All known X-men characters in this story are copyrighted by Marvel Comics.
No permission was obtained, but no profit is to be made from this story. It
is purely for my personal enjoyment and those of its readers. All other
characters, concepts, plots, theories, technology not seen in Marvel Comics
belong to me.
Please don't distribute this without asking me; I probably won't mind if
you did, as long as it wasn't altered in any way. I'd just like to know where
it's going.
Please, enjoy this story, and send me your comments, be they good or bad,
to percy@atlas.webo.dg.com or jpercy@clariion.com.
Thanks for reading!
John Percy
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Revelations - Chapter 4
By
John Percy
I awake up with a gasp, breathing heavily. I don't know why, maybe it
was a bad dream, or an upset stomach. Unusual for me; I usually sleep well,
though lightly. I take a few deep breaths to clear my mind, then start to
lean back onto the bed, when I hear it.
Explosions. Plasma blasts.
Seconds later, the alarm goes off, signifying a stage-1 alert. I leap
out of bed, and with the skill born of years of practice, don my uniform,
armor, and boots within moments. The continuing sounds I hear as I do can't
be mistaken for anything but what they are: a battle, and somewhere in
the Pens. I check the fit of my visor, and slapping the door control, race
through the door as it opens.
I promptly slam into a low rank rook with a panicky look on his face. I
grab him by the shoulders, and give him a few hard shakes to get his
attention. "What the hell is going on?!" I shout.
The look on his face only confirms his words. "Sir! I don't know! I was
sleeping, and all of the sudden there was explosions..."
I give him another hard shake. "Get ahold of yourself! Go to your
emergency station, and report in to your commander! If you see anything or
anyone strange on the way, don't engage, report it! Understand?"
He nods vigorously. "Yes sir!"
I give him a shove on his way. "Then go!" The soldier takes off in a
run; most of the troopers emerging from their quarters are doing the same.
The EMF may have been taken by surprise, but it seems like we're recovering
quickly.
Speaking of which, I'd better check in and see what is happening. I
mentally trigger the comlink built into my visor, and am nearly deafened by
the chaos of voices on it. Cursing, I shout into the mike, "This is Prelate
Summers! All EMF troopers report to your posts, and clear this damn channel!
Now!"
My troops respond quickly and orderly, if belatedly, to my commands; the
channel is cleared within moments. Nodding to myself satisfactorily, I begin
to take off in a run towards security central, and trigger my comlink again.
"Cyclops to Havok! Status report!"
Alex responds with his usual efficiency. "Unknown. Initial report came
out of A-block, but nothing or no one has come out of there since then."
I immediately change course, and take off for A-block. "Gather whatever
troopers and Infinites you can, and meet me at junction AB-2! All other
personnel are to stay at their posts, at highest alert!"
"Acknowledged." With a barely audible click, I hear him sign off.
I begin to pick up my pace, lengthening my stride to get to A-block as
quickly as possible. As I pass junction AB-4, Terry and Jesse Aaronson come
out of a side passage, and take pace slightly behind me.
"Hey, if Cyclops is up, it can't be a party!" quips Jesse as he runs.
Terry smirks. "And if you're up, you're not getting that beauty sleep
you really need!"
"Whatcha talkin' about?!"
"Can it, you two!" I snarl, "Just run!"
They smartly shut their yaps, and pick up the pace, as I do. Soon, we
arrive at junction AB-2. A few moments later, Alex, Elizabeth and Sam
Guthrie, Northstar and Aurora, and a few dozen Infinites arrive.
I nod to Northstar and Aurora as I jog up to Alex. Twin brother and
sister, they originally came from what was Canada. Northstar has light-based
powers, Aurora electrical. Years ago, they had a little gene-stroking done
by the Beast, amplifying their power and giving them some kind of ability to
'link' up their powers, making them a powerful opponent. More importantly,
they can both fly. Air superiority in any kind of battle is a plus.
I stride up to Alex and nod once. "Any thing else come out of A-block?"
He shakes his head no. "Nothing, not a word."
I nod grimly, then turn to look at the small force we have assembled.
"Alright, listen up! We don't know who or what is in A-block, but this is the
way we'll do it: Havok and the Guthries will go straight in, hard, with half
of the Infinites. The Bedlam Brothers will take half the remaining Infinites,
and try to outflank to the right. Northstar and Aurora will do the same on
the left. I'll provide fire support for everyone, and direct any
reinforcements." I turn to Alex, "You did request reinforcements, right?"
Alex snarls at me, "Of course I did! I'm not an idiot!"
I sigh, determined not to let Alex do his usual routine. "Ok, then! Let's
go in hard people! Move fast and strike hard, but try to preserve the
prisoners if..."
I turn my head as movement out of the corner of my eye catches my
attention, and everyone else follows my gaze: an Infinite, its armor
shattered, its weapons gone, came stumbling out of the corridor that leads to
A-Block. The construct has seen better days; from what I can tell, it's
nearly dead. It even looks like one of its arms got cut right off.
I point at it, and bark. "Sam, Elizabeth, bring it over here."
Sam and Elizabeth charge forward, echoes of "Yes, sir!" on their voices,
and they drag the battle damaged Infinite none too gently over to my feet.
It crumples in a heap, only reinforcing my thoughts on its condition.
I scowl. Whoever did this, or whatever did this, did it's job well. The
Infinites, though limited in capabilities, are competent constructs. It
would take alot to put one in the condition this was in. As it is, I don't
think the Infinite will survive another 10 minutes. Still, it's enough
time to find out what I need. "Infinite! Report status of A-Block!"
It slowly looks up at me, servo-motors groaning in protest, armor cracking
off and crumbling, as it barely, raspily says one word.
"X-x...m..e...n...."
Damn.
*** *** ***
The X-men. A small, terrorist group who are the constant thorn in the
side of our Lord Apocalypse. Led by their powerful leader, Magneto, the so
called 'Master of Magnetism', they perform lightning raids, surgical strikes,
assassinations, and supply raids against the forces of Apocalypse. With
numbers small enough to ensure high mobility, yet powerful enough to cause
heavy damage, they are a top priority for elimination within the forces of
our dread Lord.
Composed primarily of Alpha-class mutants, they believe in the pathetic
vision of peace between mutants and humans. They constantly harass our
operations, troops, and citizenry, trying to cause as much damage and
confusion and lack of faith in mutant supremacy as they can. Fortunatly,
even though they are composed of powerful Alpha-class mutants, their numbers
are small. Unfortuantly, no person, group or operation has been able to stop
them yet. Their successes have far outweighed their losses, and that pure
fact gives them great power. The power of hope.
They have had a lot of success, some resulting in a good amount of damage
to our forces. Fortunatly, their small numbers can't create critical damage.
The fact that they are a small group give them great advantages in evasion,
surprise, and mobility, but it also means they haven't been able to stop the
Ascension, or create major damage. Still, they are the only organized,
powerful resistance to Apocalypse. This makes them top priority for
elimination or capture.
I quickly call up from memory the latest information on the members of
the X-men: Magneto, their leader and master of magnetic forces, and perhaps
the most powerful mutant on the planet; Quicksilver, Magneto's son and a
super-speedster; Rogue, the magnetically charged power stealer; Storm,
controller of the weather; Gambit, Cajun thief, and able to kinetically
charge objects to the explosive point; Iceman, powered as his namesake, and
if the Beast is right, destined to become one of the worlds most powerful
mutants; Colossus, with the ability to transform into a near invulnerable
giant of living steel; Weapon-X, with a healing factor, beserker fighting
ability, and adamantium skeleton and claws; Sabretooth, a former Horseman
and traitor to our cause; and finally, Jean Grey, a telepath and telekinetic
of no small ability.
They are dangerous, cunning foes. My simple flanking maneuver won't
work against them; in fact, it divides my forces. Time to change tactics,
Summers.
"All right, listen up!" I growl, and the heads of the group turn to look
at me. "Forget what I just said. Everyone goes straight in! Hit hard, hit
fast, and move on! Disable the X-men if you can; if not, destroy them!" I
jab a finger towards A-Block, and shout, "Go, go, go!"
They all roar a warrior's cry, and storm towards A-Block, Alex in the
lead, as is his right. I can only hope that we can get the drop on the X-men,
maybe overwhelm a few of them in our initial strike. Otherwise, we'll
probably all die.
I frown grimly, and, knowing there's nothing else I can do, charge after
my troops, determined to lead them to the end.
As I run into A-Block, the battle is already joined. Never have I seen
such a display of power, savagery, and chaos. I frown as not only the X-men
are here, but a small group of human rebels, apparently aiding them, are too.
Plus, some of the prisoners have already been freed. Things are definitely
getting worse. I quickly glance around, checking the status of my troops.
Alex went straight for Magneto, of course. Not that I blame him; Alex is
probably the only one in our small group with the sheer, raw power to take
the Master of Magnetism on. I watch Alex and Magneto trade plasma blasts and
EM pulses for a few seconds, and I can see that in the end, Alex will lose.
Magneto simply has too much experience, skill, and determination. Alex
will need help soon, no matter how much he'll hate it.
Same Guthrie is taking on Weapon-X; I might just have to re-evaluate
my opinion of the boy's intelligence. In his blasting form, Cannonball is
invulnerable - perfect protection from the adamantium claws of the bestial
Weapon-X. Of course, his lack of skill, strength, and power prevent him from
hurting Weapon-X, either. For a while, it'll be a draw between the two. And
whenever you can take Weapon-X out of a fight, even for a little bit, it's a
plus.
Sam's sister Elizabeth, apparently, isn't as intelligent as her brother.
She attacked Colossus, the living monolith of steel. Even though she's
used her megamorphing power to tower over even him, she can't match him in
raw strength, skill, and experience. She's a little quicker, due to her less
bulk, but it won't be enough.
Northstar and Aurora took to the air upon entering the battle, taking on
the X-men's flyer's Storm and Rogue. Hard to tell who'll come out on top, but
since they are in the air, and moving too fast, none of us can help them.
They're on their own.
Our Infinites aren't doing much better. Between Sabretooth's savagery,
Gambit's kinetic powers, the Iceman's raw power, and Quicksilver's speed,
they'll be heaps of garbage in a few minutes. Fortunatly, it looks like
the X-men are also trying to protect what prisoners have escaped so far,
and it's hamstringing them a bit.
Terry and Jesse are doing what they do best; causing as much havoc, chaos,
and confusion in the enemy that they can. We need all the help they can get.
I step a few more feet into the battle; apparently, the addition of one
more man doesn't distract the enemy. Their mistake - I take out a half a
dozen human troopers in a few seconds with a few well aimed optic blasts, and
then start to get a bead on Magneto. If Alex and I can take him out quickly,
or at least injure him somehow, this fight will end quickly. The X-men
will retreat to recover or protect their leader. I brace myself for a full
powered blasts, when all the sudden, it hits me.
Where's Jean Grey?
We know Jean Grey and Weapon-X are an item. Where one is, the other isn't
far behind. So where is she? The X-men couldn't have gotten into the Pens
without the help of a telepath. They would've needed her to get past the
guards, patrols, even to protect them from the Brain Trust. Plus, the X-men
certainly could use a telekinetic and telepath during a battle. In fact,
this one would probably be over right now, if she were here.
So where is she?
I quickly scan the area, switching between several forms of tracking with
my visor, seeing if she's somehow screened. IR, radar, motion tracking, UV,
bio-signs, mutation detection - nothing and no one is missed. I scowl,
wondering what is going on, when the answer hits me like the proverbial
Sentinel hitting a mutant camp.
I quickly trigger my visor's comlink, and shout, "Alex! We've got to
break off the attack! Alex!" No response, which doesn't surprise me. He's
totally consumed with his battle with Magneto, and I don't blame him.
"Everyone, keep fighting!" I shout, and with a turn of my heel, charge
out of A-Block like a bat out of hell.
I run down the corridor, passing several troopers on the way to battle to
the X-men. Some give me looks of shock; others, hatred. Either way, they
think I'm a coward. I don't care. It looks like I'm the only hope left we've
got. And if I fail, the prisoners will escape, and the EMF may be destroyed.
I lengthen my stride, picking up speed, as I streak down the corridor. I
pump my arms vigorously, but it may already be too late. As I turn down the
corridor towards the Black Tower, I hope I'm not.
I frown as I approach the gates to the Tower, and give a low curse as I
see the gate Guardian floating upside down in its bowl-like container, wisps
of reddish blood floating around it. The gate, supposedly secure against
anything save huge amounts of power, lay slightly ajar, as if someone just
carelessly didn't close it all the way.
I burst through the door, and am greeted by the bodies of two large
Infinites and a security patrol Rook. I don't bother checking the pulse
of the Rook. All three look like they had their heads explode from the
inside out.
I grimly race down the corridor, hoping that I still have a chance. As I
approach the enclave for the Brain Trust, my hope turns into despair, as I
see its Brain Guardian dead, too, and the door is ajar. With a low growl, I
slam the door open and leap inside, automatically landing with knees bent,
in a combat stance, ready to kill or be killed.
Then I see her - clad in the all red and yellow X-man uniform. Long,
red hair flowing beautifully to her shoulders. In anyone's words, she is
stunningly beautiful. And apparently, totally oblivious to me. Right now,
she's concentrating on something so hard, she didn't even notice my grand
entrance. Seeing the frothy bubbles in the 7 clear domes of the Brain Trust,
I'd say she's telepathically and telekinetically attacking the Brain Trust.
That was the X-men's plan all along: the attack on A-Block was a diversion.
A diversion for a single, lone person to attack and destroy the Brain Trust.
A person who had to be a telepath, to shield themselves from the Trust, roving
patrols, and with the ability to open the gates and take on the Trust by
themselves.
It was a perfect plan. With the Brain Trust destroyed, the prisoners
wouldn't be telepathically dulled, and would rise up and, with the X-men's
help, break out and escape. Possibly destroying the EMF and the Pens, as well.
All they had to do was distract the EMF while Jean Grey destroyed the Brain
Trust.
Too bad I don't get distracted easily.
With my cerebral implant, I won't have to worry too much about her frying
my mind right off the bat, so all I have to worry about is her telekinetic
and physical attacks. I turn slightly sideways to give her a smaller target
to attack, and with a hunter's grin, snarl, "Jean Grey, I presume?"
With a start, she spins around, and next thing I know, a wave of
telekinetic force slams into me, and I go flying back out of the chamber,
towards the hard corridor wall.
Maybe I can get distracted, a little.
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