Chapter 19

Between them the Professor and Magneto agree that they both had a far bigger enemy to deal with rather than continue the fight between them and their respective groups for the moment. Ideally they would work together against what is a common threat but there is too much tension, too many differences between them right now. Plus Magneto's had his ego bruised. He's never very receptive in that situation. Therefore for today they just go their separate ways.

Besides Clark was clearly suffering and injured and they needed to get him home asap.

It meant as far as Rogue and her issues went it would have to wait for another day.

On the way back to the Velocity Charles has a pang of guilt about whether he should have mentioned X-23, essentially Rogue's little sister in a way but considering Rogue's state of mind it's unlikely she would have cared much.

Charles doesn't know whether she's getting worse or not but her rash behaviour got a reprimand from Colossus of all people and normally, in their previous encounters, he barely says a word.

Charles has no idea what to do with Rogue. They all agree her mind is out of balance but he couldn't just go in there against her will and try and fix it. He rarely does that and only when there is no other option and every time he does it eats at his gut for ages.

For now they will simply have to live with the unsatisfactory situation.

One small victory is that at least they managed to get the spider stone to take home to study. It was stowed in the compartment as far back and away from Clark as possible but as they flew home the young man was clearly still in great discomfort.

Beast had done what he could with what they had on the helicopter. They needed to get home and get Clark into the infirmary.

While Beast helps pilot them home Jean goes to Clark's side and tends to him. He was running a fever and she was trying to keep him cool plus you know she does intend to become a doctor in training soon. While studying genetics will be her main focus at college in the fall she also plans to become a passable MD. She pulls back the bandages around Clark's torso and peers at the burn wounds. "They're still not healing," she says in worry. Normally by now Clark would have been completely healed.

Clark winces. "Assuming that stone is kryptonite did you notice?"

"Notice what?"

"It was a darker shade of green than any I've ever seen."

"You think it's a new variant?" Scott asks, listening in to the conversation.

"I don't know. That stone's been here for what? Centuries? Millennia? All I do know is that I've never been this badly affected before. It almost struck me down instantly, made me feel sicker than I've ever felt before and it has lasted longer than I thought possible. You could probably knock me down with a feather right now," Clark gives the honestly grim assessment of how he's feeling.

Scott's brow furrows deeply. If someone wanted to weaponise this version of kryptonite, assuming that is truly is a form of the exotic material, then they could have something that truly might be able to kill Clark rather easily, disturbingly easily. At the very least they could render him mortal and vulnerable. They can only hope that this spider stone is the only source of it and they possess it.

Jean goes over to the basin where she is keeping the cloths to mop Clark's brow. Bobby was making sure to keep it ice cold. She picks up a new one and places it on Clark's head.

"Do me a favour?" Clark requests.

"Sure," Jean says.

"Don't tell Spidey I got my ass handed to me by a giant spider. I'll never hear the end of it," he whines, making a joky whiny face to boot.

Jean grins. "No problem," she assures him.

Clark nods but he can't hide the pain off his face as his head droops.

Jean brushes his hair back in a soothing manner. "Just hang on. We'll be home soon enough," she assures him, her voice conveying a good confidence. A good doctor has to have a good bedside manner after all.

Next day at the Institute...

The Kents are down in the infirmary bright and early to check up on Clark who has been here since he got back last night from London.

He's sound asleep...and for Martha who has been keeping track of Clark's pattern of not sleeping a great deal she's actually pleased he is.

Claire too is down check up on her brother. In fact a lot of people would probably be down to check on him during the course of the day.

"So how is he Hank?" Jonathan asks with worry, natural parental worry.

Hank sips on his coffee first. It had been another of his long nights but with Jean soon to start studying to be a doctor she was starting to help him and Charles out more with this sort of thing. Hank had already been starting her on the basics. "Slightly better. The wounds are slowly healing. Slow for him in any case," he gives Clark's current condition.

"What's with the night lights?" Claire asks at these lamps positioned above Clark.

"Solar lamps, simulate sunlight," Hank explains their purpose. "Since, essentially, Clark feeds off the energy of sunlight they help him recover. Of course it is that very same mechanism that makes kryptonite so deadly efficient against him."

"Not sure you ever explained that before," Martha mentions.

Hank takes a moment to recall. Hasn't he? "Clark's body feeds off the radiation of sunlight. In fact he can pretty much absorb and process any form of radiation as far as I have been able to ascertain. All forms except one."

"Kryptonite," Claire states the obvious answer.

Hank nods. "Indeed. In simplistic terms to Clark kryptonite, the green variety, is a severe form of food poisoning. Whatever variant the spider statue is, it is the most damaging we've so far encountered. His body is taking longer to recover from it. I do plan to study the statue later, under controlled conditions."

"So he will be alright?" Martha cuts to the basics.

"Yes, yes. I'm sure he will be," Hank believes. "Just needs some rest."

And his family will make sure he gets it.

Upstairs in his office the Professor is having a meeting with Logan, Storm, Domino and Banshee over yesterday as he informs them what happened and what they discovered.

"So our mysterious unnamed dark force finally has a name," Storm comments. "Apocalypse."

"That's a bit...end of the worldy sounding isn't it?" Dom quips.

"Aye, th' lass has a point," Banshee agrees. Names like that are never good.

"There is much we don't know. Much research to do," Charles points out not to expect answers quickly.

"What do we know if anything?" Logan asks for a basic idea where they stand.

"Well it slipped my mind yesterday but Apocalypse is one of the Gods in Amara's pantheon. The God of Endings and Destruction and Death."

"Always a cheerful bloke ain't you Charley-boy," Banshee jokes about how bad that sounds.

"Is it a God we're dealing with?" Storm wants to know.

"No," Charles answers. "From what I managed to gleam from Mesmero's mind he is a mutant. A very old, very powerful mutant who was imprisoned long, long ago, almost before recorded history. The First One."

"What?" Logan asks puzzled.

"The First One...as in the very first mutant?" Storm inquires, getting an inkling that is what Charles means.

"Why not?" Charles asks. "There had to be one."

That was a very good point but it fills the mind with wonder. From almost before recorded history...that's thousands and thousands of years ago. Imagine being the very first mutant in that world.

"So this guy's...immortal?" Logan seeks clarification.

"It's the only explanation of how he can possibly be still alive for Mesmero to free...and I've felt his mind. Twice. A powerful but cold and malevolent mind. If he's freed it will not be good for any of us or the world in general."

"What's Space Boy's connection?" Logan asks, moving on to that part of the story.

"Yeah," Dom agrees, picking up on that.

"Not certain. From what Clark said on the flight back it seems the spider was some sort of Kryptonian construct. He compared it to a prison guard."

"His people...or at least one o' them helped imprison Apocalypse...or helped build whatever prison it is that holds him," Banshee reckons the possibilities are.

Charles nods in agreement with Sean's deduction. "That seems likely. We know they were visiting Earth for thousands of years. One of them must have come across Apocalypse," he makes the supposition. "Before he fell asleep last night Clark said he would go ask Jor-El as soon as he was out the infirmary but from what Hank was saying that could be a few days. He's healing quite slowly."

"Better he get well first," Storm airs her view. Answers are not more important than Clark's health.

Logan summarises where he thinks they are. "So this Apocalypse guy was locked up thousands of years ago behind 3 doors for whatever reason we don't know but in the Princess' religion he don't sound like a very nice guy. Chances are it was one of Space Boy's people who helped do it. Now Mesmero shows up at some point, somehow they hook up and now tattoo-face is trying to free Apocalypse and from what you say, Chuck, that would be a very bad thing. I miss anything?"

"No. That sounds like the gist of it," Charles agrees with what Logan has said.

"Do we have any idea what this 3rd key is?" Domino asks.

"No," Charles confesses.

"Do we have any idea where Apocalypse is imprisoned?"

"No...but we can assume it must be somewhere very remote. Considering how populated the world now is for no-one to have found it before now gives that indication. That's why we have to do research. It's not going to be easy for something that happened so long ago. It'll be wrapped up in myths and stories. In the meantime I'll set up Cerebro to constantly scan for Mesmero. The instant he reappears we have to be ready to stop him. He must not get that 3rd key. The future of everything we are working for depends on it," Charles lays down the grave truth as he sees it at the moment.

Later that morning Warren is heading to the Professor's office. After arriving back last night the Professor offered him a bed and Warren was so knackered he accepted.

While he was here he had decided to stick around and see the place a little. See what it is Professor Xavier did...and it was actually massively impressive. He truly was trying to teach his students how to use their powers beneficially and to try and find a way to live in peace with the rest of humanity. Heck there were even humans living here. Warren had only very briefly met them at breakfast but they seemed like they were very nice people.

Still Warren wasn't convinced any of this was for him.

On the other hand his escort for the morning had been great company. Betsy was her name...and Warren must confess to finding himself liking her quite a bit. And as someone who once upon a time had an eye for the ladies, you know before the wings, despite the punkish look she went for she was definitely a looker.

Betsy escorts Warren to the door, knocks and lets him in.

"Thank you Betsy," the Professor says gratefully.

"No problem..." she smirks, "Uncle Charley."

Charles makes a face. How many times has he told her not to call him that. "Elizabeth," he retorts using her proper name that she hates.

Betsy rolls her eyes and shuts the door. She lets out a small sigh...and then her lips curl up into a small smile as she thinks on her morning so far. Damn Warren was one fine looking man...and good company too. She really hopes he stays. After all she hasn't even begun to flirt with him yet.

Inside the office Charles gestures for Warren to sit.

Warren turns the chair round so he is sitting on it backward, easier with his wings. "So how is Superman doing?" he asks, feeling the need to ask after the teen.

"He'll make a complete recovery. It's just going slower than usual for him but his regenerative powers are most formidable."

"That's good," Warren expresses his true feelings on the matter.

"Warren. With all the haste yesterday I never got the chance to ask the simple questions of how are you? And how have you been since last time our paths crossed?" Charles asks with genuine care and interest.

"Oh I've been fine, Professor. Just...lying low."

Charles frowns slightly. He gets the sense Warren is still struggling to come to terms with his mutancy. He is psychic you know. "Well thank you for your aid yesterday," he chooses to say rather than confront Warren head on. That could backfire if he did that.

"But we lost didn't we?" Warren asks in confusion. "The spider statue was destroyed...just like that Mesmero guy wanted."

Charles smiles wryly. "Defeat is a relative term around here. We have tried hard to promote mutants positively and despite our many, you could call them, heroic acts, the anti-mutant lobby grows in power and influence every day. You simply have to accept that you try your hardest to do what is right and take comfort in the fact you have even if no-one appreciates you for it. What we have is each other, always, like family...a large dysfunctional one, yes but still family."

Warren manages a small smile at the Professor's humorous depiction of the X-Men. His smile fades. "I still haven't told mine. That I'm a mutant. I've been hiding from them for...18 months now, longer even," he confesses in a low voice, feeling a need for some reason to say that and get it off his chest.

Charles sighs. "You're afraid they won't accept you," he assumes from the experience of many similar conversations to this.

"I know they won't accept me, Professor. Trust me. I've imagined it more times than I can count telling them."

"People can surprise you."

"Not my parents. Can't accept anything that might damage their precious standing in society," Warren says bitterly at how that is all that matters to them. It's always been more important to them than even him.

"I understand that better than you think. I know people like that. Betsy's parents are similar but they do know she is a mutant and accept her...as long as she doesn't..."

"Embarrass them?" Warren puts forward.

"It's not ideal. I admit."

"No. It's not," Warren agrees...and he never realised Betsy suffered like him...yet she's here.

Charles takes a moment. "Warren, what you're feeling, the uncertainty and fear, it's perfectly normal. I felt that too when my powers developed," he says, using his own personal experiences to try and make Warren understand that he doesn't have to endure what he is alone. That there are people who can understand.

Warren bows his head, his gaze aimed at the floor.

"Is it all bad?" the Professor asks gently. "Do you get no joy from your gifts?"

Warren chews over his response for a few moments. "No," he says quietly. "It's not all bad. Flying is...I can't describe the feeling of elation...but not everyone would consider these," he flaps his wings slightly to indicate what he is referring to, "as gifts."

"Warren my doors are open to anyone who needs help," Charles makes the offer...and Warren clearly does need help in finally coming to terms and accepting his mutancy.

"Thank you but no. This...all of this...I can't do this," Warren refuses, feeling overwhelmed, as overwhelmed as he felt that Christmas he first met the X-Men. "I do have a question, though."

"Ask it," Charles gives permission.

"What in the world was Emma Frost doing here yesterday?"

"That's complicated. Basically she runs her own mutant school and we have a friendly rivalry going with her students. A more detailed answer would depend on how much you really know about the Hellfire Club."

"It's the Inner Circle isn't it?" Warren guesses.

Charles looks mildly surprised at Warren knowing about that.

"Don't ask how I know. Just accept I do," Warren requests not to ask for the details.

Charles does and gives Warren an expansion on his previous answer. "Emma is the White Queen."

Warren closes his eyes and shakes his head at that. Unbelievable. "You know what Professor I don't want to know. I'm just going to go home," he decides. His life is messed up enough without being near those power hungry jackasses.

"I'm disappointed but I understand, Warren," Charles accepts as he rolls round his desk and offers his hand.

Warren takes it feeling a little guilty he can't do more but he can't. He just can't. However there is one thing he can do. "When you find out more about this Apocalypse guy or find Mesmero and you need my help don't hesitate to ask me for it," he offers.

"That's very kind of you."

"And don't be surprised if you receive a surprise anonymous donation for your work in the near future," Warren says with a wink.

"I'll keep an eye out," Charles says with a wide smile, playing along.

"So you're really going?" Betsy asks, not even trying to hide her disappointment as she escorts Warren outside. "Sure you don't want to stay?"

Warren smiles at the earnest in her voice. "I have to go home," he repeats his view as they exit through the main doors.

Betsy sulks.

"However that doesn't mean we can't stay in touch," he tells her and pulls out a small card and hands it to her. "My personal number," he explains what it is.

Betsy takes it, looks at the number and then back up into Warren's angelic features and smiles brilliantly.

"Any time, day or night, you'll be able to contact me," Warren tells her. After all he would like to talk to her more after the Professor mentioned her issues with her parents. Maybe she has some advice he could use...and hopefully they can arrange a way to meet up and spend some time together. Warren thinks he would like that. He takes her hand and kisses the back of it. "Very nice to meet you Betsy. I hope we'll do this again soon," he says, his voice full of charm.

"Maybe you could take me for a flight one day," Betsy suggests flirtatiously.

"Maybe," Warren says back, grinning flirtatiously. He stretches out his wings and lifts into the air, hovering for a moment to wave goodbye at her before soaring off into the sky.

Betsy watches him go, waves back and lets out a dreamy sigh.

Whoosh!

"Here."

Betsy blinks. There stands Bart, holding a tissue for her. "What?" she asks confused.

"To wipe up the drool dribbling down your chin," Bart says cheekily.

Betsy's eyes narrow in an expression of 'pissed off!'. "Bart," she growls.

Bart blurs away, laughing but hey it's true. He saw the whole thing and she is practically drooling buckets over that guy. Though Bart is at a loss to see what that guy has that he doesn't. Luckily he has a girlfriend so doesn't get too upset about it. After all he can't blame Betsy for looking elsewhere when Bart himself isn't available.

Magneto's base...

Rogue slips under the sheets of her bed in her room. Her metal room. It is rather drab looking. She's tried to personalise it but most of her more personal items she was forced to leave behind at the mansion.

She wonders if they would be amenable to returning them to her.

Probably not after yesterday.

Still she misses that room...her friends...

Rogue shakes her head. No. No. Don't think about that. She's made her choice and it's not so bad really. Frenzy has turned into a good friend, someone Rogue can connect with. Flirting with Gambit is fun. Plus there's her extended family, the other Weapon X progeny.

Though their sycophantic following of that Sinister guy is disconcerting.

To be frank Rogue hasn't connected to them the way she did to Domino...but they're still her family...she supposes. She doesn't really spend a huge amount of time with them. She is an Acolyte after all. That takes up a lot of her time.

Like yesterday in London.

Pietro was right...and those are words she never thought she would say.

He was right when he made his crack about her now knowing what it felt like to be on the other side. To have the X-Men show up and ruin what you think is best.

Course as it turns out she didn't know best. That she had been used. When she gets her hands on Mesmero she swears she's going to put her fist through that bald tattooed head of his.

It's funny really. Rogue was briefly a member of the Brotherhood before but she doesn't think she truly appreciated the divide between Magneto and the Professor as much as she does now. Now she has been on both sides...and it's really not as simple as most people think.

It's not that one person is wrong and the other right. It's complicated. Shades of grey.

Not that she regrets her choice. The Professor made the wrong choice in making that power inhibition technology. She knows he thinks he did it for the right reason but it was wrong and she can't be part of a team where they're doing stuff she can't agree with.

The Professor can fight for equality all he wants. She'll fight to protect mutantkind with Magneto.

That 2nd one is much more fun because she gets to indulge her love of a good brawl.

Rogue settles down, resting her head on her pillow. Even though her body is durable and she recovers rapidly she was still a bit sore after tangling with that spider. Not to mention quite worn out and she soon falls asleep. It doesn't take long for her to starts tossing and turning as she experiences a vivid dream...

Rogue blinks. Where is she? The desert? Yeah. It's a desert. She stands amongst all the sand. She chooses a direction and clambers up a dune to see whatever she can see.

As she reaches the top she can see below her a great battle is playing out. Armies clashing...ancient armies, you know swords, shields, arrows, chariots that kinda thing.

But what really catches her attention is a figure flying above, fire blasting from his eyes. He's too far away to get a good sight on. He seems to be fighting 4 other figures, each with their own powers up in the sky, riding on some sort of energy constructs in the shape of horses. It's mostly too far away for Rogue to see clearly but she can see one of the figures carrying a weapon that resembles a scythe.

In time the man who shot fire from his eyes is victorious, defeating his 4 opponents.

Well killing them actually. Rogue guesses this is truly a war.

The man then dives down towards...wow is that the Sphinx?

It's looking good. Like brand new.

Rogue suddenly finds herself within an underground structure as the man she saw flying now fights what look like giant statues...but as he breaks them apart Rogue can see they're, in fact, some sort of machines. Giant robots made to look like statues.

She follows the man, whose face she still hasn't gotten a good look at, into another chamber with...they look like control panels against the walls. Really sophisticated as well. Beyond what Rogue has ever seen. In the centre of the room are four pillars surrounding an oval shaped object that is opened by 4 sections on its top half.

As she gets closer Rogue can see a grey skinned man with blue lips lying in the centre of the oval object, wearing the clothing of a Pharaoh. There are lit pathways...or circuits embedded around him. There is some sort of holographic display above the man showing the planet and objects rising into the sky like...satellites?

"En Sabah Nur," the other man, the human looking one speaks with a strong accent. "Your mad plans end now," he states.

The grey skinned man rises his head, he is clearly strained for some reason.

It's almost as if...Rogue reckons it's like he is the centre of this, whatever it is...as if he's powering it himself and that is why he looks so strained.

"N-no," the man called En Sabah Nur rejects that in a strained voice. "You have no right. You are not of this world."

"I may not be of this world but my people are children of the stars. We have travelled far and seen much, even more than you have with your stolen technology. We understand what you are."

"I am destiny! Made manifest!" Nur proclaims.

"You are insane. I have seen the terror and suffering you have wrought to this entire world. And I will not allow the children of this world to suffer any longer because of you. They will evolve and grow at their own pace. Not at the one you wish to inflict upon them," the other man says, clear disgust in his voice at Nur's actions.

"I have seen their future. Without me it will end. With their extinction," Nur makes the defence of his actions.

"Then it ends. All things do eventually. That is the natural force of the universe but until then these people will be free of your ilk who think their superior power grants them unlimited scope to rule with cruelty and without conscious. Power comes with a responsibility that you fail to comprehend."

"It is you who fails to comprehend," Nur retorts. "I am this world's saviour. I will elevate it, restore it to the true path destiny intended."

"Where you remake it in your image. The strong survive and the weak perish. That path?"

"It is the true natural force of the universe."

"You are as much a child as these people you claim dominion over. You understand nothing! Time you were educated," the man states his voice cold and harsh and talking down to Nur like a teacher might talk to a student.

The man then walks over to a nearby control panel and alters something.

Nur cries out in pain and Rogue watches as the grey skinned man shrivels and ages before her eyes until he is almost a dried out husk...yet he still lives. It looks like that whatever the man did turned what Nur was doing against him. Rogue figured he was powering it himself...so turn up the settings and drain him of his life. Huh, that's almost too simple but it clearly worked as the machine Nur is the centre of powers down and shuts off.

The other man walks to stand over the withered figure...

It's all a blur what happens next. Time moves along at a pace. Rogue sees the man aid the enemies of Nur seal the now withered mutant inside the oval object and then the man, he uses some incredibly advanced looking technology and helps build some sort of prison far away, deep inside a mountain with 3 intricate doors that can only be opened from the outside so that Nur himself can never escape.

The odd thing is, unless Rogue is very much mistaken, the technology the man used looked similar to stuff she has seen before with Clark. It looked like Kryptonian technology.

The scene shifts to the man coming once more to gaze upon Nur's withered form for the last time before they seal him away. "My people believe death to be a peaceful and eternal rest. For your crimes, En Sabah Nur, you do not deserve this rest and I shall not grant it. You are also the First One. To kill you would be to remove a truly unique being from this universe. Therefore I will not kill you," the man informs Nur of the choice he has made. "However, know this, others of your kind will follow but they will not follow your path. Today I ensure that. Today you shall be eternally imprisoned in this place and this world and its people will forever be free of your tyranny."

Nur's eyes open weakly, he speaks, his voice a hoarse whisper. "I am Eternal. Destiny cannot be stopped. I will return," he vows.

The man leans forward and Rogue, for the first time, sees his face and she gasps, "C-Clark?" He looks exactly like Clark.

"I am Kal-El of Krypton," the man states. "And these events I will tell to my children who will tell it to their children and so on for every generation. Return if you wish but my descendants will defeat you as I have. Farewell En Sabah Nur. Though I suspect history, if it remembers you at all, will only remember you as Apocalypse."

The man shuts the lid of the oval and turns and leaves. Rogue hears the 3 doors slam into place and lock, sealing Apocalypse away for all time. There is now only silence.

"So long ago...yet in my memory it is as if only yesterday."

Rogue spins round to find Nur...to find Apocalypse standing there healthy and strong looking, glowing almost radiantly with power. She backs up as his eyes fixate on her.

"Rogue," he speaks her name and it echoes with infinite power.

Rogue gulps. "How...what...this is a dream," she realises.

"But it is not. You touched my servant who is linked to me and in the process you became linked to me," Apocalypse explains to her. "Did you notice?" he asks her.

"Notice?" she asks back...though don't ask her why she's doing anything but trying to wake up.

"The resemblance to the Star Child. To the one you call Clark Kent but whose proper name is the same as his ancestor who imprisoned me. Kal-El."

Rogue...doesn't know what to say. Sure she noticed but what does it mean?

"This resemblance is not a coincidence. There are no coincidences. Only the force of destiny which is what I am. Destiny made manifest, given form. The resemblance is destiny coming full circle. Kal-El defeated and imprisoned me and now Kal-El will aid me in fulfilling the path destiny laid out for me."

"Ya don't know him very well if ya think he'll aid ya," Rogue warns.

Apocalypse strangely half-smiles at her answer. "I foresaw it you know. Kal-El's arrival. His ship crashing down in a rain of fire. A birth of hope from the fires of death and destruction. I foresaw the entire shape of the future."

"Yet even with all this foreknowledge ya still lost," Rogue points out.

Apocalypse nods in agreement. "I did," he accepts with an odd calm. "His ancestor was partially correct," he concedes. "I did not fully understand what it is I had obtained. I did not fully embrace it as I should have. I have had 50 centuries to contemplate my defeat and that was my error. I shall not repeat it." Apocalypse advances on her. "And you shall aid me," he states.

"Nevah," Rogue whispers. "Ah saw in Mesmero's head what you're planning. Ah won't help ya destroy tha world."

"Destroy?" Apocalypse snorts derisively. "No. Not destroy. Save. Elevate. Evolve. Ascend. That is my purpose. That is what I foresaw. That my purpose was to reshape the future in a stronger image. My image. And in doing so I will be the salvation of humanity. I will restore it to follow the true force of nature."

"Ah saw and heard. A world where only tha strong are fit ta survive. That right?"

"It was why I was born. It is destiny. It cannot be stopped. Even a power as great as the one Kal-El possessed only managed to delay it for even he could not see the truth. Whether it be yesterday, today or tomorrow it shall come to pass and no force exists in this universe that can stop it."

"It's evil," Rogue calls it. What she saw in Mesmero's mind was nothing but death and destruction.

"I am beyond good or evil. I am not malevolent. I simply am."

"What ya simply are is insane."

"Such a closed mind. Let me...educate you," he states, his voice cold and malevolent, paraphrasing the words Kal-El had used those 50 centuries ago. His hands reach for her and Rogue finds she can't move. He touches her cheeks and Apocalypse opens his mind fully to her and he...'educates' her.

Rogue screams right down to her soul.

When it's over Apocalypse backs up a few step and places his hands behind his back, standing noble and regal like the king he was long ago, radiating with power. Even if his body is currently withered and weakened here, in this place, he can manifest himself in his true greatness.

Rogue breathes heavily, her expression full of horror...and then it goes blank...and then a strange calmness settles over it...followed by her lips twitching into almost a smile...a grateful one as if she is truly thankful for Apocalypse opening her mind and showing her the truth of existence. She understands now. What he is and her place in Destiny's plans. She drops to one knee, resting her arms on her other thigh as she bows her head in sign of her eternal servitude. "How may ah serve ya mah Pharaoh?"

Author's Note: If Rogue was going to absorb Mesmero my thought was that I better make sure there are unpleasant consequences and having her will subjugated to Apocalypse counts methinks. Sets up Dark Horizons nicely. Plus we got a glimpse of his defeat 50 centuries ago and to someone called Kal-El as well. Has a nice pre-destined feel about it. And for me this feels like the place to say is the end of the episode. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark slowly recovers and seeks answers from Jor-El on Apocalypse.