Here we go! Part two of the final battle! It's kinda funny because when you take out all the telepathic stuff, the final fight scene is actually quite quick. I initially thought I was missing something crucial when I realized how fast the events in the chapter were going.
Anywho, enjoy!
As she and Erik moved through the air above the trail of destruction below, Laurien spotted the flaming remains of their borrowed jet, lying mangled and charred in a heap. Her mind raced as she wondered about the series of events that had led to its destruction, and whether anyone had gotten caught in the explosion. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, as her eyes were drawn to a scene in the nearing distance.
The ancient mutant, Apocalypse, was knelt on one knee in the middle of a clearing. Laurien's stomach plummeted when she then saw Raven, in her natural blue form, lying motionless on the ground by his side. A few feet away, Peter struggled to remain upright, one leg trapped in the ground, the other bent at a painful angle. Though her immediate instinct was to go to them and try to get them far away from the crazed megalomaniac, Laurien reluctantly held back, knowing better than to recklessly insert herself without knowing the circumstances of the scene before her.
Her wariness was validated when Apocalypse slowly emerged from his knelt position and stood to his full height, a sinister smile contorting his face as he extended his arm in front of him. With a wave of his hand, the facade of the building before him dissipated into thin air, revealing Charles and the others to the ancient mutant's steely gaze. As Apocalypse started to approach the building, Laurien looked to Erik, meeting his worried expression. His eyes then caught something in the distance, and, following his gaze, Laurien spotted two large metal support beams and immediately understood his intention. They both lifted a free arm towards the beams, each taking one into their powers' grasps and lifting them. As Apocalypse took another step towards the building, Erik struck first, planting his beam deep into the ground before the mutant, halting him in his tracks. Laurien then delivered the final blow, burying her beam next his on an angle, creating a large X that effectively barred Apocalypse's path to their friends.
Apocalypse turned in their direction, and despite the distance between them, Laurien felt her skin crawl beneath his gaze.
"You defy me?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes. "For her?"
Erik clenched his jaw, tightening his grip around Laurien's waist. In the periphery of her vision, nearby pieces of scrap metal rose into the air, poised at the ready.
The other mutant scoffed with disdain. "You foolish creature."
In the matter of a split second, metal rained down in quick succession upon Apocalypse. He initially stumbled back from the sheer power of the onslaught, before raising what appeared to be a force field to protect himself. Each impact of metal against the surface of the force field ignited an explosion of fire and sparks, filling the clearing with a wall of flame.
Behind Apocalypse, Laurien saw both Hank and Scott jump down from the exposed second floor of the building. As they lingered along the outskirts of the clearing, Hank attempted to approach, but was forced back, an arm raised to shield his face from the heat exuding from the orb surrounding Apocalypse. Laurien knew that they wanted to get Peter and Raven out of harm's way, yet it was impossible to safely rescue them while they were still so dangerously close to the impact zone. When Apocalypse pressed closer to her and Erik, allowing more room between him and their fallen friends, Laurien swiftly took the opportunity to summon a large billboard sign advertising a man drinking Coca-Cola from a nearby pile of rubble. She buried it deep in the ground between Apocalypse's force field and where Peter and Raven were currently stranded, feeling a slight thrill of satisfaction as she saw Hank jump into action and disappear behind the protection of the billboard.
Two red beams illuminated their surroundings as Scott joined the fray, having removed his glasses. Laurien initially feared that he may cause more harm than good, as the force sent him tumbling onto his back, the red beams cutting through a nearby building instead of their intended target. Her fears were assuaged when Scott quickly got back to his feet, planting his feet firmly on the ground before trying again, directing his laser beams to join Erik's assault on Apocalypse's force field.
Laurien's gaze returned to the billboard, the image of the man drinking Coca-Cola having long since been incinerated by the heat and sparks emitting from the force field. As the metal board behind the image too withered away, she saw that Raven and Peter had vanished from view. Before any relief could grace Laurien's senses, she saw Hank suddenly emerge from behind a pile of concrete. With impressive agility, he swiftly climbed up the remains of a building before gaining enough height to then jump at Apocalypse. The ancient mutant almost lazily raised a hand out behind him, halting Hank's attack in mid-air before then throwing him to the side, sending his body crashing through the roof of a nearby police car before Laurien could reach out to catch him.
Sustaining the laser beams soon became too much for Scott, and he was forced to shut his eyes and put his sunglasses back on. Taking advantage of the pause in Scott's offensive, Apocalypse sent him flying back into a concrete wall. Before the young mutant could do anything, the wall behind him seemingly reached out and encased his body in concrete, trapping him within its confines. Scott's panicked voice called out for Hank, but there was no response from within the police car.
Laurien turned to Erik, gripping the solid arm around her waist. "Let me down. I need to go help Scott."
"I can't." Erik gritted out, his tendons of his neck straining as he continued to send the steady stream of metal materials at Apocalypse. "I'm not letting you out of my sight."
"Erik, please." She pleaded; fear, as well as frustration, rising in her chest. "I'm useless up here and holding you back from the full use of your powers. You have to trust me to take care of myself."
A low warbling groan drew Laurien's attention back to the middle of the clearing and saw that Apocalypse had turned his attention back towards the building behind the X where Charles and the others were taking refuge. As he approached, the X was gradually pushed down by the combined power of the force field and Erik's continued assault. Ice seeped through Laurien's veins as she watched the X crumple under the pressure. It was with profound horror that she realised how, despite their best efforts, they were failing.
Through the flames and shrapnel, Laurien saw Jean walking to the edge of the open building. She didn't hesitate before stepping off the edge, yet she didn't fall. Taking confident steps on thin air, Jean looked down upon the mutant within the force field. Laurien watched in rapt fascination as Jean's expression hardened and her arms extended out, releasing a fiery explosion from her body in a sudden brilliant moment. Apocalypse was forced back by the strength of Jean's marvellous power, his force field disintegrating like fine paper as a bird-like flame emitted from the girl.
Seeing an opportunity, Laurien turned back to Erik and insistently gripped the hand at her hip. Erik paused his deluge of metal and gave Laurien a reluctant nod before carefully letting her down. As soon as her feet hit the ground, Laurien sprinted along the outskirts of the clearing. Jean's powerful display flared further, causing Apocalypse's heavy armour to abandon his body. As Erik pierced his blue skin with metal spears and pinned him in place, Laurien noted how vulnerable Apocalypse now looked without his force field and armour. How far the mighty god had fallen in a matter of seconds.
Laurien quickly reached where Scott was trapped against the wall. The poor boy was gasping desperately for air as his chest heaved mightily against the constraint of the concrete. It was clear that the thick layer of concrete was preventing him from breathing properly. Laurien's mind involuntarily flashed back to Feliks at the factory in Poland, and how she'd accidentally cut off his fingers attempting to free him from something very similar. Gritting her teeth, she angrily forced the reminder to the back of her mind, and instead focused on sending a tremor through the wall. Cracks erupted along the outline of where Scott's body melded into the concrete and before long, Scott suddenly lurched forward as the concrete coating the front of his body crumbled away in large chunks. He sucked in a deep breath as soon as he was freed from the wall, yet his knees buckled beneath him. Laurien quickly grabbed his arm, and helped him back to his feet. Once he regained his bearings, his hand immediately lifted to his glasses, letting loose the red beams from his eyes once more.
To their left, Hank emerged from the carcass of the police car, with a deep cut above his brow, but other than that, he looked alright. He joined them as they watched Apocalypse struggle against the attack, pinned by the metal beams and now the renewed power of Scott's laser beams. Despite this, a force field began to rise around the mutant once again.
"He's getting away." Hank murmured next to Laurien.
With a sudden crack of thunder, the orb began to fall apart yet again, as multiple lightning streaks pierced its surface. They looked up, spotting a girl with a white mohawk summoning the power of the heavens, before letting it strike down upon the ancient mutant.
Under the combined powers of Jean, Erik, Scott, and the lightning girl, Apocalypse's skin began to fall from his bones. The flesh desperately attempted to repair itself under the extreme strain, but as Jean's fiery phoenix glowed brighter with renewed energy, the body could no longer keep up with its own destruction. There was a great burst of light, forcing them to shield their eyes, then all at once, the fire, the lightning and red laser beams suddenly ceased.
A deafening silence settled over their surroundings, and as the dust slowly settled, they found the clearing to be empty. Apocalypse was gone, with nothing but the destruction surrounding them to hint that he had ever existed.
Scott put on his glasses again and gave both Hank and Laurien a tentative nod, which they returned. Laurien took a deep breath, though it shuddered underneath the weight of all that had occurred. She saw Erik, Jean, and the girl with the mohawk slowly descending to solid ground, and wasted no time in making her way over to Erik. Her heart was simultaneously clenching and crying out, not quite fully believing that they had actually done it. They had won. They had won and they would get to go home together to their girls.
Erik took her into his arms, holding her so tightly that it pushed all the air from her lungs. An intense fear still clung to his body, one that she wished to smother with gentle words and kisses. She would do whatever it took to make him feel safe once more.
"It's alright. You did beautifully, my love." She murmured softly in his ear, before pressing her lips to his cheek. "We're all okay. We get to go home now."
"I love you." He breathed, clutching the back of her neck as their foreheads touched.
Laurien allowed herself a smile, the warmth in her chest swelling almost painfully. "I love you too, Erik."
Behind them, Hank, with Scott at his side, jumped back up to the second floor of the building to check on Charles and the others. A muffled groan erupted from behind a pile of debris, prompting Laurien to reluctantly part from Erik, before tugging on his arm for him to follow as they quickly ran over to where the sound had come from.
Behind a large chunk of concrete, they found both Peter and Raven breathing heavily. Peter's face was screwed up tight in pain as he tried not to move.
"Are you both alright?" Laurien asked, her eyes sweeping over them for injuries. Her gaze immediately focused upon Peter's badly broken leg.
"Just a little banged up." He grimaced, desperately attempting to find a position that didn't elicit pain. "I'm a fast healer, but the bones need to be set properly as soon as possible."
Laurien cursed in her mind, knowing that this wasn't going to be an easy feat. She looked behind her, and saw the white-haired girl approaching them. She'd been another member of the Four Horsemen, yet she'd ultimately helped them in defeating Apocalypse, and that was enough for Laurien at that moment.
"I need your help here, please." She called out, succeeding in hurrying the girl over, before she then turned to Erik. "Hold him. I'm going to cut off the pant leg and boot so I can get a better look at the break, but it's going to hurt, alright?"
"Charles!" Hank's panicked voice called out desperately from the story above of the building. "Charles!"
"We've lost him!" Another voice— Moira's —exclaimed. Laurien took in a shaking breath, the connotations of these words threatening to devastate her, but in a herculean effort, she pushed them down to focus on the matter at hand.
As Erik set about steadying Peter, Laurien turned to the girl. "What's your name?"
"Ororo Munroe." She responded nervously.
"Ororo. Hi." Laurien greeted, offering her a small smile despite the situation, before gesturing towards Raven, who still seemed rather groggy. "Can you look after my friend, Raven? Just make sure she's as comfortable as she can be right now."
Ororo nodded, and to her credit, quickly knelt down next to Raven, murmuring soft and encouraging words to her.
Laurien moved back over to Peter and Erik, grimacing inwardly as she tried to prepare herself for what needed to be done. She'd helped set several bones during her time working at the hospital in Westchester, and she'd done some in various living rooms throughout Katowice for some unlucky strike participants, but she'd never had to set a bone belonging to someone she knew personally. She also usually had some significant pain killers to offer them as well.
Erik had positioned Peter against his chest, wrapping his arms around his torso to steady him. Laurien knelt next to them, practically sitting on Peter's uninjured leg to keep him still.
"Would you feel better if I told you what I'm doing as I do it, or would you rather not know?" Laurien asked the younger man in a quiet tone, flinching slightly when she heard more hurried voices from where Charles and the others resided the building.
"Honestly, I'd rather not know." Peter replied, chuckling in spite of the pain clearly etched on his face. His hands gripped Erik's arms as though they were a lifeline.
"And you're sure you wouldn't rather wait to do this somewhere more sterile?"
Peter shook his head, his jaw clenched tightly.
"Alright. Close your eyes and try to hold still."
She focused on the fabric of Peter's pant leg, and split the fibres with her powers. Peter jolted slightly with a quiet groan, the fabric likely brushing against the injury. Laurien carefully pulled the fabric back from the pallor of Peter's leg, revealing an open and bloody wound with two exposed bones protruding grotesquely from the skin. It was clear he'd broken both his tibia and fibula in an open compound fracture.
Laurien then set about removing the straps of his boot before gently easing it from his foot. She felt Peter tense beneath her, a slight whine rising from the back of his throat. She observed the break and while she would usually take hold of the bones with her hands, in an attempt to discourage infection, she instead took control of the bones with her powers. She closed her eyes, allowing for her mind's eye to sense every millimetre of the bones within her grasp. Laurien opened her eyes and glanced over to Erik, a wordless message passing between them, before she realigned the bones with a slight snap.
Peter howled in pain, thrashing against Erik's hold on him. His voice pierced through the dusty air, echoing eerily in the stillness that surrounded them. Laurien squeezed her eyes shut, wordlessly apologising as she held Peter's newly set leg firmly in place until his movements eventually stilled.
"You did well, Peter." She said as steadily as she could manage, summoning some nearby fabric in order to fashion a bandage.
Peter huffed heavily, his face red and sweating profusely. Erik patted him gently on the chest, fixing Laurien with a glowing look that made her cheeks grow hot. She set about wrapping Peter's leg in an effort to conceal how flustered she felt.
After tasking Erik with making a temporary splint, Laurien got up and approached the two other women. "Raven, you alright?" She asked, placing a gentle hand on Raven's shoulder.
Raven nodded breathlessly, yet didn't do more than that to reply, causing Laurien to frown.
"Apocalypse gripped her hard by the throat, I do not think she can speak." Ororo explained to Laurien.
Laurien nodded in turn, feeling a surge of warmth for the girl as she saw how Ororo had taken Raven's hand in between her two. "We will get her to a hospital as soon as we figure out how we're getting home."
Ororo hummed in acknowledgement before then asking, "Where is home for you?"
Laurien opened her mouth, yet found herself hesitating when she realised she didn't have an answer. Their house in Poland had been overrun, the mansion in New York was decimated in a blast, and considering the destruction that had reportedly reigned across the globe, she didn't quite know where they could possibly go. A sharp uneasiness settled deep within her stomach at that realisation, yet it was gradually softened by the bittersweet remembrance of her children's faces and voices.
"I'm not sure. I suppose it's wherever my family is." Laurien uttered truthfully, meeting Ororo's deep brown eyes with a cerulean hued gaze. "How about you?"
Ororo glanced at the shells of houses and buildings around them, a wistful sensation exuding from her and matching Laurien's own. "I am not sure." She replied, a slight grin tugging at her lips at the repetition. "But may I be so bold as to ask if I can stay with you all until I figure that out?"
Laurien reached out and placed her hand upon Ororo and Raven's joined hands, giving them a comforting squeeze. "I'm sure that would be fine."
The sound of movement prompted both Laurien and Ororo to glance up at the second story of the building. It was there that they saw Hank carrying someone in his arms. Laurien's heart momentarily plummeted before she realised that the person was moving of their own accord. A further double-take then revealed to Laurien that the person was in fact Charles, his customary mane of chestnut brown hair now missing from atop his head.
Resigning herself to a later explanation of what had occurred up in that room, Laurien and Ororo helped Raven up, supporting her between the two of them as they awaited the others in the clearing. Laurien glanced over her shoulder, and saw that Erik was similarly helping Peter towards them, who now bore a makeshift splint on his newly set leg. Peter grimaced with every movement, his face slightly green around the cheeks.
The others from the room carefully made their way down to the ground, and Laurien counted them off in her mind, each face earning her a little breath of relief as she confirmed their safety. She counted them all multiple times to be sure she hadn't missed anyone, and in the end, she couldn't quite believe their luck. Everyone who'd made the trip over on the jet; Hank, Raven, Moira, Peter, Jean, Scott, and Kurt, they were all accounted for. They'd even added to their number with Charles, Erik, and Ororo. Yet, Laurien still couldn't help but notice Alex's distinct absence, a fact that continued to weigh heavily on her mind.
As Erik appeared at her side, with Peter at his hip, Laurien looped her free arm through his and pressed her forehead to his armour-clad shoulder. She could sense that his energy had calmed somewhat, yet an uneasiness continued to simmer beneath the surface; a nagging sensation that wouldn't be tempered until he was reunited with their children in familiar territory. There was so much Laurien wanted to say to him, yet she was painfully aware of the many sets of eyes and ears around. In the end, Laurien knew it didn't matter if she left the words unsaid a little longer. Based on the comforting warmth passing between their two bodies, it seemed he already knew.
Got a wee introduction to Ororo, as well as some brief Peter whump for all you whump connoisseurs. Also Erik being dadneto without really realizing it... hehe.
We'll be heading back to the States in the next chapter and start wrapping up the Apocalypse storyline, but just because Apocalypse is gone doesn't mean that the drama disappears with him. We're in for some complex shifts in multiple relationship dynamics in the next bit. Mwahaha, trust me, it'll be fun.
Anywho, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed, and please review!