"Ororo what was it? What was so important that you had to risk having Blink teleport you here." Quicksilver asks her, dreading the answer.
"Something worse than you could ever imagine, Peitro." Ororo moaned on the pallet in the infirmary, physically shaking from the sights still flashing before her eyes. "He has started the cullings again. This time led by Holocaust. They're in Chicago right now."
Of course Peitro and Ororo aren't exactly alone, they're never alone. "Yeah right 'Ro. Chicago's been a dead zone for years. Nobody could survive there!"
"Sunspot, I know what I saw. There were thousands still living in Chicago, after it was declared a dead zone." Storm answers, anxious to get an affirmative response from somebody, to get them out there to stop this. "It was horrible." She murmurs, curling into Pietro's arms. "So much blood."
"It's true." Magneto enters the room and everything becomes silent. "I just had Rogue rescan the continent. There are humans living in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, and Santa Fe. All the areas Apocalypse declared dead zones. It would appear he released this news before he had finished the cullings. Chicago is lost. Boston doesn't have enough for a full culling, so he'll probably save it for last."
"The next place he'll probly head," Rogue finishes, "is Santa Fe. There ah 6,000 humans there, that's double the amount in any ah the othah 'dead zones'. Ah suggest, Rik, that we leave foah Santa Fe immediately."
"I agree. Are there any objections?" Magneto asks. Experience has taught him that all good leaders make mistakes, and the input he has received from his followers is not just important, sometimes it is lifesaving.
"Erik wait!" Gambit says, as Magneto is about to give out his orders. "Now we talkin' 6,000 norms. How we gon' get dem outta dere? We can't put dem all in da Blackbird an' fly 'em back to da mansion! We gotta contact de HRF, let dem know what's goin' on first. Without da Sentnals dem norms good as dead anyway."
"He's right father." Quicksilver agrees. "We can't fight back all the infinite soldiers ourselves, that's suicide! You better contact Dr. Trask and tell him we need 300 Sentinels to meet us at the Gulf of Mexico."
"You're all nuts!" Sunspot says over all of them. "We don't have time to get that many Sentinels. Besides, even if we did, Apocalypse would beat them AND us to the humans. We all know that. It'll only take him three hours to empty Chicago, then another hour to get to Santa Fe."
"No Roberto. We need those Sentinels." Magneto again admits his mistake. "Rogue?"
"Already on it, Rik"
"Gambit, you and your team take the 1 bird. Peitro, your team is in 2. Remy, you're only flying cover for Peitro until the Sentinels arrive. Peitro, I don't want anybody on the ground until they come. Rogue, you're with Remy, I'm with Peitro. Do we have the Sentinels yet?" Erik asks over his shoulder as he heads to the docking bay.
"Yep, we got 'em. They're on their way right now. Should be at the Gulf in two an' a half."
"Then if Roberto's estimate is correct we have an hour and a half to manipulate, let's move everybody." As Magneto heads to the number 2 Blackbird jet, he wonders if this will actually work. Will they be able to save the humans from certain death, or will they place themselves in death's path? The question no longer phases him anymore. It is one that he asks himself at least once a day, "will today be the day I die?" So far that day hasn't come, and it will have to continue to be postponed until the day that Apocalypse himself breathes his last.
* * * * * * *
"B2 to B1. This is Magneto. ETA is 5 minutes. Remember you aren't to land until you're given the signal."
"Copy that B2. Talk ta ya'll in 5 minutes." Rogue once again is in charge, and she turns to her people, the people depending on her to survive. "You heard him people. None ah ya'll are gonna jump ship today, yah hear?"
"Yes Rogue." They all answer in unison like school children answering their teacher.
"Alrighty then. Remy bring us down tah 'bout 20,000 feet. Ah wanna be able tah see them Sentinels when they come."
All is quiet for the next four minutes. Then trouble comes, in the form of smart missiles. "Shit! Nobody tol' us they were armed! B1 tah B2, B1 tah B2. B2 do y'all copy?" Rogue yells into the radio, as the missiles get closer and closer to hitting their target. "Remy, pull up, they cain't reach us past 32,000!"
"This is B2, we copy B1." Pietro's voice cracks over the speakers. "So what the hell was that?"
"Erik dis is Gambit. Look, seems ta me dese here norms don' wanna be rescued. I tink we should bail fore dey take one o' us down."
"What about Bolivar? We can't leave because we can't contact him. He'll be in big trouble without us here." Magneto's voice responds.
"Look Erik, once he see dem missile launchers he gon' hightail it outta here, whether we here or not! Why risk our butts for somebody who won' do da same?" Gambit yells back, still struggling to get the Blackbird level.
"Because it's our job, Gambit, that's why!" Gambit knows deep down that Magneto is right, but since there's no way to take out his frustration right now he hands over the radio, and concentrates on keeping Blackbird 1 in a steady hover above the city.
"Rik its Rogue. Look ah've got an idea. Send Sydney down morphed as a human. We still got some norm disguises in heah, someplace. Then we can at least git some people on the ground. Besides, ah think its them darn superhumans that are causin' all that ruckus down there."
"All right Rogue." Erik responds. "Who's going down?"
"Well there's Sydney ah course. Ah think ah'll go down, an' ah'll take Gambit, Exodus, Dazzler, and Sabretooth with me."
"Hiya Roguey its Sid. Look, um, just remember, if I die, you're the one who volunteered me, all right? Oh yeah, and one more thing, if your taking Gambit, who'll fly onesie? I mean he is the only person that knows how."
"Dammit. You're right, ah forgot. Erik ah'm makin' two subs. Ah'm gonna take Sunfire an' Blink instead ah Gambit an' Dazzler." Rogue mutters.
"Okay are you ready?" She can hear Sabretooth asking Kylie in the background.
"Ready as we'll evah be." Rogue sighs under her breath. "Come on people, let's do it."
* * * * * * *
"Okay everybody this way towards the river. Don't panic! Everything's under control. I hope." Morph yells as he tries to herd the stampeding humans away from Apocalypse's scanners. "So, um Rogue, I'm wondering how yah didn't find out about the Big A's new and improved scanner."
"Morph zip it! Y'all got work ta do, so do it!" How did she miss it? How did he keep it a secret? After all, she had talked to Warren not even a week ago. Was he holding out on her? Did he even know? Next time she saw him, boy would she let him have it. "Shiro turn the flame down, youah gonna roast these humans 'fore we can git 'em outta here."
"Yeah Shiro," Morph retorts, "Turn it down a notch, you know don't fry the humans we're trying to protect."
"Look Morph, you an' Exo got this undah control. Ah'll take care ah Sunfire, then ah'll look foah Victor an' Blink. They seem tah have disappeared." Rogue shouts to him through the herd of stampeding humans before she flies up to Shiro's level.
"All right fearless leader lady, whatever you say. Paris, lead them this way, you're sending them off into Utah!"
* * * * * * *
Shiro has seen this before. He has seen thousands of humans decimated within minutes by Apocalypse's son Holocaust, back when he was still called Nemesis. He remembers the cullings in Tokyo. He watched while his family and friends were slaughtered in front of him. He remembers being thrown into a pool of blood. He remembers the blood filling his lungs, and he can still taste it. He remembers the smell of the rotting carcasses, and the pile of human bodies. Why, he wonders, was he the only person in his country that was spared. Now he knows it was so that he could save other people from the same fate. He is the only person alive that has ever actually experienced a culling, and he knows exactly how these humans feel. Lost, helpless, animals running scared from the footsteps of those as powerful as gods. He blesses himself, and in his mind asks the ancestors to protect him, and watch over all the innocents running below him.
"Die Holocaust! I will kill you yet!" He screams, as he destroys scanner after scanner, trying to destroy the hundreds of scanners that fly over the city.
"Ya ain't gonna kill 'im this way darlin'. All youah gonna do is hurt somma them humans down there." Rogue yells to him, as she flies out towards him.
"You do not understand, Rogue, you will never understand! You do not know the pain Holocaust has caused me." She could never know, nor could she ever understand, it was his to deal with, and he couldn't be bothered to try and explain it to her.
"Ah don't want ta hurt yah Shiro, but ah gotta git yah undah control." She slips towards him silently in the air. Slowly Rogue removes one of her gloves and touches Sunfire with her naked hand. Ever since Rogue was a child she has been blessed and cursed with the ability to absorb the essence and powers of whoever she touches. Unfortunately, it was an ability that was beyond her control, and without the help of Magneto, it would have driven her mad and destroyed her life. Absorbing all the people she had made Rogue lose who she was, she couldn't tell the difference between herself and everybody else in her head. With a slight touch Rogue absorbs Sunfire's powers into herself. She also absorbs his memories and his emotions. This is usually slightly overpowering for both people involved, but Shiro's emotions are so strong that she loses all control, causing both of them to hurtle toward the ground.
"Great! She calmed him down too much. Yo Sid, incoming!" Exodus yells, as he sees them both falling.
"Don't worry about it, I got leader lady, you get fire head." Morph yells as he dashes in an all out sprint towards the falling woman. "Oky doky, now that you're not falling on anyone Rogue, you can go find Sabretooth."
"Morph, shut up! Paris, go up tah the Blackbird an' tell Magnus weah gonna need some moah people down here." Rogue says, as she walks over to Sunfire.
"You had no right, Rogue," Sunfire yells at her. "You had no right. That was my pain to bear alone. You shouldn't know. It is my shame, not yours."
"Ah only wish ah knew sooner, Shiro, so that ah coulda convinced yah that it wasn't youah fault." She briefly brushes a sympathetic, gloved hand across his singed cheek, before donning her stone cold battle visage again. "Look ah gotta go find Victor an' Clarice, somehow they've disappeared. We can talk 'bout allah this latah, Sunfire." So Rogue flies off in search of her operatives, and leaves Morph and Shiro alone.
"So what d'ja do that was so bad, huh?"
"That, Morph, is none of your business."
"Okay, geez, I just wanted to know what wasn't your fault. But I'll just mind my own business, and move these people toward higher ground."
* * * * * * *
"Looks like they're doin' a good job, don't it Clarice?" Sabretooth asks, as he looks down at the progression of the evac. "Yah know, from up here this city looks almost beautiful, except for the fires and the crumbling buildings and stuff."
"I guess so, Mister Creed. Look, I know why you brought me up here. All I need is to hear you say it." Clarice mumbles in reply.
"All right, I'll say it then darlin'. I need yah ta teleport me to Holocaust." The words echo hollowly in expectant ears.
"I knew that's what you wanted." She can feel the tears rolling down her cheeks as she thinks about what he is asking her to do. "Why? You know you don't stand a chance against him. You know that you'll be killed."
"Look darlin', I ain't tryin' to kill him, and then come waltzin' back. I just wanna give you some time to get these humans outta here. What's one life compared to six thousand, Clarice?" Victor asks, placing a protective hand on her shoulder.
Blink stops stubbing her toe in the dusty ground for a second to look up into the eyes of a man who is willing to sacrifice himself for people who'd gladly see him dead. "You know what, Mister Creed? This may sound funny, but every night before I go to bed, I pray to God. Sometimes it's just to tell him I'm angry or upset. Sometimes it's to tell him I'm happy when an evac goes well. But every night, no matter what, I say thank you. Thank you for putting Victor Creed on this earth, because you're the person who rescued me years ago from that fire." She realizes it was a mistake after she says it and immediately drops her eyes back down to the ground. "That's how important one in six thousand is to me. I guess it's a little silly, huh?"
Smiling, Creed takes her chin in his hand and lifts it until he can look her in the eyes. "No Clarice, it doesn't sound silly. Now, Blink, I need you to help me get Holocaust. I have my sins to pay for, besides what makes Holocaust think that he can take my place? You gotta help Blink, even if it means I gotta die."
"Not so fast, Creed." Rogue comes up behind them. "Ain't nobody throwin' their life away on my watch!" Then Rogue feels time stand still around her, and she knows there isn't anything that she can do.
"What d'ja do?" Victor stares in shock at Rogue's limp form lying sprawled on the ground.
"Nothing, Mister Creed. I just displaced her for a fraction of a second. She'll be fine in a minute, but you'll be long gone by then."
"Thank you Clarice. You don't know how much this means to me." He says this as he walks through Blink's portal.
"Yes I do, Mister Creed," she says once he is gone, "and you can thank me by coming home."
* * * * * * *
"Yes Paris, what is it?" Magneto asks him over the radio.
"Rogue sent me for backups. We have a real mess down there. Apocalypse has new scanners that we didn't know about, and they're really getting the norms scared."
"Okay, who does Rogue want me to send?" Magneto asks while eyeing the occupants of his aircraft.
"Well, Magnus, she wants Lo. . ." Exodus is cut off by an explosion that almost knocks them out of the sky.
"Never mind the backups. Gambit, we have to get out of here now, they've found us." Magneto yells into the radio.
"You're nuts, Erik!" Gambit yells back. "I ain't leavin' till Rogue finished"
"Gambit now!"
Just then another explosion misses the Blackbird by a couple of inches, and Remy realizes he has no choice but to leave Rogue behind. "Fine Magnus, we're leavin'."
* * * * * * *
"How could you Clarice? You went against my orders, and sent Victor off to his death! I should send you back home for what you did. And where the hell is Exodus?" The plan isn't going exactly as she had planned, and Rogue is plenty pissed about it.
"Paris won't be coming back Rogue," Sunfire says, as he flies back down toward them. "They have left us."
The shock and betrayal she feels are unbelievable. They just left them all alone, without even warning them. Will they ever come back? Why would Remy leave her? He'd come back for them, she is sure of that, but when? Right now she had to worry about getting the rest of the humans out before the infinites got there. "Well then, it looks like we're on our own people. Let's git these humans outta here while we're still breathin', and we'll worry 'bout gettin' home latah." She walks away from them, and starts herding the humans back toward the river.
"Um Rogue, you okay?" Morph asks from behind her as he follows her back out into the city.
"Ah'm fine Sydney, now get back tah work."
"But I thought that maybe you'd... "
"Now Sydney!"
"Yes Rogue."
* * * * * * *
"I can't believe you Magneto!" Gambit screams "You made me leave her behind, she got left behind!"
"Gambit, calm down, we'll find her, I promise you. Everything will be all right." Magneto tries in vain to calm down the ravaged Cajun, before his office is completely destroyed by his rage.
"How you know eveyting gon' be all right? How you know, Magnus, dat she still alive? How you know dat I not gon' have ta leave dis room, an go splain ta my two kids why dey ain't gon' see dere Momma ever again? Huh Rik," Gambit shouts as he hurtles another glass across the room to shatter on the opposite wall, "how you know dat?"
If he had any idea how much that stung. Rogue had always called him Rik; it was what she had called him since the day she had been delivered into his hands. "Magneto, this is my daughter Rogue, I know that you are far more capable of training her in her special abilities than I ever will be. Rogue, this is your new home, this man will teach you how to fight Apocalypse, and he will protect you from him as well. This is Magneto, Erik Lensherr to be exact." Mystique had made the introductions, quite formally, and then had disappeared. Just left her daughter behind, and had not even told her son that she had visited.
"Well Rogue, I guess you will be staying with us for quite some time." If he had any idea how long she'd be staying. This had all happened thirteen years ago. Rogue was still just a fourteen-year-old child, waiting to be taught, but at the same time dreading everything that living with the X-Men meant.
"If'n ya say so Rik, sure do hope ah like it here, cuz if'n ah don't there ain't no way ya'll gonna make me stay." That was the first thing Rogue ever said to him, and at that very moment Erik Lensherr fell in love. In love with a fourteen-year-old student who would become so much more. Since that moment his love for her has grown, until it is all he can do to hide the jealousy in his heart when he sees Rogue and Remy together. Yet still it grows and grows, but he can never tell her, for what they have now is more important than any love could ever be. They have a partnership, the leadership of all the disciples, all the X-Men. If they lost that, they would lose the team, and so one man's love must be sacrificed for the good of the world.
"Gambit, Remy, I promise you we will find her, whatever it takes, we'll return for them all as soon as..." Magneto gets cut short as Exodus runs into the room screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Magneto, Gambit, we found them! We found Rogue and the others, they're okay, but we found them!" Nobody can seem to completely understand exactly what he's saying, until they see the screen, and Rogue. They looked frazzled, completely out of their minds, but they were all right, and at the moment, that was all that mattered.
* * * * * *
Victor had been freely roaming for about 30 minutes now, something wasn't right. There was no way that Holocaust had gotten that sloppy. Somebody knew he was there, and somebody didn't want him to know that. He couldn't smell anything, or hear anything, or see anything either. Something was definitely wrong, he just couldn't put his finger on it. Fortunately, right then somebody did that for him, well actually put his whole arm around it.
"So, Victor Creed, what brings you skulking back?" Holocaust was big. In his earlier life he had been just a nobody, a normal mutant. He had looked practically human in fact. Now he looked nothing of the sort, he was a skeleton in a bionic suit, literally a shell of the person he once was. Not exactly what Sabretooth expected. "Have you finally decided to come back to Apocalypse, or are you just spying for your little X-brats?"
Sabretooth had once worked for Apocalypse; he had once been the fourth horseman. However, being a horseman can become boring, and slaughtering humans lost the interest it once held. Truthfully that's the only reason Sabretooth thought he had left. "Hey, A' I'm leavin, and don't expect me back any time soon."
"You're leaving me? But Sabretooth, you're so well off here, where will you go?" His response had, at least, been more caring than Victor had expected, but less caring at the same time.
"I donno, I thought maybe them X-people could use me. Seems like they could use somebody who knows what's goin' on. Sides, killin' humans just ain't what it used to be." Victor had shrugged.
"Oh well, you'll be missed. Finding a replacement for you will be tough, but I think I'll manage. I suppose I'll be seeing you again sometime. Good-bye Creed, it's been a great partnership." With that Creed had been free to go. He could've stayed, gone with the X-Men, even gone to Avalon, and it wouldn't have mattered. Nobody would've said a word, because he was Sabretooth, and nobody got in Sabretooth's way. That was then, this is now. After he had left, Apocalypse had adopted this Holocaust brat, given him Creed's old position and free reign of the country.
"Nothing of the sort Holocaust, just thought I'd come back for a visit. I wanted to make sure you weren't filling my position, and by the looks of it you aren't." Surprisingly enough, Holocaust hadn't made a move yet. That made Victor even more suspicious, the normal Holocaust would've been on him in an instant. Of course, the normal Holocaust would've had skin too.
"Very cute Creed. Oh, and who's your pet?" Sabretooth's "pet", Wildchild. He was too human to be an animal, and too animal to be a human. So Sabretooth had taken him in after he left. Most of the time Kylie was asleep, but the chain around his neck could wake him up any time, and now was one of those times. With a yank and a yelp he was up, alert, and foaming at the mouth.
"Kylie, this is Holocaust. Loser, this is my friend, Wildchild. Now, that we got all the formalities out of the way, mind telling me where I am before you kill me?" Victor had a plan, it wasn't a very good one, but it was a plan. All he needed was a little info from Holocaust to make it work.
"Why of course, Creed. Welcome to my Infinite Processing Plant. Here, with the aid of my own artificial river, we are able to produce ten times the amount of soldiers we once were. In fact, this plant provides all the infinites that make up Apocalypse's army. The irony of it is, it's located right here in the heart of New Mexico. Of course, most people don't realize that." There it was, in a nutshell, all the info Creed needed, and then some.
"So, let me get this straight. This here plant is where the Big Guy gets alla his home grown soldiers?" Sabretooth laughed in disbelief.
"You got it. Too bad you won't be alive to share that information with all of your friends." Holocaust finished with a snarl.
"You got all of that, Kylie?" The answer was a form of grunt that only Sabretooth would understand. "All right, go find Rogue." With that Creed broke the chain, and hoped that Wildchild would find Rogue before the Infinites did.
* * * * * * *
There were Infinites behind him; Wildchild could hear them coming. He knew he couldn't run much farther, eventually they would catch up to him. If only he could find Rogue before they could. Then his prayers were answered, but not in the way he expected.
"Why Wildchild, you dirty, rotten animal you! How did we ever let you escape? Soldiers, how did he get loose?" It was Holocaust, definitely none other than the horseman himself.
"Sir, you saw Creed set him loose. How did you get here so quickly?" The stunned soldiers screeched to a halt, saluting their overlord nervously.
"Oh, never mind that now. How dare you question me! Now what should we do with our little friend here?" Holocaust snarled as he picked Wildchild up by what was left of his chain.
The Infinites looked confused, something was wrong. "We don't know, sir. It's your decision."
"Hey, I have an idea! Let's put on a play!" This was definitely a different Holocaust than before, more of a brainwashed version. "Yes a play, I have the costumes. You two can be the wacky neighbors, and I get to be the lead, but that goes without saying." At that the Infinites felt the heat of the sun behind their back, and knew they'd been duped.
"Turn around soldiers, and prepare to face me." Sunfire let loose all the fire and heat that he had been holding back since he first entered the city, and laughed as he watched their charred remains get blown away by the wind.
"Oh Shiro!" The half Morph half Holocaust person yelled. "You always ruin my fun."
"Fun Morph? Millions of people are being slaughtered, and still, all you ever think about is fun. I will never understand you, as long as I live."
"Hey, to every gray cloud there must be a silver lining. So Rogue, what do we do with Kylie here?" Morph asked as he shrunk back to his normal size.
Rogue had no idea, Wildchild's way of communication was totally unintelligible to anybody but Creed. Unfortunately, Creed was rather busy at the moment.
* * * * * * *
"So Sid, can yah see it yet?" Flying along on Morph's back wasn't the best idea they'd ever come up with, but it was a pretty good one. It was also the only way to get all of them to the Infinite plant that lay just beyond the city limits.
"Yup, I can see it! Holy Mary, mother of God! They built a river! I didn't know you could do that." Of course being a shape shifter had its advantages, including a pair of binoculars whenever you needed them.
"Any sign of Mr. Creed, Morph?"
"No Clarice, he's probably inside the building. You know I may be awesome, but I can't see through walls! Jeez, you start flying and all of a sudden people start thinking you're Superman!"
Rogue had taken all the grief she could from them, and was about to shove all of them through a wall at a moments notice. First Creed goes running off to fight Holocaust, which basically translates into "Creed has committed suicide." Then Magneto and Gambit abandoning them in Santa Fe, New Mexico, not the most wonderful vacation spot at the time. Not to mention Sunfire's brief encounter with insanity, and Morph's never ending relationship with it. It was amazing she hadn't killed them all yet, of course there was always time for that later. First they had a building to destroy, and an X-Man to hopefully save. "All right Morph, land youahself please, we have tah talk strategy. Now Morph, yah mentioned a river?"
"Yup, them damn Apocalypse type people built a river! I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself."
"Okay then, here's the deal..." and with that Rogue begins pulling a plan off the top of her head. They all listen intently and memorize exactly what they have to do. She wonders if it is openly apparent to them that there are some major problems with it, but none of them are disagreeing. She just hopes that nobody will end up dead, well except for possibly Morph.
* * * * * * *
The blow to his skull had been brutal. He didn't know what the suit was made out of, but it hurt. "What are you tryin' to do Holocaust? Tryin' to knock some sense into me? You know that won't work."
"Oh no my dear friend, just trying to give your friends a chance to save you before you die." It was apparent to both of them who was going to win. Sabretooth never had a chance really, Holocaust had always been the stronger, but that didn't mean Victor wasn't going to fight back.
He heard the growl before he realized that it was coming from him, and he smiled as he realized that, for the first time in five years, he was letting it all loose. He became the savage tiger that he was named for; he fought for every inch given him, but to no avail. Darkness, and the one incessant voice that would never go away. "I'm sorry Creed, but you see, there can only be one victor, or should I say winner?" With that, a scream was heard through the night, as one man died, crying tears of blood.
* * * * * * *
"What's that, Lassie? Timmy fell down a well?"
"Morph, would you shut up!" Any human language Rogue could understand, but a series of barks and yelps only meant one thing, aggravation. They'd been trying for twenty minutes and it seemed that Kylie was as irritated as they were. So there was only one thing to do. With a quick lick on the cheek Rogue saw all she needed to see, and knew all she needed to know. "Ah know where Victor is. Or at least where he was twenty minutes ago. Morph, Clarice, I'm gonna need you on this one."
"Well, I'm all set to go." Morph answered, brushing himself off. "But, I think we're missing somebody."
* * * * * * *
"Where is Mister Creed?" The inside of the plant was a wreck. Chemicals, pipes, all were bent, cut, spilled, and completely useless. Not three minutes ago, this plant had been fully operational, just goes to show what happens when you make certain people angry.
"My dear child, who might you be?"
"I'm Blink, Holocaust, and I'm the person who's going to kill you." She replied, crouched in a battle ready stance facing off the most deadly opponent in the game. Never in her life had Clarice thought this would be her. She had always been the rich girl on the block, gone to all the private schools, had the most popular friends. When Apocalypse took over the money disappeared, the schools were deserted, and the friends were killed. Clarice was left alone, saved by one person, Victor Creed. That was when the mutant part of her took over, and she became Blink. Even after that, she never imagined that some day she would have to face one of Apocalypse's most powerful horsemen alone.
"I think, my dear, you misunderstood the question. You see, Clarice, I know who you are. I was asking, who do you think you are destroying my plant all alone?" Holocaust himself couldn't help but be impressed. A girl of only 17 had, in just a couple of minutes, destroyed what it had taken him almost a year to build. But he knew how to get to her, just like everybody else, and that "all alone" statement had been picked for a reason. "By the way my dear, Creed would've liked you to have this."
The shiny object is thrown to the floor, and clinks against it as it lands. Blink cautiously leans over to see what it is, and almost falls. Creed had been a part of a special program in Canada for some time. This program was considered to be a government project, so military procedures were followed, which included dog tags. Those dog tags now lay on the floor in front of her, and confirmed her deepest fear; Sabretooth wouldn't be coming back. She felt like dying herself. She felt like sitting on the floor and crying until there were no tears left. Most of all, Blink wanted to destroy Holocaust where he stood. Right then it seemed to be the best option. Chink by chink pieces of bionic suit started to disappear. But Holocaust was still his sharp old self, and this was nothing to him.
"I'm sorry my dear," he said as he picked her up by the waist and started to squeeze, until she felt like her ribs were being crushed. "You see, I can only take you teleporting away so much of my suit before the effects become dangerous. It is a shame, Clarice, you would've fit in so well with us." She manages to let a squeak escape from her in response, but that is all, that is all she needed.
"I'm sorry Holocaust, but I'm not just gonna stand here and watch you kill my friends. Don't you realize we X-people always travel in herds?" It was Morph. Of all the people Blink expected to see at that moment, he was at the bottom of the list.
"Well then Sydney, why don't we play a game of catch." Holocaust hurls Blink across the room, hoping that all the squeezing would have disorientated her. However, it made everything so much clearer and sharper. Within a split second Blink transported herself behind Holocaust, and used her momentum to send him flying into a tank of chemicals.
"Morph!" Unfortunately, she herself also heads that way. Saved, by a wall called Sydney, from the vat and the splash, she sits and collects herself, until the roar comes.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Do you really think you can destroy me!" Holocaust had lived, and he was not happy about the bath.
"Wow! The tin man survived. Hey everybody, let's give the guy a hand." With that Morph slammed Holocaust into the floor and suddenly Morph wasn't Morph anymore. Morph was Rogue, and Blink was confused.
"Rogue." A breathless Holocaust stammered. "Why didn't you let me know you were coming, I would've dressed up for the occasion."
"Cuz, it's called a surprise attack, Holocaust. I thought you were sposed to be the smart one!" Suddenly, the true Morph stood in the rather large gap in the wall, with Shiro not far behind.
"That's right Holocaust, an all ah wanted was ta git close enough ta do this!" With one blow Rogue shatters the entire right arm of Holocausts suit, leaving him more vulnerable than he's ever been in his life. "Ah told yah once already, ah'm not gonna jist stand here, an' watch you kill allah mah people."
"Well then, Rogue, I suggest you stand over there." It would've been powerful enough to break a normal person in two. As it was it sent Rogue flying head first into a wall. This had happened before, and later they had laughed about Rogue's concrete head. This time was different, this time Rogue wasn't getting up.
"Blink, Shiro, take care of him, I gotta go check on Rogue." Unlike all the other men on the team, Morph wasn't in love with her; he never had been and never would be. He just admired her; she was everything that he dreamed of becoming. She was strong, fearless, smart, and respected. She was his idol, and now she was lying motionless on the floor, and Morph would do anything to get his idol back up on her pedestal. After all, what good is a fallen angel with broken wings? "Rogue," he whispers, as he tries to shake her awake, "Come on Rogue, get up. We've already lost one today; we don't need to make it two. Rogue, please get up." No response, so he tries a different tactic. "Momma? Momma up! S'okay Momma, up. Peez, for Dada, an Juju, an me?" A stir followed by a groan, then a twitch, and then she was awake and alert.
"Charles?"
"No Rogue." Morph couldn't help but let a little smile cross his face. "It's me, Charles is back home safe. It's only me."
"Thank you, Morph. Now let's get back to business."
During Rogue's brief blackout things had not been going well. Blink was tiring fast, and Shiro was using up flame faster than he could gain it back. At this rate the two of them wouldn't survive two more minutes. Fortunately, at that very second, a wall of ice six feet thick was between them and Holocaust, and a familiar face was standing in the improvised doorway. "Come on everybody" Bobby Drake screamed "it'll only take him a minute to break through that, Kurt's got a portal ready. Where's Creed?"
"We'll explain later." Rogue yells back, as they run for their lives. However, in the commotion of the escape the X-Men failed to notice a stranger run through the portal behind them. At the moment all that mattered was that they were home, they were safe, and most of them had survived, most.