Age of Apocalypse Revolver Second Chamber
Written by Michael Edwards
The garden was Ororo's sacred place. Where she grew vegetables and plants. It reminded her of home prior to being saved by Magento from the culling. The vegetables were used in dishes to feed the X-Men. Ororo had learned many recipes and how to cook thanks to lots of practice. Meat was harder to come by because of the destruction wrought by Apocalypse and his forces.
Pietro watched her from the gate. Her patience in tending those fields. Watering the plants and vegetables, making sure they had enough to grow. An admirable quality he saw in her. For him, life was split second dragged over eternity. Every minute felt like a month. The only time he felt at peace was when he was around Ororo.
"I know you are there, Pietro."
"I'm sorry, Ororo; I should go."
"No, stay, you seem more relaxed than usual."
"Thank you," said Pietro. "This quiet, it's not as bad as everything else."
"Are you sure it isn't the sight you can behold that puts you at ease," Ororo said, keeping her back to him.
"I…well…never mind. This was a mistake!"
Pietro sped off before Ororo could stop him. She lowered her head. Perhaps teasing him was not the right move.
Jean watched Logan let out some aggression on training robots built and designed by Eric. His adamantium claws slicing through them like butter. The training field used many traps and robots to test the reflexes, wits, and endurance of Eric's students. Logan set off an explosive trap, it blew chunks of flesh off his chest. He let out a scream, the injury only made him mad. The animal part of him took over. He leaped and dodged while his chest wound healed. Avoiding the other explosive traps.
Jean wanted to help him, a small part of her always did. But she knew that he liked to do these training sessions by himself. It allowed him to cut loose without having to worry about her.
Covered in his own blood, Logan exited the training field with the session complete. Jean tossed him a towel. He caught it and wiped his face. Getting the sticky blood on the towel. Jean stopped him from hugging her.
"Hold it right there, I don't want your blood on me, babe!"
"Fair enough," said Logan.
"Do you feel better?" Jean asked.
"Sure do," said Logan. "Gotta let loose now and then."
"Well, that is one way to let loose." Jean followed him to the shower room where he stripped and gave her a look.
"Wanna join me?"
"Rain check," said Jean, giving him a slight telekinetic shove.
Eric sat in a comfortable chair while Mina used her powers on him. He could feel the exhaustion leave his body. The black rings under his eyes faded. He felt fresh and relaxed. Mina stopped due to exhaustion. Mitch caught her as she fell backward. Eric stood up, finding himself hungry due to the effects of Mina's power.
"The poor girl, I appreciate her using her powers for my benefit."
"She felt it was the least she could do since you saved her and her two friends."
"She is a very caring individual," said Eric. He stretched his arms, neck, and back. "Take her to her room so she can rest."
"Will do," said Mitch.
"Mitch," said Eric. "Do you think I am doing the right thing?"
"What choice is there?" said Mitch. "The humans struggle against Apocalypse and his forces as do our mutant brothers and sisters."
"Yes, everyone feels his oppressive nihilistic grip."
"I just wish that children could grow up to be children instead of being soldiers," said Eric. "That is all, I appreciate your honesty."
The moment Mitch left with Mina. Rogue walked in, she seemed distracted. Eric looked at her and bid her inside the living room.
"What is the matter, Rogue?" asked Eric.
"I was…wonderin'," said Rogue. "Are you okay?"
"I appreciate your concern, Rogue; I am fine."
Eric smiled, but Rogue suspected it was not a genuine smile. She thought of pushing the matter. Instead she said nothing more and left the room. Eric looked out to the sun rising. A sight he wondered how many more he would see.
Piotr and Katherine lie in bed. Suffocated by the silence. Piotr didn't speak much. His brother supported Apocalypse. His sister lost. Katherine was the only person who understood him. She placed a hand on his left pectoral.
"Penny for your thoughts," Katherine said.
"My thoughts," said Piotr and sighed. "I wonder what the point of it all is?"
"We fight and fight and fight yet we seem to never gain any ground."
"I don't know the answer, love. I wish I did."
Piotr sat up in bed. "I do not think I have the heart for continued battle."
"What do you wanna do then, hun?" asked Katherine.
"Little choice. If there was another option, I would leave."
"You wouldn't be the only one," said Katherine as she sat up in bed.
Mitch made sure that Mina was fast asleep and then left her room. Feeling energetic due to Pietro and Logan's powers. Mitch decided to head toward the training field. His instinctive mastery over his copied powers grew the longer he held them. He saw Logan and Jean leave. Turning the settings up to a high level. He entered his armored form. Claws extended.
The robots came at him in a large swarm. Using his super speed, he barreled into them. Cutting through them. Reset explosive traps detonated near him. His armored skin shielded him from the shrapnel launched at him. A blow torch appeared from a secret slot in the ground and blasted him with enough heat to harm him. His combined healing factor and accelerated metabolism were tending to the burns while he ripped the blow torch out of the floor.
A large pendulum hit Mitch in the side and another knocked him into a rising platform. Above him, sharp nails extended from the roof and the rising platform pressed him into it since he was still gathering his wits.
Using his incredible strength he pushed against the bent spikes, trying to get some room in order to get off the raised platform. He pushed and pushed, finally creating enough space to use his super speed to get off the raised platform. When he landed on his feet, another explosion rocked him. Followed by another. Another pendulum hit him from the right side this time and he smacked into a rising wall covered in some kind of adhesive. He struggled to get free. The more he moved, the more stuck he got.
"Damn it, Eric must have had this added!" said Mitch.
He used his telekinesis to free himself and two turrets came from the floor. They opened fire, hitting him with high caliber rounds. Using his telekinesis, he bent the turrets. Mitch charged forward using his super speed to propel him. This time avoiding the explosive traps. The pendulums made for the final challenge. There were four of them swinging back and forth. Mitch timed it and then took off at maximum speed. The floor was suddenly covered in a slick substance and he got hammered by one of the pendulums.
When he stood up, Eric was in the control room. In his armor with his helmet on. Eric shut off the training field and Mitch came out expecting an assessment of his mentor.
"I know, I did terrible."
"Expect the unexpected," said Eric in his Magneto voice. "The training field is constantly modified thanks to the work of myself and my associates. The danger out there is very real, Mitch and we cannot afford failure."
"I understand, I will do better."
Mitch walked away. It always unnerved him when Eric made that shift into his Magneto persona. He was almost a completely different person. A drill sergeant that expected perfection. Mitch knew he had to become better. For the team, his family.
Ororo looked for Pietro. She felt that maybe she teased him too much. She bumped into Bobby Drake, the team's resident Iceman. He was depressed and pouting. That usually meant that Eric was hard on him again.
"Penny for your thoughts, Bobby."
"Oh, hey 'ro."
"Eric tough on you again?"
"Yeah," said Bobby. "He keeps saying I am wasting my time with my powers by making sculptures and pulling pranks!"
"Art is always a worthy endeavor, Bobby, but I get why he is hard on you. He's hard on all of us."
"Not as much as me!" said Bobby. "He's always on my case, I can't even-"
"-you know what, forget it!"
Bobby stormed off. Ororo shook her head. She continued her search for Pietro.
Mina woke up and looked around her room. She got out of bed and went looking for Mitch. She found him in his room with a television playing that ninja turtles cartoon for the umpteenth time.
"Mitch, I'm bored!" she said.
"Wanna watch the Teenage Mut-"
"-NO! I'm sick of this cartoon!"
"Okay," said Mitch, he turned it off. Out of his closet he pulled out a Nintendo entertainment system. "Would you like to play some Nintendo games?"
"What kind of games does it play?" asked Mina.
"Well, I have Super Mario Bros which comes with Duck Hunt, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-"
"-I wanna play this one!" said Mina, she picked up Legend of Zelda.
"What?" Mitch shook his head. "That game has the lamest lead character ever, only nerdettes without bottle thick glasses like this game!"
"I wanna play it!"
"Fine," said Mitch, he put Legend of Zelda in and pushed the power button in.
Mina pressed start to begin the game. Mitch grumbled watching her play.
"Do you see what I mean, he's a lame emo elf with a lame sword!"
"Shut up, I think I like this game."
Mitch grumbled some more and kept quiet while she played.
Pietro had run about ten miles from the New Mexico stead. He was rattled by Ororo's teasing. He then spent seven seconds pouting. Seven seconds bored, and forty six seconds wondering if he should just come out and tell Ororo how he felt. The way his mind raced, he could have millions of thoughts in minutes compared to the average mind.
The wind got a bit strong and Ororo landed a few feet from him. She walked over to him and he looked away. Pretending to be uninterested.
"What do you want?" asked Pietro.
"Hostile," said Ororo. "I came to apologize for teasing you."
Pietro took a super quick look at her and looked away again.
"Well…"
"Pietro, I think we both know what is going on here…"
"What's that?" he asked looking back in her direction.
Ororo kissed him, answering every question of the moment.
Next: Third Chamber