Genocide slowly begins to return back to consciousness. As his eyes open he sees that he has been captured and locked within a holding cell. He begins to look around his surroundings and finds a gathering of several mutants sitting outside his cell, awaiting his awaking. In front of him sit Sam, Domino, Xavier, Cyclops, and Phoenix. They talk amongst themselves, not realizing their prisoner has awoken.
"I'm glad you contacted us Sam, you're the first to receive word from Apocalypse. We've been waiting for something like this. How is your team holding up?" Cyclops asked the young leader.
"Dani's dead. Magma's catatonic. It looks like Nate's brain is bleeding. Richter's in critical condition, I don't know if he's even goin' to make it past tonight. Tabitha and James wanna kill somebody, we're great. If we can survive the day."
Genocide stands and walks towards the cell door. He looks at and questions Sam, "The boy still lives?"
"What…?"
"He's awake people," Cyclops says as he jumps to his feet powering his optic blast in the process as years of training have made the action an automatic response to surprise.
"Easy, Scott," Xavier orders his first student, waving him to back down. "I didn't sense him waking. He possesses tremendous psychic powers and training," and then to Genocide the Professor asks, "Why have you attacked? Why did Apocalypse send you?"
"I have been sent here to warn you, to show you the true power of Apocalypse, and nothing more. The psy and the girl attacked me and I simply defended myself. I never meant to harm any of you," Genocide says as he begins to sit on the floor. He crosses his legs and looks directly at the gathering of mutants.
"You didn't wanna harm us?!! You attacked us!!!" Domino yelled.
"I disposed of the boy because my father deemed him the weakest of you. If he survives he will have proven he is one worthy to face my father. The woman was chosen for more personal reasons."
Sam questions, "Ya'll mean her time spent in the MLF, right? Her working with Cable's clone, Stryfe."
"Yes."
"What is all this 'father' talk? I thought Holocaust was Apocalypse's son," Jean asked.
"My father has lived since before the pyramids were built. He has fathered hundreds of children over the years, the strongest of which have become the Apostles of Apocalypse, the riders of the storm. Holocaust is just the last of my father's children and in time may prove himself worthy enough to join our ranks."
Cyclops, showing unusual signs of anger, despite his training, he needs answers to the fate of his son. "How was Apocalypse able to defeat Cable and where is body if he is defeated?"
"His body is Apocalypse. Dayspring, the one you call Cable, has been living a lie. His entire life has been for nothing. His mission was planned across centuries to fulfill only one goal..."
"What are you talking about? We know of Nathan's mission, to kill Apocalypse and prevent his future from coming about."
"What you know of Dayspring is what my father wanted all of you to believe. Dayspring was created by Apocalypse's servant, Mister Sinister, under the pretense of eventually killing him. As an infant, Apocalypse infected Dayspring with the TO virus, which Apocalypse created and you all believed it was to kill him before his mutant powers could manifest. Your only hope came in the Askani who took Dayspring to the future. A future where Apocalypse ruled the world. Dayspring grew to maturity, learning great power and how to stop the TO virus from spreading. He lead a rebel army against Apocalypse and lost. With his dying wife in his arms he decided to travel to this time and defeat Apocalypse here. He fought Apocalypse several times here without a definitive winner. Then after the battle of the Twelve, my father believed the time was right to rise to his final form. He fought Dayspring and used the TO virus for it's true purpose, to allow Apocalypse to transfer his essence into Dayspring's body with out any resistance from his mutant abilities. Daysprings mind was destroyed in the process and Apocalypse now has possession of the most powerful telepathic mind on this planet. He is more powerful than even he dreamed of being."
The gathered mutants are stunned. The revelations Genocide has brought to light has left them all speechless. Cyclops quickly got to his feet and walked over to a corner in the room and quietly sobbed to himself. Jean joined him and tried to calm her husband. Entering his mind through the psychic rapport, she witnesses flashes of the time she and Scott spent in the future raising Cable on their honeymoon. She sees the moment when Scott had given his infant son to the Askani to save his life. She sees the life of the son through the eyes of the father.
She sees Scott hopes of what he wished his son would one day accomplish. She sees the fears that Scott once thought would be able to harm his son. She sees every sacrifice and act of heroism Scott has done to save his son. Then she sees the horror in Scott's mind because he knows now it was all a lie. He was used from the beginning. She sees Madelyne and Sinister. She sees Scott lose the last pieces of hope he had for saving his child once more. She begins to cry.
"How… How is that possible? I mean, Sinister hates Apocalypse. He's tried to kill him dozen of times. How would Apocalypse even know what Cable would do, or the Askani… or Scott?"
"Sinister is my father's most loyal servant. All that has transpired between the two was simply to keep up appearances, to make everyone believe. Dayspring's desire to travel in the past, even his means of time travel were provided by my father. The TO virus contained certain influences that slightly guided Dayspring. His life has been manipulated since he was infected with the virus. The Askani were simply trying to survive in a future where survival was all there was. They needed a messiah and ancient writings, unknowingly written by Apocalypse, told the Mother Askani where and when to find her messiah. As for Scott? What father would not save their child if given the chance."
Xavier senses what is happening in Scott's mind and begins to question Genocide again. "Why would Apocalypse sacrifice you? Why would he send you here just to warn us?"
"My father has not sacrificed me. This is my role. I was born three years before Christ. At an early age I proved to my father I possessed his will to survive. I was cold and ruthless. After years of trying I finally earned my father's approval and he bestowed upon me his gift of immortality. I was put to slumber where I grew and became stronger.
I was awoken again when the Americas were discovered. My father sat and told me of his adventures. I learned of his servants and his gains in power. He told me of the emergence of others like us, those with power. He told me that there would come an age of heroes. He expressed his hopes of meeting those who would finally give him a challenge and his fears of those that would defeat him. I learned of his travels through time and finally about his grand plan.
He knew even then what must be done and began to set them in motion. I returned to my slumber and transported to this land. Sinister began mapping the potential of all those with extraordinary powers. I was awoken again, by Sinister following the battle of the Twelve and awaited for my father to gain his final transformation."
Domino sees that Scott and Jean were having trouble dealing with everything that Genocide has told them and in time she knows she will have to deal with them herself. She asked, "Ok, that's great, but why are you here? What's this warning you keep goin on about and why does Apocalypse wanna even warn us to begin with?"
Genocide, who has shown no sign of trying to escape, quickly rose to his feet, putting all the mutants on alert. Then he began, "I warn you so you can be prepared and gather your armies. I warn you so your struggle will be worthy of Apocalypse's notice. I am Genocide, first rider of the storm. The war will soon begin. First there shall come the riders of the storm. Genocide, Nightmare, Armageddon, and finally Judgment. Then the Horsemen shall ride the earth into Famine, Destruction, War, and Death. Then comes Apocalypse."
After finishing, Genocide closes his eyes and then disappears. The gathered mutants run to the cell. Inside, where Genocide just stood, laid Cable's psimiter. Broken to pieces.
To be continued…