Author's note: Here it is, the big fight scene. Well, the first big fight scene. I've been playing Resident Evil 4 too much, and I think it'll show by the time you get to the end. Enjoy!
Previously on…
The Astonishing X-Men are a team of mutants, led by CYCLOPS and EMMA FROST, who fight to protect a world that has long feared and hated them. Their recent rise in popularity though, thanks in part to their recent ream-ups with the celebrity/superhero team Fantastic Four, as well as the trendy new lease on what people call "Mutant Culture", have made their lives all the more bearable. The resurrection of their long dead teammate COLOSSUS, has also improved their morale.
On the morning of September eleven, the world was horrified to witness the fall of the Two Towers, the result of two passenger airplanes getting commandeered directly into them. The death toll was flew past the thousands. After recognizing that it was an act of terrorism, the American Government and her close allies, have decided to wage a war on Terror. This was four years ago. The War on Terror still rages on.
When an American brigade find themselves under heavy attack from Iraqi guerilla, one of them, CHRISTIAN LEWIS, suddenly begins to feel the thoughts and emotions of every one surrounding him. Unable to take the enormous strain, he sees a glimpse of four women covered in blood red burqas, right before uncontrollably releasing a psychic shockwave that kills everyone in a four hundred mile radius. A group of women in red burqas, identifying themselves as the Ring of Fatima, have taken responsibility for the tragedy. And they promise not to stop until everyone else perishes as well.
When the CIA contacts the X-Men to investigate, they are first weary of having to participate in such a sensitive issue. But after a night of arguing with the team, and perhaps something deeper, Emma Frost and SCOTT SUMMERS soon accepted the offer, recognizing their duties to homo superior as more important than their personal dislike of war. With the aid of LILAH MORGAN, they manage to reach Iraq without difficulty, and are soon sent to Karbala where the psychic shockwave originated. It didn't take long for Emma to realize that Christian Lewis was already dead. But before they could discuss the matter at hand any further, a sudden psychic attack cripples Emma Frost. The very same thing that happened to Christian Lewis, before his mind was forced to explode…
Chapter 6: "Asunder"
"She's going to pop!" Logan shouted, knowing full well that none of them could run fast enough from a psychic explosion. Especially from a psychic as formidable as Emma. She was already hunched over, supporting herself on trembling hands and knees, her eyes wide open, as if something deep inside her was trying to claw itself out.
"Emma, come back to us!" Scott insisted as he knelt beside his struggling lover. Even with her psionic energy unraveling every realm of possibility, above it all she still felt Scott's fear, greater than her and her entire team's combined. His love. It was like an anchor that desperately kept her on shore, while the rest of the universe sought to tear her apart. His love, his fear of losing another one. "Not like Jean." Emma's heart stopped as she heard Scott's voice whimper in her mind's ear. "Please God…not like Jean…" It made her glad. And it made her guilty even more. Simply because she knew that she never earned his love. But the Phoenix did.
"Can't we just knock her out?" Kitty asked, not out of concern for Emma, but for the rest of the team. The Colossus especially. She didn't let the others now that she had already resumed an intangible state, one in which she was confident that she was safe from psychic assaults. It would only take her a moment to reach the Colossus and turn him intangible as well. But not yet.
"That won't stop her brain from working!" Henry retorted, wasting no time hurrying to Emma's side. He swallowed a lump on his throat before turning to Scott with a pitying gaze. "The only way is if we…"
"No!" Scott shot out, holding the delirious telepath by the shoulders and pulling her back, so that she could rest on his chest. Blood was already dripping down her nose, while her eyes were so high up; she must have been able to see the inside of her skull. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. Scott shook his head, but affirmed by his belief. "She's tough! She can handle this!"
"I really don't see much handling coming from our side…" Henry muttered.
"Scottie, we need to stop her!" Logan yelled.
"Come one step near her, Logan, and I will end you!" Scott shot back.
"Big picture Summers! Big freaking picture!" the Wolverine argued. Not just for himself, but for the entire team as well. He may have been the non-telepath with the strongest psychic defenses in their group, but he was still fairly certain that Emma was packing enough firepower to clear through his brain like a bulldozer. And he wasn't one on taking chances.
"Scott…" Emma let out a loud gasp in a sudden moment of clarity, as she desperately tried to keep her mind from imploding, and taking her whole team with it. "...I can't fight it…you have to stop me…" she then whispered, as her eyes slowly trailed to Logan's unsheathed claws. "You have to…"
"You really shouldn't give up so easily, Miss Frost." Suddenly interrupted three familiar voices. "It won't make a good impression on the rest of the students." the three voices further commented, as Emma began to feel the psychic virus inside her brain regress. Slowly, slowly, the pain began to subside, allowing her a second's respite.
"Don't worry, Mr. Summers." They then declared. "Everything's going to be alright."
"….my girls?" she asked, as she finally got her breath back.
Cerebra/14:00
"Not yours, Miss Frost. But we're still 300 behind you nonetheless. Now if you don't mind, we need to concentrate." The Stepford Cuckoos all closed their eyes, as they began to grab a hold of their former favorite teacher's dwindling consciousness. As always, Celeste stood at the wheel, the Cerebra helmet on her head, with both Phoebe and Mindee holding hands and standing right behind her. Their eyes all glowed white. "We found it." Phoebe then declared.
"It's like an insect." Celeste added with a slightly disgusted expression.
"And it's wriggling inside your brain." Mindee finished, as all three of them narrowed their eyes and began to concentrate on eviscerating the parasite.
"We think it's very disgusting." They all said in unison. "Is it yesterday there, or tomorrow? Time zones are terribly dull. Wouldn't you agree?"
Karbala Streets/14:01
"I can't hold it back any longer…" Emma whispered, both vocally and telepathically. She reached for Scott's hand and held it tight. She was trembling. "I'm not afraid of dying…someone will bring me back…" she then joked half-heartedly.
"Don't talk that way, Emma. You can fight this. You can. You can fight this." Scott insisted through gritted teeth, as he cradled her with both arms. She could feel his heart jump each second. For her. "These freaks picked the wrong lady to mess with, do you hear me?" he then whispered into her head. "They got away with murdering a two-bit telepath, but they're not doing the same to you….you are a White Queen. You do not give up!" For her.
"No…giving…up…" Emma shut her eyes tight, as she began to focus her psychic energies on pushing the virus back. "…no…get out of my head!" With a loud cry, Emma gathered all her strength, and with the aid of the Three-in-One, beat the telepathic parasite back. A flash of light erupted from Emma's eyes and mouth, as she screamed out in defiance.
Unknown/14:03
With a shrill scream, one of the women in red burqas jolted back, as the strength of the four telepaths' combined psychic reprisal that not only blasted right into her mind, but decimated the scrambler that she wore as well. It was so strong in fact, that the psychic bolt itself distorted the frequencies, echoing like a sonic boom that blew the woman through a wooden table. "Rashana!" her cohort cried, catching the now unconscious woman before she could fall to the ground. "This is Sultana to all points!" she then yelled into her earpiece. "Rashana is out!" she informed them while she checked on the now-unconscious woman. "Plan B! Engage the X-Men, now!"
Karbala Streets/14:03
"Emma? You okay?" Scott asked as he leaned closer to his lover's cheek. Emma responded by leaning back and giving Scott a weary thumbs up, which earning herself a sigh of relief from the man who cradled her in his arms. "Atta' girl." He whispered softly into her ear. "Thank you." She whispered back, though with a noticeable hint of sadness that immediately peaked her lover's concern.
"Guys…" Logan called their attention, as he looked upward. "It ain't over yet…"
"Huh?" Henry looked up as well, right before the sound of metal wings flapping violently filled the air. A sound that grew louder, and louder as it drew nearer and nearer. And with their attention fixed on the noise, and the inevitable confrontation with whatever made it, none of them noticed the woman lurking inside one of the empty establishments right beside them. Not until it was too late. All of a sudden, a massive, spiked tentacle crashed from the wall, giving Logan a quarter of a second to turn and realize what came his way. The feral mutant could only curse under his breath, right before the tentacle, which looked like a giant scorpion's tail, impaled him all the way through from the back of his stomach.
"Logan!" Scott shouted, as the tentacle pulled back into the open wall, with Logan still firmly in tow. The second wave came before anyone of the X-Men could react to the initial assault, as the sheets and blankets that covered them overhead were quickly torn asunder, forcing the sunlight to crash down.
Kitty covered her eyes from the sudden glare of the sun, not noticing Peter coming her way. And without warning, two massive hands pushed her down to the floor, right as the sound of metal grinding against metal hit her ears. "Peter!" she yelled, realizing that he had just saved her life by pushing her out of what could only be described from her standpoint as a red blur. A red blur with bright orange sparks flying out of it. Kitty gasped as Peter fell to the ground, with large, smoking scars coming from his metallic arms and chest. Scott however, had a much better view of the creature. It was a woman, also clad in a red burqa, with shoulders that extended into red, vein-laden wings, with large blood-red blades in place of feathers. The very same blades that nearly set Colossus on flame through the friction of its contact with his metal skin.
"Keep down!" Scott yelled at the remainder of his team, Emma still in his arms, as he let out a wide-arc optic blast that slammed against the woman like an eighteen-wheeler. And with a cry of pain, the woman was sent hurtling all the way through the back of the alley, right into a two-story house on the other street. "Got you…" Scott muttered to himself, only to gasp out in shock as Emma quickly shoved him off of her. Then and there, the sand beneath them gave way, revealing what looked to be a cadre of flagellate tendrils that literally pulsated with blood, which quickly dragged the White Queen back down from where it came. "Emma!" Scott yelled in a panic, as he watched the sand that the creature burrowed through quickly closed in on itself. "No!"
At the same time, inside the sizable house, Logan found himself forcefully crashing right into the wall with a hole still gaping in his stomach. The woman, Laikana, stood in the middle of the unlit room, with the tentacle which was once her hand, ferociously recoiling into her outstretched sleeve. "Do not struggle, X-Man." She hissed, lowering her arm as the tentacle disappeared into her sleeve. "I can do so much worse than giving you a makeshift appendectomy."
"Huh…I always hated my stupid appendix anyway…" Logan retorted, coughing out blood in between words, holding what remained of his stomach, which itself was already on the mend. "Now how about… you… get me a beer… and I forget all about this…" he then muttered, trying to act as brave as he could, thought it was terribly clear that he was only stalling for some time to heal.
"Cute." Laikana whispered, as she pulled her left arm back, transforming it into another spiked tentacle, and lashing it into the wounded mutant's direction. It had enough force to cleave Logan's skull wide open, and it would have, if not for it suddenly phasing right through his head.
"Took you so long?" Logan asked with a relieved smile, as he then found Kitty latched onto Laikana from behind, using her power to extend her own intangibility to the people she had physical contact with.
"Lost my contacts." Kitty sarcastically responded, as she attempted to drag Laikana down in an effort to subdue her. The fact that she was intangible made it almost impossible for Laikana to injure her. Kitty knew that. And so did Laikana. What Kitty didn't know, was that like the X-Men, the Ring of Fatima was a team. "Mariella!" Laikana immediately called at the top of her lungs. And then, as if right on cue, a loud, banshee-like cry split the sky, forcing Kitty to release Laikana, and lose control of her tangibility.
Outside, the winged woman's mask was torn open, revealing a jaw that extended so low, it resembled that of a reptile's instead of a human's. It was her who sent out the shrill scream, that successfully managed to catch the X-Men off guard. And with her jaw wide open, she once again took flight. Back inside the empty house, Laikana forcefully shoved her elbow right into Kitty's gut, sending her painfully falling back. All the while, Logan, who had already adjusted to the sonic scream blaring from outside, charged at the woman with outstretched arms and a loud growl. Not fast enough. Narrowing her eyes, the woman raised her hands, changing them into large organic scythes, that managed to catch the Wolverine's claws before they could slice into her face. Her quick reflexes were a surprise, even for the Wolverine, who had left him self open for an easy counterattack. It was something Laikana was quick to capitalize on, as she pushed Logan back, turned, and then performed a leg sweep that took Logan off his feet. The moment he hit the ground with a loud thud, Laikana leapt to the air, and then slammed her scythe-appendage down, ready to cut Logan in half.
"Whoa!" Logan quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade that sent sparks flying as it nearly cut the concrete floor in two. He took a swipe as he got back, though more as a means to deter her from attacking rather than actually hitting her. Laikana took a step back for half a second, only to quickly lunge forward, using what was now shaped like the tip of a halberd for a hand. Logan could only sidestep in time, unable to avoid the tip of her axe-appendage tear the flesh across his chest.
Twelve feet away, Henry had already disposed of his image inducer, as he hastily scaled the side of the structure where Logan and Laikana fought, managing to reach the rooftop in just a short time's notice. "…" From there, he saw the empty landscape through clear eyes, bathed in a yellow hue from the endless stream of sunlight. There in just a slight distance, the Beast managed to catch sight of their shrieking opponent, hovering over the main road, possibly getting into better flight speed for her next sweep. If she could gain enough velocity for another strike, the results would be fatal. Henry couldn't let that happen. With Scott still helping Peter to his feet, and very much worried about the fate of Emma, it was up to the Beast to take down the woman in red. Taking no time to hesitate, Henry immediately got on all fours, and began to sprint across the rooftops at top speed. He could already read her next movement, which was to turn at the intersection at the block's end, so that she could follow the wide road and hit the X-Men from behind once again.
"…!" Gathering his strength, the Beast gained speed, jumping off of the last house for that block and landing right on top of Mariella right as she turned the corner. There was no more room for grace or finesse, as Henry once again resigned himself into his instinctive state, one which had no qualms about using teeth. He kept a paw beneath her chin, pushing up to a close so she could not scream, all the while using his own powerful jaw to squeeze her neck into suffocation. Mariella immediately struggled to get free of the Beast's grasp, but with Henry's hind legs digging into the organic portions of her wings and preventing her from further mobility, she knew that it wouldn't be much of a fight. Without any second's hesitation, Mariella used what remained of the speed that she gathered in order to steer herself directly into a building. Henry still latched on to her, knowing full well, and with no exaggeration, that letting go could mean the difference between life and death. Mariella made a quick turn, letting her back, along with Henry, face the side of the wall. Henry held on tighter, closing his eyes and bracing himself. A second later, the sound of concrete collapsing was heard.
Back at ground level, Laikana was keeping the upper hand against Logan. Kitty was still down, and Scott was scouring the streets looking for any sign of Emma. It was the perfect time for the Colossus to join the fray. Leaping through the collapsed section of the wall where Logan was dragged through earlier, he immediately sprinted up to Laikana. "…!" she turned with a back fist, though it was not as much a fist as an axe, ready to strike Peter before he could do any damage. Unfortunately for her, she telegraphed her move a little too early, as the Colossus ducked beneath the swinging blade. And without stopping for a second, he then speared himself right into the woman's stomach, with enough force to cause a building to topple over. But Laikana was built of tougher things. As Peter held her waist with both arms, ready to tackle her through the wall, Laikana knew that she needed to take action. Fast. And she did. Ignoring the pain that racked her body, Laikana shifted the shape of her arms once more, turning them both into massive tentacles, which she used to entangle Peter around the stomach from behind. "Off me!" she yelled, as she hoisted both tentacles up, taking the Colossus with them.
"…!" The force of her throw was strong enough to send Peter flying right through the roof. He had to admit that he was getting tired of being thrown through buildings. Scott stopped in his tracks as Peter landed a few feet in front of him with a loud crack that sent the dust flying. "Peter?"
"Cyclops!" a woman then called before Scott could check up on his teammate. And since he knew well enough that taking the time to help Peter back to his feet could prove fatal for the both of them, he quickly decided to face the danger head-on, and assist his team member later.
The woman's eyes were practically glazed over, with shades of red streaked across. She stood at a hunch, clearly not a hundred percent, though clearly still more than willing to fight. "What did that bitch whore of yours do to me?" she then screamed at him, as Scott began to feel a great strain weigh in on his head. Rashana stretched her hand in front of her, channeling all her strength into making sure that her psionic grip on the man could not be worn off.
"What are you- -" the strain immediately grew unbearable, literally forcing Scott down on all fours.
"My gift, pig." The woman sneered. "You get your powers from the sun, am I right? Focus them through those beautiful red eyes?" she drew closer, her hand in the air, as Scott began to feel what seemed like more than the infinite power behind his eyes gather. "Well I'm making sure that you can't take it anymore!"
"…get…away…" Scott was already burying his face on his hands, as he felt his eyes store far too much power than they could possibly hold.
"Are you ready to implode, infidel?" Rashana hissed. Scott didn't have a choice. With the might of his optic blasts ready to overwhelm and kill him, he quickly realized that if he didn't take any action now, then the person who'll die won't be just him.
"You want power?" he screamed at her, lifting his face from his hands. "Here! Take it!" he then yelled, taking his visor off, and letting out an Earth-shattering optic blast that he aimed up at the sky. It was an optic flare that was seen across all of Iraq. And even though it wasn't aimed at her, Rashana was literally blown away by the shockwave it released, instantly taking her down for the count. With a slow, painful grunt, Scott crumpled back down, as the force of releasing the massive optic blast felt like he had just vomited all of his internal organs. So much so that it took the remainder of his strength just to put his visor back on.
"Scott?" Peter called with a concerned voice as he wearily got back to his feet. "…your eyes are bleeding."
Military Installation/ 14:15
"So much for secrecy." General Major Messer commented as he watched the remainder of Scott's optic flare disappear into the sky from the square window in his small office; turning the clouds into a deep shade of crimson. "So tell me, do you have a contingency plan Nolan?" he then asked, turning around to face the young agent who stood in front of his desk.
"Don't you worry yourself, General Major." The agent calmly responded, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. "The battle should buy us enough time to reach our goal."
"I hope for your sake that you're right, agent." The General Major sternly answered. "We don't want four years of planning going down the drain…we've lost too much. America can't take any more of this…"
"We understand that." Agent Cooper chided. "I wasn't born yesterday like Nolan here. I've been in the project since the very beginning. You know what this means to me."
"I wasn't born yesterday…" Nolan muttered to himself.
"Alright, technically, you were born a week ago."
"Back to business, people!" angrily reminded the General Major. "If the X-Men lose, then it won't make any difference. The plan will go on. But if they win, if they win in time, then our timetables get pushed forward."
"The men have already been transported sir. They're already in the United States, mobilizing…" explained Cooper.
"And Lilah?"
"She's with them now."
Empty House, Karbala/14:16
Logan made another dive for Laikana, who strafed to her left in order to avoid getting skewered. It gave the woman enough room to angle herself behind Logan. In a fraction of a second, she managed to grab Logan from behind the neck with her left tentacle arm. "It is time for this battle to end…" she then declared, as she immediately lifted the Wolverine off of his feet. He would've come back with a snappy retort, but her vice-like grip was already preventing the blood from entering his brain. Laikana narrowed her green eyes as se began to change her right arm into the shape of a trident, ready to finis the job. Logan struggled against her grip, kicking his feet and digging his claws into the tentacle that held onto his neck; all to no avail. "There should be better ways to solve this problem, without bloodshed…but your people will never listen ." Laikana whispered softly, hesitating for a moment to deliver a final blow. "…I never wanted to be a part of this. I am very sorry." With her attention to the back of her captive's head, she did not see the Shadowcat back on her feet, a short distance in front of the Wolverine.
"…" Kitty swallowed the air as she made a sprint toward her teammate, and lunged.
"…?" Laikana's eyes widened in shock as she saw Kitty spear through Logan in an intangible form. There was a hatred in the young woman's eyes that made even Laikana's heart stop beating. And as she could do nothing but watch the X-woman disappear into her own body, so ended the threat that she bore to the rest of the world. The pain only lasted a second. Logan gasped for air as he fell to the ground, free of Laikana's grip. He then felt the heavy thud of two bodies hitting the floor, one after the other.
"Kitty…?" with the pain of everything that his body just went through still pervading his very being, it took nearly all of his remaining strength just to turn his head to the direction of the sound. Then and there, he wished he hadn't. By his feet was left the burqa that the woman wore. Blood was everywhere. "No…"
Kitty knelt on weak knees, staring at the blood on her hands, and Laikana's flayed body by her feet. She had just literally phased Laikana out of her skin, killing her almost instantly. Her tentacles were too long to get fully phased out, so the end of each one was still connected to the husk that was laid on the floor. Looking at it from above, it was like seeing your skinless reflection. The Wolverine shook his head, and attempted to pry his exhausted self off of the floor. "Logan…" she whispered with a shaky voice. "I was so mad…she was about to…she was about to…I feel…wrong inside…" Kitty then swallowed her breath, as her eyes fell on the naked husk of Laikana. Her eyes were still very much wide open, and Kitty could swear that those eyes were staring straight back at her. Kitty had killed before, yes, and it was a sensation that she thought she'd never grow accustomed to. And it was the not the act of killing itself, but the fact that she felt no remorse whatsoever, that bit at her soul.
"…stay steady kid, stay steady." Logan muttered, still gathering his strength. "You asked for a war and here it is. All it's glory."
Back in the main road, Scott and Peter finally got to turn the corner where Henry and Mariella landed earlier. "…" What remained of the woman was a bloodied mess. Her wings were torn off, and her legs contorted into broken angles. A small puddle of blood stained the back of her head. "…" Scott stepped up. "Hank…is she…?"
"She's not dead." Henry growled in a low voice, still obviously not a hundred percent back to his normal self. There was a large wound near his ear, and a large cut that extended from the back of his shoulder down to his side. "Where's Emma?" he then asked, hoping to change the topic. He really didn't want to admit that he's been resorting to transforming into his feral form much more often. And without much qualm.
"I…our psychic rapport is still up. She's still alive but…the thing that dragged her down hasn't showed itself again yet…"
"Team!" Logan interrupted, as he and Kitty tepidly shambled into the street. The latter of whom still clearly in a state of shock. "We win? Our big bad's down for the…hey, aren't there supposed to be six of us?" Logan then asked, looking around in an attempt to find the White Queen. It was then that the ground began to rumble violently, seemingly in response to Logan's inquiry.
"What the hell?" Logan pushed his back against a wall to avoid falling, while the still lethargic Kitty apparently didn't choose to fight getting thrown down to all fours.
"Stay alert, people!" Scott ordered, propping himself on one knee to support his weight. And as the X-Men felt their hearts beating faster in expectation of their inevitable confrontation with the remaining member of the Ring, the shaking suddenly stops. None of them noticed the small tendrils that crept out from Mariella's back, connecting themselves to her severed wings. "…!" Henry then turns, only to find the woman back to consciousness, her mouth gaping wide open.
"Hank!" Scott yelled, as the woman unleashed a full sonic shockwave on the Beast at point blank. The combined frequencies made it inaudible, but gave it enough strength to be turn into a concussive bomb. It was enough to shoot Henry flying back, out of consciousness. The Colossus quickly maneuvered himself to Scott's left, catching Henry before a fall could do him more damage, even though his metal skin wasn't exactly the most comfortable to fall back against.
"Get him to safety." Scott instructed to Peter, just as he fired a narrow optic blast at the woman. Mariella quickly launched herself off the ground to get out of harm's way, expanding her metal wings as she reached the now orange sky.
"Petey, I need a special!" Logan yelled, a plea that fell on deaf ears since the Colossus was still busy finding a safe place to lay Henry down. Scott fired another volley of quick optic blasts at Mariella, who easily weaved past them as she circled the X-Men from the air. "…!" she then returned the favor as she fired shards of organic steel from her wings, seemingly without aim, as they all plunged to the soil a good feet away from any of the X-Men.
"Petey!" Logan called again, and this time, he found the metal man rushing to his side. The Russian mutant did not pay attention to stepping over the shard from Mariella's wing that stuck to the ground. He did not notice it quickly pulse and ,bloat right before exploding into a cocktail of liquid fire. It managed to catch Colossus off guard, enveloping him in a blaze that his steel skin thankfully took the brunt of. The same went for the other shards, prompting the X-Men to fall for cover, as the liquid flames spread from the ground to the surrounding houses. It gave Mariella enough time to escape.
"…Damn." Logan muttered, catching a glimpse of the woman disappear into the horizon. Kitty was already helping Peter to his feet. Scott took a deep breath. He was about to ask if everyone was okay, but the another tremor cut him off. This time, much stronger than before. The houses that surrounded them, already weakened by their battle, began to collapse, fanning the flames that now surrounded them.
"Move!' Logan yelled, as his enhanced senses finally managed to pinpoint the stem of the earthquake. Right in the middle of where the X-Men stood, the ground suddenly erupted in a frenzy of soil and dust, forcing them to scatter.
"Good God…" Kitty's eyes widened as she, and the rest of the team, got to focus on the figure that stood before them. For its base, which itself already stood at more than eight feet, were four spider legs, each one looking like a network of veins and capillaries. At its middle was connected a long, wide spine, further elevating another seven feet into the air. There was a bulge the shape of a woman in a fetal position at its center, and it was immediately clear to the X-Men who was trapped inside. And at the very top of the pregnant spine was connected the upper torso of the woman in red. Her burqa as now torn, covering only her face and her upper torso. Both her hands were gone, in their place hissed large tentacles with maws on end, dripping with yellow saliva. She was Sultana, the head of the Ring of Fatima. And she hungered.
"So…" Logan tilted his head back for a better view of the enemy. "…who else had too much to drink?"
"X-Men…" the woman sneered, as the mouths that were here arms viciously snapped. "It is time to wake you from your shackled dreams…"
"Waking up sounds nice…" Kitty muttered, while Peter took a step in front of her. The strong flames, and the thick clouds of smoke that they generated, only proved to bathe Sultana in a much more menacing light. With the X-Men still broken and battered, they knew full well that this was not going to be a pretty fight. But they stood their ground nonetheless. Scott stood defiantly in the monstrosity's shadow, not even a inch of intimidation clear on his stone face. Emma was inside that thing. And by all that is good, he was going to get her out.
Chapter 6, End
Next Chapter – Where lives are forever changed, revelations are made, the students react, and more things explode!
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed that one. Drop a line and send me your thoughts…or else! Anyway, we've passed the point of no return, stay tuned for more silly, drawn out, unnecessary battles! Trust me, this one is tame compared to what the team goes through next. Chow!