Huh? Right, okay. So we're at chapter eleven. There's not much to say here, except that "chapter eleven: the twelve" might be a little confusing. OH WELL! Oh, and excuse the grammar.
Chapter Eleven - The Twelve
A man with long black hair and a thick beard ran through the Hydra base in London, stopping to duck behind an alcove as guards passed through. His clothes were tattered and faded, though the most notable item he wore was a hooded gray coat. Once the guards had passed, he continued on his way, quickly running through the hall before he could be seen.
"I hope Proteus was right about this," said Paul McGregor, known in an alternate world as Shifter. Paul had been a soldier for the Pure Blood Movement until he was discovered to be a mutant. After the events in his reality led to the deaths of many of his friends and the ultimate defeat of Apocalypse, McGregor returned to the past- this was his mutant ability- to undo Apocalypse's reign.
McGregor- with the aid of Proteus, a powerful mutant who no longer had any physical form- arrived at the tomb of Apocalypse and succeeded in killing the tyrant before he could be released. He meant to also prevent Xavier's death, but he failed.
It was a strange situation, really. In the first reality- one many are familiar with- Apocalypse fought Professor Xavier and his X-Men until he was left weakened and ordered the mutant called Shifter to assassinate Xavier in the past. In the second reality- where Apocalypse reigned, and the Shifter who ran through the Hydra base hailed from- Paul McGregor never sided with Apocalypse, and when all was said and done, he went back in time to fix things. In the third reality- the one we see now- three Shifters exist: the older one from the first reality, though he has long since been killed by the second Shifter; a second Shifter, who was only around 15 when he traveled back in time; and a third Shifter, a natural Paul McGregor who probably has yet to discover he is a mutant.
Unfortunately for our Shifter, he found that there was a limit to his power: the amount of time it took for him to regain the energy to jump through time was proportionate to the amount of time he traveled; if he traveled five minutes, he had to wait five minutes before traveling again. As it was, Shifter's time jump was so large that, even as he ran through the Hydra base, he had yet to regain the energy to jump again.
Shifter came to one final hallway. Four guards, each armed with a scimitar and bearing different emblems, saw him and immediately positioned themselves to defend the door. Shifter slid under the first two guards, jumped to the right to avoid the blades of the last two, quickly pushing through the door and slamming it behind him. The guards began to push against the door, but then, they stopped.
"So you've made it here..." the man said, now standing on his stone platform, reading the hieroglyphics written on the stone behind it. "It's been too long, McGregor."
"I don't believe we've met," McGregor replied. "I came when I heard rumors."
"What sort of rumors?"
"Apocalypse is alive."
"Of course he is," the man replied, as if this was common knowledge. "It takes great power to kill Apocalypse. What you did was destroy his body... with his last ounce of strength, he channeled his life force into an astral spirit who could not interact with the physical world." The man's British accent made him sound scholarly, and he did seem to know what he was talking about. "Some time after that, three scientists found his tomb in the mountains. His astral spirit, too weak to leave the tomb, used one of them as a vessel." The man turned around to face Shifter. His clothes were filthy and his eyes were tired. Though his body had the frame of a man who did much traveling in his youth, he appeared to be thinning from a lack of nourishment and he had many small cuts on his face. His black, graying hair was messy, as was his beard, and his black-rimmed glasses were broken, yet he still wore them. "Apocalypse lives in me."
"So whose side are you on, Apocalypse? You're helping Stryker kill mutants, but you're a mutant yourself."
"Stryker is a fool. He knows little about my plans... and even less about his own origins. Apocalypse isn't acting for the good of humans or mutants. He acts solely for himself. Really, this has gone on too long, McGregor. You came here to put an end to Apocalypse once and for all."
"I did."
"But the one you call Proteus isn't with you," the man said with a grin. "He helped you destroy En Sabah Nur's body, but he himself has faded. By absorbing Apocalypse's body, he gained so much strength that he now exists in another plane, unable to affect ours. He has a connection to you only because of the time portal you both slide through... he can speak to you and you alone."
"...How do you know all this?"
"Apocalypse's power is my power. Did you think that just because he was weak that he was impotent?" The man raised his hand and McGregor was lifted off the ground. "He still needs my body. Without it, he can do nothing. Through me he can properly focus his power, as weak as it may be. Now, I think it's time for proper goodbyes, McGregor." McGregor felt pressure against his head from every side, outside and in, and felt blood leaking from his nose and ears.
"P...put... me... d-d-d...down..."
The man grinned. His eyes glowed white, and he spoke to McGregor in Ancient Egyptian. The pressure increased. Within moments, McGregor dropped to the ground, limp and crying blood. Apocalypse's grin widened. His eyes stopped glowing and the man looked down in horror.
"You didn't have to do that." Apocalypse replied to him. "He posed no threat to you... you're a sadist." Apocalypse roared at him. "No... you wish I had told him, didn't you? Well, I didn't. He died without knowing... you won't win this, Apocalypse... you've been stopped before. You have too many powerful enemies for this to work."
Apocalypse laughed. The man dropped to the ground in a fetal position, clutching his head and rocking on his side. Apocalypse terrified him; he only wished to be alone, and if not, then that someone would take advantage of Apocalypse's limited power and kill them both.
All the man had was false hope, and utter fear.
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Gambit and Tabby had been moved to the medical ward after Storm's arrival at the Xavier Institute, joining Jamie Madrox in a separate enclosure. Soon, Robert and Kate ran in, carrying Amara Aquila, also covered in dark boils and clearly unconscious.
"Whoa, whoa, another one?" Lance asked from his bed, still recovering from the knife wound inflicted on his shoulder.
"It's sweeping through the dorms," Berzerker said. He sat in a chair next to Lance's bed. There were several cards laid out on the side of Lance's bed, and with little else to pass the time, he and Berzerker had been playing, though neither knew the same games, so it was unclear exactly what they were doing. Scaleface was still asleep in another bed and Torpid was sitting up, watching the scene with a look of worry.
"That legacy stuff still seems to be making the rounds," Robert explained after Amara was safe in a bed behind the curtain dividing the room. "The ones Evan's aunt brought in seem to be the worst cases, but they haven't changed any."
"A few people back in the Morlock tunnels used legacy, but it never got this bad. They went months without getting this sick."
"The other kids said Amara had just started," Kate said.
"That's crazy, Evan told us the two he brought in had been using the stuff for months, the girl had been addicted for a long time," Lance explained.
"Maybe it's getting stronger on its own," Kate suggested, worried.
"I think that's the best explanation we have right now."
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Three large spheres hovered over the Xavier Institute, joined by a smaller fourth sphere. Inside the first sphere, Wanda sat on a metal seat of sorts and sitting in a circle around her were Scott, Pyro, Danielle and Toad. Though not the most skilled operatives, Wanda had chosen them for her team because, as she saw on their last mission, they worked well together.
In the center of the sphere's floor, an equal distance from each inward-facing seat, a small pillar emerged, extending into a small stand. A hologram of Magneto appeared, facing Wanda.
"Scarlet Witch, are all team members secured and ready?" he asked.
"We are ready to go, sir."
"Your team will land at the Western Gate. Your first objective is to secure the west wing of the London compound." Magneto disappeared and a hologram of the London base, as drawn from the guard's minds by Mastermind. "Your second objective is to get to the central lab and destroy the weapon."
"How will we know what the weapon looks like?"
"The guards weren't allowed that information. You'll have to find someone in the lab and interrogate them." Magneto's hologram returned. "Stalwart's team will take the South Gate and create a diversion to draw out their forces. Mystique's team will secure the Northern Gate and free any prisoners. Myself... I will take the East Gate and find Caliban's master."
"Understood. Good luck to you, da... Magneto."
"And good luck to you, Wanda." Magneto disappeared and the projector lowered back down to the floor. Wanda felt the floor tremble slightly and felt the balance shift. They had started moving and at high speed.
"I'm never going to get used to this," Pyro complained. "Wanda, tell me we get to use a chopper next time."
"I don't know that we will," she replied.
"Ah well. Maybe we're not coming back, who cares? We'll get some kicks out of this, eh, Darkholme?"
"Yeah, at least there's that," Scott replied with dull sarcasm.
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Stryker sat in one of the conference rooms, reading from the Bible; though he appeared to be patient, he had been sitting there for an hour. He had been expecting someone, but they were quite late. Stryker was alone; the X-Cutioner was elsewhere on the base. There were no guards in the room. If he wasn't careful, an enemy could sneak in and kill him without getting much of a fight. Stryker enjoyed the solitude, he had to admit to himself, even if he was being kept there only by someone else's tardiness.
"Father Stryker, my apologies for the delay," The Professor excused himself as he entered the conference room. Four guard accompanied him, as well as two mutants: Forge, kept in line by the lobotomized Mesmero. "The mutant took his time analyzing the broken pyramid in the Yucatan."
"Yes, yes, I've waited enough. What news do you have?"
"Good news, father. He understands the technology well enough. Originally, there were four pyramids, but with one destroyed, the remaining three are useless. Forge has come up with a clever solution." The Professor nodded and Mesmero forced Forge to reveal a set of blueprints, depicting a tower of sorts. "He drew this up on the way back. He can re-create the technology, to a degree, taking parts from the remaining pyramids and creating a series of towers that would serve the same purpose, seven in all."
"How long will it take for him to build these towers?" an aggravated Stryker asked.
"About two years."
"What effect will this have on the weapon itself?"
"Fortunately for us, none. The pyramids aren't directly related to the weapon, though their effect is dependent on it. All this means is that we'll have to wait two years before a safeguard can be put up, but the weapon is powerful enough that we may not even need that safeguard."
"Regardless, I want you working as fast as you can to get those towers built," Stryker commanded. "We can't afford to take any chances. Those abominations need to be removed. Now, get this one to work immediately."
"Yes, Father Stryker." The Professor nodded to him and left the room, taking Forge and Mesmero with him. Stryker sighed and returned to his Bible. Only a minute had passed before a light began to blink on the conference table. Annoyed, Stryker put the Book down and pressed a switch next to the light.
"What is it?"
"Father Stryker, we have intruders," a captain said.
"So take care of them. Don't bother me again."
"I insist," Viper said, taking over. "Magneto is here. He has brought a few playmates for us."
"Very well." Stryker flipped off the intercom. He took his book and shook his head as he left his moment of peace behind.
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"You all know what to do," Freddy said to his team as they left their sphere at the South Gate. Jean, Beast and Colossus stood with him, watching as Freddy pulled off the steel gate at the entrance, leading into a concrete tunnel. The momeny the gate was down, alarms went off, bright red lights flashing them and loud klaxons alerting base security.
"If we want to fool them, we'll have to make it seem like we're attempting something," Beast reminded them. "Any volunteers?"
"Gladly." Jean ran into the tunnel. There were gunshots and Jean quickly retreated, shielding herself with telekinesis. A swarm of armed soldiers ran out- more than they had anticipated. Colossus charged into them, slamming his metal fists wildly through the crowd and knocking a multitude of Hydra soldiers off their feet. Jean lifted several of the fallen soldiers off the ground, taking their weapons from them before dropping them back onto the unsuspecting crowd below.
"Ah, thank you," Beast said, taking one of the rifles Jean handed him. "I'd prefer not to, but they fired first, didn't they?"
"Hey, you're hogging the show here," Freddy yelled to Colossus as he plowed through the soldiers, his thick body protecting him from the enemy fire. Beast picked off any soldiers they missed, trying as hard as he could to hit them in non-lethal spots. Jean showed less restraint, hovering above them with a row of ten rifles aimed at the gate entrance.
"This almost feels too easy," Jean said. "Why haven't they sent any of the big guns in?"
"They might be on to us," Beast worried.
"Stay focused!" Freddy called back to them before hurling a soldier so high that the impact of his landing was enough to take him out. "We have a job to do and we're seeing it through!"
Mystique moved through the northern tunnel with no resistance. Storm, Evan and Rogue were with her. Evan spiked three guards as they approached the cell block.
"Storm, would you be so kind as to find us a way in?" Mystique asked.
"Only because I have no choice." Storm created a horizontal whirlwind that drilled a small hole into the steel door of the cell block and slowly widened as it grew stronger. A minute later, the hole was large enough to fit a person. Mystique was about to enter, but Storm quickly ran through first. Mystique's eyes narrowed before she entered, followed by Rogue and finally Evan, who was watching their backs. He took a quick look behind him before going in.
"We need backup at the West Gate, I repeat, we nee-AAAAAAH!" The block captain's mind was shut down by Danielle and he dropped the radio in his hands. Toad sat on a soldier with a broken back and Wanda was making sure the cameras were offline. Scott and Pyro looked into the tunnel ahead.
"It's clear," Scott told them.
"Alright, move forward," Wanda commanded. "Pyro, cover the rear."
"Gotcha." As the others moved forwards, Pyro walked backwards with both flamethrowers held up. "Nobody's sneaking up on this squad while I'm watching their backs..."
"The lab is further down this hallway, if those readouts were correct. Once inside, I want Scott and Danielle to secure it. Toad, you check for any cameras or bugs. We shouldn't have too much resistance."
"You know, this almost feels too easy..." Toad said out loud.
"Right. I want all of you on guard. They know we're here, they're bound to spring a few surprises."
"What do you mean it's empty?!" Storm demanded. All of the cell doors were open, but there was nobody inside- no prisoners, no guards.
"They must've moved them when they heard us coming," Mystique deduced. "If we can find someone who knows, we'll be in business. Marie, get ready. Evan, Ororo, I want you to incapacitate the next soldier we see."
"If I had been put in charge, we wouldn't have found the base like this," Storm muttered.
"I don't see how my leadership changes the fact that this room is empty."
"Isn't it obvious! If you worked with more subtlety, they wouldn't have known we were coming."
"Either way, they would have seen one of the other teams and done something about it. Honestly, Ororo, you're not a teenager anymore, start acting your age!"
"Both of you, shut up!" Evan yelled. Mystique and Storm were both surprised. "If you'd stop arguing about who's in charge for a moment, you'll see that Rogue and I found someone." A lone soldier was pinned to the wall with a bone-spike. Rogue carefully removed her glove and pressed her hand against his forehead. The soldier shrieked before going limp. Rogue kept her eyes closed for a moment.
"What did you find?" Mystique asked.
"...They've been moved to the central lab."
"This soldier was alone... did you see anyone else?"
"No, it was just this guy," Evan said.
"It's risky, but we don't have anything else." Mystique looked at him for a moment. "Marie, what's his name?"
"James Dawson." Mystique's form changed accordingly and she took Dawson's weapon.
"We'll stay in contact. I'll see if I can't get any information elsewhere. Ororo, take them to the central lab and get everyone out of there. I'm trusting you on this, don't make me regret it."
"You certainly will not. Let's go." Storm led Evan and Rogue down one end of the hall as "Dawson" ran down another. Mystique shifted her shoulder slightly; now it appeared "Dawson" was wounded. Two guards stopped her at the turn of another hall.
"Dawson, what happened?" One of the guards asked.
"I was running late, I had to get to the south gate, one of the mutants got inside and shot me with some kind of bone thing..."
"South gate? We send you to the north gate, Dawson. See?" he said to the other guard. "I told you this kid has hearing problems. Get to the med ward."
"I... ah... too weak..." "Dawson" fell to the ground, dropping his rifle.
"Shit. C'mon, we better take him ourselves." The guards picked "Dawson" off the ground and carried him away.
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Father Stryker stood with the Professor on an elevated platform in the central lab. They faced a large metal sphere, much like those Magneto used, though there were grooves running along the surface. The sphere was attached to several cords, themselves attached to various machines stacked around the sphere. Large mechanical arms hung from the ceiling, moving those machines and injecting red and gray fluids into the sphere through the cut grooves. Viper stood across the lab in an open area behind them, addressing several gathered warriors.
"This is a great risk to us," Viper explained. "We are taking no chances this time. I want you to kill every last member of Magneto's team, do you hear me? We will not take prisoners this time. The losses of Omega Red and Juggernaut will slow us down, but they will not stop us."
Kurt Darkholme's black tail whipped behind him. Jubilee and Sabretooth stood with him, joined by a man wearing a steel helmet and another dressed like a Hydra guard- a green-skinned man with a high-tech monocle attached to his eye.
"Commander Gauntlet," Viper addressed the man by his codename. "I have great faith in your abilities. Do not disappoint me."
"We will not, Supreme Hydra," Gauntlet said in his deep voice, bowing. "Nothing will stand in our way."
"And you are sure this new one will obey?" Viper asked, gesturing towards the man with the steel helmet.
"Creed posed no problem, neither will Weapon X."
"Good. You have your orders." Viper dismissed the team. At Gauntlet's command, they rushed out of the room. The massive lab door shut tightly, ensuring their safety while inside. "Professor, how is the weapon coming along?"
"All twelve samples have been accepted," The Professor announced proudly. "Charles Xavier, Cain Marko, Raven Darkholme, Kurt Darkholme, Arkady Rossovich, Jubilation Lee, Victor Creed, Lance Alvers, Jean Grey, Alex Summers, Caliban and... the last sample. Considering we had to brainwash most of them and rob two graves, this isn't a bad turnout."
"What was the last sample?" Viper asked.
"I... uh..."
"Do not hide things from your superior officers, Professor."
"The last one was..." The Professor looked at Viper and Stryker nervously. "I spoke with Dr. Essex... he told me to use a sample from Father Stryker..."
"What?!" Stryker yelled in outrage. "Where did you obtain a sample of my blood?"
"I took it from the Trask Examination last month..." The Trask Examination, named for the Pure Blood Movement's founder, Bolivar Trask, was a test that ensured the loyalty of Pure Blood members. Blood samples were taken at random intervals and tested to ensure that all members are pure humans. Even Father Stryker agreed to these examinations as a show of good faith, though it did anger him inwardly that his purity was brought into question. It was bad enough that he had a mutant son, the last thing Stryker wanted was for the men to suspect him of having mutant genes...
"And you kept this from me for what reason?!"
"I... Dr. Essex... he told me to... he said..."
"Enough! It doesn't matter what you needed my blood for. If that's what it takes to get this thing running, then you have my blessing, fine, I don't care. Now get it working."
"We can't rely on Gauntlet," Viper said. "How long until the weapon is finished?"
"It shouldn't be more than an hour..." The mechanical arms retracted and left the sphere. The machines operated steadily and generated a low humming noise. The sphere began to hover a few feet off the ground, the cables and cords floating with it. Viper could feel her hair and coat defying gravity slightly.
"Is this it?" Stryker asked impatiently. "Is it operational yet?"
"No, no, it's powering up. I told you it would be about an hour." Stryker glared at the sphere impatiently.
The man rocked back and forth on his platform, muttering to himself again. Apocalypse roared at him. The man whispered a quick reply and stood up.
"It is almost ready..."
"I'm surprised to find you here, Dr. Essex." Magneto stood at the entrance, the open doors behind him revealing the four guards impaled on the walls with their own scimitars. Dr. Essex, as the man who served as a vessel for Apocalypse was known, stood up and turned to face him. "I expected someone more... intimidating."
"I'm not in this alone, Magneto. En Sabah Nur lives in me. We share a body, but our minds are separate. His power is weak, but I can't do anything without his approval."
"You fooled us all at the debate a few weeks ago," Magneto told him. "You didn't seem so mad. Stryker is a better actor than I thought."
"When we need to, Apocalypse lets me take full control... I can't do it alone, he has to let me." Dr. Essex looked down at his tense hands. "As for Stryker... at the time, he didn't know. I haven't been with the Pure Blood Movement for long, but my knowledge and a little feigned devotion to his religion has made Stryker subservient to me. After Trask's death, Stryker was left in charge, but he's weaker than he pretends to be. He's just a hypocrite trying to convince the world of his sainthood when he himself knows he doesn't deserve that reputation. He thinks his mutant son is loyal only to him. He doesn't realize that I've been training Caliban since he was abandoned in Ireland so long ago."
"Were you always this eager to please him, Essex? You sound mighty proud of your master."
"No, not at all..." Essex's eyes narrowed. "I hate him. I hate everything he's done and everything he wants to do... I want him to leave me, to let me be my own man again. I've tried killing myself to get rid of him... but he won't allow it. He controls me... he tells me what to say... and I say it." Essex's moment of regret passed. "I am a good servant, even if I have to have my psyche tortured to assure my obedience."
"Then I will free you." The scimitars pulled away from the guards and flew at Dr. Essex, but they stopped before his raised hands. "You're not as weak as I thought."
"I am, Magneto. My loathsome master isn't." The swords were thrown aside. "You didn't come to kill him, Magneto. You came for answers." Dr. Essex stepped off his platform, appearing more relaxed and confident. "I'll do my best to provide those answers for you."
"You have no information that I need."
"I speak for Apocalypse now. He wants you to know that mutants are not under any danger."
"Yet he surrounds himself with bigots."
"If they suit his purposes, yes. En Sabah Nur is a clever man, Magneto, he oversees all plans to the finest detail. He is in this for himself, he is a perfect Machiavellian mastermind, he could lure his minions to their very deaths if it suited him. Whatever it is you're here for, I pray that you're not too late, though I know that you are, if that makes any sense to you."
"Incoming!" Evan yelled. Rogue and Storm ducked a burst of colorful energy. Jubilee's hands launched a continuing stream of starburst energy that Storm unsuccessfully tried to deflect with a spray of wind. Though the energy was unaffected, Jubilee was hurled backwards, ending her attack.
"They're still using her as a soldier," Storm said.
"Kurt, too," Rogue said. Kurt appeared behind them, whipping his tail against the floor. Evan looked behind Jubilee and noticed Sabretooth creeping up, preparing to pounce, but holding back. Next to Kurt, Gauntlet appeared, aiming twin pistols at them.
"You're outnumbered," Gauntlet announced. "Even your weather powers won't stop us all at once."
"Then kill us," Storm dared him.
"Creed," Gauntlet commanded. Sabretooth growled and Evan instinctively launched a spike at his chest. Roaring, Sabretooth struggled on the ground, pulling it out. Gauntlet fired a blast at Storm's back and knocked her to the ground. The others remained perfectly still. Gauntlet aimed his pistols at Evan and Rogue. Evan looked at Gauntlet's scope-eye, trying to see what he was going to do. Jubilee began to move closer.
"You'll have to kill us, too," Evan said.
"You're more valuable alive." Kurt and Jubilee took Evan and Rogue, pulling their hands behind them and shackling them. They offered no resistance. Gauntlet himself took Storm over his shoulder. "Take them back to Madame Viper. Creed, when you're done bleeding all over our floor, meet me at the South Gate. I've already sent Weapon X there."
"Yeah," Creed growled. He sneered at Gauntlet as he walked away.
"This is new," Freddy said to himself. The flow of soldiers had slowed down considerably, but one in particular drew the attention of the team. Dressed in gray fatigues and wearing a silver helmet with wires running into his collars, Weapon X held up his fists and extended the adamantium claws that had been grafted to his skeletal structure by the Professor.
"I know this one," Colossus said. "Leave him to me." Colossus leaned forward and bent down to grab Weapon X, but he was too quick for him, running between Colossus's metal legs and raised his claws as he approached Beast. "He is coming towards you!"
"I can see that for myself, thank you." Beast jumped up and climbed onto their transportation sphere, but Weapon X used his claws to climb up after him. "A little assistance would be appreciated."
"There you go," Jean replied. Weapon X was pulled off the sphere and held up in midair. "If you ask me, we should get rid of him before he causes any more trouble."
"No need to be so rough on him," Freddy advised her. "We'll just knock him out for a little while. Care to do the honors, Colossus?"
"Gladly." Colossus pulled back, but Weapon X suddenly dropped on him, clawing at him wildly, but leaving only scratches on Colossus's shiny metal skin. Colossus grabbed him and threw him against the side of the sphere and Weapon X fell to the ground with a large crack in his sparking helmet. "What happened?"
"I did," Gauntlet announced. Freddy tended to Jean, who had been knocked over by a concussive blast from one of Gauntlet's large rifles. "Now we make deals. You all come quietly or I take you in by force."
"You caught me by surprise, that's all," Jean said, waking up. "I don't like it when people shoot at me!" Gauntlet's rifle was pulled from his arms and pushed against the underside of his chin. "You better apologize to me now or I'll blow your fucking brains out with your own gun."
Gauntlet grinned with his hideous teeth.
"What the fuck are you so happy about?!"
"ARRRGHH!" Beast yelled in simian fashion and fell forward, clutching at the ground in pain. Blood coated his fur, pouring out from six precise holes in his back. Weapon X stood again, his helmet still broken and sparking.
"Come here!" Colossus yelled. He reached down, but again, Weapon X escaped his grasp. Freddy ran to Beast, looking over his wounds and realized that the blood was quickly leaving him.
"Hang in there, Hank, we'll get you back to the Institute... Jean, see if you can stop the blood flow..."
"Right, let's see..." Jean concentrated and held her hands steady. Colossus was busy trying to grab Weapon X, who jumped onto his back and used him as a springboard, grabbing Gauntlet out of the air.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Gauntlet yelled. He pushed Weapon X off and draw one of his pistols, blasting Weapon X off of him. Weapon X landed on his feet with only minor scorch marks on his chest and gnashed his teeth. "Stay back!" Gauntlet adjusted his pistol and fired a more powerful blast, missing Weapon X by inches. As the feral mutant drew closer, Gauntlet's aim grew worse until Weapon X cleaved the pistol with one upward slice of his claws, and with a reversed downward blow, Gauntlet's right arm lay twitching at his feet. Weapon X raised his other hand for a final blow, but he stopped... something drew his attention. A scent. Weapon X ran back into the South Gate, disappearing into the darkness.
"Gauntlet to Hydra Command," Gauntlet said, holding a radio with his remaining hand. "Weapon X has gone rogue. Again." Gauntlet dropped the radio and clutched the bleeding wound.
"I know Logan," Colossus said to Gauntlet. "He can be a wild man if not checked. This helmet of yours appears to have failed."
"I noticed. I'll deal with you later." Gauntlet ran into the base. Concerned, Colossus turned back to Beast.
"We've stopped the bleeding, but he needs treatment," Freddy told him. "Jean, you better take the sphere and get back to the institute."
"I can't just leave you two here!"
"You're the only one who can contain his blood flow, you have to go with him." Freddy entered the sphere and pressed a button on the arm of his chair. The central platform was raised and Freddy pressed a few buttons next to the hologram projector. "It's set to go back on its own. Get in there and get him all fixed up."
"The two of you better join the others, then. Good luck."
"You know me, I don't need luck." Jean kissed Freddy, holding her lips in place for a few moments before letting go as he stepped out of the sphere. The opening hatch sealed and the bottom of the sphere began to glow white, then rose off the ground and upwards into the sky. "Alright. C'mon, Piotr, we'll join up with Storm's team."
"This should be it," Toad said to the others in front of a large rectangular door. "Any idea how to get in?"
"We fry this door," Pyro suggested. "Get your bibs on, mates, we're having an old fashioned barbecue!" The door suddenly rose upward. "Or I can just scare the door with my threats!"
"Or I could've just shorted out the panel," Wanda corrected him, pointing to the sizzled keypad next to the door. Wanda was the first inside, followed by Toad, Danielle, Scott and finally, Pyro. The lab was larger than any of them expected, and there were less people, as well. Evan, Rogue and Storm were in the center of the room, shackled and wearing inhibitor collars. Behind them, on a raised platform, Father Stryker sat in a comfortable chair next to the Professor and Madame Viper. There was nobody else in the central lab- no scientists, no soldiers, no guards, not even the X-Cutioner.
"So Gauntlet is more incompetent than I imagined," Viper said, gritting her teeth. "But, this is no setback for us." Scott looked behind him as the door shut again. Kurt and Jubilee had entered the room. "Your old friends were more than willing to do my bidding."
"Hey, bro," Toad called to Kurt. Kurt's face showed no expression; it was as if he no longer had a mind, at least not while under Viper's control. "Right..."
"That must be the weapon," Wanda said, pointing to the floating sphere connected to an array of machines. "Am I right?"
"That you are, my dear," the Professor said before Viper could reply. "I collaborated with some of Hydra's top scientists to create this masterpiece. I'd tell you what it does, but that would spoil the surprise. Madame Viper, will our guests be staying long enough to see this?"
"I've found that giving our enemies a demonstration buys them too much time. Darkholme, Lee, finish them."
"Well, what happened to you?" One of the medics asked Gauntlet as he ran into the med ward. "Oh my... nurse! Tend to the commander, he's been dealt a serious injury! Hang in there!" As the nursing staff took Gauntlet away, the "doctor" changed into Gauntlet, taking a radio from one of the shelves. "Madame Viper, Gauntlet here."
"Your work is sloppy, Gauntlet."
"My apologies. The cell block has been secured, but the way there is blocked. I have two more of Magneto's little group with me. Where do you want them?"
"Which two?"
"Uh... Stalwart and the metal Russian."
"Bring them up to the lab. Where is Weapon X? We've stopped detecting him."
"I sent him to the North hall to check out the damage."
"Good work, Gauntlet. Bring those two back up to the lab. Whenever Weapon X and Sabretooth are finished, send them back here as well." Unaware that the prisoners she was meant to free were under Viper's control and already in the lab, Mystique changed into a young soldier and ran towards the central lab.
"The cell block is empty," Colossus noted as he and Freddy arrived. "They must have been moved."
"But where to?"
"To the central lab," a young soldier yelled as he ran up to them. As both raised their fists, Mystique changed her face back to her default form for a moment and they relaxed. "This is a coincidence, I just told Viper I captured the two of you. Follow me."
Weapon X plunged his claws into the wall, barely missing Sabretooth, who mauled his helmet off. It hung off Logan's back by the wires until Logan himself pulled it off and threw it at Sabretooth's face.
"What do we do about this?" one Hydra soldier asked another.
"I guess we let them work it out..."
-------------------------------
Pietro entered the infirmary with Callisto and Warren. Two more students had been admitted due to legacy infections since Amara. Scaleface and Berzerker sat on a bed with Torpid and Lance had just woken up.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Warren came to get me," Pietro explained. He pulled the curtain aside- the legacy patients were worse than ever. Their boils were now black and thin, purple vein-like marks were ground outwards along the skin. Pietro noticed that Tabitha's hands were tensing up. She dropped a small marble-sized bomb that went off with a mild pop. Next to her, Gambit's forearms had been tied together with a splint separating them outward to keep him from charging anything. A second and third Jamie rolled off the bed, disappearing when they hit the floor. Amara was the worst case of all. The frame of her bed had melted and fused to the floor and her mattress was little more than a pile of smoking ashes. Small fires began to appear along her body and smoke flew out of her mouth. "I don't think there's anything we can do for them."
"There has to be something," Dorian Leech asked. He had followed them in without their notice. "They're going to die, aren't they?"
"We don't know for sure," Pietro said. "Their powers are out of their control now. Dorian, how is this still spreading?"
"Uh..."
"Look, do you care about your teammates or do you care about saving your own skin?"
"Roberto had some legacy, he was sharing it. I didn't take any, and nobody is else either anymore."
"Yeah, I figured. It's like they turn this bad the moment the needle touches them. This doesn't make any sense." A ring of fire appeared around Amara, forcing the others back. "We can't risk this spreading. Move the others to the staff dorms. We'll keep an eye on this room. Don't let anybody come inside. Callisto, I want a full search of the girls' dorm, Warren will take the boys. I want every last syringe of legacy found, confiscated and destroyed. Well, what are you standing around for? Move! Move! Move!"
"You're a lot like your father," Warren said.
"No time for that. Get going. I'm regulating the temperature in this room, hopefully some cool air might slow the infection."
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"You've spent your life following a worthless dream, Magnus," Dr. Essex exclaimed, shielding himself from the metal panels Magneto pulled from the halls outside. He threw him back, but Magneto hovered out of their way. "At least, it make a waste when you followed Xavier's dream. What happened to the man who felt mutants would inherit the Earth?"
"He grew up." A scimitar sliced Dr. Essex's shoulder, spilling blood on his stone platform. "I've suffered so much for this dream, Essex, I'm not about to abandon it at the insistence of someone's puppet."
"Your sight has weakened, Magnus. I went to Tibet with an open mind and it cost me. If you expect to win this, your resolve must be... ironclad, as you once put it." Dr. Essex stopped. "Oh... I see. I have to be leaving now, but I'll give you somebody to play with in the meantime."
The X-Cutioner enter the room with a staff. Magneto landed, turning to face him. "Caliban is no match for me."
"Perhaps not, but we don't need him to beat you." Dr. Essex floated from his platform to the ground. Magneto raised his hand, but the X-Cutioner thwapped him in the head with his staff, allowing Dr. Essex to walk casually out of the chamber. Magneto attempted to pull the staff, but it wasn't reacting.
"Clever. No metal on you."
"I am not as foolish as you believe me to be." Magneto avoided the staff again, then a kick and another blow of the staff. "I could have been on your side, Magneto. You did not appreciate me the way the master does."
"You were too eager for revenge, Caliban." Magneto caught the staff for a moment and pushed the X-Cutioner away. The scimitars floated around him and he struck at his opponent, but the X-Cutioner cleverly dodged him, spinning and jumping to avoid the four swords and swatting them away with his staff. "I could not guide you if you didn't allow me."
"Your mission was flawed, Magneto. My master has opened my eyes."
"But is your master not a mutant?"
"He is," the X-Cutioner admitted. "He is a mutant, as I am. His actions will benefit all mutants."
"Is he not also going against the wishes of your father?" The X-Cutioner was thrown off his balance by Magneto's question, allowing a scimitar to come close to his head. He was quick enough to avoid any serious damage, but the blade cut the top of his hood, letting it fall and revealing his cold, scarred and embittered face. Caliban was as pale as Magneto remembered him, but where his eyes were once squinty and shy, they were now wide and fiery, filled with equal anger towards mutant and human.
"My father will be spared," Caliban said, more to himself than to Magneto. "He is not an evil man, only misguided. He will see the truth soon enough."
"Not an evil man? Your father abandoned you for the sake of his own career."
"He did what he had to. His duty to the Lord came before his duties as a father."
"He even tried to kill you to hide his shame. Did he tell you that?"
"The master told me." Caliban knocked a scimitar back. "My father was not in his right mind."
"Did your master tell you about your mother?"
Pyro's fire shield protected Danielle and himself from Jubilee's powerful blasts as Scott knocked her away. Kurt jumped onto his back and pushed his glasses off. Wanda hexed him into teleporting across the room, then quickly grabbed Scott's glasses and slipped them back on.
"Thanks, Wanda."
Toad kicked Kurt away, just as "Gauntlet" entered the room with Colossus and Freddy. When Gauntlet became Mystique, Jubilee and Kurt both looked up, surprised and confused.
"Pyro, Toad, now!" Wanda yelled.
"Righto!" Pyro created a flame raven that jumped towards the shackles holding Evan's hands together. With the links heated, he was able to pull them apart quickly and the raven jumped onto Storm's hands. Toad hopped on Evan's back, taking a screwdriver from his pocket.
"Hey, hey, watch it!"
"Hang on just a second, I'll get that collar off..."
"Danielle, Scott!" Wanda commanded. Scott nodded and knocked Jubilee into the wall and taking her out of the fight. Danielle raised her hands and Kurt grabbed his head, quivering in fear.
"Be careful with him," Mystique said. Though Toad was still trying to take the collar off Evan, Storm and Rogue were free. Using her hex powers, Wanda shorted out the collars and allowed Colossus and Freddy to pull them off.
"So, we have a family reunion," Viper said. The team now facing her was indeed formidable- Wanda, Scott, Pyro, Danielle, Toad, Evan, Rogue, Storm, Colossus, Freddy and Mystique. Kurt and Jubilee were still on Viper's side. "I must admit, this is a little scary."
"They are nothing," Dr. Essex proclaimed, entering the room. He raised his hand, but nothing happened. Everyone waited, wondering what he would do.
"Yeaarh... aaah.... AAAAH!" Kurt began to scream.
"Kurt! Let him go!" Mystique yelled.
"It's not me!" Danielle pleaded.
"No, it's not," Father Stryker said, standing up. "He's a mutant. I should have known."
"Relax, priest, he is not what he appears to be," Viper said. "Allow me to explain, to you and our mutant friends. Dr. Essex, under the guidance of his master, created a special virus that affects only mutants. It was up to Hydra agents to distribute it among the underworld, selling it as a drug."
"I should have known," Storm muttered to herself.
"Dr. Essex created it under the orders of Bolivar Trask, our late and beloved founder and leader. He is gone, but he left this legacy for all mutantkind... a fitting name for the narcotic substance. I'm not certain how it works, but the virus cells are all linked somehow, meaning that all cases of legacy infection are at the same level of severity. Darkholme's case seems to have been stalled somehow, but it has been activated now. Soon, spores will be released from his body, infecting every mutant in the room with his lethal condition." Purple veins and black boils appeared on Kurt's body and he emitted a flash of light and smoke, but went nowhere- he was teleporting in place.
"You MONSTER!" Mystique yelled. She jumped at Viper, foolishly. With a flash of Viper's concealed pistol, Mystique slid on the floor and found that she had little strength to get back up. "Monster..."
"Don't be so dramatic, Mystique, I would not dream of cutting your time with your children short. That wound is not fatal."
"I can't say the same about this!" Scott yelled, hitting Viper with a powerful red blast, knocking her against the spherical weapon behind her. Toad and Rogue were hopping and running to the platform to finish Viper off.
"WAIT!" Wanda yelled. "Stop right there!"
"I'm finishing her myself!" Scott yelled back.
"Don't move! That's an order, Scott!"
"WHY THE FUCK NOT?!" Wanda looked up at the platform and Scott followed. The Professor stood next to one of the machines attached to the sphere, a blue light shining on his wrinkled, grinning face.
"Because the weapon is ready," Dr. Essex announced.
"You know nothing of my mother," Caliban retorted. He swatted away a scimitar. Magneto pulled the swords back, giving Caliban space. "You won't fool me."
"Your master never told you the truth, did he? What DID he tell you about her?"
"Nothing, he told me nothing!" Caliban yelled, his raspy voice cracking.
"Then I will tell you. Your mother was a nun, Caliban. Father Stryker loved her, but she did not love him in return. A nun and a priest, it was forbidden, but your mother had no feelings for him, not even in secret. Your father raped her in his rage."
"I know you, Magneto, you are nothing but a liar. Your words can't dissuade me."
"Did you know that your mother was killed for giving birth to you?"
"She produced a mutant, she had to pay for her crime."
"And so must your father. His sins are numerous, Caliban. In order to cover his tracks when he lost you, he burned down an orphanage, claiming you had died in the fire."
"...No... he wouldn't do that..."
"Your father was a rapist and a murderer, Caliban. He is using you now, Caliban. Believe me when I tell you that he has every intention of destroying you once this plan is complete." Magneto let the scimitars float down, setting them gently on the floor. "Come back to us, Caliban. Your past mistakes will not be forgotten, but they may be forgiven."
"You... you would forgive me?" Caliban dropped his staff and feel to his knees. "I've... I've murdered children that you cared for, and you would still forgive me?"
"You are not evil, Caliban. Only misguided." Magneto held his hand out to him. Caliban looked up at Magneto's eyes and he saw a man who had seen more suffering than any person should ever have to see and felt more pain than any other, and still, he was willing to accept Caliban again. His own father could not forgive him for being what he was; he had no control over that.
"I cannot, Magneto," Caliban said, lowering his head. "I must atone for my sins..."
"You have suffered enough, Caliban. Your life has never been your own. I'd say that you were paying for your sins before you committed them."
"I cannot, Magneto... I cannot." Caliban stood up and ran out of the chamber, no longer wishing to fight- not Magneto, not Stryker, nobody.
Magneto remained in the chamber, considering Caliban. He then remembered that Essex had left the chamber and floated out and down the hall.
-------------------------------
The infirmary had been quarantined, and only Callisto and Warren were inside, with the legacy-infected mutants. Unfortunately, the patients had reached the height of their illness- the purple veins now covered their skin almost entirely and the black boils were swelling. Tabby was dropping small time bombs from her hands and the metal floor beneath Amara was beginning to bubble.
"What's... happening?" Callisto asked.
"RRGghh! AARRRGH!" Gambit screamed. The boils on his skin burst like small balloons, releasing clouds of dark purple spores that flew through the air in circular patterns. The boils on the other patients also popped and the resulting clouds were so thick that nothing beyond them could be seen, even faintly.
"Get down!" Warren yelled. He pulled Callisto to the ground and spread his wings to cover them.
"AAAAARGH!" Kurt screamed as his own boils burst and the purple cloud spread through the room. Storm tried to hold them off with gusts of wind, but they seemed to float past them without effort. Wanda's attempts to hex them seemed useless and the spores resisted Scott's optic blasts. Pyro managed to singe a few, but not enough to stop them; the damage appeared to be cosmetic.
After several minutes, Warren looked up. The cloud was gone. He looked at Callisto, inspecting her face and arms. "You're alright."
"So are you... what?" Out of the corner of her eye, Callisto saw something purple at the door- the spores were seeping through the cracks along the door and escaping outside. Callisto ran to the hall and found the spores rising up into the ventilation shaft.
"What's going on?!" Pietro asked, running by them.
"I have no idea..." Pietro ran outside and saw the spores exiting the outside vents, leaving the Institute entirely.
Rogue caught Kurt was he dropped; he was still breathing and appeared to be relieved after his outbursts. The purple veins were retracting slightly and the boils were shrinking into black piles. Everyone looked around, anticipating the spores, but they did nothing to them.
"I don't get it," Toad said. "Didn't she say they would infect us?"
"She did," Scott replied. "What the hell's going on?"
"It's simple, really," Dr. Essex explained. "Legacy was laced with nanotechnology, which is how all cases were synchronized so perfectly. The virus took nutrients from mutant hosts in order to grow, but that was only the first stage of the virus's life. It has now entered the second stage. At my command, the nanotechs inside the mutant bodies stimulated the virus and caused it to release this cloud of deadly spores. Inhaling them is lethal. Death comes in minutes."
"Then why aren't they dead yet?!" Stryker asked, outraged.
"Simple, Father Stryker," Dr. Essex said with a sadistic grin. "The virus attacks mutants because it needs mutant cells to grow to full strength... but the spores do not recognize mutants. They are designed to attack normal humans... and only humans." Stryker looked around him. Viper was choking and the Professor was on the ground, wheezing.
"The latest poll shows us that Father Stryker is... argh... ack..." Ed Kelly began to paw at his throat, gasping for air. Within moments, he began to convulse, rocking back and forth violently. His camera crew did the same, wheezing and struggling. Everyone tuning in at home witnessed Kelly's blood-coughing fit and his final breath before he fell against the news desk, blood leaking out of his lifeless mouth, nose and ears.
"Ergh... no..." Dr. Patronete, sitting in his office, took a sip of water, but it did nothing to help him. Patronete was no fool; he may not have known why, but he realized his fate was inevitable. Quickly, he wrote something on his notebook and just as he finished the last letter, he slumped back in his chair. Outside, students began to drop. Those still standing, all mutants, panicked.
Storm's insect-like servant cried as he entered the room where the Rasputins were staying. He closed the door behind him.
Guards all over the London base began dropping, twitching like animals. Gauntlet looked around, wondering what was going on. He was the only one in the medical ward not reacting to the strange purple cloud that had entered.
"He's... betrayed us..." Viper said, coughing up blood. "He... Essex... traitor... mutant..." Viper dropped from the platform, falling next to Mystique. Blood tears flowed from her eyes, mixing in a blood beneath her head with the blood dripping from her mouth and nose.
Stryker watched as the Professor lay lifeless. He looked at his own hands, then down at his body.
"Praise the Lord. He has spared me."
"Spared you? No, Stryker, he has not," Dr. Essex said to him. Dr. Essex climbed up into the platform. "I am alive because of the mutant hiding in my head, but I am a pure-blooded human. You, however, are not."
"What?! How dare you accuse me! I am His creation!"
"You are a mutant, Stryker. Your mutation was never properly activated; it's latent. Do you know what your gift would have been?"
"Humor me, scientist."
"Ironically, it is a gift you possess without mutant powers. You can influence the minds of others. Your power was never activated, though; you have all of the weaknesses of a mutant with none of the strengths. I pity you, pries-" Stryker punched Essex in his rage, then pushed him to the ground.
"HOW DARE YOU?! I AM NO ABOMINATION! I FOLLOW THE WORD OF THE LORD!" Dr. Essex said nothing else. He looked at the sphere floating in front of him. The platform beneath him collapsed, courtesy of Apocalypse, but Stryker was lowered gently to the floor beneath. "YOU WILL BURN FOR THIS, ESSEX! YOU WILL BURN FOR THIS TREASON!"
"I will burn," Dr. Essex replied, solemnly. He began to glow, generating a strange white aura around him, surrounding the room and engulfing it in the light. The large rectangular door was pulled open and Magneto hovered in, quickly shielding himself from the brightness.
"What... is this?" he asked.
"I don't know," Wanda said. Without thinking, she clung to Scott, who put his arms around her. Likewise, Danielle found herself hanging off Pyro, who was surprised at first, but put his arms around her as well.
The light faded. Dr. Essex slowly floated back to the ground gently, lying on the broken platform below. The central sphere trembled slightly and the machines connected to it all shut off. The cables connected to the sphere detached themselves and the main sphere began to float forward. Magneto raised his hand to stop it, but he was powerless. Storm launched bolts of lighting, but the stopped inches from the sphere's surface and bounced off. Scott's blasts, Wanda's hexes, Pyro's flames, nothing could damage the sphere. A white light appeared from the grooves along the surface; the light grew wider as the grooves split and the sphere opened.
What emerged as a large man dressed in a form-fitting black suit, covered with blue armor that vaguely resembled the motifs of Ancient Egypt. There were lines of blue light running along his body, not part of his outfit, but apparently shining through his clothes from the skin beneath. On his belt he had a white emblem- a scarab, devouring a sun. The only place where his skin wasn't covered was his head; his face was rugged and his jaw angular, his features were relatively handsome, though covered in blue markings that glowed like those running along the rest of his body. He had now hair and his eyes were a deep blue with bright yellow irises. The reborn En Sabah Nur was created from samples of various mutants but without a trace of his own original genetic structure, though his face vaguely resembled his old one, but there was one mutant that seemed to influence his face more than the others.
He stood before the assembled mutants for a moment. Something about this moment felt familiar to him, as if he had experienced it before in a previous life. He began to glow; his gray skin became white, his black clothes became gray, and with a wave of his hands, the mutants flew to the walls and ceilings like magnets. Only Stryker remained standing, trembling with fear.
"What you have unleashed, Father Stryker," Dr. Essex said, weakly, "Is a mutant with no equal. He intends to destroy humanity. The virus he forced me to create will do most of the world, but he will not stop there..."
"I fear for this world," Stryker lamented. "I fear for the people, and the terrible thing I've done..."
"We are both responsible, Father," Dr. Essex said. "There is nothing we can do but pray."
"Pray?" Apocalypse asked with a deep, commanding voice. With the genes of other mutants, his mastery of English was more complete, though he retained a slight Egyptian accent. "No, Father Stryker. Your god cannot help you."
Apocalypse raised his hand and Stryker was forced to the ground, on his knees.
"Kneel before me, Father Stryker. I am your god now."
Yowza... hey, what? How come only the villians died? Because there's one chapter left, folks. A lot can and will happen in that last chapter.
Now then... Paul McGregor aka Shifter is dead. Oops.
Remember how I said Mr. Sinister wouldn't appear? Well, he didn't. Dr. Essex is a different character; where the original canonical Nathaniel Essex was a mad scientist in Apocalypse's service, this version of Essex is an unwilling slave who doesn't like what Apocalypse is forcing him to do. That way, I could have Essex appear without turning him into a ridiculous villain.
As for the chapter title... The Twelve, in the comics, were a group of mutants (coincidentally comprised of X-Men members, among others) that had the power to revive Apocalypse. The basic idea here is the same, even if the execution is radically altered (specifically, the twelve gene samples were used to create a new body for Apocalypse).
I'd like to think that I made Caliban a little more interesting at the end. You tell me if I did a good job with him.
So what now? One chapter to go. Stay tuned, true believers for the final chapter: THE EGYPTIAN DUSK!
When you read that last line, imagine a deep, echoing voice. Maybe some kind of dramatic music. Fuck it, imagine Chris Rock reading it while the Munsters theme song plays in the background.