stop you from going in there!" Xavier said. "You promised Kurt that you'd save her no matter what but chances are you won't even get half way to her! "
"I have to try," Batman placed a hand on the door and took a breath. "I'm ready."
"So be it human," Magneto raised his hand. "Unless you want to stop him Charles."
"He won't stop me," Batman said. "Get it over with."
The door creaked and cracked forward. Batman paid one glance back, past the three heroes to where Alfred lay next to the X-men.. His frown deepened and he turned back to the door. That's when he heard the "thwip" and Magneto growl in annoyance.
Spider-man had a web connected to Magneto's hand and held it down. All eyes were now on him.
"There's another way," he said and Magneto ripped the web off. "Bat's doesn't have to die to get her out."
"Go on," Xavier said.
"The girl," Spider-man said. "You can tell her to come to us. You said you're in contact with her."
"I'm keeping her alive by forcing her brain to make all the other body functions not shut down. She's for all intents and purposes unconscious, I can't tell her to get up and walk to the door."
"No you don't get what I'm saying. You can tell her to get up and walk to the door. Tell her brain to tell her body. She doesn't have to do it on her own. You can make her body do it."
Batman removed the improvised cover from his face and looked to Xavier. "Can it be done?"
"Yes…" Xavier's brows furrowed and a smile crept up his face toward Spider-man. "How did that ever occur to you?"
"Fight the Puppet Master enough and it's a no-brainer. Ask the Human Torch about it sometime," the Web-Slinger shrugged.
Xavier moved toward the door, touching his head and the others stepped back. Magneto tugged away the residue of the spider web and his brows furrowed. "What happens when she gets out here? Won't she still be radioactive?"
"No," Batman said. "Radiation doesn't affect her, she only absorbs it and amplifies it. The only reason her life was in danger was because of the sheer amounts she was forced to absorb. But you bring up a good point."
Batman clasped his cape and swung it off. Magneto nodded. "Her clothes will retain any radiation it was exposed to. We'll have to remove them. I give you credit for thinking of her modesty human."
"She's just a girl," Batman said. "She never should have been bought into this."
Xavier started backing away from the door and Magneto raised his hands. "Very well Charles you only needed to ask."
As soon as Xavier was a safe distance away the doors groaned and one of them slid away from the other; a widening crack until it was just enough for a person to get through. A green mist streamed out and they backed up even more. A small form emerged, broken cables and cords dangled and snaked around her body as she moved forward, almost zombie-like. Her eyes were dead and lifeless and her entire form had a greenish complexion. The moment she was outside of the room the doors slammed behind her. Batman rushed forward and she collapsed in his arms as he ripped her clothes off and tossed them far away.
The Dark Knight lifted her up, wrapped in his cape and he started toward the door. "Let's get the others and tell Superman that we've got Karina."
When an irresistible force meets and immovable object the only outcome is destruction. No where else was that more true than the battle waged between the Man of Steel and Apocalypse.
Their personal fight began in the sub-levels of the pyramid but soon they carved a path upward and occasionally downward again. Each floor they visited left the same crumbling infrastructure that warned any one else that might be left inside to evacuate. Their fist falls could be heard several floors below and several above.
And when it seemed that the edifice could not take anymore it was finally given relief as Superman and Apocalypse burst from the pyramid's side in cloud of rock and debris. They did not land on the sandy dunes below however, instead they continued in the air.
Superman propelled them forward until Apocalypse's back sprouted metallic wings that held him aloft as he slammed a boot into Superman's neck. The Man of Steel clutched his throat with one hand but the other came up and blocked Apocalypse's next blow and threw some distance between them.
"Are you seeing it now kryptonian?" Apocalypse said. "Any feat you can accomplish I can replicate! I've survived millennia by being the strongest, swiftest, most powerful. Do you think that you can defeat me simply because you are a strange visitor from another planet? I was killing aliens before your homeworld was destroyed."
Apocalypse smashed a fist at Superman, who darted to the side. The arm kept going, stretching then coiled around Superman's body. The Man of Steel's face scrunched up as his arms squeezed together against his chest. Apocalypse's other hand came up in the shape of a gun, level with Superman's face. "I don't even need kryptonite to kill you. Unlike that fool Luthor I never did."
The canon glowed at the tips of its barrels, Superman's eyes went wide and in the next moment his teeth sank into the coiled portion of Apocalypse's arm nearest his neck. The mutant's appendage went loose and Superman untangled himself in a whirl then grabbed the arm/cannon and jammed it into Apocalypse's chest just as it fired.
A gaping, smoking hole remained where most of the mutant's torso was supposed to be. There was no blood however and Superman looked from the hole, to Apocalypse's face just in time to see the villain smile then swat at him with a massive fist.
Superman dived backward and missed the hit, the hole had closed up now and Apocalypse's wings fired projectile knives at the superhero. Weaving in and out of the blades Superman made his way toward Apocalypse. A stray knife sliced into his arm, cutting in deep. Apocalypse laughed while still raining his weapons down.
"Hard as adamantium! Hard and sharp enough to cut even you!"
Superman pulled back, ripping the blade from his arm and tossing it to the ground. Apocalypse relented on his onslaught and grinned with his arms crossed.
"Are you always so impressed with yourself?" Superman balled up his fists, the cut in his arm already healing itself as he spoke.
"And why not?" came the reply. "When you are at the top of the food chain there is nothing else to be impressed with. You would know this if you hadn't diluted yourself with the trappings of humanity. You are a survivor as I am, but I embrace my power where you blanch at yours. It is a weakness greater than your vulnerability to kryptonite. Unlike you I have none."
"Not the way I see it. Your power doesn't make you unique."
"Doesn't it? You are mistaken, it is your power that isn't unique "
Apocalypse's fist flashed up and hit Superman, full force in the chin, firing him straight up in the air. "I'm stronger than you!" Apocalypse yelled, his feet morphed into jets and he shot after Superman. "I can fly as fast as you can!"
Superman righted himself but kept going in the air, pointing his toes down and both arms straight above him, pointed at the sun. A blast of heat hit him in the arm and he looked to see Apocalypse gaining, his eyes smoking.
"Heat vision? I can do that!" Apocalypse bellowed, he was nearly on Superman now. He drew a deep breath and blew frosty air at the hero. "Freeze breath is simple!"
Apocalypse caught Superman's leg and pulled him down and grappled his neck. "All of your powers and none of your weaknesses. I am the first one! The first mutant, the most powerful, all but invincible."
"You have a weakness," Superman smiled as his face was brought level with Apocalypse's. His knee shot out and crunched into the villains stomach. Apocalypse recoiled and Superman's fists came together above his head. "It's called hubris!"
The fists crashed down, sound waves blasted clouds away and Apocalypse bombed groundward. Before he could right himself Superman slammed into him, adding his own momentum to the free fall. Right on top of the pyramid.
"You were so eager to show me how powerful you were that you let me get closer to the sun, let me absorb more of its rays."
They hit the pyramid, which all but exploded, still Superman's voice could be heard over the booms and crashes and the pounded through each floor. "You wanted to mutate the world by exposing them to kryptonite? What happens when you are exposed to all the super-condensed radiation?"
Apocalypse's eyes widened, but it was too late. Superman released his hold and Apocalypse slammed right into the central chamber, right onto the platform Karina had been imprisoned on. The hole he'd created was instantly filled and sealed with heat vision. His skin burned and he, the first, most powerful mutant screamed in pain.
"I'll survive this Superman! Do you hear me! I will survive!"
Of course you will, Xavier's voice sounded in Apocalypse's head. Superman wouldn't kill even you, but he intends on making sure you can never harm another soul on Earth again.
They all saw it. From several miles away, as a matter of fact. More than that the felt it. Jubilee later commented on how she felt the force of Superman's punch hit her face like a sharp wind. The X-men, Magneto, Spider-man, Superboy, Batman and Robin all watched the pyramid erupt in boulders and dust from a safe distance.
Nightcrawler and Storm were to thank for getting them a safe distance away. Even injured as they were they'd strained their powers to the limit to put distance between the survivors and the pyramid as Superman demolished it with Apocalypse's body.
"Oh my stars and garters," Beast breathed. "And we actually fought him?"
"You hadn't pushed him to the edge," Batman said. "But no one can beat Superman when he's really angry or really trying."
"So is the fight over?" Jubilee asked, looking to Xavier.
"The fight is," Xavier nodded. "But Superman has one last task to perform before he can join us. We should see him any second now."
From the dust cloud that had been the pyramid rose a rectangular silhouette, barely perceptible, underneath it was the outline of a man. It rose up, dropping pieces of itself as it went, ever higher.
"What's that?" Cyclops asked, holding one broken arm with the other.
"It's the kryptonite chamber," Xavier said. "With Apocalypse inside."
A moment later the entire thing blasted into the air until it became no more than a spec and then could be seen no more.
"Well Ah guess that's one way of dealing with him," Rogue shook her head. "Too bad he always finds a way back."
"They always do," Batman grumbled and turned to their wounded. Robin stood by his side. They'd bandaged up Alfred as soon as they'd reached safety. The butler remained unconscious but much of the bleeding had stopped. Shadow Cat had become responsive but after the beating she'd taken from Bizarro she was still going to need help and time to recover. Finally there was Karina.
The girl everyone had been after, that had nearly destroyed the world lay still as a corpse. The only movement that suggested she was alive was the hint of her chest moving up and down slowly. Her black hair, strewn on the sand, blew with the wind and her body held a pale, toothpaste white color.
"With the amount of trauma she sustained…" Xavier joined them. "I don't know that she'll recover. Her mind can't process the amount of pain she went through. She'll likely remain like this, in a vegetative state until her mind shuts down. "
"But you could fix her," Jubilee grabbed his shoulder. "You can wake her up."
"I could…" Xavier started then trailed off.
"But you're not sure if you should," Superman's voice came above as he came in for a landing in the midst of them. His costume was torn all over and his cape was little more than rags, but aside from that he looked fine. Only completely serious.
"There are powers," Superman approached Karina. "That don't think she should be alive."
"Metron," Xavier said.
"The Watcher," Superman said and the two exchanged looks for a moment.
"Wait…Metron?" Robin said. "The New God? He appeared to you professor?"
"He said that I would have to make a choice," Xavier said. "That I would have to let Karina's fate be fulfilled.
"I was told that she shouldn't exist. That she needed to die," Superman said.
"That is one way to interpret what Metron told me," Xavier said and scratched his chin. "Two godlike beings told us not to save this young girl. Why ever would they do that? More importantly should we listen?"
Xavier and Superman stared at one another for a moment. No telepathic exchange fired between them. Just a reading of another person's eyes. Superman moved his gaze to Karina and Xavier followed suit. The Man of Steel knelt on the ground and took the girls hand.
"We're not gods," he said to Xavier. "It's not for us to decide if she should die."
"But it is our duty to save her if we can," Xavier responded. "And that is what shall be done. We will bring her to the X-mansion and I will care for her there until she revives."
Superman nodded and stood up. His eyes roamed over the X-men , stopped for a moment on Magneto, then Spider-man, then moved onto Superboy, Batman and Robin. For the first time since he'd finished with Apocalypse he flashed a genuine smile. Superboy's smile was an exact duplicate. Robin grinned himself and Batman kept his mouth perfectly still, with only the faintest of twitches at the corners.
"We need to get some transports," Batman said. "We still don't know if the dirty bombs went off or not."
"The other heroes' got them, I can hear every news report. "They all worked together to stop the disaster." Superman peered at the X-men. "Which is what we should have been doing all along. I guess we'll have time to talk about while we wait for our rides."
A/N: Alright gang. There is one last chapter to go. One to wrap it all up. Catch ya'll then!
Reader Responses:
anonymousfog: There you go man. Sorry for the delay to get your fix.
SongoftheDarquePhoenix: I would love to see this as a comic book. Too bad DC and Marvel don't much care for fanfiction. Thanks for reading.
Naga: Thank you for reading!
Hephaestus01: Sorry for the torture. I know I made this maddeningly slow. And thank you for the compliments. I really tried to write the story I wanted to read when I started this.
mjolnir870: Thanks for reading! Yeah I'm not thrilled at the OMD stuff. But oh well, I guess that's what fanfiction is for!
kikineto: I appreciate the metaphorical hat tipping!
Coin Power: Where did I reference Caps death? If I did it was unintentional. Thanks for reading!
john doe: Thanks so much for reading!
Desiree: thanks for the critique and thanks for reading!
Louie Pastiche: I really like Magneto as a character, partially because he's such a hypocrite and also because there is a certain nobility about him. I'm glad you approved. Thanks for reading!
batfan7: Well after writing straightforward fights so much you have to think of ways to shake it up so I'm glad you approved. I'm also glad you're not getting bored with my fight scenes they're a struggle to write at times but apparently I do something right. And yes Spider-man's dream was a commentary on (then) recent storyline that has infected Spider-man comics. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
DariusFF: There you go! I'm glad you've been enjoying the fic.
SonoKokuouOtakuJin72491: Ugh! Don't get me started on TDK trailers! I want to see that movie so bad!! Thanks for reading though!
Travis Lock: You picked up on a few methods for taking down Apocalypse didn't you? That's cool. Thanks for reading!
trecebo: I always have and always will hear Kevin Conroy's Batman in my head when I write or read him. BTAS was my all time favorite as a kid and remains in my mind the most iconic of Batman representations. I also always hear Mark Hammil's Joker when I write or read him. Thanks for sticking it out and reading!
Michael Weyer: Thanks for reading! OMD is such a huge parody target isn't it?
King gunman: Thanks for pointing the mistake to me. It really would have messed things up if I hadn't fixed it. Thanks for reading!
RaptorChicky: Hey thanks for the concern about my Real life. Things are mostly worked out now. I'm glad you've enjoyed what you've read and sorry it took longer than two weeks to see the whole thing.
Blues32: Thanks for reading!
Rflame: Updated
Excel: Party on! Thanks for reading!
korovan: Glad you approved.
Gary: Thanks for the advice and thanks for reading!
Zantac the Barbarian: I probably owed you more than one preview with as long as it took. But thanks for reading!
Carycomic: I never much watched the Filmation stuff. I'm glad you agree about Conroy. Thanks for reading!
Optimusblack: Sure look like he's going to be walking doesn't it? It fits though given that he's currently walking in the comics. Thanks for reading!
TL: Thanks so much for the compliments and thanks for reading.
Angelhereal: I'm glad I've kept you riveted. Thanks for the review!
Gulanticus: Never seen Yugio so I can't argue with that. And Batman lost his fight with Apocalypse as he pointed out. Still thanks for the criticism! And thanks for reading!
JRP82190: Thanks for reading!
If there's anybody I missed I'm sorry. I had a lot of reviews to get through. Thank you all for reading!