"I'm so sorry, Lacey...I love you so much...I can't survive a bomb detonation...", Doc whispered...Now he can't be there to give her their first time of love-making...to marry her, to somehow bring her a share of his Quantonium so she can live together with him for a long, long time...heck, even have some hybrid kids...which would be highly possible with the Quantonium and all...He sobbed, dropping his face to his knees, his forehead resting on the reel slip.
Doc nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a loud thud against metal before seeing one of the doors. "What the...?", he said to himself before another loud thud.
A few more moments, the door burst open as Tara knocked it open. "Doc!", Bucky called out as Doc got up and started running towards them.
Doc widened his eyes, "Bucky, Tara!", blinking in surprise to see a blue-furred gorilla beast, and Tara smiled happily as Bucky held Reva in his arms, down to 10ft baby size, and then the intercom buzzed again, "90 seconds and counting.".
Tara picked up Doc and Beast and Bucky, with Tara telling him to hold Reva securely, as she held them in her arm, and she took a deep breath, praying that she is strong enough to tear a hole open, and leaped down as the ship crumbled around them, diving far down and down to the bottom of the ship, successfully punching a hole in the exterior through the floor.
"Is this really the plan!?", Doc shouted. "Are we simply just going to fall from the sky? Because I'm not so sure the jetpacks are fast enough for us to get out of range of the blast!".
All of a sudden as they were falling down through the sky, they landed into the familiar fur of Butterflysaurus, looking up to see Monger laughing, "Knew my special butterfly whistle could come in handy!", the rest of the back filled with the X-Men, Link, Bob, Susan, Mo, Steve and Peggy.
"Really like to time it close, don't you, General?", Tara gave a small laugh as Butterflysaurus moved as fast as she could to get the group out of range of the ship's self-destruct.
"Like I was going to miss something like this!", Monger roared with laughter as the group flew a good distance before the ship suddenly burst with a massive explosion that ripped it apart before suddenly, what should've been blasted debris, flew backwards as a small wormhole opened up and the ship was imploding on itself.
Susan reunited with Tara across the span of Bea's back, "Oh, thank god you're alright! Wait, the baby!", and Bucky chuckled, "Don't worry, Susie. Your grandniece is safe and sound.", and Reva cooed happily, enjoying the ride even if she's annoyed that her first breakfast got cut short thanks to everything.
Peggy smiled, "Oh, look at you! Can I?", and Bucky chuckled, "Meet your niece/granddaughter...Wow, I was right...Family relations is weird...", passing Reva over to Peggy who cuddled with her, "Sure is, but you have to admit that we're all a weird, big family, and it works for us. Is that right, Reva?".
Reva gurgled with a gummy smile, and Steve chuckled, "She sure looks like both of you two...", as Monger called out, "We're all in the clear, folks! Bea, take us home to Libra Haven!", and Bea bellowed out heartily.
"You alright, Bob?", Mo asked as Bob nodded. "Didn't feel a thing with those shots... just past right through me.", Bob said as Mo chuckled.
"Yeah, well, I wasn't thinking so clearly there... guess I was just worried enough of those shots would vaporize you or something.", Mo replied. Bob blinked in confusion, "What's vaporize?", and Mo grimaced, "It's like a balloon popping.".
Bob grinned, "Popping balloons, cool!", and Mo sighed before grinning fake, "Yeah.", before looking at Doc, "You alright, Doc?".
Doc nodded with a smile, "Yes, and more than ever...I can't wait to get home to Lacey...I think I had enough near-death experiences today.", and Mo nodded, "You and me both, man.", rubbing his chest with a deep relieved smile that he got his Quantonium back...He is so going to propose to Susan tonight if he had any say about it...Dying today has set his priorities extremely high...Never gonna go through that again, that's for sure...
Several minutes later, Bea landed in Libra Haven, with everyone sliding down one of her wings, and everyone was chatting, finally relaxing as Tara realized that she was gone for the whole night, which explains why it was daylight...
As they got closer to the main hangers, Mo blinked, sniffing, "Hold up, I smell blood...It's not any of us...Smells like...Gallaxhar!", and Peggy widened her eyes in horror, "Henry, Lacey!", running to Steve and her hanger home, with Doc following her instantly, with the others following quickly.
Peggy and Doc came into the home, with Peggy gasping in horror as everything is in shambles, "Henry!", and Doc called out, "Lacey!".
Moments later after agonizing silence, a weak whimper sounded out, and Doc ran to a lopsided book cabinet, widening his eyes in horror as he saw a familiar hand out under it, "Lacey!", scrambling over to lift up the cabinet, grunting, "HELP!".
Peggy quickly ran over and helped get the cabinet off of Lacey. "Please tell me she's not dead...", Peggy feared as Doc looked her over in the terrible shape that she was in. "Lacey...", Doc sobbed. He nearly lost his life today and now she might lose hers in exchange...
Everybody else was staring in shock, with Beast speaking out, "I can do a blood transfusion.", as Doc looked up wildly, "You can do that?".
Beast nodded, "Of course! I'm a doctor despite all of, well, this beast gorilla look.", and Wolverine nodded, "Yeah, he patched us up more times than I can count.".
A weak whimper sounded out again, and Doc looked down to see Lacey's eyes looking at him, and he leaned down to rest his forehead on hers, "Hey, hey, I'm here...", and Lacey whispered weakly, "Alien freak...Shot him with gun...Fought him...Took Henry...Tried to save him...Heard him saying he going back to forest...Hurry...I injured him...Catch him...R-Richard...you s-save me...Trust you...L-love you.", before closing her eyes from spending up the last reserve of her energy.
Doc shouted, "Lacey, Lacey, don't leave me! Beast, do the blood transfusion now! I'll donate my blood! She needs me! I can't lose her!", tears filling and falling down his cheeks, and Beast nodded, "Right! General, where's the first aid station around here?!".
"I can lead you there...", Monger said as he looked to the others. "The rest of you find that bastard. I don't know what he's got planned with little Henry or what he could possibly do without his ship and all... but if he escapes, I fear we'll regret it terribly.".
Mo nodded, "Don't worry, I got a bead on Gallaxhar, and if I'm wrong, Wolverine will be the second opinion.", and Wolverine growled, "You know it, bub. Been around him long enough to know his scent.".
Peggy narrowed her eyes furiously, "Let's go! No one, repeat, no one is taking my children ever again!", and everybody nodded, and went out, with Mo changing to his gorilla size, tracking down the blood droplets left behind by Gallaxhar, heading to the forest.
"Jeez, how can he move so fast?", Bucky cursed as they kept moving on the trail. "Must be strong too, I would think Henry would be at his largest height to at least better protect himself...", Steve bit his lip as they all felt extremely worried about what Gallaxhar might have planned.
Susan sighed, "At least Lacey shot him...", and Storm nodded, "From what it looks like, she got him in the hip, due to the direction of the droplets.".
Suddenly, they heard a sound of an engine revving up in the distance, and Peggy gasped, "He's getting away!", running so fast, surpassing Mo, coming into a clearing, seeing an escape pod ship lifting up, seeing Henry crying and hitting the glass, "My baby!", starting to flame on and fly up when Steve stopped her, "He would shoot at you out of the sky!".
"But my baby!", Peggy sobbed, and Wolverine spat, "Not for long! Storm, do your thing!", and Storm nodded, floated up, her eyes turning white, and suddenly, the sky darkened up, narrowing her eyes as she made the clouds into a dark storm, covering the ship from seeing anything, stranded.
Susan then narrowed her eyes as Storm made the clouds flash with thunder, showing the ship's location, and she then shouted, "This is for taking my little brother!", a massive force field smashing on the glass, breaking it open, and Henry saw his freedom.
He spun around, and narrowed, screeched at Gallaxhar as he focused on growing into his eagle form, but not his regular size, but giant size, destroying the ship from inside out as he then dived out, with Storm settling down the thunderclouds, with Gallaxhar screaming and falling another way which is straight down.
Henry exited the clouds in the side, and he flapped his wings before blinking in surprise as he's doing it! He's finally flying properly! He's a big boy now!
He flew down, screeching happily as he landed, shrinking back and changing form to human as he cried out with a smile, "Mum, me fly big now!", as Peggy picked him up, kissing him all over the face.
"Yes, you do...", Peggy sobbed as she held him tight, grateful that he was alright and didn't look any worse for wear. "Oh, Henry...", Steve joined in along with Susan while the others went to where Gallaxhar had dropped. If he survived the landing, he still was a threat.
Bucky held Tara back, "Stay back with Reva. Okay?", and Tara nodded, "Alright, but I will be close by to make sure he's gone. You know how I am. I need to believe my eyes.".
Bucky smiled softly, "I sure do, T.", and he went to follow the others, with Tara following by in a distance, holding Reva in her arms, quiet as she can sense that something's gonna happen, but she stayed quiet, even if she's still hungry.
Bucky and the others found Gallaxhar, now wounded, torn up, and all ugly bruised up, thanks to falling through the branches and of course, the long way down through the air without any parachute or such.
He heaved out, panting, trying to get up out of the pit he made himself, weak and in pain, and as he was to reach another rock, shadows cover him, and he looked up, and his hearts dropped to his stomach, seeing so many familiar faces, looking murderous and furious. He's done for...No mothership, no escape pod ship, no Quantonium...
"Not much of a chance to run now, huh?", Bucky spat as he kneeled down though keeping his distance unless Gallaxhar had one last trick. "Nice trick with the clone... making us think you killed yourself.".
Gallaxhar gave out a pitiful chuckle, "Well, everybody has to go with a contingency plan these days...I don't suppose you can spare me, hmm?".
Wolverine sneered, "Not on your life, Gallaxhar. You destroyed tons of worlds for your collection including mine...You made us prisoners. You threatened children's lives, and worse. You are the worst of the worst of the worst criminals, and I believe Xavier would make an exception for this. Don't you think, Storm?".
"Yes, Professor Xavier and the others deserve peace and vengeance. You don't deserve a quick death, yet the quicker you go, the quicker you meet them, all who you killed...", Storm glowered angrily as she hovered down.
"Me first!", Bob glared at Gallaxhar, and made a huge fist, and slammed it into Gallaxhar's face, breaking his jaw. Mo chuckled, "Looks like you taught him that one, eh, Link?".
Link grinned, "Glad that he's a copycat off me sometimes. Take this one!", before doing a spinning kick, breaking Gallaxhar's injured hip, the one Lacey shot. Gallaxhar was barely able to scream out in pain after his jaw nearly made his words unintelligible.
Shadowcat narrowed her eyes, "This is for taking my first family from me!" and shot her hand through his head and yanked the eye nerves, making him blind, all sets of eyes out of sight, and she yanked her hand out, "Last time I ever do that!", with a grossed-out grimace.
"Damn, Kitty... that's pretty hardcore, even for you.", Wolverine said as Storm held her hand up. "Let the others have their turn if they want to. If you're next, you'll slice him to bits before anyone else can get to him.", she said as he responded with a huff. She was right though.
Mo grinned, "Thanks, Storm.", before shifting into his gorilla form, and charged at Gallaxhar before releasing an intense ear-piercing roar, deafening Gallaxhar, making his ears bleed, and Mo snorted, thumped his chest before turning back to join the others.
Bucky snarled, "My turn.", before shifting into his werewolf form, and grabbing his tentacles all at once, tying them into a bow, straight into Gallaxhar's groin, real tight, "And that was to be Dietl's punishment if he got away with it!", hearing Gallaxhar's shout of pain.
Storm whistled, "Wow. Effective yet crude.", before narrowing her eyes, her eyes turning white for a moment, and a cloud turned dark, and then lightning hit Gallaxhar right on the spot, frying him yet he's dazed and really smoking.
"Okay, now you can go wild. Just clean yourself up after you're done with him, Wolverine. No need to stink up the place.", Storm replied, and Wolverine nodded with a hell-raising grin, "Yes, ma'am.", as the others moved away, heading back to join the rest of the gang, hearing an animalistic roar.
Bucky joined Tara and Reva as she turned around as well, "He has been truly waiting for this, huh?", and Storm replied, "More than you'd ever imagined. Professor Xavier and the others were like my best friend and beloved students, and Kitty here, she saw Xavier as an uncle with the others mostly like siblings or friends. But Wolverine, he was saved by Xavier, and the others...they were his family...somewhere he felt like he belonged at last. He may be gruff on the outside, but he was heartbroken more than anything.".
"I can't imagine much of the pain... I had it somewhat close, but... at least there was the others to keep me going when I first ended up in this world.", Bucky explained.
"At least it's all alright now, James.", Tara kissed his cheek. Reva cooed happily, and Bucky chuckled softly, leaning to kiss Reva on the forehead, "Yes, I have more to live for than before...".
Link replied, "Do you really believe in Beast?", and Shadowcat replied, "Dr. McCoy aka Beast has been around, so he knows his stuff. I am sure Lacey is gonna be okay.". Link nodded, hoping that she's right...Doc is one of his best friends, and having Lacey around, it makes him happier than anytime Link saw him in the past decades.
And so, they kept on, reuniting with Peggy, Steve, Henry, and Susan, telling them the news of Gallaxhar's death, and they prayed that the blood transfusion worked with Lacey and Doc.
Back in Libra Haven, in the first aid station, a few yards down from the main hangars, Doc is praying, resting his head on the edge of the bed, with his hand injected with the blood transfusion stuff, connected to Lacey, on the bed, with the machine near them, along with the heart monitor and other technology on.
"Well, at least it appears that from the looks of things... Gallaxhar may have just simply tossed her around the room before leaving her crushed underneath that cabinet.", Beast said as he looked over Doc and Lacey.
"Any number of critical injuries could happen that way.", Doc sighed as he was trying to keep himself in control. "I just want to know if she'll make it... that's all.".
Beast looked at Doc, "You love her, yes?", and Doc nodded, "More than anything. Hell, she's the most important thing on top of my list.".
"Then believe in her, trust in her.", Beast nodded, and Doc exhaled, "What kind of question is that?! I completely believe in her with all my heart, I trust her with all my secrets. Hell, she made me a better man than I'd ever imagined, and she somehow doesn't care that I am different!".
After hearing his proclamation, the Quantonium flowing through the blood into Lacey, went to work, realizing that Lacey is his soul mate, his beloved, his everything, infusing itself into her DNA, to bring her longevity, durability, quick-healing, and a couple of changes to her mind and her womb, giving her eidetic memory and easier access to getting viable with Doc's sperm without any possible children dying from being hybrids.
It wasn't too much, but it still would make all the difference in the world; especially in her case as she would not have fully recovered from her injuries without it. Shortly after a few moments, several of the monitors were showing a slow uptick in improvements. Her blood pressure, heart rate, most of the observable readings were going up.
Beast blinked, "Look at that! See, she heard you!", and Doc looked at the machines in shock and amazement before looking back at Lacey, seeing the visible bruises around the bandages slowly vanish, and he breathed shakily, "The Quantonium...It must have been in my bloodstream as well...I'm sharing it with her...", tears filling his eyes, having hope in his heart.