Chapter 8: The First Trumpet
Kurt had to count to ten before leaving the Danger Room. The nerve…both of them! Of course he was ready to kill Logan for even thinking to approach Sabere, but Sabere didn't seem too concerned with thwarting his advances. She may have promised him her love, but if any woman had to choose between him and Logan, there was little doubt who would win. If Logan had finally decided to challenge Kurt for her affections, Kurt may as well wed them both now.
He stopped, ducked to the side, and counted to ten again. Listen to yourself! Three years together will not be ended so easily. He's just playing. Playing, indeed…Kurt often likened Logan to a toddler, one who only wanted to play with the other children's toys. Someday Logan would have to fall for a single woman.
When he finally reached the elevators, he was relieved to see Sabere standing arms akimbo, jaw clenched, glaring at the elevator. "I can't believe him!" were the first words out of her mouth. "He's…he…arg!"
"My sentiments exactly, Liebchen," Kurt grinned. "But if you don't mind…my shoulder hurts terribly, that missile was not as soft as I was expecting…"
"Probably fractured your shoulder blade…" She laid a hand against his back, letting her eyes unfocus and droop shut. He felt a warmth across his shoulder, and the pain faded – but Sabere jerked her hand away with a small gasp.
"Was ist es?" he asked softly, even though he already suspected.
"Just…thinking. It's nothing." She led the way quickly into the elevator. The doors had nearly closed when Scott's shouts came down the hall.
"Wait wait wait! Hold it!"
Kurt whipped his tail between the doors and forced them open again. Scott squeezed in and hammered the button to go all the way up to the main school. "Beast says something's happened in Cairo. Xavier wants us all up there to take a look."
-----
The hasty summons brought the still-uniformed X-Men upstairs in a hurry. The room was bathed in Apocalypse's blue light, and Sabere shrank away from it, taking deep breaths and trying to focus on the newscaster's voice.
"Mein Gott…" She forced herself to look back at the screen, and echoed Kurt's exclamation.
The pyramids were still glowing fiercely through shrouds of billowing smoke, and the desert surrounding them was littered with burning tanks and military trucks. Gunfire added a yellow sparkle to the grisly night. Beast muted the telecaster's borderline panicked voice and looked up calmly to address the group.
"What you're seeing is the aftermath of an Egyptian military investigative approach of the pyramids. Several tanks and Jeeps were sent out less than five minutes ago – about eleven PM, their time – to see what was going on, and this happened."
Xavier clicked a button on his desk, and the news rewound. The convoy, still intact, rolled steadily toward the blue pyramids, halting about a hundred yards away. Tiny specks of people climbed out of the Jeeps and spread out in a formation to get closer. Suddenly a blinding flash of blue light filled the room – Sabere grasped Kurt's arm unconsciously – and when the screen cleared, several of the vehicles had been blasted back another twenty yards in wake of a small figure standing just in front of the pyramid.
"Is that him?" Rogue asked in horror. In answer, Xavier toggled a switch on his desk and zoomed in. The camera focused on the upraised arms and demonic smile, not of Apocalypse, but of Eric Lensherr, Magneto.
Scott pounded a fist against a chair. "Dammit!"
"I knew it," Logan muttered, scowling at the figure. Xavier zoomed back out but said nothing. The newscast now revealed another small figure on the opposite side of the pyramid, this one apparently throwing balls of fire at the tanks, which were desperately trying to retreat.
"John!" gasped the younger ones, and Sabere had no trouble recognizing Pyro, Xavier's troubled dropout, who seemed to have found – and was enjoying – his new place at Apocalypse's side.
The pair worked with frightening efficiency. Magneto appeared inexhaustible. Tanks slammed violently into each other, stacking up, forming piles, while John flung fire at them and watched the flaming wreckage scatter. The tape fast-forwarded back to real time, and Beast smiled grimly. "You get the idea."
"Wait, didn't Apocalypse ever come out?" Scott asked.
"Nope. It would appear he's chosen to wait it out…for whatever reason.""
"We should go," Storm said immediately. "If it's just Magneto and his friends, we shouldn't have a hard time."
"Yeah, you'd be fine," Logan muttered darkly. "You don't have metal strapped to your bones that can be ripped off and bent and twisted – "
"Then you sit this one out," Xavier interrupted. "I agree with Storm – the fight has ended, and Apocalypse won't expect more visitors. But be cautious, and do not engage Apocalypse if he emerges. There's too much we don't know about him."
Scott, taking this as a dismissal, promptly turned and led the way out of the room. "Good thing you're still dressed – I want the jet leaving in two minutes. We can get to Cairo in less than two hours if we pull a few tricks." Sabere, Kurt, and Storm, who were all still in uniform, followed Scott through the elevators to the hangar. As the immense, sleek black jet loomed overhead, Sabere finally realized what they were about to do, and fear clenched a cold hand around her stomach. She felt sick.
She was going to meet the eyes.