Disclaimer: Well, I got past the second firewall, but then a small virus infected my computer, causing me to lose all of my progress's that little bomb? No… no! I lost it all!
A/N: … Hi there. I sound like a broken record but I must say that I'm impressed with myself. Only three months and not five or six like the last few updates. I also have some good news: Well, the good news is that I am officially done with my sophomore year in college, and now have a glorious summer ahead of me, meaning that I'll finally get my ass in gear and start paying more attention to this story.
I'm trying out a new style in this chapter; nothing too major, but something to break up the seemingly endless paragraphs. All of these scenes take place at the same time.
Thanks for being so patient; as a reward this chapter is extra long. Enjoy!
"…"- conversation
'…'- thoughts
(…)- extra facts/actions (some)
((…))- author's/my own thoughts
'blah…' -telepathy/what people say mentally
Chapter 52: Fears of the Imprisoned, Part 3
Hallways #21, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy – May 17, 1:00 AM
John's Visions:
John screamed as he saw his family in Sydney, Australia boarding a plane to come to the USA to live with him and Wanda at the Brotherhood house, which was now under Lance's control (and had undergone major renovations). John was with them, ready to help them in any way he could, and he especially kept a close eye on his twin sister Kayla as she was ahead of him in line. John and Kayla were talking about his most recently published story when gunshots rang out in the airport terminal, and John instantly ducked down to the ground, pulling Kayla with him, but John couldn't get the word out to the rest of his family to throw themselves to the ground in time; John and Kayla had to watch in slow motion as the rest of their family's eyes rolled back in their heads and they fell to the linoleum floor, dead from numerous bullet holes throughout their bodies.
John and Kayla slowly moved to some plastic chairs and hid themselves underneath them, where they watched as the gunshots continued to rain out upon the people in the terminal and when the sound ceased they carefully crawled out from underneath the chairs and slowly got to their feet. They began to run towards their plane, which was now loading, but just as they were about to make it the gunshots started once more and John, who had ended up in front of his sister, heard her scream. John froze and turned his head around, his eyes widening as he watched his twin sister fall to the ground, blood seeping through bullet holes in her body. John knelt beside her, crying over his twin's loss, and when he heard the footsteps approaching took his lighter out and flicked it on, preparing to show the FOH what a mutant could do but before he got the chance he felt himself get shot, the bullets raining throughout his body. John dropped the lighter as he fell to the ground, dead, his blue eyes facing the lifeless ones of his twin sister.
John's screams grew louder as he saw himself in some kind of church that he recognized as one he regularly attended when he got the chance; under holo-watch disguise, of course. John glanced down and noticed himself in some kind of black suit… a tuxedo, he realized nervously, with a dark orange tie. John glanced to his left and his eyes alighted on Remy in a black tuxedo with a black tie and he was holding something out to him, something that was glinting in the light from the stained glass windows in the church. John's sapphire eyes questioned Remy's and although Remy spoke John couldn't hear a word his best friend said. John's hand, almost as if by instinct, reached out and took the two rings and looked down at them, his eyes showing fear and confusion as he realized they were wedding bands. John heard someone clearing their throat and he looked up in front of him and his ocean-blue eyes once more stared with confusion evident even on the surface, for the person standing in front of him was none other than Wanda Maximoff, dressed in a strapless, white wedding gown, her sapphire eyes looking at John with the question 'What's wrong?' in them and her black hair hanging loose around her shoulders. John shook his head to make sure he wasn't dreaming; when he opened his eyes again he saw he wasn't dreaming- he was going to marry the girl of his dreams. John grinned widely and this caused Wanda to grin as well.
Just as John was about to place the wedding band on Wanda's left ring finger someone screamed in the audience that the wedding couldn't take place; it was unethical. John and Wanda glanced back at the entrance to the church and there they saw Erik, metal plating floating all around him. Erik merely shot daggers out of his eyes at the couple at the altar and threw his arms out, sending the metal plating hurtling towards the couple. Before John could even react or reach into his pocket where his lighter was Wanda pushed him out of the way and let the metal strike her. John screamed as he watched his fiancée die for him; willingly die for him when it should be the other way around. Wanda's body fell to the ground, her white dress now stained red, and she murmured to John, who had her head in his lap, that she loved him before letting life leave her body. John could only stare at his Wanda; the blood that coated her dress shouldn't be there; he should be the one dead, not her! John broke down and cried over his loss, not caring if he lived past that moment in the least.
Wanda's Visions:
Wanda's mind felt like it was on fire as she saw herself with the rest of the Brotherhood and the Acolytes, along with Rogue, Kitty, and Lexie at the park, enjoying themselves on a bright sunny day. Wanda was reading a gothic romance novel by her favorite author when she felt it leave her hands. Wanda angrily looked up and saw her reflection in the ocean-blue eyes of St. John Allerdyce. Wanda got up and declared that he needed to give her the book back, but John merely shook his head. He proceeded to flip through the pages, his eyes scanning every detail and after this was done shrugged and made to give the book back. Wanda offered him a small smile of thanks but right before her hands grasped the book John pulled it back and threw it into the pond in the park. Wanda was shocked for a moment; that is, until she realized that even though John acted like an idiot at times he would never throw something that valuable to Wanda away like that.
Wanda's eyes shot daggers at John and they then widened in confusion as he shifted into Raven before her eyes, cackling madly. Wanda shot hex bolt after hex bolt at the shape-shifter, who nimbly dodged each and every one. Finally, Wanda ran out of energy and just when she was about to be killed she felt the ground beneath her moving. Wanda realized Lance and the rest of her friends were trying to help her, but she could only watch helplessly as they were all defeated. Raven then turned to her and, grinning madly, turned into a giant black bear and sliced through Wanda, leaving her to die next to her friends and family on the grass of the park.
The image then changed to one that Wanda was finding hard to believe – she was on an actual date with no interference from her father or brother, and certainly not her sister – if that was true – Lorna. Wanda's sapphire eyes alighted on her date and they widened when she saw John. He was talking adamantly about how she should do the illustrations for his novels; they could work together on a book; he bet it would be more popular than any work the two of them did alone. Wanda felt herself saying that she would agree to work together on a project together only if he let her have 50 of the money made. John said of course he would; what were partners for? Wanda grinned; she liked to have extra money to spend at her luxury and besides, if this date went as well as she hoped… then maybe she'd use the money to buy something special for her next date with John.
John proposed a toast to their upcoming partnership and raised his glass. Wanda was about to do the same when she heard something crawling above her. Wanda, having lived for years with Todd, knew it was him and just as she was about to warn John she felt the air get knocked out of her. Wanda doubled over, clutching her stomach in pain, and winced as each breath she tried to take got harder and harder to do. She heard scuffling above her and when she got her breath back she sat back up in her seat, her hands glowing dark blue. What she saw made her stop breathing; John was lying facedown on the table, blood coating the white jacket he'd been wearing trailing up to a large hole in the back of his head. Right next to him on the floor was a badly mauled Todd; one of his eyes ripped out and blood seeping from numerous wounds on him, including an area where his left leg should have been. Wanda's eyes filled with tears and she instantly flung her arms out, encasing Todd in blue magic. She then squeezed him – hard. She blocked out his pleas for help, ignoring the sincerity in his voice when he said he hadn't known what he was doing. Wanda finally released him when she only heard silence around her and heard the dull thump he made when he hit the carpeted floor of the restaurant. Wanda then gently used her magic to lift John's limp body off the table and bring it over to her. She fingered his cold lips and gently pressed a kiss to them. She then gently lowered the body to the floor and knelt beside it. She then draped herself over it and cried, the hot tears falling onto the closed eyes of John Allerdyce.
Hallways #22, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy – May 17, 1:00 AM
Tyne's Visions:
Tyne was desperately trying to block out her previous memories from her life in Baghdad, Iraq. Tyne, for as long as she remembered, had always been forced to be a subservient human being to her three older brothers and her father, as her mother had died when she was born. Tyne couldn't ever remember a time when she had been truly happy before coming to the Institute, and now was no exception. It was Tyne's seventeenth birthday and per family tradition a marriage had been arranged for her. Tyne didn't particularly like the man her father had picked out for her. She pleaded with her father to send him away but was refused. Then, she went to her brothers and asked for their help but, unlike last time where they had chased the man away with threats of death and castration (showing that they did indeed care about her), they let her marry the guy, who turned out to be a serial rapist. Tyne had to bear being raped numerous times by her "husband" and soon couldn't take it anymore. She tried to escape but her "husband" found her and forced her once more. This time, to finish off the job he tied her to their bed and after raping her shot her two times in the head then made the scene appear like a suicide. Tyne screamed as she relived this series of events so many times that her mind began to overload.
The final straw to her already fragile mind, though, was when she was sitting outside the Institute, enjoying the sunlight, when footsteps reached her ears. Tyne turned and met Rex's eyes. Rex asked her if she would like to go see a movie with him, and Tyne happily accepted. That night, while in the darkness of the theater, Tyne and Rex shared a gentle kiss and snuggled up against each other while watching zombies roam the land.
However, the date was ruined when blue magic ripped through the audience, killing almost everyone there, but not Tyne or Rex. The two X-Sword members got ready to battle but before they could even attack flames engulfed them. As they fought to get out of the situation they saw the fear in each other's eyes and just as Tyne was about to change into a huge eagle and fly the two of them out of danger a gunshot was heard and Tyne's eyes widened as she watched Rex's eyes roll back into his head and he fell forward, only to have flames consume him. Tyne screamed and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get to Rex; not even to save his body, and so had to watch as his body was burned to ashes, her tears mixing with the ashes that were all that was left of Rex.
Lorna's Visions:
Lorna's screams rang louder than Tyne's as she saw her sister Diane at a family reunion that was at the Institute, which, oddly enough, included the Maximoff twins, who were generally nice for once. They were all having a nice time, sharing their different lives and making plans for the future. Lorna looked at the twins and felt, for the first time since she had found out about her father's identity, complete. Lorna looked over at Diane and saw her flirting with Ray, who was responding while his girlfriend Amara could be seen with steam coming out of her ears; literally. Lorna then looked over at her other sister Wanda and saw a gold wedding band on her left ring finger, the matching band on John Allerdyce's left ring finger. They were currently discussing his next book, with illustrations by her, of course. Lorna's focus then switched to Pietro, who was currently trying to talk to Lexie Howlett, without much success of course, due to Logan's being right behind him, breathing down his neck every other minute, making Pietro mess up everything he was trying to say.
Finally, Lorna looked around for her father, whom she had made sure to invite; she really wanted to know more about his relationship with her biological mother. Lorna spotted him and was about to wave him over when she saw all the metal surrounding him. She tried to yell out a warning but it came too late. Erik launched the metal, implanting it in everyone gathered on the school's front lawn. Lorna and the other mutants still standing – Wanda, Pietro, John, and Lexie – desperately tried to fight back but they couldn't; the last memory Lorna had of the incident was staring into her father's ice-blue eyes and hearing him say, "You will never be my child, Polaris. Never."
The scene then switched to a fancy restaurant in Honolulu, Hawaii with Lorna in a shimmering black, spaghetti-strap ball gown and Alex in a white tuxedo with a pale red dress shirt and white tie. Lorna was having a wonderful time; it was just her and her boyfriend, alone, with no one to bother them. Lorna was startled out of her thoughts by Alex asking her to dance, and Lorna, of course, agreed. As Alex and Lorna walked out onto the dance floor she took a moment to admire the gold engagement ring with a diamond surrounded by an emerald and a peridot – her birthday was in May and his was in August. Lorna felt nothing but love for Alex; she knew from then on that her life would be perfect.
As Lorna placed her arms around Alex's neck and began swaying to the music she was startled when she thought she saw a fleck of yellow dance in his eyes. Lorna shook her head, telling herself that she was just tired; Alex's eyes were the same color they'd always been. When Lorna looked again she knew something was definitely wrong; she could feel it in her bones. Lorna broke out of Alex's grasp and backed up, putting her hands out in front of her for protection and she felt chills when she watched her fiancé change into Raven, who stood there laughing her head off. She then snapped her fingers and Fred appeared through the door, a limp Alex in his grasp. He dropped Alex's body on the floor and Lorna saw it was stained with blood. Her doctor's intuition told her that he was dead, but her heart didn't want to believe it. Lorna took all the silverware from the surrounding tables and flung it at the shape-shifter, who dodged it. Raven then somehow shot a yellow beam from her eyes and hit Lorna squarely in the chest. Lorna fell to the floor, next to Alex, and as she felt the blood drain from her knew she was dying, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. She knew that she would never see her true love again.
Hallways #23, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy – May 17, 1:00 AM
Sean Cassidy's Visions:
Sean Cassidy, also known as the mutant Banshee, screamed with pain, his voice threatening to go completely hoarse from its not having gotten any rest in close to four days. His short, strawberry blond hair with streaks of pale yellow hung limp in front of his eyes, usually a calming sky blue, now filled with pain. Sean couldn't remember anything similar to the torture he was feeling due to the amount of pain being inflicted on him; not even in his years as part of the original X-Men.
Sean could only watch as he saw a flashback to when he had first gained his mutant powers when he was sixteen. He had been strolling out on the moors, relishing in the fact that it was summer vacation and he didn't have to do anything for practically three months. As the wind blew in his face he thought about his family; they were very strict and, as such, he didn't often get much time to himself. Just as he was thinking about this he saw his best friend Terry O'Leary coming towards him, a hand raised in greeting. Sean waved back and opened his mouth to yell hello but instead of his voice came the loudest screech he had ever heard. He saw, as if in slow motion, Terry getting hit dead on with his scream, blood spattering over the white tee shirt he was wearing instead of jumping out of the way.
When Sean was able to close his mouth he could only see the limp body of Terry, lying where he fell. Sean ran home but unlike last time his family had heard the wailing and blamed him for Terry's death, handing him with no sympathy in their eyes over to the town constable, who sentenced Sean to death by hanging. Sean could only watch as he was hung to the roars of approval from the rest of the town, all happy to see a murderer getting what he deserved.
The image then switched to just a few months ago when he had asked Moira MacTaggert to marry him. They had been out at an excellent seafood restaurant that was just across the bay from Muir Island and Sean had waited until after dessert to ask. He got down on one knee and after telling her how much she meant to him he had pulled out a beautifully cut diamond shaped in the form of a pair of wings, tinted with blue. Moira, with tears in her eyes had accepted the offering with joy in her voice. Grinning widely, Sean placed the ring on her finger and moved to kiss her when Erik, clothed in his armor, burst through the restaurant's roof, killing all those in the restaurant that night except for Sean and Moira, who had instantly gotten into battle stances, Sean preparing to launch one of his sonic screams at Erik.
However, before he could even move to attack he saw Erik snap his fingers and heard Moira scream behind him. Eyes widening Sean whirled around only to see a now limp-less Moira in the claws of Sabretooth, who was grinning mercilessly. Sean, angry beyond reasoning, launched an attack of such an extent that he flew into the air and took both Erik and Sabretooth out with its echoes. When he had made sure his attackers were dead he moved over to Moira and, gently, stroking her now bloodstained and pale white face let the tears fall; he had lost the woman he loved.
Moira MacTaggert's Visions:
Moira MacTaggert could only whimper in pain as the images kept flashing through her mind, blinding her senses to anything else but pain. She remembered being forced to listen her fiancé's screams of pain issue from behind bars to create some kind of technological device that would give him – Apocalypse – total control over the four mutants he chose to be his Horsemen' however, she had put a subtle flaw in them that would allow their wearer to break free if they had the power and desire to do so. She let out a screech of unimaginable pain as the images she had been forced to see for close to four days returned to relentlessly torture her once more. Her shoulder length dark red hair was a tangled mess and strands hung in front of her usually vibrant green-gray eyes, now a dull mess.
Moira saw before her the Muir Island Research Facility, where she helped mutants with rare powers and those who were sick get better and studied them in hopes of finding them cures. However, all she saw now brought tears to her eyes. She saw her adopted daughter Rahne marrying the man of her dreams – Roberto da Costa – with all of the Xavier Institute, Brotherhood, Acolytes, and Muir Island Research Facility mutants in attendance. She could only watch as Rahne and Roberto moved to seal their marriage vows but jut as they were about to kiss a whirring sound could be heard above. Everyone looked up and saw a battalion of Sentinels headed their way.
The mutants launched all their attacks, Rahne and Betsy moving to take the younger mutants inside the facility for safety. Moira watched, speechless, as the mutants began to fall, one by one, to the oncoming menace, until finally only Rahne, Roberto, Sean, Betsy, and Warren were left standing. They exchanged looks and all at once they attacked, hoping to overwhelm the machines and send them tumbling. However, before they even got off the ground they were shot down, their blood scattering over the white walls of the facility and creating a mural that Moira could only watch with wide eyes and knew she would never forget. Not ever.
The image then switched to when she and Sean had begun to get serious. They were on their fifth date and she had proposed that they go back to her house that was next to the research facility and talk. On their way back they had begun to kiss and just when they were about to leave his car and enter her house gunshots rang out. Sean and Moira ducked to the bottom of his car and covered their heads, hoping to rid the sound of the gunshots from around them by imagining the sounds to be mere illusions.
When the sound stopped Sean motioned that he was going to check if their attackers had vanished, and even though Moira tried to get him to come back to her he went up and checked. The attackers had been waiting for this and shot, bullets riddling Sean's body as he sat, unable to move. The attackers, laughing, ran over to the car and, opening the door, dragged Sean's lifeless body out of the car where they pulled out knifes and cut him up, tossing pieces of his body all over the place, until they went and got Moira out of the car, binding her hands and gagging her. They then brought her over to where Sean's head lay, his hair covered in blood and his eyes wide open, lifelessly staring into her own. Moira screamed through her gag as she saw her boyfriend's head in front of her, knowing that she would never forget the image as long as she lived…
Hallways #24, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy – May 17, 1:00 AM
Lucid's Visions:
Lucid, another one of the mutants and one of Callisto's oldest followers, howled in pain as he felt the pain begin to burn his skin as he saw the images swirl past his eyes once more, as they had been doing for a long time; the exact length of which he was unsure. Lucid was 29 years old and stood about 5 feet 6 inches tall with dark brown shoulder-length hair and black eyes, and although wary of new people stood behind his leader Callisto one hundred percent. His job was usually as part of the reconnaissance team for when they (the Morlocks) go above ground to hunt for food, considering that he knows where the best dumpsters and mutant friendly restaurants and stores are, but he can also be found on the protection team in the sewers, his ability to see through solid objects able to alert the others to an oncoming threat when they are two passages away.
Lucid screamed as he saw himself leading Artie, Dorian, and Torpid on a scavenge hunt for food in the local garbage dump. After checking the area and affirming that there was no danger motioned to the three young mutants, who cautiously came out of the sewer. After a while, they had found enough food to last them for at least two weeks and were on their way back to the sewer when shots rang out. Lucid dropped his food and ran forward, managing to push all three of the mutants to the ground in time. Empty cartridges rained down on them and once they had stopped Lucid got up and pushed them ahead, telling Artie to lead them while he went back for the food. Artie nodded and once they had left Lucid ran back and picked up the food, pausing when he heard Dorian screaming in pain. Lucid ran towards where he had heard Dorian's voice but before he got very far he felt himself get shot and, looking down, saw blood running from at least five holes in his stomach. Lucid stumbled forward and his eyes widened as he saw the three bodies on the ground, crumbled and bloodied, not moving. Lucid then collapsed, his unfocused eyes facing the mess in front of him.
The image then switched to when Lucid was doing reconnaissance with Evan and Callisto, looking through the walls for either the FOH, the Brotherhood, or the Acolytes. He told them that the western tunnels were clean but Evan wanted to make sure, and despite Lucid's protests that the tunnels were clear Evan headed down that way, Callisto following him. Lucid groaned and decided to follow them, but before he got very far heard laughter and shots ringing out ahead of him. Lucid ran and arrived just in time to see the FOH beheading a now dead Evan, his body riddled with gaping holes that spurted blood. Callisto was pinned to the wall, bullets being shot into her body as if she was a dartboard, her eye patch around her neck, seemingly choking her. Lucid could only watch and once Callisto had died and Evan's head was off his body, he collapsed to his knees, blaming himself for his error in not making sure that the tunnels were clear before Evan and Callisto went down it to double-check. However, Lucid didn't blame himself for long as he too was killed, a large hole going right through his heart.
Pietro's Visions:
Pietro screamed in absolute agony, his nose having been fixed before he was subjected to torture. All he could see was a slide show that showed how much he had hurt Wanda over the years, with the most destructive event – lying to her about her memories – flickering across his mind's eye. He shuddered in pain as he saw the troubled eyes that sat on her face for over five years, signifying that she felt something was wrong but had no clue exactly what was amiss. She would ask him for answers about their father and mother and he would make up lies to please her, not realizing that when she finally did remember her past she would blame him for all her troubles and would hold a grudge against him for over five years.
He screamed louder when he saw the heart-wrenching scene where he had to watch Wanda being taken away into the asylum when they were only six; he could feel how much she was in pain due to the mental link they shared because they were twins; he wished he didn't have to see her leave him but had no choice. He looked up at his father and saw how determined he was to make sure that Wanda was taken away and realized that he could do nothing to help her even though he could feel how much she was suffering now and how much she was going to suffer.
The scenes then switched to a scenario that had occurred just a week ago when he and Lexie had gone out to dinner in a nice restaurant – Chez Noir – followed by a movie at the Bayville cinemas. They were in the theater and Lexie was curled up in Pietro's arms, taking refuge in the strength and heat he radiated for her; after all, it was fairly cold in the theater. He had his chin resting on her midnight blue hair, which was down tonight, and he reveled in how at peace he felt. When he had been with all his other girlfriends, he hadn't felt like this; he had felt like they were just stepping stones on his way to the ultimate goal – which for him was to find the perfect girlfriend – and he had found her in Lexie Howlett. Just when the movie was about to reach its climax, Pietro turned Lexie around and moved to place a soft kiss on her lips when a ripping sound was heard. They both looked up and saw the screen had been ripped in half and there stood his father, who looked royally pissed. Erik screamed at Pietro, calling him weak and insignificant because he had lowered himself to the unnamable level that came with fraternizing with the enemy.
It was in this rage that Lexie, having heard enough from her boyfriend's father's mouth about how weak Pietro was popped her claws and leapt forward to attack, despite Pietro's protests. Lexie let out a snarl of rage when Erik caught her in mid-air, and smirking, twisted her body, using the adamantium in her bones to set her ablaze, as the bones were broken and rearranged in odd angles that left her in severe pain. Erik laughed and before leaving took metal from the projector in the back of the theater and, creating a large fist, rammed it into Lexie's stomach, piercing her lungs, heart, and stomach, blood bursting forth from inside her body. Lexie gasped as she lay on the floor of the theater, where Erik left her, and Pietro rushed over, murmuring soothing words to her as he tried to get through to Forge, demanding that he come and help, but cursed when he found that his phone didn't work. Lexie whispered that she loved Pietro before passing away, the internal damage having been too much for her healing factor to handle, leaving Pietro to howl in pain and rage as he realized that his perfect soul mate had been killed by his own father's hands.
Hallways #26, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy – May 17, 1:00 AM
Caliban's Visions:
Caliban hissed in pain as he felt his brain begin to burn up in pain from being put under such torture for a long period of time without rest. Caliban was about 35 years old and stood 5 foot 9 inches tall. He had no hair, but his eyes were a slate grey tinted with black, complementing a pale white skin tone. Caliban was one of the founding members of the Morlocks, and such is one of Callisto's must trusted advisors. His job – a recruiter for the Morlocks – involves him traveling from the East coast to the West coast to help various Morlock organizations find and save young mutants.
Caliban hissed louder as he saw himself working to find a new Morlock, who lived on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He saw himself moving through the darkened alleys, hoping to find this young mutant before daybreak hit and he became a more vulnerable target. He spotted a shape huddling against the fierce winter wind and moved towards it, holding out a hand in preparation to offer the mutant reassurance. However, on reaching the form he didn't get a response he moved closer but suddenly recoiled when a beam of moonlight hit the shape to reveal it to be a FOH member, who was smirking at the shocked Caliban.
Caliban turned and ran, trying to escape the fate that he knew was coming and had almost made it to the manhole cover that he had left open when he felt a burning sensation pierce his leg, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Caliban knew his chances of running were done so he tried to crawl towards the sewer and was almost there when he felt a boot come down on his back, pinning him in place. Caliban twisted his head up to see the barrel of a gun pointed at his head and the last thing he saw was the glint of the bullet as it came out of the gun's barrel to end his life.
Caliban let out a scream this time as he saw himself trying to help Callisto with the influx of new Morlocks, trying to find them places to stay in their home. He saw her struggling with a particularly rude mutant who had eight arms and reptilian like features. Caliban moved over to help Callisto but recoiled in shock when he saw his leader fall to the ground, a shocked look on her face as blood spurted from a wound in her stomach. Caliban, determined to make this newcomer pay, moved towards the mutant, ready to fight him but saw Evan taking on the mutant, anger in his eyes.
Caliban watched, shocked, as Evan, too, fell to the mutant's strength, landing half on a platform and half in the waters of the sewer. This time Caliban didn't waste any time and, running over, landed a solid punch to the mutant's jaw, hearing a satisfying crack, signifying he'd broken something. However, before Caliban had time to put his guard up the mutant struck, grabbing Caliban around his neck and choking him, making sure that all that was left of the mutant who managed to hit him in the jaw was a dead mutant with a broken neck who had been choked to death, as signified by the blue and purple face and large bruise marks. The mutant then dropped Caliban into the sewers, watching with satisfaction as the body floated into the depths of the underground water system, never to be seen again.
Fred's Visions:
Fred screamed as he saw himself back in his sophomore year of high school in Bayville, when had just arrived from Indiana. He kept asking for directions, not knowing where he was going or where he was supposed to be but everyone he asked kept rebuffing him, calling him a freak because of his large size. Fred lost his temper and grabbed the nearest jock, who happened to be Duncan Matthews, and, slamming him against the nearest locker demanded him to help him or he would maim him so seriously that he wouldn't be able to do anything for the next two years. Duncan nodded yes, obviously scared, and Fred, satisfied, put him down only to feel a burning sensation in the back of his head. Bringing a hand up to the back of his head Fred's eyes widened when he felt a sticky substance instantly recognizable as blood and after a few moments he began to see everything in double vision. After at least thirty minutes Fred collapsed, causing the entire school to lift of the foundation at least one inch, having died at the hands of humans after only wanting to know where to go on his first day of school.
The images then switched to when he was battling Jean recently in battle, Lance having taken care of Scott by knocking him out cold. Fred charged Jean and managed to break through her mental shield. He grabbed her and ran away from the battle, having knocked her out cold so that she couldn't fight back. When Jean woke up it was to the worried eyes of Fred, who apologized for kidnapping her but he only wished to talk to her. Jean, looking suspicious, agreed after realizing that Fred had been smart enough to put a telepathic inhibitor on her neck, making her powers unusable. Fred talked and after Jean had listened realized that she had been completely wrong about Fred; he had some really good traits and was really better than Scott. She told Fred this and he was so excited that he released her and took off her collar, which he soon realized was a mistake. Jean, smirking, turned around and launched a fiery psychic attack at Fred's brain, switching it off. Before she turned off all power to his heart Jean told him that he would never be good enough for any girl; especially her, perfect Jean. Fred died after having his dreams broken once more by the insensible and insensitive Jean Summers.
Hallways #27, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy – May 17, 1:00 AM
Todd's Visions:
Todd could only scream as he saw images that made him want to take a shower flood his line of vision. He saw himself in the orphanage he grew up in before being recruited by Raven for the Brotherhood. Here they had done experiments on him in their basement, trying to find out what made him the way he was. They pricked him with needles and gave him untested medication, all in the hopes of either curing him or killing him. However, unlike last time when he had been able to escape and meet up with Raven, who took him into the Brotherhood, Todd could only watch as day after day they came for him and performed experiment after experiment on him until one day he realized that he couldn't fight his fate anymore. That night, Todd fought back and ended up dying for his efforts to regain his basic rights: freedom to live his life the way he wished to and not along the lines of some insane scientists' ambitions in the basement of a orphanage.
Todd screamed louder and cursed as he saw himself at the most disgusting scene he had seen: the gigantic pool at the Xavier Institute. He watched as Wanda sunned herself in the weak sun on the cloudy day, clothed in a blood red tankini, sunglasses over her brilliant sapphire orbs. Todd swooned; she was so beautiful! However, he growled when he noticed his enemy St. John wander over and take a seat beside Wanda, striking up a conversation. Todd hoped that Wanda would get irritated with the pyromaniac and send him into the water, which he loathed with a passion.
However, Todd's jaw dropped when Wanda removed her sunglasses and smiled at John; she never smiled at him so why now?! Todd's blood boiled as he witnessed this scene; it was just disgusting to watch. He then saw her place a small kiss on John's cheek and he grinned widely in response. That was it; Todd couldn't take it anymore. He leapt over to the couple and tossed John into the water, hoping to prove to Wanda that he was her soul mate but failed when he saw her eyes burn silver and blue as she hexed him into the sky at least 100 feet. She then let him drop; Todd watched the ground race to meet him, desperately wishing that Wanda would've seen how good he was and chosen him over that insane, sonofabitch Pyro.
Piotr's Visions:
Piotr didn't scream; he only shook as he saw scenes of his family back in St. Petersburg. It was harvest time and they were doing the best they could without him; Illyana, his little sister, was doing the best she could, collecting all the grain she could handle in one load and taking it over to their father, who was up in the hay wagon, stomping all the hay given to him as flat as he could get it. She would then run back for more. Piotr watched, wishing he could be there. However, something went wrong. Illyana was running back to the fields for another armful of grain when she suddenly disappeared inside a dark cloud, causing their parents to scream in shock, rage, sorrow. Piotr tried to warn them; to tell them to not go near the cloud but it was if they couldn't hear him.
His father got down from the wagon and ran towards where Illyana had disappeared, his wife following. They kept running and on reaching the cloud they also vanished inside its murky depths. Piotr armored up and tried to charge the cloud, hoping to ram it with enough strength to free his family but he couldn't move; it was as if something was holding back. He could only watch as it soon disappeared, leaving behind his family, all three dead and their bodies blacked with soot, charcoal, and burns. Next to them was the Greek letter Omega, which stood for "the end of all things". Piotr fell to his knees, not believing that his family was all now gone and he had been unable to do anything to help them at all; nothing at all.
The image then switched to a dream that he often had: he and Kitty were out on a date together in the park, where she was admiring his drawings while he took in the sight of her. He felt lucky; she was his girlfriend and his alone. He was just going to lay a feather-light kiss on her cheek when he felt the ground rumble; a sure signal that Lance was in the area. Sure enough Lance stood a few feet away from them in full battle gear, ready to fight for Kitty's heart. Piotr armored up and charged him, managing to ram him to the ground. He then stepped on him, making sure he couldn't get up and was ready to finish him off when Kitty stopped him. She ran over and told him that she had realized in that instant that she loved Lance and always would. Even though she had had a nice time she preferred Lance over him and, after phasing Piotr off Lance helped him to his feet and walked away, not sparing him a glance. Piotr stood there; he had just lost his Katchya in the span of five minutes. She had abandoned him and broken his heart to go back to some hood instead of him. Not caring who saw him Piotr fell to his knees and wept for his loss.
Hallways #28, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy – May 17, 1:00 AM
Erik's Visions:
Erik screamed; his helmet had been removed and trashed by the Horseman of Death per Apocalypse's orders, ensuring that Erik was forced to suffer the same torture the others were going through. He screamed as he saw his beloved wife Magda and first daughter Anya; they were all in the park in the summer, Anya demanding that he push her on the swings higher and higher. Erik, laughing, accepted and as he did so he watched Magda as she fed the geese in the pond, her raven black hair in a braid down her back and her gray eyes alight with happiness. He then looked at Anya, who had her mother's black hair and eyes but had his thirst for knowledge, even though she was only seven. She asked him to go higher and he obliged, using a small hint of his powers to push her over the bars, making sure she stayed on the seat. Anya shrieked in happiness, pleased that she had gone higher than she had ever been that day with her father. Erik grinned. He loved this; just him and his family. However, just then the image faded as gunshots rang out, piercing both Magda and Anya in the chests, their eyes growing wide in disbelief and shock. Erik could only watch behind steel gates that wouldn't yield to his powers as his wife and daughter died before him; he did the only thing he could do and that was to cry, not caring who saw him.
The images then switched to him watching what appeared to be a family reunion between his living children and their friends. He saw Wanda happily talking to Rogue, her left hand sparkling with a gold wedding band, the matching one, he noted with a glare, on John's left hand. John was talking to Remy, who had a small girl balanced on his waist who had short auburn hair and black on red eyes. Wanda's hand was lightly resting on her stomach, which seemed a bit bigger; Erik realized that she was pregnant… and that shocked him. He then saw Pietro, his arm around Wolverine's daughter, a sparkling, blue-tinted engagement ring on her left finger. They were happily talking to Warren and Betsy, who were chatting in return, a small boy with a hint of purple wings on his back with amethyst eyes and blond hair balanced on Warren's shoulders. His gaze then switched to his newest child, Lorna, who was currently snuggled in the embrace of Alex Summers, his gaze showing her how much he cared for her. Lorna's emerald eyes were filled with happiness as she snuggled deeper into the embrace, appearing that she never wanted the feeling to end.
Erik stood shocked; all his children had always been pawns to him after Anya and Magda died, but he realized, at that instant, how wrong he had been. They deserved to live their own lives and be with whomever made them happiest. Just as he finished this thought, Apocalypse appeared, demanding that the three children of Magneto show themselves. Wanda, Pietro, and Lorna stepped forward, their significant others behind them. Apocalypse began to speak but before he did anything he was attacked; in retaliation he sent a shockwave powerful enough to destroy everything in its path. Erik screamed in anguish as he saw John and Alex leap in front of Wanda and Lorna respectively, Pietro protecting Lexie as the wave hit; it was no use. The six of them were dead before they hit the ground. Erik mourned the loss of his only living children, realizing that he would never have the chance to make up his errors to them; never.
Jason's Visions:
Jason moaned as his head throbbed; he was suffering greatly as his powers were being blocked by his inhibition collar. He let out a heart-wrenching scream as he saw his family, all of whom lived in Naples, across from Mt. Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii. He was on his way to see them; to tell them that he had saved up enough money to bring them to America with him where they could live together in peace. He had just told them the news when the ground began to rumble. He looked at the volcano and realized that it was about to explode. He told his family that the volcano was going to erupt but the ignored him, saying that the volcano had been dormant for centuries so it wasn't going to erupt anytime soon. Jason tried to use his telepathic powers to get them to hurry up but nothing worked; they still took their time. Jason saw the lava making its way across the small body of water separating Naples and the volcano then watched with growing dread as the lava began to cross the land, coming closer to him and his family.
Jason finally did what he thought he would never have to do: he gave up. He helped them pack and sat with them, waiting for the bus that would take them to the airport. However, the bus never made it; they never made it out of the house as the lava entered and burned them alive, their remains buried under layers of volcanic ash and dust, only to be excavated 200 years later in an archaeological expedition. Jason had done what his code of honor had stated: he had chosen to stay with his family rather than leave them to die while he lived; the price was death, an illusion that he could never break. This one image rolled around and around in Jason's head for what seemed forever, torturing him and mocking him endlessly, as it pointed out how truly helpless he was to help his family when they needed him the most.
Hallways #29, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy – May 17, 1:00 AM
Professor Charles Xavier's Visions:
Professor Charles Xavier was plagued by a recurring nightmare that wrecked havoc on his powers and psyche; it drained all of his physical and mental energy every time the images started and ended. Xavier saw himself watching the reunion out on the lawn of the Institute with misty eyes; in front of him he saw all of the mutants he had trained and helped control their powers, even those who had come to him after following Erik's misguided hypothesis of life, hoping to atone for their wrongs. Today they were all gathered on the front lawn of the Institute, comparing notes on their lives and showing off their children, those whom Xavier considered his grandchildren.
He saw Lance and Kitty talking to Warren and Betsy, a small boy of about four on Lance's shoulders with short dark brown hair and blue eyes searching the environment around him with interest while in Kitty's arms rested a small girl, who appeared about two years old, with short light brown hair and Lance's chocolate brown eyes. On Warren's shoulders was balanced a boy of about three years old with short blond hair, amethyst eyes, and the beginnings of purple wings on his back – natural wings and not metal ones – while Betsy stood beside her husband and son, her own amethyst eyes glowing with happiness.
Just a few feet away from them stood Wanda and John, both of whom were talking to Pietro, Lexie, Rogue, and Remy. Wanda was holding a small girl of about three with shoulder-length orange hair and her sapphire eyes, John's arm draped on her shoulders, while Pietro had his arm around Lexie's shoulder, who looked like she was going to give birth any moment; she was only six months along but she and Pietro were expecting twins. Beside Wanda and John stood Remy and Rogue, Rogue glowing with happiness with her role as a mother. Remy had a small girl of about four balanced on his waist, complete with shoulder-length auburn hair and black on red eyes while Rogue had a small boy of about one cradled in her arms, his emerald eyes reaching up to Xavier and touching his heart as he saw that the boy also had auburn hair but with one of Rogue's natural white streaks falling over his left eye.
Xavier shifted his gaze to the left where he saw Roberto and Rahne sitting under a tree, both leaning against the tree's trunk, talking to Alex and Lorna who sat across from them, Lorna leaning back against Alex. While Alex and Lorna had just gotten engaged months ago Roberto and Rahne had been married for over a year and were now expecting. Roberto gently laid a hand on Rahne's abdomen – she was about three months along – and grinned, saying something that earned him a smack from Rahne in the arm. Roberto started to say something back to Rahne while rubbing the spot where she had hit him but on being threatened with another hit he held up his hands and surrendered. Alex and Lorna just laughed, both highly amused at their friends' antics.
A little bit away Jaime was laughing with Todd, Fred, and Piotr over some joke he had told, the four bachelors having formed their own small club. Evan and Danielle were sitting in a tree not too far away from where the bachelors were, sharing a sweet and short kiss that hinted at what was to come in their future. Scott and Jean were out of town at the moment visiting her parents with their four old son and three year old daughter, but in their place stood Ororo and Logan, who were supposed to be supervising. Xavier happened to catch the glint of wedding bands on their left hands and noticed Logan whisper something into Ororo's ear, causing her to smile at him and blush a light pink. He also noted with amusement that Forge was watching them with jealous eyes, obviously wishing to be in Logan's place with Ororo as his wife as he sat a few feet away from them, having also been drafted to supervise (against his will).
Ray and Amara were lounging by the pool, playing it cool but Xavier could just make out the small engagement ring, complete with a ruby and diamond setting, on Amara's left hand and beside them lay Sam and Tabitha, who were holding hands and talking to each other quietly. On the other side of the pool lay Bobby and Jubilee, who like Roberto and Rahne had been married for a little over a year but weren't trying for children at the moment, both wanting to pursue their careers first. He saw them arguing about some minor annoyance and then watched in amusement as they kissed and made up. He then saw Kurt and Amanda, who had flown in from Germany for this reunion. They had been married for a little over three years and already had two children; they were identical two year old twin boys, both with Kurt's dark blue fur, ears, and tail but with Amanda's gentle brown eyes; both of the boys, unlike their father had five fingers and toes on each hand and foot respectively. Kurt and Amanda were making their way over to Sean and Moira, each carrying one of the twins in their arms.
He then saw Sean and Moira, who had been married for about five years, and instead of trying for a child of their own had decided to adopt. Next to them stood a small boy who appeared about seven and a small girl who seemed to be six, both with dark yellow hair and gray eyes; both of whom Xavier assumed were their children. Sean saw Kurt and his family coming over and went to greet them, followed by Moira and the children. Xavier knew all of his X-Sword team – including Opal and Leon – who had joined the Institute a few years ago, were training with Hank in the Danger Room and knew some relationships were developing amongst the team; he felt it. He also knew that besides Evan the rest of the Morlocks didn't feel comfortable coming to the reunion, even though they had chosen to become an unofficial branch of the X-Men, operating undercover.
As Xavier watched this scene he heard the roar of helicopters and something else… God no, Sentinels… were heading towards the Institute. Xavier tried to send a warning but couldn't; his powers weren't working. He could only watch as the roar of the approaching vehicles caught the mutants' attention and all of them instantly blanched with fear. Those who had children tried to rush them towards the safety of the Institute but none made it that far. Three Sentinels landed in front of them, blocking their escape. All of the mutants on the lawn were now together, forming a circle around the children, with Moira, Amanda, Rahne, Lexie, and Danielle joining the children, who had been charged with doing their best to protect the children; Rahne and Lexie because they were expecting.
With the children's lives and their own at stake the mutants in the circle attacked, but they underestimated the gigantic machines. Lorna and Alex tried to double team one Sentinel alone, with Lorna trying to use her powers to rip away the chest plate so she could give Alex a clear shot. However, Lorna soon found that her powers had no effect on this robot and was hit in the arm, causing her to lose her concentration and fall from the sky, Alex managing to catch her. Roberto, in an effort to protect his wife and unborn child, teamed up with Sam, Tabitha, Amara, and Ray to take down a Sentinel. As they all powered up – Roberto maxing out his strength numerous times due to the abundant sunlight that day – the Sentinel launched a missile that caught them all off guard, sending Roberto into the wall of the Institute, leaving an indentation while Sam and Tabitha were flung into the pool and Amara and Ray were sent flying onto the roof.
The third Sentinel was beaten from a combination of attacks from Sean, Remy, Rogue, John, Wanda, Warren, and Betsy, but just barely. Rogue, Wanda, and Betsy had exerted all their strength in the effort and didn't have enough left to stop the next attack that sent them into the pool with Sam and Tabitha. Their husbands tried and managed to damage the second Sentinel but ended being flung halfway across the lawn and into the woods while Sean was sent flying into the front gates of the school. Bobby, Jubilee, Logan, Ororo, Forge, Lance, Kitty, Todd, Jaime, and Evan were taking care of the helicopters and the troops that were coming out of them by the dozen but no matter how hard they tried more troops kept coming. Fred and Piotr teamed up to take down the damaged Sentinel and then with help from Alex, Lorna, Ray and Amara (who were still on the roof) managed to take down the last Sentinel. They then rushed to protect the children, who were threatened by the troops, with Warren helping Ray and Amara get down off the roof.
Xavier watched with growing apprehension the battle on the lawn before him. Rahne – beyond pissed that her husband had been knocked out – shifted into her werewolf form and started slashing any troop member who was foolish enough to get close to her, being careful to protect her child. Pietro had rejoined his wife and was currently protecting her as best he could while she was trying to protect their unborn children. Remy and Rogue, who were just as pissed as Rahne at the current situation, soon joined them. Sean, John, Wanda, Warren, and Betsy had gone to help the trapped mutants but were soon overwhelmed as well. Roberto woke up and shook off the confusion he was feeling from being sent into the wall of the school and rushed to protect Rahne, who was getting bruises and cuts from the troops' weapons, forcing her to morph back into her human form. Xavier watched as Hank and the X-Sword team rushed out of the mansion and jumped into the fray to help, but in the end all of the mutants were overwhelmed.
Xavier's began to scream as he watched the battle grow in intensity, seeing Moira, Amanda, and Danielle battling off the foot soldiers as best they could but they were soon knocked over. His screams grew louder as he saw the troops capture all of the mutants and place mutation inhibition collars on them, preventing them from using their powers, knocking Amanda unconscious to stop her from using her magical powers.
They then took all of the children from where they had been huddled, scared to death, and loaded them into a separate van, amidst the screaming of their parents. Kitty, using explicit words threatened to castrate the troops if they touched her children, earned her a slap on the face, leaving a huge red mark on her face. Lance began to threaten the troops as well but was forced to shut up as a knife was pressed against his neck, the troops threatening to kill him in front of his wife and children if he didn't shut up. Logan snarled out some choice words and threats but ended up getting punched in the gut and head. Logan coughed up some blood, his healing factor having been disabled by the inhibition collar. He lifted his head and opened his mouth to say something else, not caring about how much pain he was in, and, when the troops approached with a syringe popped out his claws and managed to kill at least a dozen troops before he was finally subdued.
The troops then looked over all the women and when they saw that Lexie and Rahne were expecting took out syringes and moved towards them to put them into an unconscious state so they could take them away. Lexie's claws, like Logan's, were not a part of her natural mutation so she was able to kill four of the troops by sticking her four hand claws into their hearts while her foot claws cut off the legs of at least four other troops foolish enough to come close to her. The soldiers were then forced to shoot the syringe into her neck from a distance, which did knock her out. Pietro began to struggle against his chains in an attempt to break free and save Lexie but couldn't; he didn't have the strength. He could only watch as they took Lexie away from him and Rahne and Roberto, who were near the end of the line of mutants, were faring no better.
Rahne had begun snarling and kicking as best she could while Roberto did the same, having a bit more movement in his chains than his wife did. Rahne managed to hit at least four troops below the belt – hard – while Roberto managed to knock six unconscious. The troops finally resorted to using darts to subdue Rahne, who soon fell unconscious; Roberto fought as hard as he could to protect Rahne but failed; he too was knocked out, and while he was unconscious they took Rahne and put her in the same van with Lexie. They then saluted farewell and drove off, leaving a mass of crying parents on the lawn of the Institute, with a stunned, sorrow-consumed and guilt-ridden Professor Charles Xavier watching, pained that he did nothing to protect his children and grandchildren. He had watched as parents were separated from their children, wives from their husbands… he would never be able to forgive himself; never.