By Jay Corafa, Dino Pollard, David Wheatley, Cory Wiegel, and Russ Anderson
Originally presented as:
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Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
Wolverine |
Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
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Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
Amazing Spider-Man |
Amazing Spider-Man |
The Punisher |
The Punisher |
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Iron Man |
Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
Marvel Fanfare |
Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
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Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
Apocalypse: Ageless Fury |
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I By Jay Corafa
The dark and paleness of the night hangs overhead of
the scorching desert. The sand radiates the heat it has collected from
the rays of the mighty sun for the countless hours of the day. As the
gale winds blow across the horizon, the fine dust of the granulated
stone is swirled around like a stormy tornado, wreaking havoc across
the otherwise placid night desert. The storm quickly subsides and an
overall calmness engulfs the land. But this is only the calm which preludes
the storm that brews below the surface. A quarter of a mile beneath the Egyptian sands a large citadel sits. The ancient quarry stones which make up its walls are littered with various alien devices, each vibrating at a different frequency. The hums, beeps and clicks create a symphony to their master's ear. He walks the halls of his underground labyrinth with a direct purpose. All his life, for the thousands of years he has been alive, he has always had a purpose. To purge the world of the weak, so that evolution can take its course. And even now as he walks down the hall, lit only by the dim signal lights on the different machines that run his citadel, he knows that every step he takes will bring him that much closer to his final goal. His determination is fierce, powerful and a force all its own to be reckoned with, is that which drives him forward, to create what he believes is Utopia. Now in the dawn of the millennium, it is time for him to take the next big step in his path toward his final goal. The man rounds the corner to enter one of the many rooms which compose his palace. In it there are four distinct rock slabs. Each slab contains a mark, the first d. The sign which signifies death, from Alpha to Omega, an ending. The second slab is that of war, ^, the symbol which represents the ancient Greek God of war, Aries. The third tab bears the mark of , the symbol for sickness and pestilence. And the final mark is strangely different from the previous three, it glows with a strange, mystical and ghostly red light. It is h the ancient sign of drought, and famine. Upon entering the room Apocalypse gazes at the final door, and speaks. "Ahh, Famine's transformation continues nicely. The other three of my horsemen remain to be brought into my servitude. No matter, it is only a short time until the reign of the Apocalypse is brought forth." His voice bellows through out the room. "Mutants!" the voice cries. "It is our time! Soon he will walk among us again and lay judgment to all, and, as is natures way, only the strong shall survive." On that word the hundreds of mutants before that man scream with pure jubilation. "We are Homo Sapien Superior! The greater of the two races! And we shall survive the Apocalypse. And from his wraith we will thrive and populate the earth with our kind! Our hour is now, for we are the Apocalypse Dawn!" Cheers rumble throughout the mobs of people surrounding the podium. The sea of men and women shout the name of En Sabah Nur in unison, crying for the new day of Apocalypse's rule. "Now go forth, train your amazing God-given powers so that we may cleanse the world of Flatscans in the name of Apocalypse!" With that the crowed disperses. The man who was once standing behind the podium walks down to the cabinet of men sitting behind him. He shakes hands with one of the dark cabinet. And is greeted. "Hello Katan, you speak well of the dream of the High Lord." Katan, the amazing orator who had just fired up the army of mutants replies. "Thank you Alastaire. The High Lord will be upon the earth shortly, and when that great moment comes, the Apocalypse Dawn will be ready." Katan walked away and into a corridor and toward his office. Meanwhile the man known as Alastaire Kaine walks away cell phone in hand. "Yes," he says "Katan is a lackey, he believes that he can control the Apocalypse Dawn, but he is foolish. Soon if all goes as planned, all the factions will be under my leadership. Snow fills the sky. He cannot see farther than three feet in front of himself, but he continues to trek toward his next target. The Siberian soil is buried below feet of ice. The wind whips the snow against his back, but Arkady Rossavich will not stop for any reason. He is a weapon, nothing more, nothing less, and he loves it. As he walks through the snow he comes to a log cabin. A stream of smoke flows from the small brick chimney. A smile graces the man known to many as Omega Red's face. His code name could not have been more perfect. They call him X-Man, the man without an identity. A refugee from the Age of Apocalypse reality, Nate Grey is possibly the most powerful telepath ever to grace the face of the earth. Inside him is an endless amount of psionic energy with which he could easily destroy the planet if he saw fit, and that is why he is both feared and respected. He soars over the skyline of New York City. A trail of golden energy fills the sky. After all that happened last time he met up with a "super-villain" he almost destroyed half of the earth, it was time he took a well deserved break. The crystal shell, which engulfs the skeleton of Holocaust, gleams brightly in the dark cave, reflecting the little light that bounces off the stream which has carved out a small niche in the rock below. Before Holocaust is a high tech computer system. "Before I left my home world, Father and I discussed a supreme group of mutants. Those that he felt threatened him greater than any other foe he had faced before. So he and I discussed our plans to create the Pale Riders, a group of mutants who could protect the High Lord from those which he called the Mutants Supreme. Now, on this earth, if I can assemble the Pale Riders I can bring the law of my father here, and create a second Age Of Apocalypse!" Images flash on the screen before him. Each one another to be brought into his mutant army, the Pale Riders. "As for the Mutants Supreme, I do not even know if they exist on this planet. But I know all twelve of them, and I will not let them destroy my father's dream." The assassin Arkady Rossavich step closer to the cabin which is known to house his next "assignment," Russian ambassador to the United States Nicoli Darkik, he is believed to be one of the many things standing in the way of the return to Red Russia. Arkady's tendrils wrap around the wooden door ripping it from its hinges. He sees the elderly man sitting by the fire. "Nicoli! You do not run, how dare you not allow me the pleasure of seeing your face in terror!" "Simple Arkady," as Nicoli speaks his voice gradually grows deeper, his skin begins to change to a blue tinge, "if you are foolish enough to believe you are a messenger of Death now, just wait, you don't know the meaning of the word Death!" Nicoli grows larger and larger until he breaks through the ceiling of the small cabin. It is clear now that he was the being known as Apocalypse all along. His laughter echoes in the cold night air as his large hand grabs Omega Red. Energy covers them as they are teleported away. The stone slab labeled with a carving of d slides open revealing a room with hundreds of machines surrounding a large pod. Arkady is placed into the pod by robotic workers of Apocalypse. The slab slams shut, and the symbol begins to glow. Apocalypse would smile if he could, but his face muscles have atrophied over the years. But joy fills him as he says the words… "It has begun!" Thousands of years into the future an old woman sits in the middle of a great entrance hall. She remembers her early days, as an X-Man, and realizes how important those days were. As she looks into herself, she becomes one with the time stream and sees the past. She sees a world which should have been, and she sees a world which has been. The only difference are four men, it is because of them that the world is the way it is, with Apocalypse as ruler, but it is also one of them, who can change all of that, the chosen one. She thinks of her brother, she had originally believed him to be the one, the great man who would change all the world. Now she realizes the error in her prophecy. The man who would defeat Apocalypse would be from the blood of the Twelve, and Cable is not. She thinks again, going into a strange trance, she gazes into the past and sees all that happens, for now is the time the world will change. This is only a stepping stone on En Sabah Nur's way to his final destination, and unfortunately she knows that he does win his battle. The pieces of the puzzle are there before her but the solution is not. This is not the battle of the Twelve, or the Great Battle of Ascension, it must be some other important, key moment in time if she is disturbed so much by it. Cable has never gathered the Twelve, and he has not discovered the chosen External who will defeat Apocalypse. Then she finally realizes what has been right in front of her for a millennium, and that she, Mother Askani, is the only one who can set things right.
By Jay Corafa The garments he wears are strange, like a combination
of the robes of a high priest and the armor of a warrior. His followers
call him "Katan," loosely translated it means "the enlightened one."
He is of homo sapien superior, or as they are more commonly called,
mutant, with the incredible power to transform the surface of the earth.
More importantly he is a fundamentalist, a man who believes the teachings
of Apocalypse to be the only truth, he is willing to use all his might
to see Nur's dream fulfilled. He is the current leader of the Apocalypse
Dawn, an army of mutants who also follow Apocalypse's path. But there
is another, his most trusted advisor, Alastaire. He is above all an
opportunist, and he sees that his time is near. A pool of light begins to grow on the floor. With in minutes it has spread across the entire floor of the ruined temple. Floating above the radiant pool is an old woman. At one time she was beautiful, a lone warrior whose beauty and brains, as well as the sheer might of her power made her one of the most loved and feared people on the planet. But this time is much later, all attempts she has made to defeat the evil tyrant who rules her time have failed, but now she sees her final opportunity, and she would never let it pass her by. Slowly her torn robe touches the glowing portal as her staff is next to enter. Her body begins to touch the energy pool and slowly, she passes into it. Into another time, into her past. He is amazingly powerful, fear seems to radiate from his being. His visage is old and shows no emotion, as through out the thousands of years of his life his facial muscles of atrophied. He gazes at two thick stone slabs. "Ahh, It is time!" The door marked with the sign of Famine slowly slides aside and standing on the other side is a woman. Her body is covered in a dark purple armor and the hooded cloak she wears covers her face. The only proof of her countenance is the blood red light of her eyes. Step by step she approaches her master. "Selene, show your High Lord your power." At that moment two rats scurry by. The energy escapes from her eyes and travels around her body linking to her hands. From the gauntlets she wears the beams of power fly toward the two rats. The small ounce of life energy each animal has is channeled back into Selene leaving the rodents nothing more than bones and a thin layer of skin. "You are mistaken, Apocalypse. I am not Selene. I am Famine." He sports the old uniform of his male genetic parent. Most would label this man his father, however, seeing as this is not even the harsh reality Nate grew up in, it would be a stretch. His eye gleams with bright energy, it engulfs his entire being as he soars through the air. Using his vast telepathy Nate monitors the entire city for any irregularities. And right now, there is an amazing irregularity, an atomic explosion. Nate blasts towards the small nuclear bomb creating a massive distortion up in the higher parts of the atmosphere. More importantly something, or someone caused the disturbance. And according to the psionic information the "X-Man" just scanned from the creator of this blast, the worst is yet to come. Hours ago Arkady Rossavich died at the hands of the demi-god known as Apocalypse. Only to be reborn in his murderer's image. His corpse lays in amidst an entanglement of machines and hoses. The process has accelerated the decomposition. His long blonde hair has fallen out and his entire body has literally become the embodiment of death. With one jolt his body has been brought back with one purpose. To do the bidding of Apocalypse. A stone slab slides open. "Arkady." Speaks the Eternal One. The one formally known as Omega Red steps from the machines that surround him. His bones laced with Adamantium and a red mist surrounds him. With his thoughts the mist flows with the a definite movement, as though it were an extended part of his body. "It is time to see if you are worthy, my horseman of Death." A faint hum signifies the operation of a teleporting device as in a flash of light. Northern Alberta: A dear gracefully jaunts about in the grassy woodland. It begins to drink from the near by pond. Slowly it is surrounded by a mist of red. The gas surrounds it and attacks it from all sides. The molecules enter its pores, its eyes, mouth and nose. With in seconds it dies. "Soon Arkady you will truly prove yourself." Maverick was once a lone man. All he knew was pain, and every day he knew he was dying. To live with that knowledge is one of the hardest things to do. And for all his life he has had to do it alone. But now his life has changed, he has gained an ally, a protégé if you will. His name is Chris, but Chris is first and foremost a hero. He has devoted his life to change the harsh relations between mutants and humans forever. "Maverick, I can't believe it! Look, look!" His excitement is unable to be contained as he is channeling his electric abilities to create a small ball of energy. "I am controlling it! I can contain my power!" The smile he wears is so evident, it stretches as wide as his face if not more. The man in gold armor walks by to see if it is true. "Amazing Chris, now release it! Into that tree over there." Chris slams the tight ball of energy toward the tree in the distance. "I can't believe it!" "Neither can I, Chris, I am so proud!" The two hug. For a mutant infected with the legacy virus to actually go into regression, its amazing. Death is in the air. You can feel the power of the formally known as Omega Red radiates from his new body. Twenty meters in the distance he sees his practice prey. He is a young man going on a dear hunt. He rests in a tree with rifle on hand. Death slowly walks towards him. His giant tendrils extend grasping on to the tree. He begins to shake it violently. The plant is uprooted instantly and the man falls to the ground with a thump. "Please sir, please please don't hurt me." Death stands in front of the man with the sun behind him creating a silhouette of his body. And then he moves exposing his face. "Oh my god, you're a monster!" The man says as he starts to run away, to no avail. "No, not a monster." His long, second arms grab the young guy and mist escapes from Death's body slowly covering him. "The name is Death." With in seconds he is dead. Death drops the corpse on the ground allowing the scavengers to pick it apart. "Well done my Horseman." "I am gracious, Eternal One." "But as I have said, that was merely a practice. Your true prize awaits" Apocalypse's motions and a small floating orb goes to Death's eye level. It shows a holographic image of one we know too well, Wolverine. In a flash of light, they are gone and their destination is evident.* Kyle Gibney jumps into the air. While there he does a graceful flip and lands exactly on a small post. The posts litter the empty beach. He jumps from post to post each time doing a different type of flip or acrobatic feat. He settles himself on a large boulder that jets out from the sand. His legs cross and he takes the very famous lotus position. It seems that meditation is the only way Kyle's mind can stay at peace and the beast-like side of him will not take over. Each passing day his feral side is slowly gaining more and more control of his body, which seems to be ever mutating. He uses his amazing eyesight to see out across the beach. Two children toy with a fallen seagull kicking it and hitting it with twigs. His ears focus towards the site. "Come on, hit it." "Look how silly it looks, stupid bird!" With that another kick. Wildchild lunges into the air and runs towards the boy. He knocks one aside saving the bird. He turns back to them and growls. "A monster!!" They scream as they run away. Gibney holds the injured birds in his hands. "Who is the monster truly? Come now my feathered friend, let's get you someplace safe." The Mutant Liberation Front has grown in the last couple of months. One of its members, Post, stands tall among his allies. He is brute force and weapons all rapped up in one nice neat package. Across from him is one of the many prostitutes which frequent the MLF's wharf hangout. "Come on little girlie. Lets go for a walk, eh?" Says the mutant known as Multitude. "Leave the lady alone, she wants to go with me." Post interrupts their little chat. "No, sorry big guy." He replies as the girl looks on in awe. "Tough." Post's living weaponry blasts Multitude into a far wall. Post turns to her and says. "All's fair in love and war."
III I'm lyin' face down in the snow. Motor controls ain't
respondin'. I can't get up and I'm feelin' numb. Wood Buffalo National Park, in Northern Alberta. Wild, rugged, undisturbed. Maybe that's why I like it so much. Brings me back to nature in a way no other place on Earth can. Not like the calm beauty of Japan, the organised chaos of Madripoor, the hustle and bustle of New York. Here I can be myself, goin' back to nature, running wild without having to be in fear of letting the beast within me loose, for it responds to the wilds as well as I do - body and soul working in perfect harmony. The only place in the world I know of that does it. Back in the old days, when I worked for Department H, running as Weapon X, code-named Wolverine, I used to have a small log cabin on the borders of Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northern Territories. Then it was home to a load of high tech stuff from the Department, so they could call me in to action. These days it's not got much more than a chair, a log fire and a bed. I may like goin' back to basics but I sure like a bed these days. Without the adamantium I can feel the cold in my bones after I've been sleeping on the floor. I need a rest, a complete break from the rest of the world, to heal, to rest and fix myself up. Time's of late have been hard. The battles long, not easily won and sometimes not won at all. This is the best place to do it, and today I'm going fishin'. There's a nice little lake about fifty miles east of the cabin where the fish are jumpin, the water's fresh and cool and I can practice my huntin'. A man's gotta eat, and I'm in the mood for sushi. The water's running free and the fish are flowing past me, but there's an unnatural stillness in the air. There ain't no bird song, there's no animals running in the area and even the wind seems to have died down. Other than me splashin' about in the water, there's not a sound. At least not the sounds there should be. I'm on guard as I fish, spearing salmon with my claws as they go past. It's easier than catchin' by hand and the claws are already out, just in case. I don't know what's going on, but I don't intend my down time being spoiled without a real good reason, or by being caught unawares. Then I hear it. The swish of something being uncoiled towards me, and I instinctively dive under water to avoid it. As I come back up, the wind has picked up and I can smell him. "Arkady," I growl as I see Omega Red standing before me, only this isn't the same Omega Red I knew. Looks like somebody's been doin' some modifications to him. His coils aren't the only thing made of carbonadium like before, but it looks like his bones have been laced with it as well, including his teeth and fingernails. Whoever did it seems to have modified the process used on me and carbonadium is a cheaper more malleable version of adamantium. Meaning it can't take the punishment adamantium can. Problem is, with claws of bone don't think cutting the coils will work. Barely been able to take Omega Red before. This time it's gonna be a whole lot harder. And I thought an admantium Sabretooth was bad. "Logan," he responds. "By the order of the Eternal one, you are to die!" "The Eternal one?" I gotta feeling I won't like this. "The Master of the Horsemen, who are unfit to speak His name." As he speaks he fires out with the coils again, catching hold of me and pulling me in close. I can feel the death spore virus coming forth from him, invading my body, making me feel weaker. "My skeleton is akin to the glory that once was yours, and it contains my death factor, giving me full control over it, and preventing it from killing me. Unlike you, who have no protection." "Bub, whilst I'm wrapped in yer coils, I'm partially shielded, besides having an carbonadium laced skeleton only means your bones are protected." My arms are pinned but my head's free and I butt him in the throat, pushing his Adams apple in to the back of his throat, causing him to momentarily choke. As he does so, he releases me and I press the attack. I've gotta make this count, because he's got a better reach with those coils and the death factor won't do me any favours, either. Plus he's as strong and mean enough already. I don't do what I can now, it's gonna be over before it's even begun. I'm already feelin' nauseous from the virus in my blood stream, but I push past it as I run forwards. The tears in his eyes cloud his vision as he coughs for air and I plunge my claws in to his gut and lift up, tearing vital internal tissue , until I reach his ribs, where my claws stop dead, one of them breaking as it connects against the metal. I don't gasp, I don't wince, just take my hand out of his chest and run towards the woodland, knowing I have to get my healing factor kickin' in to combat his virus. In the depths of the woods I stop to catch breath, and vomit on to the snow, retching up the fish I'd just eaten, depleting the protein reserves that make my healing factor work. This isn't good, 'cause without being able to heal as quickly, I'm in real trouble. Then again, I have gutted him and left him a claw for good measure. He doesn't have a healing factor, just a death factor. Bit o' luck I'll have evened the odds, and this is my territory not his. It may be as cold as Moscow in summer, but that doesn't mean it's like Russia. The forest, the wilds, the rest of it. This is my world, and if I'm going to die, I'm sure as hell taking him with me. "LOGAN!" He's shouting my name. Calling me, challenging me. The beast within me wants to rise to the challenge, to face him down, to tear out his throat and feed it to him, but the man says wait, take the advantage. The lake is filled from the stream. The stream comes from the mountains. The mountains are the best place to defend from. It's easier to defend the highest point than to attack it, though I bet whoever thought of that didn't have a Soviet Super Soldier with a death factor chasing him, wanting him dead for the glory of his Eternal Master. One of these days I'm gonna get a proper job, but until that happens I gotta do what I do. And I am the best there is at doing it. To be the best, you don't have to be the strongest, you don't have to be the fastest or the smartest, you gotta be the last one standing. Sometimes it comes down to luck, others skill. But mostly luck. As I head towards the mountains I can hear trees being torn up behind me as he follows me. I'm not as bad as I was, the air clearing my head and the healing factor doing the rest. The missing claws on my left hand is a pain - figuratively and literally - but there's nothing I can do about it. I start to climb, making my way up the mountain. It's a familiar sensation. I remember something similar the first time I fought Sabretooth. At least I think it's real. So many flash memories flappin around my head, sometimes I lose track. Most of them have been cleared, but some remain and that's one of them. Circumstances are wrong though. Something else must have happened then that I can't remember. Then I hear the swish of the coils coming and I move as it shoots past me, but this isn't the greatest vantage point. "Gotta do better than that. Arkady!" I shout as I swing up grabbing a ledge as I do and pull myself up. He fires a coil up, but doesn't have the reach to get me now. I'd chuckle, but this isn't a laughing matter, because he's used the coils to hook on to the mountain and he's pulling himself up that way. I start to slash at the rocks below my feet, causing them to weaken and crumble. This starts other little rocks to join it creating a miniature avalanche and it'd delaying Omega quite a bit. Above me's a bigger rock, that'll cause a much bigger avalanche an with luck bury him under several tons of rock, giving me time to get reinforcements. Gotta feeling I may need them. Arkady's swaying in the breeze as the rocks slip past him and he 's on his way up again. It's a race now, and I've gotta win. It's not easy, as he's firing his lines past me, and I know he's going go use my own idea against me. I kick at his coil, causing him to swing from side to side. He can't climb whilst swinging that violently or he might lose his grip and fall, so I keep going up. I reach the boulder before Omega Red, but he's not far behind me, and I can feel him unleashing the virus. It's getting to me, as I start to heave against the boulder and it takes all I've got to knock it loose. It slips from the mountainside as Arkady reaches the top, and it smashes in to him taking him with it. I watch as he falls down shouting my name. I gasp and then fall to my knees as my healing factor takes on the virus, but I'm physically wasted and I'm barely aware of myself falling down at a great speed, the mountain blurring past my eyes. I barely feel the cold of the snow as I hit the floor with a thud then darkness takes me. When I awake, I'm aware that I'm lyin' face down in the snow. Motor controls ain't respondin'. I can't get up and I'm feelin' numb. My senses aren't so hot either - can barely see, the white of the snow, but I can still hear, I can still smell. Several scents are comin' at me. First is my own blood, leaking from my battered body waiting for the healing factor to do it's thing - if it can. Second is the man closest to me. He's not the man who did this, but he is the man who ordered it to happen. I can't be sure by scent but if it's who I think it is, I'm dead. He speaks and his voice confirms his identity. The voice of evil, the voice of death, the voice of everything the X-Men have fought against. Against him, even Magnus is nothing and if the prophecies are true then nobody can or will. However I don't buy in to that mumbo jumbo. If I could only get up. "You fought well, X-Man, and are worthy of respect. You took it to a standstill when many would have fallen. You are a survivor, however it would appear your survival is at an end." I ain't afraid of dying, only that my death ain't in vain. If I can't stand, if I can't end this here and now, then it won't have been. All I wanted to do was go fishing, not face off against a Horseman of Apocalypse of the big man himself. "Come, my Horseman," he says walking away from me. "Let us see if his vaunted healing factor will save him this time." There's a faint hum like a teleporter beam and then there are only the residual scents left. I still can't get up. I'm tired, so very, very tired. I don't want to quit, to stop, but I don't think I have too much of a choice. Goodbye, Jean. Goodbye, Kitty. Goodbye, Jubilee. Sorry I let you all down. I can hear someone calling my name. A voice warm and tender. I close my eyes as I try and place the voice and one name comes to mind. Mariko... "Logan." I open my eyes, the harshness of the strip lights hitting me and I shield my eyes. "Logan!" comes the voice again. It's not Mariko, and I look at her. "Heather..." I answer, a weakness in my voice. I'm at Department H. "Rest easy," says James MacDonald Hudson as he comes closer. "You've had a busy day." Mac and Heather explain how as soon as Omega entered Canada all the alarms went of at Alpha Base and Alpha Flight were scrambled to meet him, however by the time they got there, all they found was me. They hooked me up to their medical equipment and gave my healing factor a hand. From all accounts, it was still touch and go. I explain what happened and Mac goes to send word to Xavier's. Heather and me have a good long chat, both of us knowing that this one was close, and also far from over.
IV By Jay Corafa and Dino Pollard His name is Nate Grey, also called X-Man. He is a mutant
possessed of vast psionic powers. He's called Alastaire, a member of the Apocalypse Dawn. As the name states, the cult worships the ancient Egyptian mutant. They believe him to be their god, as does Katan, the leader of the Apocalypse Dawn. Alastaire, however, isn't as... enlightened as his companions are. There is a sudden flash of light. When Alastaire turns, he sees a young man hovering before him. There is a white streak in his brown hair, and his left eye glows brightly. Alastaire simply grinned. "I see you noticed my little... calling card." "What was that thing?" Nate asked. "My mutant ability," Alastaire replied. "I can transform any kind of matter into fission-level energy. I'm so sorry, where are my manners? I'm Alastaire, a member of the Apocalypse Dawn." At the mere mention of that name, Nate's blood began to boil. "You just made your LAST mistake!!" he exclaimed. A massive TK burst struck Alastaire, causing him to strike the far wall. "I take it you're not a believer?" Alastaire asked. He picked up a few marbles which landed beside him on the ground. With but a thought, they began to glow brightly. He quickly stood and threw them at the X-Man. The explosions were like that of a nuclear bomb. Nate's TK field protected him from serious injury, but the force of the impact sent him hurtling out of the New York penthouse. Alastaire ran over to the balcony. "Having fun yet?" Nate shook off the attack and took flight once more. This time, however, he noticed Alastaire's smug look was even more triumphant. Then, Nate could feel an increase in temperature. He looked down to see that his jacket was glowing a bright gold. Not enough time to react, he erected a TK shield between his jacket and his body. It shielded the brunt of the explosion, but it rendered him unconscious. Alastaire simply grinned as he dragged the unconscious X-Man into the penthouse. The underground cavern of the world's first mutant. The being called En Sabah Nur has gone by many names, including the Tomorrow Walker, and his most-prominant one, Apocalypse. There is another mutant here as well, this one who is encased in a suit of life-sustaining armor. In another world, he was first known as Nemesis. Now, he goes by the name he once used in his reality--that of Holocaust. "Speak, Holocaust," Apocalypse stated. His voice is booming, like the sound of thunder. Even the bravest of men have been reduced to cowards when in his presence. "I come from another world, father," Holocaust began. "A world where you sat on the cusp of world domination. In this other world, you succeeded because there was no Charles Xavier to oppose you. There is only one way for you to counteract this world's Xavier." "...Continue..." Apocalypse stated, lifting a hand to his chin in interest. "You must have a team that is powerful enough to take down even you, father," Holocaust stated. He pressed a button on the control panel before him. "I have used Xavier's original X-Men as templates. Behold--the Pale Riders!! The version of Cyclops is that of an energy-wielder--a young mutant with electrical abilities. For the Beast, we will need a feral one with strength and agility, a role well-served by a being who is now more beast than man. As for the Iceman, we will need an elemental--a young woman who cannot be touched, otherwise she will instantly freeze them. For the Angel, I have a transporter. However, acquiring her will take slightly more time. And finally, a psi to rival that of the Phoenix. That situation is being handled as we speak." "Do you have the other three?" Apocalypse asked. Holocaust activated a few controls on the panel. A light appeared before Apocalypse, and when it began to dispearse, there were three people standing there. "These three are already prepared, father," Holocaust stated. "I give you, the energy-wielder--Bolt. The feral--Wild Child. And the elemental--Blizzard." "You have done well..." Apocalypse began. "...my son. These Pale Riders will be able to aid in the battle. And, as of now, Death and Famine are seeking out my remaining Horsemen." The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. For a long time, it served as the home of everyone who called themselves an X-Man. Recently however, that has changed.* The X-Men have been fractured, seperated. If they ever join together once more remains to be seen. [See Uncanny X-Men #5--Dino] However, Sam Guthrie, code-named Cannonball, isn't thinking about any of that. Nor about the recent exploits of X-Force, the team he once led.* Now, he is simply enjoying the peaceful tranquility of the lake. [*Check out current issues of X-Force and X-Force: Fallen Angels--Dino] Then, a ripple. He takes no notice of it at first. Until it happens again, causing more of a wave. Sam looked around to find the source of it. Nothing. "What in the world...?" Suddenly, without warning, a figure began to rise out of the lake. She was an elderly woman, dressed in tattered robes. She floated above the water and hovered over to the shore. Her face bore odd scars, ones that were familiar to Sam. "Look lady, ah don't know who you are or what you want..." he began. "But ah think things would go a lot smoother if you just explain yourself." "No need for her to do that, Sam." "Wolverine?" "Hullo Rachael," the mutant called Logan said. "S'been awhile." "Logan...." was all Mother Askani could say, before collapsing on the grass. They are the Morlock Tunnels. It has been years since these tunnels have been inhabited. Currently, they serve as home for another group of distraught mutants. They are the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Their leader is Henry McCoy, the Dark Beast, a refugee from an alternate reality. Among their ranks is Black Tom Cassidy, cousin of Generation X's Banshee. Mortimor Toynbee, an English scholar called the Toad. Fred Dukes, the immoveable Blob. John Allerdyce, the mutant master of flame known as Pyro. Dominic Petros, the Greek-born terrorist called Avalanche. Fatale, a teleporting ally of the Dark Beast. Random, a shape-shifting mutant who owes his life to McCoy. And Sarah, the former X-Man called Marrow. Their supposed defeat at the hands of the X-Men was all an elaborate hoax. It was all planned in order to have Marrow turn on her newfound allies in the X-Men. It was a gamble which paid off for the Dark Beast. Now, they have been laying low, waiting for the right moment to strike. Unfortunately for them, that moment comes a bit too late. There is a blinding flash of light which signals the arrival of Death and Famine--formerly known as Omega Red and Selene. They are the latest in a long line of Apocalypse's Horsemen. "McCoy!!" Famine exclaimed. "By order of the High Lord, you are to come with us immediately!!" "The High Lord...? McCoy muttered. "Fat chance, bitch!!" Marrow shouted, as she flung a jagged bone at Famine. "You would do well to watch yourself, little mutant," Death stated, one of his adamantium coils smacking the bone to the side. "Now, you face Death!!" "Way to go," Fatale shouted, dodging out of Death's flailing coils. "You just HAD to piss them off!!!" "Enough of this," Famine stated, energy emitting from her eyes. The energy cascaded down her body, gathering in her open hands. Then, she directed it at Fatale. The Evil Mutant fell to the ground, her body nothing more than skin drapped across thin bones. "Something tells me this is not our best fight..." Toad stated. "If yer thinkin' about runnin' away, then I'll gut ya six ways from Sunday," Marrow said. "Perish the thought, m'lady," Toad said. "Grab McCoy," Death ordered. "These jackals are easy prey." "Sez you!!" Blob exclaimed. "Come and attack, then," Death stated. "No, stay back!!" the Dark Beast ordered, before he was silenced by Famine. It was too late for the Brotherhood. Once they got within range, Death released his Death Spore Virus, infecting all of them, leaving them near death. One of Death's coils wrapped around the unconscious Dark Beast. He turned to Famine and nodded. She pressed a button on her gauntlets, and they vanished in a flash of light. "Rachel..." Scott Summers, code-named Cyclops stated. "Are you all right?" "Mmmm..." Rachel muttered, her eyes flickering open. "Y-yes..." Scott felt a feeling of relief wash over him. Not only his own, but that of his wife. He turned to see Jean Grey-Summers, called Phoenix, standing behind him. "Rachel, why are you here?" Jean asked. "Ap-pocalypse..." the Mother Askani replied. "His hour is at hand... his forces are building. You must re-establish old links." "It's okay..." Jean said. "Rest now, we'll talk more about this tomorrow." Rachael's head lay back against the pillow, and her eyes closed once more. Scott and Jean stepped outside the room. Waiting there was the Beast, Wolverine, Storm, and Cannonball. "It's bad news, people," Scott said, closing the door behind him. "First, we're contacted by Katan, the leader of the Apocalypse Dawn,* and now this." [*X-Men Alpha #1--Dino] "What do you propose we do?" Storm asked. "Rachael said something about re-establishing old links," Jean stated. "If Apocalypse is behind all this, we're going to need to get in touch with Generation X, as well as with X-Force." "As much as I hate to say it, we're going to need some more help, too," Scott said. "Yer not sayin' what I think yer sayin', are ya?" Logan asked. "I am," Scott replied. "We also need to contact Magneto's Fallen Angels. And, we need to get in touch with the Omega team." Apocalypse watched the slab with the mark of War glow brightly. Inside was the mutant who will formerly be known as Post. A flash of light signaled the arrival of his other two Horsemen. Apocalypse turned to face them, and grinned at the limp mutant who was in Death's adamantium coils. "You have done well," Apocalypse said. "Place the Dark Beast behind the final slab."
By Jay Corafa and Dino Pollard Her ID Card says her name is Special Agent Katherine Pryde,
part of SHIELD.* She prefers to be called Kitty. Until recently, she
went by another name--Shadowcat. A former member of the X-Men (now split
into two factions) and Excalibur (now disbanded). Like her former teammates,
Kitty Pryde is a mutant, with the ability to phase through solid objects.
She recently joined SHIELD after a skirmish with her former teammate,
Piotr Rasputin, also called Colossus. He joined Exodus for something
the latter had planned. And, in response to that, Kitty accepted GW
Bridge's offer to become a full agent for SHIELD.** His name was Arkady Rossovich, once called Omega Red. Now, he is simply known as Death, one of Apocalypse's Horsemen. "Flee all you want, flatscans!!" Death exclaimed. "You cannot outrun my coils!!" Adamantium coils shot out from his arms, grabbing any available agent and draining their lifeforce. "YESSSS!!!!" "NO!!!" Kitty exclaimed, opening fire on him. "Drop those agents now!" "Your pathetic weapons cannot harm me, girl!!" Death stated, turning to face her. One of his coils shot out at her, but Kitty phased through it. As she did, she cried out in pain. I--I phased through them... she thought, trying to stand up again. Then how did they cause me so much pain?! "Your coils---they're adamantium?" she asked. "From what I've read in files, Omega Red's coils are carbonadium." "Omega Red is no more," he replied. "Now and for the rest of eternity, I am DEATH!!!" In another area of the SHIELD Helicarrier, the woman once known as Selene appeared through a tear in space. Now, she was Famine. And she proved it as her eyes began to glow brightly, transferring the energy to her hands. Then, she released it upon the agents in the computer mainframe. They all began to wither to nothing but skin and bones, falling before her. She calmly strided over to the computer and sat down, bringing up the file she needed. The Sentinel Command Codes. "Welcome, Henry McCoy," Apocalypse stated, towering over his captive. "Or shall I call you the Dark Beast?" "A--Apocalypse?!" McCoy exclaimed. "How?! Where am I?! What happened to the Brotherhood?!" "You need not worry about your Brotherhood," Apocalypse stated. "They have no place in my plans. You, however, do. As we speak, Post is being transformed into War. You were defeated by Death and Famine. That leaves only one more Horseman left--Pestilence." "You are offering me the chance to become a Horseman...?" McCoy asked. "Correct," Apocalypse replied. "I wish to use your knowledge of the Legacy Virus to my advantage. You were able to suppress the virus in your teammate, Pyro, correct?" "Yes..." McCoy began. "How did you--?" "I can give you all the assets you need to continue your research," Apocalypse continued, cutting McCoy off. "If you agree to become Pestilence." "All right," McCoy stated. "Then go," Apocalypse ordered pointing to an empty chamber. "The transformation awaits." McCoy walked over to the chamber, and stepped inside, lying back. A stone slab slid across the front of it. The mark of Pestilence began to glow brightly as the transformation began. He is called Alastaire, a current member of the Apocalypse Dawn. He possesses the mutant ability to transform matter into fission-level energy. The person he is meeting with is called Holocaust. He's a refugee from an alternate timeline where his father, Apocalypse, ruled America with an iron fist. "Do you have my prize, Alastaire?" Holocaust asked. "Yes," Alastaire replied, dropping Nate Grey, the X-Man, to the ground. "Killing this... X-Man... would be bliss," Holocaust stated, looking over the young psi. "However, I have something even more fitting in store for him. He is to lead my Pale Riders!!" "Wonderful for you," Alastaire said. "You owe me one for this, Holocaust." "Your death is imminent, girl," Death stated. "Do not seek to make this more difficult on yourself." "Guess I've never been accused of being to smart when it came to common sense..." Kitty grunted, phasing through the coils. It may cause her great pain, but it's infinitely better than being caught in them. Another pass and the strain finally got to her. She collapsed on the ground, barely breathing, and now fully solid. Death's coil wrapped around her, as he prepared to drain her lifeforce. "Enough," Famine stated, appearing in the doorway. She carried a disc in her hand. "We have what we came here for. Drop the child." Death glared at her, but released the partially-conscious Kitty Pryde. "It is time for us to report back to the Dark Lord," Famine stated as she began to fade out of existence. Death followed suit, leaving Kitty Pryde alone. Slowly, she got to her feet. "Horsemen... Apocalypse... have to... warn... the others..." she muttered as she moved over to a control panel. She tried to sit up and activated the controls. "Transmitting now..." she said. "Not sure... if this message is be--being received.... Helicarrier attacked.... by Apocalypse's Horsemen... Omega Red and Se-Selene... we need... assistance..." Then, she slumped unconscious in the chair. The transmission was intercepted at the Hulkbuster base in Arizona, formerly the location of Operation: ZERO Tolerance. Piotr Rasputin, the former X-Man called Colossus, watched the message with terror in his eyes. "Katya...?" Holocaust stood before his Pale Riders--X-Man, Bolt, Wildchild, and Blizzard. "The time has come to retrieve the final Pale Rider," Holocaust stated. "She is located in the dimension called Limbo. The portal will only be open a short amount of time, so we must be as fast as possible." "Just open the portal," X-Man stated. "We have a job to do." Holocaust activated the controls before him. A tear in space opened up. "Trespassers!!" a booming voice stated. "S'ym shall insure that you do not leave Limbo alive!!" "You can try, pal!" X-Man said, releasing a TK blast. "But you'll fail!!" "We're the Pale Riders," Holocaust announced. "We're here for Belasco's successor." "S'ym, stand down." "S'ym doesn't understand, my lord..." "Do as I say, slave!!" "Yes, master..." S'ym replied, moving away. "Welcome Pale Riders. I am Belasco, the ruler of Limbo. Your presence here threatens my domain. You must leave immediately." "I think not," Holocaust said. "Pale Riders, attack!!" It begins with a release of psionic energy, courtesy of the X-Man. Bolt followed it up with a tremendous release of electricity. "You're going to fall!!" Blizzard exclaimed, her ice-sickle forming in her hands. She swung at Belasco. At the merest touch, Belasco became instantly frozen. Steam began to rise from his body as the ice slowly melted off. "I am a sorcerer!!" Belasco exclaimed. "One of the highest order!! I shall destroy you all!!" "GRRROWL!!!" Wildchild growled, furiously slashing at his opponent. Kyle Gibney was once in control of his rage, but once Holocaust captured him for the Pale Riders, his humanity was reduced to nothing. "Away, beast!!" Belasco shouted, blasting him away. "You pathetic mutants have no hope of battling me!!" "You haven't faced the true power of the X-Man!!" Nate exclaimed. Using his incredible psionic powers, he began to peel away at the layers of Belasco's mind. Such a tactic would require a tremendous amount of control, especially dealing with a demonic mind such as Belasco's. However, thanks to Holocaust's manipulations, Nate Grey has no need for control or patience. Therefore, he throws caution to the wind, and tears into Belasco's mind. "ARGH!!!" Nate cried out as something cut him down. There was a gaping slash in his back, and appearing out of a teleportation disc was a blonde, teenage girl, no more than 18 or 19. She held a sword in her hands, stained with the X-Man's blood. "That is her!!" Holocaust exclaimed. "That's Rasputin, the final Pale Rider!!" "I prefer Magik," she stated, bringing the Soulsword up. "X-Man! Now!" Holocaust ordered. At his command, Nate Grey used his psychic powers to enter Magik's mind. "She's being controlled... By Belasco..." Nate stated telepathically to Holocaust. "Then remove his control over her!! And have her under our control!" Holocaust telepathically replied. X-Man replied in kind. Being careful not to damage Illyana Rasputin's mind, he freed her from Belasco's mind control. She collapsed into his arms, unconscious. "Hurry!!" Holocaust ordered, opening the portal. "The portal won't be opened much longer!!" The Pale Riders retreated through it, back to Apocalypse's base. Once there, Holocaust prepared Magik for the transformation.
VI By Jay Corafa and Dino Pollard Strings of binary code flashed across the screen as Apocalypse's
Celestrial technology deciphered the encrypted code of the SHIELD discs
he received from Famine.* Kitty Pryde slowly awakened, and felt strong and massive, yet gentle hands cradle her limp body. "Uhh...." she muttered. "Are you hurt?" her savior asked. "Only when I--ow," she replied. "Rest easy, Katya," the man stated. Now, she detected the Russian accent in the man's voice, and the way he said Kitty in Russian was in a tone only one man had used. "PETER!!" she exclaimed, straining her neck to look at him. The former X-Man called Colossus was standing over her, his skin transformed into organic steel. Once he saw she was all right, he transmuted back into his flesh and blood form. "I intercepted your distress signal," he stated. "I'm glad I was able to get here in time. Are you all right?" "I'll be fine," she said, using him as an anchor as she forced herself to her feet. "What about you? I thought you were running with Exodus." "I am," Colossus replied. "He doesn't know I'm here, though. I came to help you." "Apocalypse's Horsemen attacked," she said. "Omega Red and Selene, but I have no idea what they came here for." "Pryde!!!" Kitty turned to see an unshaven, middle aged man with an eyepatch over one eye, and a cigar hanging from his mouth. "Fury," she said. "What's the situation?" "It's a good thing your buddy showed up," he said. "Otherwise, we might've been in trouble." For the first time, Kitty realized that she was in the sick bay. "...I didn't realize..." "Don't matter," Fury said. "You well enough for a mission?" "What is it?" "Findin' the people who did this to you," Fury replied. "Turns out Famine stole some data on the Sentinels, specifically the Enforcer Initiative." "Enforcer?" Colossus asked. "What's that?" "The Enforcers are a final fail-safe," Fury began. "If the mutant problem ever goes out of control, the Enforcers can be programmed to eliminate all mutants within a city limits. They're the most-advanced form of Sentinels to date." "Oh God..." Kitty muttered, her eyes wide with shock. "If Apocalypse uses those access codes..." "He already has," Fury stated. "We have confirmed visuals of the Enforcers over New York airspace. That, and they're missing from the base they were stored in." "We must stop them!" Colossus exclaimed. "Nuh-uh, tin man," Fury interjected. "This is SHIELD business. But, if you really wanna help, then I got a mission for the both of you. We think we might have a positive location of Apocalypse's base in Egypt. I want you two to head on over there. That's if you're up to it, Pryde." "Right now, I'm ready to face anything," Kitty replied. "Leave it to me and Peter." "There's a transport waiting for you in the hanger," Fury said. "Get moving." Within a few short minutes, the SHIELD transport piloted by Kitty Pryde was in the air, racing towards Egypt. "All right, let's keep our objectives in mind, Peter," she said. "We need to get in and see if we can stop the Enforcers by cutting them off at the source. But, we need to sneak in. Remember, stealth is the key, here." "I understand, Katya," Peter replied. "We're here," Kitty announced as she lowered the transport on the Egyptian sands. The hatch opened, and the two former X-Man climbed out. Once in the sand, Kitty reached in her pack and pulled out a type of mini-computer which resembled a cell-phone. Pressing a button on it, it emitted a high-pitched noise. She looked at the LED screen. "There," she said. "The citadel is up ahead." "It is so hard to see anything in this storm..." Colossus noted. "How can you tell?" "Sonar," Kitty replied, holding up the instrument. "There's something blocking the sound about 100 meters up ahead. That must be it." "Then we must hurry." "PETER, WAIT!!" Kitty exclaimed. It was too late. He broke into a run towards the citadel. Suddenly, there was some form of explosion, throwing him back. "Infrared sensors picked something else up!!" she said. "And it's definately NOT the citadel!!" "Too true," a man said. He was around 18 or 19, and his left eye was glowing brightly as an aura surrounded him, causing him to float in the air. "I'm X-Man, the leader of the Pale Riders. My teammates are Bolt, Blizzard, Wild Child, and..." "ILLYANA?!" Colossus and Kitty exclaimed in unison. "Not anymore," Illyana replied. "Now, it's Magik!" "MONSTER!!" Colossus shouted, charging X-Man. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SISTER?!" "I've done nothing to her, pal," X-Man replied, hurling Piotr back with a TK blast. "Stand down, X-Men." "Sorry if we don't," Kitty stated, phasing as she leapt into the air, her foot solidifying as it struck X-Man. "We're not X-Men anymore." Blizzard slashed at Colossus with her ice-scythe. "Stand back!!" he ordered, grabbing it before it struck him. Clenching his fist, he shattered the weapon, leaving Blizzard with a stunned look on her face. "I warned you!!" Colossus exclaimed, pulling his fist back to strike. He slammed forward, but Blizzard was gone. Or, to be more accurate, he was. "How...?" "That would be me," Magik stated, appearing out of a stepping disc, the Soulsword resting on her shoulder. "Welcome to Limbo, brother." <"Illyana, what are you doing?!"> he asked. <"Have you gone mad?"> [*Translated from the Russian--Dino] <"Not at all,"> Magik replied. <"I am finally thinking clearly!!"> She leapt at him, and brought the Soulsword down across his chest. Piotr Rasputin cried out, but not all from physical pain. It was from the emotional pain he felt as his sister's sword cut into his body. It was the pain of his soul being spliced into two factions. It has been years since his sister, his little snowflake, died of the Legacy Virus. When that happened, a part of him died with her. It has taken a long time to repair the damage inflicted on his soul. Now, his sister is back. Yet, she's not the same Illyana he knew. She's not the sweet, innocent child she was when she died. Now, she's the grown, corrupted Magik. <"Little snowflake..."> he muttered, lying on the ground. <"Please... I beg of you... make it swift..."> Magik looked down at the man who had once been her brother. She could feel Apocalypse's mind control influencing her decisions. With a thought, she willed one of Limbo's stepping discs to appear beneath them, transporting them back to Earth. Kitty was already lying unconscious on the ground, and now Colossus had joined her. "Good work, Magik," Nate said. "Let's get them inside the citadel. Holocaust and Apocalypse will be pleased with this." Alastaire looked at the people gathered around him. Each of them are the heads of a clan of the Apocalypse Dawn. "Are you sure this is wise, Alastaire?" one of them asked. "You're not backing out now, are you?" Alastaire replied. "No... But you're talking about assassinating the Katan." "The Katan is weak," Alastaire said. "And, with the coming of Apocalypse, we must have a new leader. Seeing as how I have met with an agent of the Tomorrow Walker, I believe the new Katan should be myself." "WHAT?!" another representative exclaimed. "You don't even lead a Dawn clan!! Why should YOU be more qualified as the Katan over any of us?!" "Because I seek to unify the clans," Alastaire calmly replied. "A more structured, and unified Dawn is what I propose. If we are to survive the coming of Apocalypse, that is what we will need." "The strong survive, that's the way it will always be." "And Katan is WEAK!!" Alastaire exclaimed. "By law of our sacred High Lord, he should be eliminated." "Alastaire is right," a leader said. "The current Katan is weak, yet Alastaire is strong. Plus, Alastaire has a connection with En Sabah Nur. It is only fitting that we have one who works for the Tomorrow Walker as our new Katan. All oppose?" A few clan leaders wanted to oppose, but the more they thought about it, the more sense it made. "All support?" "Aye," they all stated in unison. Beneath Apocalypse's citadel, Magik stood facing Colossus and Kitty, who were chained and in shackles. "You shouln't have come here," she said. "Now, you will be the first souls claimed by our lord and master." "How could you do this to us, Illyana?!" Kitty asked. "You were my best friend!! He's your brother for crying out loud--the only family you have left!!" "You were Illyana Rasputin's best friend, and he was Illyana Rasputin's brother," she replied. "I'm not Illyana Rasputin. I'm Magik, the Darkchilde." "How can you be here, though?" Kitty asked once more. "Illyana died of the Legacy Virus AFTER you reverted back to her!" "No," Magik replied. "That wasn't me who died, and it wasn't me who you found in the crushed armor of Magik.* That was a younger Illyana, plucked from a different time in Limbo. I wanted to give her the chance I never had." [*New Mutants #73--Dino] "But, if the young Illyana never became Magik, then how can you still be here?" "Because time is different in Limbo," Magik replied. "I cannot explain it." "There is no need to," Holocaust stated as he entered the room. "You...!" Colossus stated. "The one who destroyed Avalon!!" "Quite correct," Holocaust said. "And this must be Kitty Pryde." "Who are you?" Kitty asked. "I am Holocaust," he replied. "The son of Apocalypse. Now, you can either tell me why you're here, or I can have Wild Child tear the answers out of you." "Nyet," Colossus said. "As you wish." He signaled, and Kyle Gibney stepped up to them, claws bared. Two Hours Later. "Ashame your powers are negated," Holocaust stated. "If they weren't, you might've been able to stand up to that punishment. Enjoy your night." With that, he and Wild Child exited the room. Magik looked at them for a few seconds before following. Kitty looked over at Peter, lying on the ground, his body covered in blood. "That inhuman monster..." she muttered, still a little weak from her own torture. "Peter took most of the punishment for me. And he said he intercepted my signal.* Ever since I was just a kid at Xavier's, he's been looking out for me--and he's still doing it, even now." [*Last issue--Dino] "...Katya..." he muttered. "Shh..." she stated, moving as close to him as her chains would allow. "Don't speak, your wounds..." "I... shall be... fine..." he said. "I am... sorry... I should... not have--have come back..." "Don't say that!!" she exclaimed. "I'm glad you did!! You couldn't have known that Illyana was being controlled by Holocaust." "Katya... I..." <"I know, Piotr,"> Kitty replied, in Russian. She reached over, and placed her small hand on his larger one. <"I'm sorry for everything that's happened. And, I would rather die with you, than go on living without you."> <"I... am sorry as well..."> he said. <"I should... should have been---stronger... for both of us..."> <"It's okay,"> she said, running her hand along his face, wiping the blood off with her glove. He gently squeezed her hand, falling into a deep sleep. He felt complete with her by his side.
By Cory Wiegel Doesn't this look somewhat familiar? A gigantic robot
standing over the 59th street bridge, with a couple fleeing in a taxicab!
Uncanny, that how sometimes, somehow, and in some form ... situations
always repeat themselves. Maybe ... the world simply repeats itself.
Over and over again. In one fluid cycle. Situations forming and reforming.
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