Chapter One

If the future was as bright as the sun that greeted me that morning, then our prospects were very favourable indeed. Getting out of bed, I threw open the window and breathed in deeply, enjoying the smell of the fresh sea air, letting the sun's rays wash over my face. The world was such a beautiful place sometimes, especially on days like this. They made me feel happy to be alive. They made me feel that despite all the troubles and tribulations of the world, there was hope for a future where days were just as bright and full of joy and life as this sunny morning. At times like this I could even stop thinking about Marina. But not for long. Her death was what drove me to carry on my fight. The life she had never had was what made me grateful for the life I still had, and the lives I had saved, those of all the mutants around the world. This world belonged to us now. Something so beautiful did not deserve to be tainted by the presence of humans, and soon our dream of a world without the sub-creatures would become a reality. I had made sure of that. I was the Gladiator, and this was my world now.

All of the mutant children, who were tortured and tormented daily by their human oppressors, could now look forward to leading a proper life. They could be cared for by adult mutants and grow up together without fear of bigotry or hatred. They could learn how to control their powers, and use them without fear of exposing themselves as mutants. In time they could come together and have their own children, and the cycle would begin again. The world would be a place of peace and happiness; no war, no famine, no poverty, no hatred, none of the terrible sicknesses the humans had created and which they still nurtured daily. The humans had had their time, and had done nothing but destroy God's Earth, and kill both themselves and us. Their time was now over. It was now our time.

We had done all this, not for ourselves, but for our species, for our young and for their future. There had been those who had tried to stop us – and there would always be those who tried to stop a change for the better – but we had proved ourselves stronger than the X-Men, and our victory was complete. There was nothing they could do to save the sub-creatures now. And when the last human drew his last breath, and the sun dawned on our bright and beautiful new age, the X-Men would have to admit that we had been right. My feelings towards them were mixed. I didn't hate them. At the same time, however, I would never forgive them for lying about the death of my beloved Marina. They had thought to take advantage of my feelings for her, to try and coax me back over to their side. A few weeks ago I might have believed them. Now I was a different Gladiator, one taught by Pyro to see through their lies and realise what it was they really wanted. Where there was terrible grief, they saw only a political opportunity. How could they possibly be so callous, to lie about Marina's death, just to try and get me to change my allegiance? Obviously none of them knew what it was like to lose a loved one. Added to that the fact that they simply didn't take me seriously. I was only fourteen, but I saw myself as someone who was as much of an adult as any of them. I hated being treated like a child. Pyro was the only adult who had ever done otherwise, who had given me a free rein to use my powers as I saw necessary.

"Hey," came a soft voice from behind me.

I turned, and smiled. Just out of bed, Cassandra brushed her hair from in front of her eyes, and slipped her hands behind my neck, pulling me gently towards her. Our lips met in a soft kiss, and as we parted she smiled and rested against me, whispering, "I love you…"

"I love you."

Cassandra was the main reason I had to look forward to my own future. The two of us had sworn our love to each other, and we had agreed to be married. I knew it was not a decision either of us would ever regret. I knew we were made for each other. I knew nobody had ever understood me the way Cassandra did. Well, except one. But I was trying to forget about Marina. As much as I loved her, as much as I knew I mustn't ever forget her, I knew I had to let go of the past and live for the future. Once the humans were gone, Cassandra and I could live together and start the family we both wanted to have.

She let go of me and said, "I'm going to go have my shower. Meet you in the kitchen for breakfast?"

"OK."

She grabbed some clothes from her side of the wardrobe, and she was heading for the door when it happened. Cassandra gasped, her hands going to her stomach, her face screwing up with pain as she doubled over. I hurried to her side, supporting her, "Are you all right?"

She steadied herself, and took a deep breath, the tension in her body slowly lessening until she relaxed, "I'm – I'm all right."

I looked at her with concern, "What's the matter? You looked as if you were going to be sick."

"It's – it's nothing. I just don't feel well in the mornings sometimes. I think it must have been something I ate."

"You sure?"

Cassandra smiled, "Yeah. Don't worry about it. See you in a bit."

She pecked me on the cheek and left the room, heading for the showers. I watched her go, a twinge of worry still nagging at my mind. What was wrong with her? Was she sick? I shrugged and told myself not to worry about it. It would probably pass. It wasn't as if she could have picked up any illnesses; we hadn't been off the island to get infected by anyone. And even if she was ill, I could always force Crusader to heal her.

That got me thinking about the young woman who was the greatest of the X-Men. She was far and away their strongest fighter, and as her name might suggest, she was their crusader for their crazy beliefs. She was my only rival in terms of power. She was the single greatest threat to mutant survival on Earth, and our most dangerous enemy. She was also my sister. Two years older, and blessed as I was with four of the eight gifts we had inherited from our father, she had thought herself my superior and put herself between me and the salvation of my species. We had come together in one last climactic duel, as we had been destined to, and I had won, not only the fight but the whole battle. Without her the X-Men were crushed, and the humans were doomed.

Now she was our prisoner. Almost subconsciously I found myself walking out of the bedroom I shared with Cassandra, down the corridor, past the shower room where I could hear the water running, around the corner, past the computer room where I heard somebody tapping at a keyboard, and then I was standing in front of the room in which she was imprisoned. I ran my hand lightly over the grey metallic surface of the door, marvelling at the properties of the material of which it was constructed. I knew the whole room was shielded by this metal, and it was the only thing that protected us from Crusader's telepathic powers. It was the same material Magneto's helmet had been made from, and he had built this room years ago, as a place to go where he could be safe from Xavier's mind projections. Now it was being put to a different use. There was no way in or out; Pyro had made sure of that. At first I had been worried that Crusader might starve to death, but I knew she could use her healing power to sustain herself for a few days. We only needed to keep her in there until the humans were dead. After that Pyro had promised she would be set free

I walked away from the cell, and headed back towards the kitchen where I had promised to meet Cassandra. She would be done in the shower before long. I could hear voices from the adjoining living room as I entered the kitchen.

"…and she won't even look at me," Mole was complaining.

Scarab said, "I know how you feel, man. I'm crazy about her too, but she doesn't want to know."

"Yeah. She – "

Both of them stopped when they realised I was there.

"Hey guys," I said. "Who are you talking about?"

"Nobody," said Mole quickly.

Scarab blinked ingenuously, "Gemini. Aren't you crazy about her too, Gladiator?"

"Nah. He's got Cassandra," said Mole. "Some guys have all the luck. I bet Gemini even fancies him too."

I shook my head, "She doesn't. Gemini and I – well, it's hard to explain – we have a sort of understanding. We're friends – nothing more."

Mole shrugged, and I went into the kitchen area to find something to eat. Through the window I could see the beautiful summer morning from the other side of the island, the sun reflecting fluidly off the surface of the water. The sky above was blue, without a cloud in sight. Atlas was outside, kneeling before one of the flower beds next to the sanctuary. He loved working with the soil; nothing gave him greater pleasure, and his power over earth granted him a unique gift with plants and flowers. Beyond his flower beds lay a large grassy expanse, and there I saw two more of my friends: Vertigo and Acceleratus. Our martial arts expert was spending time teaching self defence to the little seven year old, and I could see them exchanging blows now, the child using her sublime speed to counter Vertigo's natural agility. She was the newest addition to the Brotherhood, and was a keen learner. She had suffered at the hands of humans, as all of us had, and all she wanted was to make sure that they couldn't hurt her any more. We had promised her that.

I turned at the sound of footsteps at the doorway. Cassandra was there, showered and dressed in a T-shirt and short skirt, her light brown hair brushed neatly and hanging down to just above her shoulders, and she smiled at me. Behind her came Recyclo: grey-haired, grey-eyed, and as cold and emotionless as ever. He looked at me and said, "Is Pyro around?"

"Haven't seen him."

He raised an eyebrow slightly. That was about as close as Recyclo ever got to showing his feelings. Whether it was because of this, or for some other reason, I never felt entirely comfortable when he was around. He scared Cassandra, he terrified little Acceleratus, and I often wondered what it was that made him the way he was. Pyro had hinted at Recyclo having a troubled past, but neither of them had ever revealed to the rest of us what it might be. I knew he had a twin brother – Helios, one of the X-Men – and as far as I knew they had never known each other until they had first met only days ago. They had clearly been separated as babies – I suspected that something must have happened to Recyclo to make him mask his feelings in this way. His appearance was a little unnerving too; no sixteen year old should have grey hair, and those grey eyes emanated cold neutrality, with no hint of a soul or a person living inside.

Inwardly I shrugged. So he was a little weird. So what? So were all mutants. I couldn't hate somebody just because I thought he was strange. That would make me as bad as the humans. Recyclo's past and his feelings were his own business, not mine. Until he chose to share them with me, they were none of my concern. I valued my privacy, so I knew I had to respect his. He was looking out of the window, probably trying to see if he could spot Pyro outside, then he spoke to me once more, "I've discovered something you might find interesting. I was going to tell Pyro, but I can't seem to find him."

"What have you found out?" I asked.

"It's about those mutants. The ones you called the Horsemen."

I narrowed my eyes. The Horsemen were psychotic murderers who had tried to kill mutant children. They would have succeeded if I hadn't got in their way.

"What about them?"

"I'll show you. Bring Pyro and the rest."

He left the room, and I exchanged glances with Cassandra.

"I'll find Pyro," she said.

Scarab and Mole had overheard, and they too were moving towards the door, looking as intrigued as I felt. If Recyclo had found out something about the Horsemen, it was definitely worth following up. We didn't know exactly who they were, or what it was they wanted, but if they were going to try and kill mutant kids then we had to stop them. I pushed open the door that led outside, and called to Atlas, "Hey. Come inside for a minute. Recyclo's found out something."

"Give me a moment; I'm almost done here."

I nodded and walked past him towards the grassy field, where Vertigo and Acceleratus were still locked in mock battle. As I watched, the little girl tried to block his attack, but he caught her a glancing blow on the side of the head, and she was thrown to the ground. When she arose, holding her head and crying in pain, he knelt by her, "I'm sorry, honey, I'm sorry. I should have been more gentle."

Acceleratus shook her head, "I'm OK."

Brushing away her tears, she clenched her tiny fists, ignoring the pain, ready to start fighting once more. I smiled. Her spirit was indomitable, and I could tell she was determined to learn everything he taught her as quickly as she could, so she could protect herself from those who might want to harm her.

"No, I think we've done enough this morning," said Vertigo. "We'll do some more of this later."

She sighed, but brightened when she saw me approaching, "Hi, Gladiator!"

"Hi, Accel. Are you OK?"

"Yeah," she said, then giggled. "Vertigo's tired, he's going inside. Will you teach me how to fight now?"

"No, we have to go inside. Recyclo wants to show us something."

"I don't like Recyclo. He's scary."

"I'll keep you safe," I said, then turned to Vertigo. "You haven't seen Gemini, have you?"

He shook his head, but Acceleratus replied, "She's down on the beach."

"OK. See you guys inside."

Ahead of me was the path that led up to the highest point on the island, where a telescope had been set up. On the right was another path, this one leading down a steep gradient to the sandy shore that lay at the bottom of the cliffs. I moved over that way and headed down to the beach. As I stepped out on to the sand, I watched the blue ripples of the sea running up the shore towards me, then pulling back with the tide, almost as if they were enticing me into the water. It was tempting, but inside of me it felt wrong. Thinking of water made me think of Marina, and I was trying not to think of her, especially now that the fight was over, the humans would soon be no more, and no mutant would ever have to die as she had.

"Hey! Gladiator!"

I looked up in surprise. There was somebody already in the water, a short distance from the shore, her arm above her head, waving to me. It was Gemini. I walked closer to the water and she swam towards me, stopping a few yards away from the sandy edge, treading water to stay afloat, keeping only her head and shoulders above the surface.

"Hey," I said to her. "How's the water?"

"Beautiful and warm. Why don't you come in too?"

"I – uh – no thanks. I didn't know you had a swimming costume."

She giggled, "I don't."

My eyes widened slightly, and I realised for the first time that her shoulders were completely bare.

"Ah," I said in comprehension. "D'you want me to go? I mean, I guess you want some privacy…"

She shrugged, "I don't mind. In fact, could you keep an eye on my clothes for me? I don't want Scarab or Mole coming along and making off with them. They'd do anything to see me naked."

"OK. Sure."

She indicated a rock slightly further along the beach, where I found her towel neatly folded beside her light blue summer dress. I sat down on the rock and she ducked beneath the surface of the water; I could vaguely make out the shape of her swimming parallel to the shore, drawing alongside me. Her head broke the surface again, and she shook the water from her face, opening her eyes and smiling brightly at me. I asked her, "So are you in the habit of, um, what's the word…?"

"Skinny dipping?"

"That's the one."

She gave another shrug, "I guess it's not a good idea on an island full of teenage guys, huh? But I love being in the water. It gives me this wonderful feeling of freedom – you know how important freedom is to me – it's as if the restraints and shackles of ordinary life are taken away as soon as I step into the water. For me it's like – it's like being in a dream, floating on a cloud…I'm probably not making any sense here, am I? Still…you know what I mean."

I smiled, "Yeah. I hate to drag you away if you're enjoying yourself, but we've got to go inside. Recyclo's found out something about those Apocalypse mutants. It could be important."

She frowned slightly, "Oh – OK. I'll come out of the water, then. Could you turn around?"

"Eh? Oh…right."

I turned to face the rock wall that climbed several hundred feet to the overhanging cliff tops above. This part of the beach had to be invisible from up there – in fact, it probably couldn't be seen at all unless you were actually standing on it. No real surprise that Gemini came here when she wanted to swim and had nothing to wear. I could hear the sound of splashing as she climbed out of the water, and a few moments later her voice came from over my shoulder, "Towel, please."

I held it out behind me and she took it.

"Gladiator?"

"Yeah?"

"That girl you knew…the one who died…"

"Marina?"

"Yeah. Look, I – I know you don't like talking about her, but I feel I have to ask – were you in love with her?"

"Yes, I was."

"Does Cassie know?"

"I've never told her. I expect she's worked it out."

"Doesn't she mind?"

I shrugged, "She's never said anything about it, so…I dunno really."

"It just seems a bit like – well, like you're only with Cassie because your other friend died."

"Maybe it seems like that, but I fell in love with Cassandra before Marina died. You might not believe me, but that's the truth."

"Hey, I believe you," she said. "My dress?"

I handed it to her.

"Thanks. OK, you can look now."

I turned back to face her. Gemini was towelling her long brown hair, the light blue dress clinging tightly to her small figure. Stunningly gorgeous as she was, I looked at her without lust or desire, and she knew this, making no efforts to cover herself from further scrutiny. Carrying the towel under her arm, we began to walk along the beach together, back towards the path, her bare feet sinking slightly into the loose sand.

"It still seems a bit unbelievable though, doesn't it?" she asked.

"What does?"

"The fact that we've actually won. The fight between the two sides has been going on for years, longer than we've been alive. It's just a bit incredible to think that we're the ones who have finally achieved this victory for the Brotherhood. I feel…I don't really know what I feel…"

"Proud?"
"Well, I guess. But sad in a way too. This victory was everything Magneto fought for – and he never lived to see it."

"You knew him, didn't you? What was he like? Do you miss him?"

"I only knew him a little bit. He died when I was like, ten. It was then that Pyro took over and started recruiting new members. Recyclo was the first, then Vertigo and the others. Mystique disappeared round about that point too. What I'm trying to say is, there was so much happening, so many things in my head, that I never really had a chance to be sad over Magneto's death. By the time things settled down again, my life had changed so much that I couldn't even remember what I'd felt at the time."

I said nothing, merely nodding. We had reached the path now and were climbing back up towards the sanctuary. As the building came into sight, Gemini said, "That reminds me. I've been meaning to ask this you for a while. That X-Man we captured – she's your sister, isn't she? What the story between the two of you?"

I sighed, "She's been brainwashed and deluded into believing Xavier's nonsense. All of my family have. They had her lying in wait for me when we went to destroy their Plague vaccine. She tried to talk me out of it, told me a pack of lies about my friend Marina being alive, but in the end words were never going to solve anything. They never do. We fought, and I won."

We were now approaching the sanctuary's main entrance, where we saw Pyro and Cassandra. He beckoned us over, and we ran up the rest of the path towards the sanctuary. As we got closer, we slowed to a walk and I could see Gemini's eyes gazing at Pyro adoringly. I knew she loved him, like a daughter might love her father, and Pyro effectively was her father, having adopted her. He had saved her from an existence of torture as a research specimen in a human laboratory, and she had sworn her undying love and loyalty to him. I knew she would follow him to the ends of the Earth if needs be, and would certainly be willing to give her life for him. I didn't feel quite the same way about him as Gemini did – I respected Pyro as a leader and a teacher, but that was all. His past was troubled too – he had lost the girl he loved, just as I had – and like all of us he was reluctant to talk about his history.

Cassandra slipped her hand into mine as the four of us entered the sanctuary together. The rest of them were waiting for us inside the computer room: Vertigo slouched against the wall with his arms folded; Acceleratus standing close to him; Atlas brushing earth from his hands; Recyclo sitting in front of the computer; Scarab and Mole both staring openly at Gemini's bare legs as we approached. She glared at both of them, and moved to stand behind Pyro, concealing herself.

"So what's up?" Pyro asked impatiently.

Recyclo answered, "It's those Apocalypse mutants. They've launched an attack on an army bunker."

"Where?"

"Close to New York City."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Gemini, sounding confused. "Weren't these guys created by the government as super-agents, or something?"

"As far as we know," said Pyro. "Recyclo, when did this happen?"

"Yesterday."

Cassandra asked, "What were they storing in that bunker? Maybe that'll give us some clue as to why they did it."

"I don't know yet," said Recyclo. "I'm still trying to hack into the army's storage records. They're pretty well protected."

"Well, stay on it," said Pyro. "I want to know what these guys are trying to do. They're powerful mutants, and if we don't know what they want, then they're dangerous. Do you have any idea where they are now?"

"None."

"Can we track them down?" asked Mole.

"I don't see how," our leader said. "Unless – wait a minute. I just had an idea. If you remember when we first encountered these Apocalypse mutants, we found out the name of the scientist in charge of the research project: Elias Van Gaarde."

Gemini, standing in front of me, recoiled at the sound of the name and I caught her in my arms, steadying her.

"Are you OK?" I whispered.

She nodded, "Yeah – I…yeah. It's just – that's the name of the scientist who – who – "

She didn't finish, but I knew what it was that had upset her. As a child Gemini had been hated by her mother, who had given her over to a geneticist for use as a research specimen. She was still haunted by the memories of those days, and within her was still the lingering, if unlikely, fear that she might one day be taken back there.

"We can track down the Horsemen by finding this Van Gaarde first," Pyro was saying,

"And how do we do that?" asked Vertigo.

Gemini took a deep breath, "My mother will know where to find him."

"Your mom? What does she have to do with – ?"

"None of your business," Gemini snapped.

Pyro made the decision, "OK, that's what we'll do. Gemini, find your mother and get her to tell us where we can find Van Gaarde. Gladiator, Vertigo, Recyclo, go with her."

"What are the rest of you gonna do?" I asked.

"We'll stay here. If the Horsemen do something unexpected, something that threatens mutants, we'll have to be ready to face them. You can be sure the X-Men won't lift a finger to defend our own kind."

There were nods of bitter agreement from everyone.

"Leave as soon as you're ready," he said. "Take the helicopter. We'll need the jet here if we're to make a fast response to anything."