"Ruling the world," Apocalypse smirked, standing high, atop of a mountain as his mutant troops surrounded him. "This is my destiny…my way…and we will crush anyone who stands in my way!" he thundered, holding up his massive hand in a fist as his army cheered.

"Does this guy ever shut up?" Logan muttered, watching the display.

"Remy don't tink so," Gambit said. "He far more annoyin' than Magneto."

Logan chuckled as Erik glared at the young Cajun. "I am standing right here," he sneered.

Gambit glanced at him. "Remy don't see your point."

Logan's eyes narrowed as he saw a small light, easy to miss, flash across the wood line. "Cyke's ready," he said, looking back at his team. "Let's go."

"Logan," Kitty said, her head titled back, looking up and pointing with her left hand. "What's that?"

Logan and the others looked up as they saw what appeared to be a meter shower raining down upon them. "Looks like a meter shower," Bobby commented. "Fitting for the end of the world," he muttered dryly.

Logan took a few steps forward, relying on his enhanced vision, only to shake his head. "That's not a meter shower," he whispered. The closer it got, the more he worried. "Take cover," he demanded.

As he moved everyone into another area of he woods, Kitty glared at him. "Logan!" she cried out. "We're in the woods and those are…fireballs or something," she guessed. "How exactly can we take cover from that?"

"By movin'!" he snapped.

Apocalypse glanced up at the night sky as he began to get a weird feeling throughout his body. He knew his enemies were out there watching him, planning a perfect attack, but whatever was falling from the sky he did not expect. He stared, unable to move, as Trask came up to him with the Jean copy behind him. "My Lord!" he cried out, trying to break through to Apocalypse.

But the former didn't pay attention as he watched. "This is interesting," he said in a daze.

The Jean copy walked up, looking up at the sky, and searching as whatever was falling reached miles to impact. "It's my sister," she said indifferent. "Many of them," she added as Apocalypse and Trask looked at her and then exchanged looks.

Emma kicked out the door as they rushed out of their hiding spot. As they did so, Emma stopped in her tracks as Forge was the last one to exit, and looked up at the sky in admiration. "What is that?" she asked, not sure if she wanted the answer.

Charles stared up at the sky as well. The dark night was hidden from the stars as the overcast clouds began to disappear and nothing but a red mist began to cover the sky as fireballs fell from the Gods. "Dear Lord," Charles muttered.

"This is bad," Jubilee asked quietly, looking at the others, "right?"

"Well, it certainly isn't good," Emma muttered, looking back up.

"I don't think we should leave the hideout," Forge told them.

Moira nodded. "I agree," she added, as the fireballs advanced, breaking through the atmosphere.

"We need to decide," Emma said, beginning to panic, "because I don't think those things have any brakes!"

No sooner than the words left her mouth, the fireballs found impact within earth's surface, causing the X-Men to cry out and fall from the blow of the impact, feeling the heat scorch their bodies.

"Come on!" Logan shouted as he and his team ran down the mountain side, back into the city, as the fireballs rained upon them. Logan, looking up, saw them getting closer. "Watch out!" he called out as Rogue and Bobby, leading up front, stopped in their tracks as one of the fireballs impacted in front of them, knocking them off of their feet.

"What the hell?" Kitty cursed as she stumbled to her feet, helping Rogue up as Remy grabbed Bobby.

Logan rushed to the front and stopped inches from the giant size crater that the fireball left. Around the crater, small fires burned, as the dirt melted around them, making the grass and mud nothing more than quicksand. "What in the world…?" Logan muttered, at a loss of words, as he stared at the crater.

Upon seeing the fireballs, Scott and his team ran down the mountain side, just like he and Logan had agreed if things didn't go according to plan. As he led his team of Ororo, Hank and Peter down to the city, he looked up at the sky and saw a fireball heading towards them. He skidded to stop and grabbed Ororo, who was behind him, and threw her to the right as he shouted, "Get down!" jumping over Ororo to protect her. Peter and Hank hit the ground as well as the fireball crashed into earth's land, shaking the land, and blasting heat onto the X-Men as they groaned from the contact.

"Apocalypse knows we're here," Hank told Scott, who looked up at him through his red visor.

Peter shook his head and glanced to the direction that the fireball impacted. "I don't think Apocalypse is responsible for this," he said, causing the others to look at him in confusion.

Apocalypse watched as the many of the fireballs tore his army into pieces, burning them alive, and separating the platoons from each other. He watched in fury as nearly a hundred were easily taken out with no effort. "X-Men," he muttered in fury.

The Jean copy shook her head. "They're not doing it," she said, causing Apocalypse to glare at her.

"Then who is?" he boomed, blinded by anger.

Before she could answer, more fireballs rained down upon them, but Apocalypse growled and raised his hand, creating a force field, and deflecting the fireball, causing it to disappear in thin air as a deadly scream filled their ears.

Logan approached the crater closer as Rogue grabbed his arm, making him face her. "What're you doing?" she demanded, her eyes wide full of anger and fear.

"I'm gonna go and take a look," Logan answered.

"Remy don't think that a good idea," Gambit said as Erik walked past him.

"The Cajun is right," the older man replied. "We don't know where they came from. Apocalypse could very well be responsible for this attack."

"It's not Apocalypse," a new voice said. As Logan and the others turned around, they saw Scott and the other remaining X-Men jog up to them.

"How do you know?" Bobby asked Scott.

"Because these fireballs destroyed a quarter of his army," Ororo answered.

Hank saw Logan at the edge of the crater. "What are you planning to do, my boy?"

"Check it out," Logan answered simply, inching closer.

"Logan," Ororo said, stepped forward quickly, halting him by the tone in her voice. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Logan raised his brow. "Why not?"

Kitty pointed over his shoulder. "That's why," she said, with a raising fear in her voice as Logan turned around, extending his metal claws at as he backed up, and standing in front of the X-Men as they took up a defensive formation. They watched as a dark and shadowy figure stepped out of the crater with a gracious aurora about her. Long hair fell over her shoulders and breast as she walked out, approaching the X-Men slowly, a white glow illumining her body.

"Jean?" Logan muttered in disbelief.

TO BE CONTINUED ….