CHAPTER 12. THE X-MEN

XAVIER MANSION

Most of the school is in ruins so the students keep to the sublevels. "Excuse me Professor…"

"What is it Scott…"

"We've been talking…And well I don't agree with Erik's politics, but he is right about one thing. We must fight…"

"Yeah…" Bobby says speaking up, "They took Hank…are we going to do nothing…"

Charles looks at all of them, "Do you all feel this way…" They all nod, "Come with me then…" He leads them to another room in the sublevel, "Erik has always been too militant minded…I knew one day he would leave us…So I hid this from him…" He presses a button and the lights in a case come on revealing uniforms. "The Danger Room exercises weren't just about teaching you to control your powers…They were also about teaching you to fight as a team…You are now the X-Men…Scott will be your team leader…" The uniforms are made of leather and are black with varying colors. Cyclops os black with a trim of red, Jean's is black with a trim of pink, Warren is black with a trim of white, and Iceman's is black with a trim of blue. The Professors uniform is black with a trim of yellow. After everyone is dressed Charles takes them to the hangar where a jet is.

"That is so cool…" Bobby says.

"Meet the Blackbird…I designed it and Hank built it…"

Moira is with them, "I am coming…payback to Essex for framing me…" They board the plane Charles pilots it as Scott is still training. As the Blackbird rises into the air the Basketball court opens up and the jet flies off.

ESSEX SECRET BIO-FACILITY

When the helicopter lands Nathaniel Essex is waiting with Karl Lykos, a mutate also known as Sauron and a Woman named Rhea Doss AKA Vertigo. "Dr. Essex I didn't expect you to be here…"

Nathaniel Essex is the first mutate and was born in the year 1837. He was a medical genius of his age, but he experimented on mutants who came to him looking for a cure. Using advanced medical techniques he was able to turn himself into a mutant. One of the abilities he gained from his experiments was longevity. Essex or Mr. Sinister as he calls himself does not age. "I was monitoring the mission…You took one of the students…They will come for him…Show me the Beast…"

They drag Hank from the helicopter, "You must be Nathaniel Essex…"

"I am bring him…"

"You weren't born a mutant were you…"

He stops and looks back, "No I improved myself as I will improve you…"

They pass through the holding area where hundreds of mutants are being held in cages. They have collars on their necks that suppress their powers. Then they enter the main lab, "I call this legacy one…A serum I invented that pushes the X-Gene to the next stage…" Hank struggles to free himself, but Leland is altering the density of his body making him heavier than he really is.

Sinister takes a syringe from shelf and fills it with Legacy One. Then he injects Hank who immediately starts to change. Hank grows blue fur all over his body, he grows fangs and the rest of his teeth grow into points. His nails grow into claws and his eyes turn yellow. He roars and leaps at Sinister, but Sauron grabs him out of the air and absorbs his energy weakening him.

"My Beast…" Sinister says as they place him in a cage. "Seal the base…We have company."

THE BLACKBIRD

The Jet is cloaked as it flies through the air towards the Essex Bio Facility. After the Jet lands Charles activates an onboard Cerebro that is linked to the one at the Mansion. The Professor tries to neutralize the people in the base. "Dam!"

"What is it Professor?" Scott asks.

"There is some type of device in place…It is blocking my telepathy…"

Jean looks at the Professor, "Can you locate it?"

"The interference is coming from an underground…room…"

Jean tries to crush the machine with her telekinesis. She shakes her head, "Its blocking my telekinesis as well…"

"Alright then we do this the hard way…Cyclops you are up…"

He sighs, "Right…Jean and Warren will take down the snipers…While Bobby and I will hit the machine…When the machine is down the professor can mind freeze all unnecessary personnel."

"What about me?" Moira asks.

"Stay here with the professor until we have secured the area."

Moira places her hands on her hips, "I am a trained field agent you know…"

"No one is doubting your skills Moira, but if there are mutants out their what will you do?"

"Point taken…"

Jean and Warren fly out of the Blackbird from beneath. Jean points her hand and forces a man to shoot out the lights on the watchtowers. Meanwhile Warren flies through the air dodging energy fire from anti-mutant weapons. He flies by a tower using his wing claw and cuts two of the towers legs. The men scream as the tower falls. Jean extends her hand and lowers the tower safely to the ground. Then Warren snatches a man off another tower and drops him a tree. When all the towers are down the two mutants focus on the people on the roof.

"Alright Bobby…"

"Iceman! If we are on a mission, then call me by my Mutant name…Cyclops."

"Alright Iceman lets go…" Cyclops holds onto Iceman as they ice slide across the ground.

"Tank!" Iceman yells.

Scott adjusts his visor to its highest setting and fires at the tank turning it over. ("Cyclops! Iceman you are over the spot where the machine is…")

After Iceman stops Cyclops shoots down three guards, then he looks down and unleashes a powerful blast blowing a hole in the ground to where the machine is. Iceman points his hands down into the hole and unleashes ice and snow into the hole. Then he creates an ice pole for him and Cyclops to slide down. Then men guarding the machine are up to their waists in ice and snow. Cyclops blasts the weird machine, allowing Xavier to mentally freezes, the non combatant personnel. He looks at Moira, "Alright Moira lets go…"

As the Professor and Moira make their way to the main entrance Jean and Warren join them on the ground. Jean opens the door with her mind and they walk up the hallway. They enter the holding area where hundreds of mutants are being held. "My God!" Charles says.

"Hank!" Jean runs up to his cell. "What have they done to you?" Using her power Jean frees Hank and all the mutants and human mutates in cages.

("Leave all of you before it is too late…") Charles commands to them mentally after sensing that a few wish revenge on Essex.

The X-Men gather in the main bio-lab where Sinister is waiting with Sauron, Vertigo, Lupo, Ruckus, Amphibius, and Barbarus his mutates. "Welcome…One and all…"

"You are going to prison for your crimes…" Charles says.

Sinister laughs and rips off his suit, his skin turns pale white, his teeth sharpen into points, a small diamond appears in his forehead, and a bio-armor now covers his skin. "Tell me Xavier what Prison can hold me…"

Beast roars, "I will build one!" He leaps over the others and is tackled out of the air by Lupo a man bear hybrid. They hit the floor and roll, when they stop Lupo is on top. They roar at each other, then Beast raises his feet and throws Lupo across the room.

Moira starts shooting at Sinister, but the bullets bounce off his bio-armor, "Stupid woman…" The jewel on his forehead glows and he fires a beam from it.

"Look out!" Charles screams as Jean raises a telekinetic shield, but the beam goes through her shield. At the last minute Charles dives in front of Moira with back to the beam and is hit.

"Professor!" Cyclops looks at Sinister. "You bastard!" He fires his optic blast at Sinister who screams when he is hit by the sunlight fueled energy beam in the right shoulder. The place Cyclops hit him melts and his arm hangs loosely to the side.

"Im…pos…sible!" He says breathing heavy.

"Protect the Master!" Sauron says.

Vertigo unleashes her power causing everyone, but Jean to lose their equilibrium. Jean grabs her with her mind and slams Vertigo into a wall knocking her out. Barbarus rips a metal beam that helps hold up the roof. When he swings the beam, Jean and Angel fly up into the air, Cyclops ducks, and Iceman lifts himself up on an ice tower that is smashed by the metal beam. As he is falling Iceman makes a slide with one hand and points the other at Barbarus. He shoots him with an ice beam freezing him solid.

"Bobby look out!"

He is kicked off his ice sled by Amphibius. Iceman is caught by Carl Lykos who absorbs his energy and transforms into Sauron. When Iceman is unconscious Sauron throws him into a vat of Legacy One.

Beast roars and tackles Suaron who wraps his tail around Beast's neck, ""Obey me and attack your friends…" Angel flies by and cuts Sauron's tale with his left wing claw. Sauron roars and leaps into the air to chase him. As they fly through the air Beast leaps at Cyclops, but Jean grabs him with her mind and holds him in the air.

"Go to sleep Beast!" He falls to sleep and she slowly lowers him to the ground.

Meanwhile Warren presses the X on his uniform, "Cyclops…Now!" He says into the COM. Angel is flying towards Cyclops, he closes his wings and drops, that is when Cyclops blasts Sauron in the chest knocking him out. Amphibius unleashes his tongue and wraps it around Angel's neck dragging him across the floor. Cyclops aims at the frog like humanoid and blasts him as well.

There is only Ruckus and Sinister left. Ruckus had been watching over a wounded Sinister. "I guess they save the best for last…" He says as the X-Men surround them. He opens his mouth and unleashes an ear splitting screech. "YAAAW!" Glass shatters and the X-Men grab their ears falling to their knees.

"Get me out of here…" He places Sinister under his arm but Sauron flies down and scoops the two of them up and fly to a waiting helicopter. "Goodbye X-Men…" Sinister says as he pulls out a device and presses the button.

"Oh no!" Jean blocks the signal with her mind, then she releases the people Charles mentally froze. ("EVACUATE THE BUILDING IT WILL EXPLODE SOON…") Jean looks at Cyclops, "Cyclops we need to leave…now! Sinister has rigged the building to explode…" They grab up Iceman who is still unconscious and make a run for the Blackbird. Charles is still unconscious as well. As the Blackbird flies off the Essex facility explodes.

XAVIER MANSION

When Charles wakes up he looks at Moira, "Moira…I…" He frowns, "I…I can't feel my legs…"

"I am so sorry Charles…"

Hank is there as well, "I tried my best Charles…but Sinister's blast severed your spine…I'm afraid you will never walk again…" he rubs his head which is now bald. "Your hair fell out when he blasted you as well…The others are waiting outside…"

"I want to be alone now…" Charles spends the next few hours in deep thought. He can feel all his students in the school waiting.

("Professor! I know you can hear me…Fine just listen…You taught me all of us that our mutant abilities don't make us special or more important than normal people…It is what we do with those powers that define us…So I will say the same to you…What you do in this moment right now will define the rest of your life…Will you just give up or will you fight on for yourself and the people who care about you…We all have so much more to learn from you…")

Charles' sighs as a tear falls down his cheek, ("Hank!") The doors immediately open and he walks in. "I need a favor…" Hank builds him a wheel chair that hovers.

Later Charles checks on Bobby whose body is encased in a block of ice. After five days the ice shatters and Iceman emerges with his entire body made of ice. It takes a few weeks but the Professor teaches him to control his new abilities. Then Charles uses Cerebro to erase the school and the fact that he is a mutant from the minds of humans everywhere. Then he and Scott oversee the rebuilding of the school. All the students help put it back together the way it was before Sinister's bombs blew it up. Moira turns herself in and with Charles' help uses the information she got from Darkstar in Russia clears her name. The Essex corporation is exposed for human and Mutant experimentation. Nathaniel Essex AKA Mr. Sinister is placed on the FBI's most wanted list. The Essex corporation is sold off bit by bit.

THE WHITE HOUSE

"May I present Oliver Trask…and Peter Henry Gyrich…"

"As you know Mr. President I have been placed in charge of the Mutant Response Division…" Gyrich says speaking first. "Before its collapse the Essex Corporation supplied my division with anti-mutant weapons…but it is not enough…More is needed…" He hands the President a file.

"What is this?"

"We call it project Sentinel…" Trask says speaking up. "My company Trask Industries has acquired a lot of the Essex tech…We were able to reverse engineer some of its weapons programs and well now I am able to build the most advance anti-mutant weapon in the world…"

"What do you need from me…"