A/N: Sorry for the long absence! My computer had to be taken in for repairs and I only just got it—and my files—back to begin writing again! I'll try to make up for lost time. In the mean time, the thrilling climax!
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Trinity's pronouncement killed any sense of joy or relief that had been evoked by the end of the fight and the freeing of Vlad's mind.
"Where are they headed?" Althea asked.
"It might be easier to say where they're not headed." Quinn gulped as she looked over the displays. "Cobra's satellites have launched missiles at cities all across the United States and over two dozen world capitals!"
"This could start a war!" Althea realized.
"Another thing that's my fault…" Vladimir groaned.
"How do we stop them?" Scott asked. "There's too many of them for us to go shoot them down in the X-Jet!"
"Even the Joes couldn't reach them all in time." Wanda agreed. "Some of the cities are on the other side of the world!"
"Please tell me that these are ordinary missiles that just go 'boom' and don't do anything else." Lance groaned. Trinity shook their head.
"No such luck. Some of these are equipped with nuclear and in some cases, chemical warheads."
"The death toll…" Lina said as she covered her mouth in horror. Vlad looked down, unable to meet anyone's eyes.
"There has to be some way to stop those missiles." Althea said.
"There is." Vlad said softly. Everyone turned to look at him. "I know the codes to stop the missiles. But we need to get to the auxiliary control room…"
"Why do I get the sneaking suspicion that it isn't next door?" Rogue wondered out loud.
"…on the other side of the Terror Dome." Vladimir finished.
"Called it!" Rogue groaned.
"We don't have much time." Scott reminded them. "Let's get going!"
"Follow me." Vlad headed towards the door.
"Are you sure you're up to it?" Althea asked as she and the others followed him out.
"I was about to ask you the same question." Vlad replied, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Puddles." Althea glowered at him.
"The second those missiles are deactivated." She grumbled. "You're a dead man Vlady."
"I would imagine so." Vlad agreed as he hurried his pace. "The first thing we have to do is—DUCK!" He yelped as laser fire lanced over their heads.
"B.A.T.s." Wanda groaned. "I hate B.A.T.s!"
"They aren't alone." Todd gulped as they were reinforced by the battered looking Dreadnoks.
"Kill them!" Zanya screamed as the Dreadnoks opened fire.
"Let me guess." Althea said as they took cover. "Old friends of yours?"
"Don't remind me." Vlad groaned. Althea regarded him for a moment.
"How are you feeling?" Althea asked quietly.
"I've been used and manipulated by a bunch of rich fops." Vlad muttered. "I swore to be a champion, a tribune of the poor, the oppressed, and the wretched of the earth…and ended up being just a puppet of the rich, the powerful, and megalomaniacal. How would you feel?"
Althea said nothing she just squeezed his shoulder. "You'll be okay."
"Wish I had your confidence." Vladimir replied as a stray shot narrowly missed them. "We don't have time for this." He growled as he clenched his fist and prepared an energy blast. Before he could fire, Vlad suddenly felt himself going cold in the face. His vision blurred and black splotches appeared in front of his eyes. Even his hearing suffered for everything started sounding faint and faraway, with occasionally crackling as if there was static interference.
Worse of all was the burning feeling he felt in his hands. Looking down he saw great brown and black burns on the palms of his hands, as if his own energy was burning him from the inside out.
"Vlad? What's wrong?" Amira asked as she saw his face go pale. Vlad shook his head and fired his energy blasts downwards at the floor. He blew a hole straight through to the floor below them.
"This way!" Vlad gasped as he leapt down.
"Vlad!" Amira shouted as he jumped after him.
"I'll go with them, the rest of you hold them off!" Althea ordered.
"But Al—" Todd started to protest.
"Just do it!" Althea shouted as she dropped through the hole in the floor. Amira and Vlad were already back on their feet and looking around. "Do you know where we're going?"
"It's this way." Vlad croaked out. He cleared his throat. "Let's go." He said in a more normal tone of voice.
"Vlad…" Amira started.
"Go scout on ahead." Vlad told her. "I'm fine." Amira bit her lip but turned to do what he asked.
"If you say so Vlad." She said softly. Althea waited for her to leave before she turned to Vlad.
"She really cares about you, you know?" Althea asked him. "If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have known to come and save you."
"I know." Vlad said hollowly shaking his head and then chuckling. "Sure you're not jealous, Al?" Vlad grinned. "You do look a little green around the gills." Althea just stared at him.
"How long did it take you to think that up?" She drawled.
"I actually thought of that years ago. I just needed the opportunity." He admitted sheepishly. Althea rolled her eyes.
"I might have guessed."
Vladimir licked his lips. "Look, Althea I just wanted to say—to say…Al, I'm so sorry!"
"I know." Althea said sadly.
"I didn't mean for all this to happen!" Vlad blurted. "I just—"
"Vlady," Althea used her childhood nickname for Vlad. "It's okay. I forgive you." Vlad sniffed and wiped his eyes.
"Bozhemoi, I've made such a huge mess of everything." He moaned. "I've been an idiot."
"Wait until you've lived with my father for a while. Then you'll see some real idiocy." Althea grinned. "Until then I'll just rib you about this for the rest of your life."
"Heh. And to think I actually missed you mer-girl." Vlad said with a shake of his head. "I can't believe how much you changed."
"Yeah, I missed you too. It just wasn't the same after you left. I could've used your help after my sisters were born."
"Your sisters…" Vlad repeated numbly. "Oh god, I'm so sorry about what I did to them at Sky High!"
"Vlad, relax. You can apologize to them after we stop the missles." Althea told him.
"And then what? Prison?" He shook his head. "If I'm lucky all they'll do is deport me…"
"It won't come to that." Althea swore as she grabbed his hand. "I promise." Vlad looked down at her and smiled slowly.
"Thanks Al."
"Ah-hem." They looked over to see Amira tapping her foot impatiently. "The way to the control room is clear unless you two have…other plans?" She inquired,
"Amira—" Vlad started. Amira just turned her back.
"Let's just stop those missiles." She muttered as she strode ahead, Althea and Vlad trying to keep up.
"This just isn't my day." Vlad complained. Althea nodded in sympathy before catching up with Amira.
"It isn't what you think." She said to Amira quietly. "We're just old friends." Amira regarded her skeptically but didn't respond.
"We're here." Amira pronounced as they stood outside a sealed room.
"And us without the key." Althea said.
"Then we'll just get in the old fashioned wa—aaaggh!" Vlad screamed as he started to prepare an energy blast. It burned! Smoke rose from his palms as his flesh burned, giving off a stench so horrible that Althea and Amira struggled not to gag. Clenching his eyes shut, Vladimir blasted the doors open before collapsing to his knees.
"Vlad!" Amira shouted as she ran over to him. "What's wrong?"
"…my hands…" Vlad groaned as he clenched them to his sides. Amira rushed over and grabbed his hand. She pried it open and gasped at the horrific burns on his palms.
"W-we've got to get you to a hospital—" Amira stammered.
"No! Stop the missiles…" Vlad groaned as he lurched to his feet. Althea raced over to the controls.
"How do I deactivate the missiles?"
"Get me…to the controls." Vlad groaned. Amira had to half-carry, half-drag him to the controls. Weakly, Vlad punched in a set of codes. "This ought to deactivate them."
"Access: Denied." The computer blatted at him.
"Or not…" He growled. "Stinking snakes changed the codes on me!"
"So now what?" Amira wondered.
"One…last idea." Vlad said as he pounded in a new code. "I doubt they bothered to change this code…yes!"
"What did you do?" Althea asked.
"I reprogrammed the missiles to home in on mutant energy…the energy signature that's emitted when a mutant uses their powers. It's what Cerebro homes in on." Vlad explained.
"Oh well that's just—you what?" Althea exclaimed. "Are you nuts? Why the hell would you do that?" Vlad grinned.
"Because now the missiles will home in on the Terror Dome. No innocents will be hurt."
"But why would they—" Amira started. Vlad's hands started to glow.
"Because…I'm going to give them the mother of all energy signatures." He panted as he powered up.
"Don't think about it!" Althea ordered.
"Vlad! Please stop!" Amira begged. His hands were burning, his vision was swimming, and his stomach was churning. He felt horrible. Vlad was dying and he knew it.
"Nothing I can do about that now…" He ground out. "Look at me…I can't live with my own powers anymore…too much strain from the last couple of days…I'm being roasted from the inside out."
"Vlad…no." Amira begged, shaking her head in rejection.
"W-we can get you help." Althea started to say. "Lifeline—" Vlad wasn't listening.
With a cry of pain, Vlad fired upwards through the ceiling. The blast kept going upwards until it burned its way through the entire Terror Dome. The energy released was like a signal to the Cobra missiles. They changed their course to head for its source.
"Missile trajectory altered." The computer intoned. "New target selected. Missile impact in two minutes."
"Just have to hold on for two more minutes…" Vlad said as he continued to fire upwards, his hands burning under the strain.
"Vlad!" Amira screamed.
"Look out!" Althea shouted as chunks of the roof started to fall. "Vlad! That's enough! You don't have to do this!"
"Please!" Amira sobbed. "You'll kill yourself!"
"Believe me…" Vlad said lowly, trying to fight the pain. "You're the only ones who care."
"Althea!" Jean's voice echoed in their minds. "Get out of there now!" Vlad dropped to one knee as his body started weakening under the strain of the energy he was releasing.
"Sorry we couldn't catch up Al." Vlad croaked, then softened as he turned to Amira. "Amira, I—"
"We're activating the Mass Device." Jean told Althea. Althea paled and grabbed Amira before reaching for Vlad.
"Jean, wait!" Althea tried to shout telepathically. But it was too late. Vlad just looked at the two most important people in his life and gave a weak smile.
"Do svidanya tovarishchii." He breathed.
"Vlady!" "No!" The girls shouted as they were teleported away.
Vlad looked up at what was left of the ceiling. It wouldn't be long now…A small sparkle in the sky announced the arrival of the missiles. There was a loud noise and then—
Althea and Amira saw the explosion from the Pit. It was the last time Althea or Amira would see Vladimir alive again.
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