S.H.I.E.L.D. Maximum Security Detention Center, classified location...
The snow was melting around a maximum security prison. Just beyond the perimeter, guards frequently patrolled the area. This was one of S.H.I.E.L.D's facilities that housed dangerous criminals.
No one noticed a lone guard heading into the center, his patrol complete. No-one thought anything of him entering the highest-level-clearance cell block, where the absolute worst prisoners were housed. As he walked in, he relieved the guards on duty, stating that the orders came from General Fury himself. The other guards quickly complied, heading off to receive confirmation of the orders.
Mystique smiled as she dropped her disguise, alone; it wouldn't be long before someone contacted Iron-Pants Fury, and he'd be madder than a rattled hornet's nest at what had happened...
Her smile growing as she walked towards her objective, Mystique quickly entered the commands to commence the re-animation of the prisoner within the stasis chamber, draining the suspension fluid that kept him immobile. Slowly, as the glass raised, the prisoner stirred...
...and Cain Marko opened his eyes.
Mystique smiled. "Good morning, Juggernaut."
Eyes narrowing, Cain "Juggernaut" Marko rose to his full, towering, seven-foot height, made all the more intimidating by his immensely muscular build. His hair was short, and black, his complexion light, and his eyes dark, and empty – the eyes of a man devoid of empathy, of conscience; of someone who took what he wanted...and who was powerful enough to smash anyone who got in his way. He wore a thick, dark brown armored vest, with matching gauntlets, and dark brown pants, with armored boots.
He was a mutant, whose abilities had been magically enhanced; he had unimaginable strength, and became an unstoppable force whenever he had even the slightest momentum. No known force could stop him; the only real vulnerability he had was to a psychic attack.
"Easy, Cain." Mystique assured him, smiling slyly. "Right now, I'm the best friend you have in this world."
Cain arched an eyebrow.
"And why is that?" He rumbled.
"Because." Mystique replied, handing him the massive, dome-shaped, PSI-shielded helmet that he always wore, "I can help you get the one thing you've always wanted."
Cain's eyes narrowed at the thought of his "dear brother." "What's the catch?" he asked, putting on the helmet and fastening the five latches.
"Oh, nothing really." Mystique answered. "All I want is your brother's prized creation: Cerebro." She smiled wickedly. "I'm sure you won't want it...and Charles won't need it after you're through with him."
Cain chuckled. "Interesting deal, lady..."
WHAM!
Mystique hit the wall hard as Juggernaut's massive fist knocked her aside. "...but nobody orders me around." Juggernaut finished. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to pay Little Chuck a visit." With that, he stomped away at impressive speeds for one his size, effortlessly smashing through walls as he went.
Mystique scowled, as she resumed her disguise, activating the silent alarm. Hopefully, with S.H.I.E.L.D. trying to quietly catch Marko, the X-Men – and its cape-clad powerhouse – wouldn't catch on to Juggernaut's vendetta. With any luck, she could snatch Cerebro just as Xavier's half-brother attacked. With this plan, Mystique snuck out of the prison, totally unnoticed.
Bayville city limits
"Okay...why are we here, again?"
Clark had to lightly chuckle at Kitty's slightly intimidated inquisition; he had to admit: the snow-covered mountain that they had been dropped at looked fairly daunting. Clark and the rest of the X-Men now stood at the mountain's base, all clad in white pants and white insulated winter coats, with warm gloves, and black hiking boots, each carrying backpacks.
Scott chuckled.
"Winter survival training, Kitty." He explained. "We have to hike to the top of this mountain; on average, it's a two-day hike, but Logan said that if we get there sooner, he'll lay off Danger Room sessions for the weekend."
Kitty sighed, pulling up her hood to keep the light falling snow out of her hair.
"Well, couldn't we do this closer to home?" She asked.
Clark grinned.
"I heard Logan ask the Professor if he could handle the training himself, Kitty." He said. "The Professor said that he wanted everyone to survive."
Rogue chuckled.
"Well, Ah'm sure Mr. Invulnerable here won't have too much trouble." She joked.
"Ja!" Kurt agreed, switching off his inducer; he'd only worn the illusion for the bus-driver, as this had been an activity they had been signed up for. "All you have to do is fly up there!"
"Hey, no powers, remember?" Clark laughed. "As far as this exercise is concerned, I'm just an average Joe!"
"Sorry we had to stick you with a lame name, though, Big Guy." Evan said.
Clark, or "Kalvin Elward" – a pun on his Kryptonian name – just shrugged.
"No big deal." He replied. It had been decided that, if mutants were ever exposed, and Superman's affiliation with them revealed, Clark's real name wouldn't be used in public activities; "Clark Kent" would never be revealed as an Institute student. That was fine with Clark; he'd never told anyone at university where he lived. This was just another way to keep his loved ones safe, should mutants ever be exposed. "Well, I guess we'd better get going." With that, the band of seven headed for the mountain.
Suddenly, a light whistling cut the air. Clark easily caught it. "Kitty, look out..!"
Splat!
"Ow!" Kitty cried, as the snowball caught her in the back of the head.
Jean looked around, scanning with her telepathy...and frowned. "Looks like Mystique sprung for this little outing, too."
"Ha ha! The look on your face, Pryde: priceless!" Pietro laughed as he zipped up, clad in silver-and-green winter gear. Shortly after, Lance walked up, in black pants and a black-and-brown jacket. Next, Todd hopped into view, in a light blue jacket, blue pants, and a brown wool cap. Finally, Fred lumbered up, in a grey jacket, dark green pants, and a black wool cap. They were also carrying backpacks.
"We just figured we'd give you X-Geeks a little welcome!" Pietro sneered.
Clark's eyes narrowed. "That wasn't funny, Pietro." he said sternly. "You could've hurt her."
"What's the matter, Mr. 'Man-of-Steel'? Can't take a joke?" Pietro taunted.
Clark didn't take the bait. "Let's go, guys." he said.
"Good idea, Kal." Scott agreed, using his pseudonym. "Hopefully, these creeps will get lost along the way."
Pietro, however, wasn't done. "'Kal'?" he sneered, zipping in front of them. "What kinda stupid name is that?"
"It's my name." Clark replied, which was true.
"Why don't you just take a hike, Maximoff?" Evan snapped.
"Not until I'm done with Super-Dork." Pietro snapped spitefully.
Rogue smirked. "Figures." she chuckled. "Pietro's just sore that, with Superman around, he's the second-fastest thing on the planet."
"He just got a lucky shot, that's ALL!" Pietro yelled. He glared at Clark. "I just hope you're hungry, Super-Loser, 'cause you'll be eating our dust! We'll get to the top long before you X-Geeks do!"
Clark just calmly folded his arms. "Talk's cheap, Pietro."
"Fine! I'll see you from the mountaintop! As in, I'll be looking down!" Pietro spat, and he raced back to his pals.
"Well, looks like this just became a race." Scott observed.
"Fine with me." Evan said.
"We'll show them!" Kitty exclaimed.
Everyone else gave similar words of agreement. "Well, then, let's get a move on!" Clark exclaimed. At that, everyone headed onto the trail, heading up the mountainside.
"General, the target is approaching the state line!"
"Warn the local authorities away." Brigadier General Nicholas "Nick" Fury ordered. Nick was in his mid fifties, fairly tall and of athletic build, his short brown hair now lined with grey, his one green eye still sharp, his other eye gone, replaced by a black eye-patch. He wore black pants and a black coat, with the eagle insignia of the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate emblazoned on the back.
From the command chair of the Helicarrier, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mobile Supreme Headquarters, Fury oversaw the operation to retrieve Juggernaut...while wondering how in the hell he could've gotten out in the first place.
"Local authorities are acknowledging, sir; they're leaving the field clear."
"Good." Fury said; the local cops were smart enough to let the big boys handle this. They were good men; no sense letting them get hurt against a threat they were nowhere near capable of handling. "Has Artillery Team One intercepted Marko?"
"Affirmative, General; we're receiving a live feed, now. Artillery Team has sighted Marko; attempting to pacify."
The main view-screen on the bridge of the Helicarrier now showed a squad of five tanks and numerous Marines wielding artillery, in a countryside, aiming at the approaching form of Juggernaut. Then, Artillery Team One began to open fire, blasting Marko with everything they had.
For a few moments, there was silence, as the fire ceased. Fury hoped that they had done it...
...and then Juggernaut burst out of the smoke, with not even a scratch, barreling past the tanks, sending two of them flying with a few swipes from his fist.
"Team One ineffective, sir; target is still advancing."
"Order Team One to fall back. Have Artillery Team Two intercept the target; tell them to aim for the five latches on Marko's helmet." Fury ordered. He sighed; he didn't want to involve a civilian – even a powerful telepath like Xavier – in a S.H.I.E.L.D. operation, but it looked like only Charles Xavier could shut Marko down. He'd ordered all units to observe radio silence, to keep this operation under the radar.
But, at the rate Juggernaut was going, Xavier would find out soon enough on his own; Marko was only a day or so away. You didn't have to be a West Point graduate to tell where he was headed.
"Uh...sir?" The Executive Officer reported. "I'm getting...meteorological anomalies forming ahead of Marko."
Fury arched an eyebrow. "'Meteorological anomalies'?" he repeated.
"Fog, sir, forming right on top of him. It came out of nowhere."
Fury had a hunch. "Focus infrared scanners on the center of the fog." Instantly, the screen showed the multicolored silhouette of a person, a woman, with long hair, a cape trailing behind her, floating in the middle of the fog.
'Well, looks like Xavier's already gotten wind of his brother's homecoming.' Fury thought. It seemed that Miss Munroe was trying to slow Juggernaut down, to delay him.
Well, that could work to their advantage. "Have Team Two drop into the fog; I want night-vision goggles active. Marko can't see in this; we'll use that against him."
"Aye, sir; Team Two is en route."
Fury could only watch as his operatives carried out his orders, hoping for the best. He knew that they would follow his orders to the best of their ability...and if you were a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, that was pretty damn good.
Unstoppable or not, S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't roll over for anybody.
It was nearly sunset by the time the X-Men reached a lake, the sky already blazing as the sun's light waned. As they walked to the lake's edge, Scott took notice of five canoes that had been left there. "We can shave a few hours if we take these canoes across." he said.
Jean nodded. "Sounds like a good idea." The others nodded.
"Exactly what we were thinking, Summers!"
Scott groaned as he saw the Brotherhood walk up. 'Oh, great...'
"Looks like we've caught up with you losers." Pietro sneered.
Scott kept his cool. "Well, there's enough canoes for all of us; we'll take three, so that leaves two for you." With that, he and the others took three of the canoes, and began loading their gear into them; Jean and Kitty got in one canoe; Kurt, Rogue, and Evan all got in another; and Scott and Clark got in the third canoe.
Before long, they had set out on the frigid water, paddling towards the far side. Scott and Clark were leading the pack, with Kurt, Rogue, and Evan's canoe in second, followed closely by Jean and Kitty. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Scott saw the Brotherhood closing on them: Lance and Pietro in one canoe, and Todd and Fred in the other. Lance and Pietro were closing on them; then, Pietro nudged Lance, and Lance nodded. Scott didn't like the looks of that. 'Stay cool, Summers...'
Suddenly, an earthquake rocked the lake, disrupting the X-Men's paddling, and nearly tipping Scott and Clark into the water. "Ha ha!" Pietro laughed, as they pulled ahead.
Scott saw red, even more than usual. He reached to take off his glasses, to blast them out of the water...
"Easy, Chief." Clark said. "It's not worth it."
Scott calmed, Clark's words reminding him of what he'd been taught. "Right. No powers." he agreed. "Let's just keep going." With that, they resumed paddling.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
Startled, Scott turned the boat, to see Todd cry out.
"We're sinking!" Fred cried. "There's a hole in this stupid boat!"
"Hey, I like water, yo, but not this much!" Todd wailed.
Clark grimaced. "Maybe I was too hasty in the 'no powers' thing."
"Well, I think this qualifies as 'extenuating circumstances'!" Scott exclaimed. "Go for it, Kal!"
"On it!" Clark said. He took a deep breath, and blew an absolute-zero blast of cold air towards Todd and Fred's canoe, freezing the water solid, all the way to shore, stopping the canoe from sinking. "Get to shore!" Clark called. "The ice is thick enough to support you!" Fred and Todd didn't need to be told twice; they picked up their gear and ran to shore. The situation defused, the X-Men continued on their way.
When the X-Men reached the shore, Lance and Pietro were waiting for their teammates, as Todd and Fred came up, huffing from the walk. Pietro scowled at Clark. "Oh, you just had to save the day, didn't you?!" he snapped.
"Yeah, 'cause people fallin' into freezin' water tends ta be a bad thing!" Rogue shot back. "Gawd, what's yer damage, Maximoff?!"
"Okay, everyone just calm down." Scott said. "It's nearly nightfall, so now would probably be a good time to camp for the night."
"Fine! We'll just get a head-start on you!" Pietro laughed.
"Are you nuts?!" Todd cried. "I'm pooped!"
"And I'm hungry!" Fred complained.
Lance chuckled. "You're always hungry, Fred."
"Well...I'm even hungrier than normal!"
"Fine, fine, you big babies." Pietro grumbled. "We'll stop here." With that, both teams headed in separate directions, to set up camp.
By the time the X-Men had set up camp, night had fallen. They had brought two four-man tents – one for the girls, and one for the guys. They had also constructed a little campfire; currently, Scott was the only one sitting by it, the others either in their tents, or looking around. Off in the distance, a few meters away, Scott could see the light of the Brotherhood's campfire.
"Hey."
Looking up, Scott smiled as he saw Jean. "Hey." he greeted, as Jean sat down next to him.
"Scott," Jean began, "I just wanted to tell you how proud I was – am – of you, earlier today."
Scott blinked. "For what?"
"For not using your powers, even after the dirty trick that the Brotherhood pulled." Jean said.
Scott looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, actually," he admitted, "I almost did; if Clark hadn't reminded me to cool my heels, I probably would've blasted them."
Jean looked a bit guilty. "I...kinda...knew that." she said. "I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to read your thoughts, but you were mad at the time; you know how hard it is for me to block thoughts associated with strong emotion!"
"Hey, don't worry about it, Jean." Scott assured her.
Jean smiled. "Anyway, even though Clark reminded you, you still could've blasted them, but you didn't." she said. "Plus, you told Clark to help Todd and Fred!"
"Well, he probably would've helped them, anyway."
Jean just gave him a half-annoyed look. 'I'm trying to compliment you, you know!' she sent to him.
'Sorry.' Scott sent back.
Satisfied, Jean finished, "I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you." She smiled. "The Professor couldn't have picked a better team leader."
If Scott smiled any more than he already was, his face would cramp up. "Thanks, Jean."
Jean smiled, her emerald eyes glittering from the fire-light, a rosy tint across her face...which Scott couldn't see, due to the perpetual red of his glasses. Then, for a few seconds, their gazes met.
Scott didn't know what he would ever do without her. She was his best friend; and, at times like this, he wondered if they could be more. Part of Scott told him no; Jean was with Duncan, the supremely popular Big Man on Campus...but, at times like this, the rest of him said different...
And then Clark walked in, looking up at the sky, a quizzical expression on his face. "Oh, hey, Kal." Jean greeted, nervously, her blush intensifying at the tender moment between her and her best friend...secretly grateful that Scott couldn't see it. "Anything wrong?"
"I don't know." Clark said. "I'm hearing artillery fire; the radio signals I'm getting are saying that it's just war-games...but they sound awfully close to the city...and getting closer."
Scott shrugged. "It's probably nothing." he said.
Jean giggled. "You know how it is with boys and their toys!"
"Hey!" Scott laughed.
Clark chuckled. "You're probably right." he agreed. Suddenly, he froze. "Guys, someone's in trouble!"
"What? Where?!" Scott exclaimed.
"A few miles to the east of here!" Clark exclaimed. "Someone's trapped on a cliff!"
"Guys, over here!" Scott called; at once, the rest of the X-Men hurried over, as Scott told them what was going on. "We have to help whoever it is! Kal, lead the way!" At that, Clark hurried ahead, his super-hearing tracking the cries for help, and the rest of the X-Men followed him.
Lance was sitting at the campfire when he happened to see the X-Geeks head off. Shrugging, he resumed toasting the hot dog he was planning on snacking on.
What happened earlier today was still bugging him. 'Why did Superman save Todd and Fred?' he thought. It just didn't make sense...
By then, Pietro had seen the X-Men head off, too. "Well, look at that." he said. "God, how those losers can put up with Mr. 'Save-the-Day' on a 24-hour basis is beyond me."
Lance frowned. Sure, he didn't like Superman, but lately, Pietro had been ranting about the guy almost non-stop. "Pietro, why do you hate him so much?" he asked. "I don't like him, Todd doesn't like him, Fred doesn't – none of us do. But you take it to a whole different level."
"Well, yeah, I don't like the guy." Todd said, "but...ya gotta admit, he does some pretty righteous stuff, yo. I mean, I heard that he once caught a 747 that was gonna crash; that's probably a few hundred people who were gonna die...but they didn't, 'cause..."
"Can it, Tolansky!" Pietro spat. "It's bad enough that cape-clad loser is mentioned almost everywhere I look, but I draw the line at listening to my teammates go on about him!"
"Hey, take it easy, Pietro!" Fred said. "All Todd's sayin' is that he does some good stuff. Like today, he helped us out!"
"I just can't stand that flying geek, that's all." Pietro muttered. "Aw, screw it; I'm goin' to bed." With that, he ducked into the tent.
Before long, the others opted to turn in, too, leaving Lance alone by the fire.
Lance turned to look where the X-Men had gone off. His mind returned to his previous train of thought...
Clark's hearing led him to the edge of a cliff, the X-Men following him. Clark looked over the edge.
"Hello?" He called down. "Is everyone okay?"
"Please, help!" came a woman's cry. "My husband was exploring a cave, when a boulder blocked the entrance! He's trapped!"
"Hang on! We're here to help!" Clark called back. He turned to the others. "I think I can find a way to move the boulder without freaking her out, but I'll need you guys to lower me down." He smiled sheepishly. "Be warned; I'm a little heavy."
"Okay." Scott agreed; quickly, the X-Men got out the climbing harness and line they'd brought. Clark quickly put on the harness while the X-Men readied the line. Once the line was attached, Clark began to repel down the cliff, with the X-Men holding the line steady.
"Jeez, CK, how many bricks do you have in your pockets?" Evan grunted.
"Sorry." Clark called. "Almost there...just a little further..." and then, he touched down on the rock out cropping where the lady was...along with her two children, a 5-year-old little girl, and a 9-year-old boy, who were holding their mom's hand, red-eyed from crying. Looking closely, Clark could see a path leading down to the ground; if he freed the father, they could get down safely.
The little girl sniffled. "Please...help our Daddy!"
Clark smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry." he said softly. He knew that "Superman" could have lifted the boulder easily...but Clark Kent would have to improvise. Spying a nearby dead tree branch, he got an idea. Picking up the branch, he then nudged a smaller rock towards the boulder, before jamming the branch under the boulder, using the small rock with the branch as a lever. He pulled on the lever...and the boulder rolled to the side. Seconds later, a middle-aged man walked out, none the worse for wear.
"Daddy!" The little girl cried, rushing to hug her father, followed by her brother and the mother. Clark had to smile, as the little family was reunited.
The father smiled at him. "Thank you." He said. "Who knows how long I'd have been stuck there?"
Clark just shrugged. "Don't mention it."
"Wow...how'd you do that?" The boy asked.
Clark grinned. "Oh, you know...eat your vegetables!" he answered. Then, the family began to head back down, while Clark began to climb up, to rejoin his friends.
When he got back up, the X-Men looked relieved to let go of the line. "Wow, Clark, you weren't kidding!" Jean laughed.
Clark smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, guys."
"No problem." Rogue replied.
"But, Mein Gott, you veigh a ton!" Kurt laughed.
Clark chuckled; he'd once wondered about his increase in body-mass during his time in the Fortress. "Apparently, my body tissues – mostly my skeleton and my muscles – are a lot denser than the average human's." he explained.
"Oh." Kitty replied. "That explains it."
"Well, we'd better get back to camp and turn in." Scott said. "We have a big day, tomorrow."
"Ja." Kurt agreed. "And if ve're out much longer, ve'll probably catch a cold!" Then, his nose started to twitch. "Ah...Ah..."
Everyone gasped in horror; one sneeze could easily set off a real avalanche. Quickly, Kitty clamped her hand over Kurt's mouth...
...but no sneeze came. "Phew! Zhanks, Kitty!" Kurt exclaimed. Everyone relaxed...
...and then the unthinkable happened. "AH-CHOOOOO!"
The sneeze echoed across the mountainside...and a distant rumble filled the air. Far off in the distance, a mass of snow began barreling down the mountainside, coming right at them...
...and then, another rumble filled the air, as a massive crack opened up in the ground ahead of the avalanche; the snow simply fell into that crack, missing them completely.
Kitty blinked. "What just happened?!" she exclaimed.
"I...don't know..." Scott said.
Clark looked around...and his vision caught a figure heading back into the woods. He smiled. "I think I might."
It hadn't taken Lance long to get back to the campfire; no-one would ever know what he did.
'Why did I do that?' He thought. The X-Men were supposed to be his enemies.
So why had he saved them?
"Lance?"
Looking over his shoulder, Lance saw Kitty there, smiling nervously.
"What do you want, Pretty Kitty?" He asked...and then mentally smacked himself for using that nickname, since it would make her think he liked her.
Which, of course, he did, no sense denying it, but that didn't mean he wanted her to know.
"I just...wanted to thank you." Kitty replied. Lance wasn't sure, since it was so dark, but it looked like she was...blushing? Around him?
"For what?"
Kitty laughed. "What do you mean 'For what'?" she exclaimed. "For saving us!"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Lance said flatly. "I've been here all night."
Kitty giggled. "Sure, Lance."
"I was!"
"You know, deep down," Kitty said, "I don't think you're really as bad as you think you are." Then, she quickly zipped over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you." she added, before she hurried off.
Lance put his hand to where she'd kissed him.
'Wow.' He thought. Saving the X-Geeks had been worth it, just for that.
Returning to his campfire barbeque, Lance paused. He felt something, something that he never had before.
The cold, dull ache of knowing he wasn't worth a damn...it was gone...and in its place was something else: some warm, fuzzy feeling, which made him feel a little better about looking at himself in a mirror.
Smiling, Lance just resumed his cooking. 'Maybe this is why Superman helps people.' he thought.
'This feeling...it's not half-bad.'
It was about mid-morning when Juggernaut first sighted his "dear brother's" Institute as he walked through the woods. Cain smirked to himself; he was going to enjoy putting his fist through 'Little Charlie's' face.
Charles had always gotten everything. Ever since his father had started dating Charles' mother, he'd had to be nice to the little runt...or face his father's wrath.
Cain couldn't even remember the exact number of times his father had beaten him because he was 'too rough' with the little brat, or because he didn't want to play with him at all...
"Cain?" 9-year-old Charles Xavier asked, all smiles, running up to his new step-brother, 14-year-old Cain Marko. "Mom got us a new football! Can we play?"
Cain scowled, hiding the cigarette he'd just lit, squashing it under his shoe. "Not now." he growled.
Charles' smile evaporated. "Aw, come on! Please?" he pleaded.
Cain's eyes narrowed. "I said, not now!"
"Cain!"
Cain froze as his father stormed up. "What did I tell you?" he said angrily. "I think we need to have a talk, mister."
"No, really, Dad, it's okay!" Charles said. "If Cain doesn't want to play now, we can just play, later! I don't mind!"
His father just smiled. "Hey, don't worry about it, Charlie." he assured him. "Cain and I need to have a man-to-man talk, that's all."
"Oh...okay." Charles said. As his father led Cain away, Charles called, "I'm sorry, Cain..."
'Not as sorry as you're gonna be...' Cain thought, as his father led him into their woodshed.
"What did I tell you, Cain?!" his father exploded, backhanding him. "Until his mother and I get married, you're to be nice to Charles, is that understood?!"
Cain couldn't suppress his rage. "But I hate that little..!"
"IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!" his father roared, backhanding him again.
"Yes." Cain said softly.
"Good." His father said, calming. "Now, go out and play football with him...and let him win."
"Yes, sir." Cain said, as he headed out of the shed.
'It's payback time, you little runt.' Cain thought, as he stomped towards the Institute. Those S.H.I.E.L.D. idiots had given up shortly ago; they'd gotten the message. Nothing would stop him now...
"You're not going any further." Juggernaut turned and saw Colossus on the front steps.
Archangel, Banshee, Beast, Bishop, Gambit, Iceman, Psylocke, Sunfire and Thunderbird then tried to keep him from getting to Prof. X.
"RRRRRRAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!"
Juggernaut whirled around in surprise, as some lunatic in a black and orange uniform, with metal claws coming from his knuckles, leapt at him from a nearby thicket. He slashed at Cain, aiming for his helmet, but Juggernaut batted him aside. The lunatic flew back, landing in the brush; Juggernaut ran after him ready to pound him...
...but he was gone; the brush was empty.
Then, the claw-guy pounced on him from behind, managing to leap onto his back, slashing his helmet, doing only superficial damage...
...but to a helmet supposed to be damage-proof, that was significant enough.
Infuriated, Juggernaut grabbed the little runt and threw him through a tree, before rushing after him. Amazingly, the runt managed to get up, though wobbly, and dove through the gap between Cain's legs, coming up behind him to slash his armored back; no damage. His armor was enchanted to resist anything short of a nuke.
Cain slammed him with a punch, sending the guy flying fifty feet, before heading on his way...only to have the bloodied stranger, his damage somehow mending before Cain's eyes, come at him again.
'If these fools want to get pounded every step of the way, fine by me!' Juggernaut thought. 'It's been a while since I was free, so I could use the workout!'
They thought that they could stop him.
Nothing stopped him...and nothing ever could.
It was nearly afternoon when the X-Men first sighted the peak of the mountain. Clark wasn't with them at the moment; he's heard a train about to crash over in England, so Scott had told him it was fine; he could always catch up to them later. "Okay, everyone! We're almost there! Double-time!" Scott instructed. At once, everyone doubled their pace, heading for the summit.
They were just about there when the Brotherhood emerged from the forest. The instant they saw the peak, Pietro ran towards it at top speeds...
The X-Men and Pietro both stepped onto the peak at the same time.
"Well...looks like we've got a tie." Scott observed.
Pietro scowled, and was about to fire off a retort...when the Blackbird descended from the clouds. Storm's voice echoed from the speaker: "X-Men, we have to get back to the Institute immediately! The Professor is in danger and so is Mystique!"
Scott nodded. "Everyone, hop in and suit up!" he instructed. Promptly, the rest of the X-Men darted into the Blackbird.
By then, the rest of the Brotherhood had caught up. "Don't suppose we could hitchhike?" Lance asked.
Scott grinned. "You sure you want to?"
Lance chuckled. "This hike's been kinda boring, anyway." he said, taking his uniform out of his backpack, as his friends did the same.
Scott smiled. "The more, the merrier!" he replied. With that, he hopped into the Blackbird, and the Brotherhood followed, before the jet took off towards the Institute.
Promptly, Scott headed to the cockpit and hailed Superman...but, knowing him, he was probably en route, already...
It didn't take Juggernaut long to smash his way into the room where Xavier was.
Charles was just sitting at the far end of a vast metal room, at the lowest level of the Institute, in his wheelchair. "Hello, Cain." he said softly.
"So you decided to face me." Cain sneered. "Or were you gonna use those brain-powers of yours on me?" Smirking, he tapped his helmet. "Sorry, 'Little Bro'; I planned ahead!" He dropped the limp form of the claw-guy, who'd fought him every step of the way.
"Sorry...Chuck..." the claw-guy wheezed, "I...held him back...as long as I could..."
"It's okay, Logan. You did your best." Xavier said.
"Yeah, well, his best just didn't bring home the bacon!" Juggernaut sneered. "Say your prayers, you little runt!" He ran at Charles.
Charles tapped a button on the left panel of his wheelchair. Instantly, numerous laser-turrets pooped up, firing at him, but Cain barreled through them, utterly unimpeded. Several buzz-saws sprouted up, but Juggernaut smashed them with his fists. "When are you gonna get it?!" Cain exploded, as he smashed through the drones that popped out to slow him. "YOU CAN'T STOP ME!"
Finally, nothing stood between him and Xavier. Cain grinned savagely as Xavier closed his eyes in acceptance. He raised his fists...
A sonic boom echoed behind him. "Leave him alone."
'What the..?' Cain thought, as he turned to find...a kid, with blue eyes, slicked black hair, in a blue bodysuit with red shorts, red boots, a red cape, and a funny-looking red 'S' on his chest, in a red-and-yellow diamond. "Ha! A kid?! That's yer last line of defense, Charlie?! Give it a rest, already!" With that, before anyone could react, he backhanded the kid, sending him flying into the wall, cratering it. He turned back to Xavier...
The sonic boom echoed again, as Cain found the kid between him and his brother, with not even a scratch, an annoyed expression on his face. "I won't ask you again." the kid said firmly.
Now Cain was mad. "In case you didn't hear me, junior," he roared, "you can't stop me! Nothing stops me! I'm UNSTOPPABLE!" With that, he charged at the kid, swinging at him.
This time, however, the kid was ready; he simply ducked under Cain's punch. Cain was a bit surprised, but he knew he could destroy him with the follow-up...when he got the surprise of his life.
WHAM!
Cain gasped as an unfamiliar sensation – pain – exploded across his chest, stopping him in his tracks. He felt like he'd just been hit by a point-blank nuke...
"Consider yourself stopped."
Trying to catch his breath, Cain staggered back a few steps. 'He...he stopped me...' Cain thought. Recovering quickly, Juggernaut snarled, ready to counter-attack...
...but he never got the chance. The kid slammed him with another punch, just as hard as the first one, echoing like a thunderclap, sending Cain flying into the wall, cratering it twice as much as he'd cratered the kid. Juggernaut looked down...and saw the fist-shaped dent in his armor.
Juggernaut burst out of the crater, roaring with laughter, to the kid's surprise. "I actually felt that!" he crowed. "I can't even remember the last time I felt pain!" He glared at the kid, smiling cruelly. "This, junior, is gonna be fun!"
Superman readied himself as Juggernaut came at him. He dodged Marko's initial punch...only to be caught by his knee-strike, which would've killed a normal human, but it only temporarily disoriented him. Cain slammed him with another punch, and came at him with another...but Superman blocked it, catching his arm and whirling him into a submission-lock, before striking his elbow with his palm at a force that would have liquefied human bone...but was only enough to send him flying. As Juggernaut recovered, Superman unleashed a blast of his gale-breath, slamming Marko into the wall.
Marko laughed as he shook it off, before rushing Superman again. Easily, Superman evaded him. 'With the level of power I'm using, he's much stronger,' he thought, 'but he's nowhere near as fast as I am. Plus, he's grounded. All that can work to my advantage; if I try to out-muscle him, the Professor could get hurt."
As Juggernaut rushed him, Superman went for his ankles in a double-tripping strike, sending Cain flying towards the wall, his own "unstoppable" momentum working against him. But instead of striking the wall, Cain turned in mid-air, springing off the wall, coming right at Superman, slamming him against the wall. Juggernaut slammed him with a few punches to the back, before catching him in his arms to crush him. "I'm gonna squash you like a bug!"
The punches hadn't hurt him, and Cain would have a hard time crushing him...which gave Superman the idea to use one of his advantages. "Funny thing about bugs, Marko," he said, "they fly!"
With that, he rose ten feet off the ground, taking Juggernaut with him...and began to spin. And spin. And spin, until he was a blur in the air, spinning to produce g-force of well over 1000 times normal gravity.
In a matter of seconds, Juggernaut was ingloriously tossed off, landing flat on his rear.
"Marko, you idiot!"
Superman scowled, as he turned to see Mystique, standing in the wrecked entrance to the Danger Room. 'Should've known.' he thought.
"What did you do to Cerebro?!" Mystique screeched. "You squashed it!"
"Not my problem!" Juggernaut yelled, rushing at Superman, who was just touching down. He swung at Superman, who countered the punch and threw Marko across the room.
Juggernaut quickly got up. "Nobody's ever gone head-to-head with me this long!" he laughed. "You're this 'Superman' that everyone talks about, aren't you?! I can tell, junior; you're holding back!"
He swung again, and Superman blocked it, before knocking Juggernaut back with a palm-strike to his torso. Juggernaut just laughed. "Big mistake!" he laughed. "I don't hold back!" He charged at Superman, feinting left, and slamming him with a right-cross. "I hear that you like to save people! You're so busy caring about people, that you don't want to risk cutting loose! Well, that ain't my problem, runt! I don't CARE!"
Superman got up, shaking off the impact. "Why don't you just quit sand-bagging me, kid; you're not gonna beat me at this rate!" Juggernaut bellowed. "What the hell are you waiting for?!"
Suddenly, a bright red optic-blast struck him from behind, knocking him off balance.
Superman grinned. "That."
Juggernaut turned...and saw both the X-Men and the Brotherhood there, all in uniform, ready for battle. "Sorry we're late, Superman." Cyclops said.
Superman chuckled.
"Better late than never!" He joked.
"X-Men: Juggernaut is vulnerable to psychic attacks!" the Professor said. "Aim for the five latches on his helmet; get his helmet off!"
Roaring, Juggernaut ran at the assembled teams, but Toad fired a slime-glob, coating his face, blinding him. As Cain roared in fury, trying to get the hardened sludge off, Spyke fired a bone-spear-salvo, knocking open one of the five latches.
Juggernaut was all rage as he ripped the slime off, ready to flatten Toad...when Blob barreled into him, knocking him aside. "Unstoppable, huh? Well, meet the immovable!"
Juggernaut turned to slam Blob...when Jean lifted him off the floor with her TK. After a few seconds, her grip started to weaken. "I...I can't hold him..."
"No problem, Jean!" Cyclops said, and he opened fire with his optic-blasts, sending Juggernaut flying, the impact enhanced due to Marko' immobility. As Juggernaut landed, Nightcrawler 'ported in, and opened a second latch.
Before Juggernaut could grab Nightcrawler, Superman darted over and slammed him with a punch, sending him flying as Nightcrawler flipped away, unharmed. As Juggernaut stumbled away, recovering, Quicksilver darted over, snapping open the third latch.
As Juggernaut reached for Quicksilver, Avalanche generated a sinkhole, trapping Juggernaut, as Storm hovered above him, unleashing lightning bolts, stunning Juggernaut...allowing Shadowcat and Rogue – who'd coped Shadowcat's powers – to phase through him and snap open the remaining latches.
At once, Superman inhaled and unleashed his gale-breath as soon as his teammates were clear...blowing the helmet clean off.
"All yours, Professor!" He declared.
That was all that the Professor needed. He focused, closing his eyes; pulses of psychic force seemed to ripple the air as Xavier unleashed his telepathic powers on Juggernaut. Cain Marko howled in agony as Xavier simply shut his conscious brain off. Juggernaut struggled towards Xavier, trying to reach him...and passed out just as he'd gripped his collar.
It was over.
Cyclops looked at the X-Men and the Brotherhood. "You know, we make a pretty good team." he observed.
Avalanche shrugged. "Maybe."
"Hmpf. Now there's something you don't see every day." Mystique muttered.
"Yes." Xavier agreed, smiling. "Pity."
"Let's go." Mystique said to the Brotherhood, and she walked away. Slowly, one by one, the Brotherhood followed her.
Superman and the X-Men could only watch them go. "Why are they leaving?" Shadowcat asked. "We totally kicked butt, together! Why can't we all be on the same team?"
Superman smiled.
"We all will be, Kitty." He said. "Someday."
A few minutes after Mystique and the Brotherhood had left, S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives moved in, including General Nick Fury himself, to pick up Juggernaut. "General." Charles greeted.
"Professor." General Fury replied. He glanced to the X-Men. "Interesting roster you have there."
Charles smiled. "They saved my life, General. I wouldn't trade them for the world." At that, the X-Men all smiled at the praise from their mentor.
Then, Fury glanced to Superman. "So, you're that kid that Rogers mentioned in his report." he said. "You actually took Marko head-on?"
Superman shrugged. "I just planned to delay him until the others could arrive." he said.
Fury looked him over. "You fought Marko toe-to-toe...and you don't have a scratch." he replied. "That's a damn spooky notion, kid."
Superman looked concerned. "No-one has to be afraid of me, sir." he said. "I always try to use my abilities to help people."
"I'm not disputing that. We've monitored some of the situations you've handled." Fury replied. "I'm sure you do want to help. However, the feeling I get from looking at you is the same feeling I get from looking at a nuke; even though you know it'll – hopefully – be used for a good purpose, the thought of what it could do is damn frightening."
Charles noticed that Superman looked a tiny bit hurt, though he concealed it well. "General," he said, "I can vouch for Superman; you have nothing to worry about..."
"I do trust him, Professor, but only as much as I trust anyone." Fury countered.
By then, Wolverine had recovered. "And Fury here never trusts anyone completely." he said, chuckling.
General Fury half-smiled. "I thought I saw you back there." he said. To Superman, he added, "Truth be told, son, I like what you're doing. However, seeing you is something that I would have to put in my official report...which would only ever be seen by the President, if he ever gets through all the backed-up S.H.I.E.L.D. reports that he still has to read. Thankfully, when S.H.I.E.L.D. was created, its Director – currently, me – was given full discretion in the field. So, officially, I'm going for plausible deniability."
"In other words, we're not having this conversation." Charles said.
Fury half-smiled, arching a snowy eyebrow. "What conversation?" he asked. To Superman, he added, "Unofficially, and as off-the-record as I can say this, keep up the good work, son." He looked to the X-Men. "That goes for all of you." With that, he turned to go...but not before saying, "Oh, and Logan? The next time you and Steve decide to catch up, spend your own money!"
By then, Fury's agents had collected the unconscious form of Juggernaut, and loaded him into their vehicle. General Fury promptly headed into the modified minivan, and drove away, as the Professor, the X-Men, and Superman began to assess the damage to the Institute.
"You're certain of this?"
Magneto had nearly had a heart-attack as both Mystique and his son told him what had recently transpired, as they met with him in his secret base. "I'm certain, Lensherr." Raven said. "I saw Superman go head-to-head with Marko, and he was holding his own. Marko even commented that Superman was holding back."
Magneto felt himself go pale. 'Even Juggernaut couldn't stop him...' he thought. He'd once considered freeing his daughter – he wasn't fond of the idea, but he'd considered it – to counter Superman. Based on what he'd seen and heard, a fight between Wanda and Superman would be extremely close.
Magneto smiled to himself. Could he have really expected anything different from the Child of the Star, the prophesied leader of Homo superior, the man destined to unite all mutants?
"This is an intriguing development, Raven." Magneto mused aloud. "We will have to move soon; things are almost in place."
Pietro scowled.
"You're going to recruit him, aren't you, Father?" He asked bitterly.
Magneto glanced to Mystique, who nodded, and left the room, giving them time to talk. "What troubles you, Pietro?"
"Why him?! Why do you want him to lead us?! Why not me?!" Pietro shouted. "I'm your own son! I should be following your footsteps!"
Magneto gently shushed his son's shouting. He understood why his son so hated Superman; he was sorely jealous, both of his power and his future role as leader of their people. "You are my son, Pietro, and you will always have a place here. But Superman's destiny is to lead us; it is not my decision, but spoken in Destiny's prophecy. You know her veracity is unquestioned."
"It isn't fair." Pietro muttered. "If that prophecy is true, then he isn't even one of us!"
"True; he isn't." Magneto agreed. "We are the next step in evolution, my son...but Superman is a few steps above us; one day, eons from now, we may be like him." His voice turned firm. "My decision stands."
Pietro bowed his head. "Yes, Father." he said glumly, before walking away.
Alone, Magneto turned to a panel blocked by a lead shutter, to view the only weapon he had against Superman.
He'd found it in one of the crashed meteors in Smallville, Kansas, after the meteor shower...which had undoubtedly brought Superman here. He could not find the child...but he hadn't left empty-handed.
He opened the panel, allowing the toxic-green glow of the crystalline space-rock to bathe the room.
'You will fulfill your destiny soon, Superman.' Magneto thought, 'I will make sure of it.'