Peace was Only a Dream
By: Zane Lovett
X-Men Fan-Fic
My Tormentors Return
(Chapter 2)
The night had fallen over the chaotic city of New York and the people at 1407 Graymalkin lane in the town of Salem Center in New York State's Westchester Country were grieve stricken. For the death of a wife, friend and, team member " JEAN!" the voice yelled out as huge red beam filled the air scoring into the night sky.. " Why, why did it have to be you why not me..?" Scott asked as he drank deep from the bottle in his hand. His words could be heard from one of his teammates as he sat in his usual tree watching his southern belle crying her tears running rapidly down her cheek. Remy couldn't talk to her all he could do was watch and think about what he should have said., the glow from his cigar filled the area around his face as he saw Scott staggering in the court yard The Cajun sighed as he jumped down from his perch. He headed towards Scott, " Sc'tt wa't 'p, Remy ne'ds t' talk t' yo'.." He grabbed the shoulder of the drunken leader, the bottle swinging in his grip as he turned seeing Remy " what do you want Remy?" Scott asked taking a huge drink. " Dis' 'snt de' wa' t' g't 'ver h'r." Remy spoke trying not to hit a nerve "Who are you to tell me what's right and what' wrong? Were you in love were you married to her were you?!" Scott started to push Remy "Huh were you?" He shouted even louder as he kept pushing. Remy did all he could do to block his onslaught of attacks. " Sc'tt yo' don' w'nt t' d' dis'." Remy said as he grabbed Scotts hands making him drop the bottle, " Remy I miss her, she's gone forever Cerebro cant pick her up there were no body's found at the site only a crater." Scott said as he started to tear up again small streams started flowing down his face. " D'n w'rr'e Sc'tt we'd f'nd her."
"How Wolive? How could she just be gone without any warning like it was instance." Jubilee said as she laid in Logan's arms as the candle light glowed around their faces, in her room. " I don't know kid it just did, But it is odd how nothing was picked up before the blast happened like it was made at that very moment. Hopefully storm will have some info for us when she gets back." Logan said as he could hear the screams of Scott and Remy in the courtyard. " Damn one eye this is never a way to act.." Logan thought as he held Jubilee listening to her heart beating, he kissed her neck softly as she started to drift asleep. But he couldn't help thinking of Jean and all the feelings he had for her bubbling up as the tears he held back were now starting to show, but Jubilee was right there lifting her hand to wipe away his tears as he didn't once for her. " I knew you couldn't hold it in forever Wolverine." She smiled as she rolled back over falling asleep as Logan followed.
AS the X-men were sleeping some one was up and planning their next exploits to bring their hard work to a crashing stop. "Reverend Stryker, it seems that your part of the deal isn't coming to a head." A voice said from the shadows " I know, but as I told you he's dead." Stryker said as he stood pushing the chair out behind him. " You're lying Stryker I can feel his life force but it's weak." The man said as he moved from the shadows his eyes peering out from behind his mask. "Lucifer I swear to you he's not alive.." Stryker said as he turned away from the eyes of his partner in mass destruction. "Yet he may be dead as you say but when we took one of his students her mind screamed out to him and yet their was a connection somewhere I felt it." Lucifer replied back as he watched the movements of Stryker "Yes I know but there's nothing we can do if he doesn't come out of hiding if he even is alive. Let's just move on. This petty fighting isn't getting us any where Lets move on to our next target..' A Screen lit up behind Stryker as the lights dimmed in the room. 'I have a press conference with my followers tomorrow and that's when I want our prisoner to make her showing. I want her to wreak havoc. I want to the world to see that the leader of these peace talks is really just a menace to mankind.." Reverend Stryker paused as he was basking in his plot all Lucifer did was nod slowly as he knew what his job was to use her like a Puppet to pull her strings and make her perform his will..
The sounds of his Hover chair echoed down the corridor as he watched the soldiers and workers move around him " Sorry sir." One of the workers said as they had stopped its His movements " It's quite alright." Xavier said lightly with a slight wave of his hand. HE made it to the throne room where his love was seated reading over documents " AH my love how are we now better?" Lilandra asked as she set the documents down on the table next to her " Gladiator… Make sure everything is taken care for our trip." She said as she led Xavier out of the room " Yes empress Lilandra." " My dear what is going on?" Xavier asked with a questioning tone " Last night when you woke I felt your pain I felt your thoughts and I saw what you felt. Its was the one you call Jean Grey. I felt her fear and her pain I felt what you felt my darling and if you must go then I must with you.. We shall be leaving in mere moments." " What are you saying? That we are returning to earth to my children to my home?" Xavier asked with a smile upon his face. A smile that was rarely shown while he was gone from his students..
The morning had come and the Xavier Institute sub basements were working over time. Rogue had woke up at the crack of dawn after crying herself to sleep the night before and had already had communications with Beast at X-Corp " No my dear Rogue I'm sorry we haven't found anything on the blast in the Mutant Housing projects or the explosions at Camp David. But Storm has been in Constance contact with us over the night with info as she's been on Recon there. They found no source of any chemical, it was like the blast was formed from thin air..' Beast paused for a moment as info was coming in on his monitors " But Beast is that even possible?' ' My dear in this line of work we have found ourselves in anything is.. But this might help us out I've been running a search on these so called 'Purifiers' and it seems they are based out of New York.. its seems one of their members built a site to bring in new members..' Beast said as he transferred the website info to Rogue " Your kidding some kid was stupid enough to post his little killing squad on the internet?" Logan's voice sounded from behind Rogue as he heard what Beast was saying. " I know its kind a odd how someone would just go out asking for members to join a militant group, but here they call themselves Purifiers for human rights and freedom against Mutants. It seems they have been doing this for years. The sever is been used for years. Let me see if I can hack into the mainframe. Dear god what is this.. ' "Beast what is it?' " It seems he's got a barrier for his site its enough to block Cerebra's hacking programs." Beast said with frustration on his face.. " Well blue boy you keep us in the loop there's a southern girl here who needs a break." Logan said with a grin " Logan what in tar nations are you doing I'm a grown ass woman.. I don't need anyone to tell me when its time to take a break." Rogue shouted as she turned looking at Logan as Hank ended his connection with them. " Well darlin' I can tell you need a break here it's already two in the afternoon and I bet you've been here since dawn.." Logan said as he pointed to the mess of trash " Yeah well what of it?" She said as she went back to reading the info that the government was passing along each other. " Listen stripe I know you're beating yourself up on the inside because it happened on your watch. But listen to me it's not your fault. So go take a break.." Logan said softly as he placed his hands upon her shoulders. "You got a Cajun up there that would do anything for you right now." Logan said once again " Why I'll be shocked Logan have you become soft on me while you've been gone?" Rogue said with a quick grin. " Don't even think about it darlin' I'm still same cigar smokin' beer drinkin' badass you've ever met its just this situation has put me at the point since Cyke's too far gone to deal with what's going on right now. SO I'm taking command. " Logan Rogue. Can you hear me?" the voice came in clear but the picture was static? " Professor?" Both Logan and Rogue said at the same time.. Logan reach over and grabbed the comm-link sending a relay of the info that had just came in " everyone get in here quick.." Logan said in a panic like voice..
They all quickly filled in once again thinking that another disaster had just taken place.. " Professor?": they each said as they could hear his voice on the speakers " My children.." Xavier said softly as the teleportation was complete sending him and Lilandra and the gladiator in the middle of the war room. " Professor?!" Jubilee screamed as she ran to hug him the gladiator quickly stepped into grabbing Jubilee by her arm, " Hold on Bub no one touch my girl like that." Logan said quickly as his claws soon shot out from his veins " Logan! Gladiator! Stop both of you! You can let her go.." Xavier said while raising his voice he watch as his chin rested on his finger tips. " its seems were missing a Leader. Where is Scott ? " Xavier asked as he looked around seeing the sadden and some what happy faces " he's who can we say passed out.." Rogue said softly tears lining her lower eye lids. " What do you mean Passed out Rogue?" " W'll yo' se' pof'ss'r Sc'tt w'nt a l'tt' heav' 'n de' L'qu'r.." Remy said as he grinned towards Logan and then peered back at Xavier.
Xavier had a look of concern on his face as did Lilandra "So the dreams weren't dreams. Jean is gone.?" Xavier said as Lilandra held his hand as everyone couldn't say it until a voice came from no where " Yes Professor she's gone." It was Scott he had woken up when the call came in.. " She's not gone she's being held captive.' "What do you mean captive?" They all seemed to ask at once" "Yes captive if she was gone our psychic repore wouldn't be but for some reason I can feel her but I just cant reach her.. Something is trying to block us," " What your saying Scott could be true but who could have this power to block my connection with her and your connection with Jean. This man just have great power.. and I fear I know who this man is.." Xavier paused as everyone looked on, " I thought he had left I thought he was gone for good but it seems he's been like a sheep in wolfs clothing he's hid himself from any kind of scanners.' 'But Professor why could Cerebro pick him up?' Jubilee asked quickly 'The reason Jubilee is because he's a man I met many years ago in Tibet this was many years before I built Cerebro. But I've never forgot him he's the Reason I'm damned to this Chair tell my death." Xavier stopped as he hovered towards the console trying to find any bit of information he had hidden away on his Tormentor all those years ago. " Ah yes here we go." He said as a picture suddenly appeared showing a man in red like clothing his face covered by a steel mask. "His name is Lucifer he a mutant of immense power…" Xavier stopped as he saw the shock upon some of his X-men's faces. Suddenly Lilandra spoke out her voice the only sound in the war room. " Lucifer!? He's no mutant, he an Alien of immense power. We Shi'ar have faced this foe many times but why would he be hear?" she asked as she looked towards Xavier's students and X-Men. " But if that's so then why did the reading Jean get say it was mutatagenic?" Cyclops said as he brought up the reports of what Cerebro picked up… " I do not know Scott but it seems that this villain is able to mimic genes of mutants. Or could he" Xavier stopped as he looked at the graphs. " Yes that's it he must be using mutant powers. To throw off Cerebros' readings.."
Within an instance the monitors came on showing the scene of downtown New York outside of the Pure life building, "In mere moments Reverend Stryker shall join us for his Press conference. The main topic is with the recent attacks on the U.S Bases are humans safe from the 'Mutant Menace' as he put on his press statement to the Daily Bugle just day ago. We here at J-3 news will be here until the end of this conference please stay turned well cut in as soon as reverend Stryker makes his way to the stage." The broadcast soon went back to J. Jonah Jameson sitting behind his news desk giving some great big speech on how this is going to be the great stepped forward to freeing the humankind from the Mutant race as it was supposed to be in early years of Xavier's death.
Stryker and his partner is this plan watched as the crowd grew signs raised high in the air, as the camera's panning across the stage then the crowd." Well it looks like your little security does their job well." Lucifer said with a grin as he watched a few of the 'Friends of Humanity' thrash and beat a Mutant until there was nothing left. All this was unseen by the watching peers at home but the crowd grew louder in enjoyment as they watched on..
(Next Chapter: The Reverend, The Alien and, The Mutant)