Onset War ( 1 of 5)
Part 1: Homewrecking
Exodus looked in the infirmary room and shook his head. They're initial move had cost them a bit. Proteus was in critical condition. Havok had a concussion and Proudstar had been beaten up pretty badly. Clarice was being given some treatment for her esophagus for what Mikhail did to her. She seemed to be braving the treatment Star Prophet had formulated pretty well. Colossus still hadn't returned back from his mission so quite frankly the Exiles were short a few crucial people.
"Take a breather Bennet. No need to trip out. We got Ozy, Mikhail, Nereel, and Solidity. That's gotta count for something," Vyper said walking behind Exodus and gripping him on the shoulder.
"I know Cory. It does count for something. What it counts for though is what I'm trying to figure out," Exodus replied.
"Time for another future exploration?" Star Prophet asked as she pulled off her rubber gloves and threw them into the trash dispenser near by.
"Yes I think it is," Exodus replied as the entire Exiles' base suddenly shook violently. Pieces of medical equipment fell off their cabinets and the windows vibrated nearly to the point of breaking.
We got an incoming ladies and gentlemen! Gaunt is outside with a load of black cloaked mutants at his back. I count about two hundred of them.
"Sounds like they've come to retrieve their missing comrades," Vyper suggested pointing to an unconscious Mikhail.
"Most definitely. Stay down here and watch them Cory! Gaia and the others are supposed to be here shortly. Once they arrive I'll send them to help you immediately. Hopefully we can hold off Gaunt long enough," Exodus said disappearing in a flash of light.
"Good luck kid," Star Prophet said as she came into the closet and grabbed a large energy gun.
"Great. I get stuck with guard duty," Vyper moaned as he stared at the Exiles' prisoners.
Blink leaped into the air and slammed her heels down onto the head of a black cloaked mutant. Clarice then flipped onto the ground and kicked another mutant in the head. Looking overhead she could see Sunfire locked in combat with five avian mutants. They all had wings like a bat and moved like nobody's business. Shiro was having a hard time keeping up with them. That much was obvious.
Clarice never thought about just how much Sunfire looked like the one she had known. That world seemed like it was an eternity away. So much had happened since then, but to Blink's chagrin this world was a constant reminder of the one she had lost. Every time she gazed at Sunfire now she would think of Chicago and the cullings. She would think of her last battle alongside Rogue and the other X-Men.
Exodus, Colossus, and Havok had all played crucial roles in her universe. Now her she was fighting alongside them once more. The Exiles was her team and despite the challenges she had faced she wouldn't be anywhere else. At least not at the moment.
Slamming a javelin into another mutant's chest Blink said with a strained voice, "Man where are Polaris and Colossus at? We could use them!"
"Ask and ye shall receive!" Polaris said coming out of the air ripping her way through the black cloaked mutants.
Colossus came charging through the mutants, knocking them into the air, and in various directions. Peter moved his way to Blink and laughed, "Vyper called me and said it was an emergency. So I came."
"Glad to have you back. But boy did you pick a time," Blink smiled as she created a portal beneath herself and went out into the fray of battle once more.
"Give up Exiles! Release my allies and I'll spare your life," Gaunt laughed manically.
Bennet went flying up into the air and came up right before Gaunt, "And why should I do anything for you Gaunt? If I remember you ran away like a coward the last time we met."
"It was a strategic retreat my friend. I'll throw you back to the depths from which you came," Gaunt said knocking Exodus back a good thirty feet with a powerful telekinetic blast. Within his grasp he had the powers of X-Man, Scarlet Witch, Ever, Marrow, Quicksilver, Holocaust, and Mutant Forger.
"Good hit Gaunt! I'll raise you one," Exodus fumed as he wrapped his telekinesis around the man's body and slammed him into the ground below. A dozen of the black cloaked mutants were crushed by Gaunt's body. Colossus barely dodged the body of the mechanical warrior.
Using the powers of Scarlet Witch, Gaunt made a piano suddenly appear out of nowhere above Exodus's head. The item came crashing down onto the defenseless Exodus. He had never seen the attack coming and he had fallen twenty feet before his telekinesis ripped through the piano. That was enough time for Gaunt to get up on his feet and send five bone daggers flying at Exodus with the speed of sound. Once again, Exodus wasn't able to react in time before the bone daggers pierced his stomach at enough speed to rip straight through him.
"You…sorry," Exodus couldn't even finish his sentence as he began to crash towards the ground. A pink portal appeared in the sky and Exodus fell in it right into the arms of Colossus.
"Get him inside Pete! He's bleeding bad," Blink ordered as she held two javelins in each hand. She wouldn't let these sorry SOBs get up in her base.
"I won't leave you behind Clarice," Colossus exclaimed. They were too many of these mutants. Despite the fact she had allies on the field Clarice was pretty much alone in her area of the battlefield. Then Peter caught someone in his eye that nearly made him cry. He saw Illyana.
"Exodus needs you more than me! Now go!" Blink commanded as she threw the javelins into four separate mutants.
Colossus nodded his head and took off with Exodus in his arms. He would get Vyper to watch over Exodus and then get right back to this fight.
"Hurry up Pete! Don't think I can handle the fort for too long," Blink groaned as she crouched low and broke the ankle of a big brute with a well-placed kick. Then jumping up into the air spinning she managed to knock a few more out cold. Before her feet even hit the ground three javelins ended up in the head of a far off mutant. When her feet touched the ground Blink flipped backwards and hit a skinny lizard man in the stomach. She kept her feet planted on his chest as the scaly man hit the ground. Creating a portal over his torso, Clarice disappeared into the ground.
Illyana nodded her head slightly and black energy flowed from her fingertips. Whoever it touched devoured their minds and made them fall out dead. Magik wasn't able to use her Soulsword in this fight, but she was still quite the skilled sorceress. She would be able to take out as many of these soliders as she possibly could.
"These guys just don't ever stop coming!" Magik yelled as she continued to keep the energy pouring out of her hands and pupils. One woman snuck up behind Illyana and stuck her hands over Magik's eyes. Upon touching the woman black webbing flowed like a river out over Illyana's face. The webbing poured hot, searing energy throughout the weilder of the Soulsword's body.
"AHH!" Magik screamed as she fell to the ground. She wasn't unconscious, but she couldn't see either. That's when the deadly kick was delivered to her side. The sorceress felt the wind leave her chest, but she couldn't cry out. The webbing was filling her mouth as well and the pain wasn't stopping even as the beating from two of the cloaked mutants continued.
"Illyana!" Ever yelled as he used his telekinesis to snap the necks of the two mutants that were beating her. Upon picking her up off the ground he saw the black plague that had overtaken her face. Reaching out with his powers he ripped the webbing from Magik's body. Illyana let out a gasp as air filled her lungs once more. Grabbing her ribs she bent over.
"We need to get you out of here," Ever said.
"No! I can still fight," Magik grunted as she stood up. She wasn't going to let two mutants be the end of her stay in this battle. It would take a lot more than that to keep her down.
Turning his attention away from Illyana, Ever reached out with his telepathy to make contact with Mutant Forger who was fighting the mass of mutants with only his fists and some knives.
You know how Gaunt has assembled all these mutants. I know you know! Why aren't you using your powers?
Because I don't want to. My powers are dangerous and can only result in harm!
If Gaunt isn't afraid to use them then why are you!
I simply cannot.
So you're willing to let us all die because of your own moral attitude. We need back up and we need it fast. Gaia and the others haven't gotten here yet! We can't fight this battle alone. Not by a longshot!
There has to be another way Ever!
We're out of options and we're out of time!
Just then terrasect portals opened out across the battlefield and out of them poured clones! So many clones that you the black cloaks suddenly didn't seem so numerous. One portal opened up near Ever and out of it came the new Marauders. A group Ever hadn't had the chance to meet yet, but he had heard plenty about.
"Looks like you bozos could use a hand here," Jadianna smiled as she walked out of the portal with Fabian Cortez to her left and Vertigo to her right.
"The Marauders I assume," Ever said coldly.
"What's with the menacing stare? We're only here to help," Glance, who looked a little too much like Blink, laughed as he stepped through the portal.
"Lets just say I know what you did to Blink," Ever replied.
"Ooh did you guys just feel a chill pass by," Arwen laughed at her sarcastic comment.
"Are you all here to help or just talk?" Magik asked annoyed.
"Now you I've heard about! Nice to meet you at long last Illyana. Petey boy talked so much about you," Fabian smirked as he held out his hand.
"Shake my hand after we've won," Magik said taking off into the battlefield. Ever looked at the Marauders one last time before following behind Magik.
"Great crowd huh?" Glance asked pulling out four blue javelins that looked very much like Blink's classic pink ones. Sinister had created Glance from the DNA of Blink so he was pretty much a male version of her.
"Lets get the job done and head back home," Judas Traveller said reversing the blood flow of ten mutant soldiers without even a flinch.
"Of course," Babylon said making hundreds of butterflies composed of light heading out into the battle. As the butterflies flew outward they shot darts made of heated light into the necks of mutant soldiers. Babylon was taking them down like flies, but they kept on coming like cockroaches.
"Man this Gaunt guy sucks," Glance complained as he stabbed an older man in the head with one of his javelins. Throwing back his arm he grabbed the neck of another mutant warrior and slammed him forward into a Latin woman.
Over the Pacific Ocean
"Hold on!" Gaia yelled to her fellow students as the plane they were flying shook violently once again.
Oh children! You're letting me have too much fun!
"She's crazy!" Trevor Chase yelled as he flew backward and crashed into the back of the plane's door. Chase thought Onset had every intent to kill them, but in truth she only intended to keep them distracted.
Onset didn't want any of these mutants in New Mexico. Her soldiers would be freed and the likes of Gaia and the others would only make her rescue operation harder. She couldn't have interference.
Rattling the plane some more with telekinesis she then proceeded to blow out the plane's engines. The plane began to burn and fall towards the ocean. Onset looked on with a smile. The woman of power watched the plane fall to the ocean with a smile. She knew the children would survive, but they wouldn't be able to get to New Mexico anytime soon.
Vyper could hear the booms and other sounds of the battle taking place above his head. He wanted nothing more than to be out there, but he was guarding the captives of the Exiles. Maybe his mission was important, but at the moment he didn't feel like it.
"Back down Vyper and you won't be harmed. Our quarrel is not with you child," a voice said from behind the former Exiles' student.
Looking backward Vyper saw Yurike and Longshot, two of Onset's soldiers. He cracked his knuckles and hissed. Cory now felt all of a sudden very important. He had to guard the captives and now he was going to get the chance to cut loose.
"That quarrel is about to be with me lady. Real quick," Vyper grinned as he unsheathed his sleek bone fingernails. They were able to cut through concrete like paper. Yurike and Longshot were about to get a taste of them.
