Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN: Showdown

Suddenly a sound echoed throughout the tunnel, the distant sound of a gun cocking. It was ever so distant, but among the silence it was deafening. They all instantly stood up against the wall out of sight awaiting any disturbance. They stood side by side attempting to remain silent among the deafening quiet.

"The eyes," whispered Blight.

"What?" asked Ratfink.

"Cyclops' eyes," she replied pointing.

"What about 'em?" asked Ratfink.

"What if they see the glow?"

Within a split second, there arose a loud hissing and large tentacles emerged from the darkness like whips and began scooping everyone up with lightning fast speed. They all scattered attempting to dodge the tentacles as Satta, Cameo, and Erder were wrapped tight by the metallic lightning fast coils that tumbled down crashing down to the floor smashing the concrete in half and quickly pulled them into the darkness as their screams echoed. Ratfink and Nightcrawler leapt up into the ceiling pipes hanging as Cyclops blasted the tentacles with his optic blasts, Bam fought off the tentacles with her energy charges, dodging them and slashing them in two with precision, Blight blasted the tentacles into metallic shards with her plasma discharge, the metal shard falling at her feet. "Jean, look out!" She warned, but before she could be heard, Jean was grabbed violently and pulled into the darkness. Cyclops stood looking ahead attempting to shoot but Jean blocked his shot.

The tentacles ceased as Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Bam, Blight, and Ratfink remained looking into the darkness as the girls screamed out for help.

"What the hell was that?" asked Bam.

"He knows we're here," replied Cyclops.

"He's using them as bait to lure us in," explained Nightcrawler.

"Well it's working," replied Cyclops storming off.

"Gee, one surprise after the other," replied Blight.

"I wonder what's next," said Bam.

"I don't," replied Ratfink.

They pressed on as the screams became closer; finally the tunnels began to become brighter as they reached the end. As the lights became brighter, they stopped at a glowing white entrance. Cyclops held his hand at his optic visor and entered as the rest followed, prepared for anything they might face.

"I must commend your relentlessness," Apocalypses droning voice said, "You truly have excellent potential for my new army."

"Where are the girls?" asked Cyclops.

"In my hold," he replied, "They will be transformed into my soldiers; excellent subjects… excellent, indeed."

"Let them go," replied Nightcrawler, "They are just children."

"Precisely," replied Apocalypse, "Children. Children can be molded children can be taught and adapted into an image. An image the professor has instilled on them like a father onto his own children."

"They think for themselves," argued Cyclops.

"Children are what grow into a potential product," he continued, "Children with powers only gods possess are children that I have most use for, they are beings that can be molded."

"You've turned them into monsters," replied Nightcrawler.

"I've turned them into warriors!" he persisted slamming his fist angrily against the wall, "Warriors in my image! They were already monsters."

"Take that back," replied Bam angrily.

"Quiet," replied Blight in fear.

"No," she replied angrily, "he's a bastard; you hurt our friends."

"Why serve as a student, when you can reign as a warrior?" asked Apocalypse.

"Alright," Cyclops said, "enough talk," With a fist of rage he blasted the walls with his optic blast; they crumbled beneath the force of his blasts as he lurched forward with his relentless blasts. The kids and Nightcrawler staggered back as Cyclops' optic blasts burst from his visor incinerating anything in his path. He turned his head back and forth annihilating everything in the path of his lethal destructive optic blasts.

"Fool!" Apocalypse screamed in anger as he brushed rubble from his side in rage, "You dare to provoke me? I have trampled smaller men than you with powers far more superior!"

"Well?" asked Cyclops, "Do your worse!"

"I really wish he didn't say that," replied Ratfink. A large eruption burst from the walls knocking them off their feet. They sat up groaning in pain as the large figure of Apocalypse arose from the depths of the smoke from the carnage inflicted by Cyclops.

"No man or inhuman has ever been able to destroy me," he continued, "You and your children shall not change that."

"We can try," replied Nightcrawler.

He peered into their eyes as they watched him approach and suddenly began to increase in size, his body becoming ever more mountainous as the children watched in horror and awe. "Christ," Blight said with wide eyes of terror. He toppled them in size reaching heights of feet as they stood up watching him peer down onto them. Cyclops stood up and within an instant began blasting him with his optic blast. The rest took the cue and charged him attacking his body as Apocalypse fought them off angrily. Ratfink began crawling up his leg scratching at his skin dodging Apocalypses mountainous hands that swatted at him like a charging bull. Ratfink back-flipped onto the ground dodging Apocalypse's attacks and leapt onto his large finger; he slid along his shoulders and began tearing at his skin as suddenly Apocalypse yanked his body violently off his head and angrily held him tightly in his hands. Ratfink gasped in horror as Apocalypse peered into his eyes, "This is your last breath, mutant!"

"Whoa!" Ratfink exclaimed aloud cringing at Apocalypses face which stared into him like a glaring ball of fire, "Formaldehyde face!" Apocalypse took one cruel squeeze as he cried out in pain and suddenly became limp at his hands no longer struggling in his tight grip. Nightcrawler suddenly teleported among Apocalypses hand, grabbed Ratfink and teleported onto the ground laying his body in a corner. Meanwhile below as Cyclops blasted Apocalypse almost non-stop, Bam ran across the ground rapidly, leaping over Apocalypses foot and rolled along the smashed concrete as she stopped and caught a peek at the four pods where Cameo, Erder, Serinatta, and Jean stood docile in cryostasis fluid.

She looked back as Apocalypse didn't notice her presence and took a risk charging a large energy arrow from her hands and blasted them into the pods. The glass exploded one after the other as they fell out onto the ground to their knees, the yellow fluid draining onto the floor. She ran to Jean who was coughing aloud in and glaring in confusion.

"Wha—what happened?" she asked.

"Its apocalypse," she replied holding her up, "Cyclops and the others are fighting him."

"We have to stop him," said Jean.

"How?" she asked.

"Get the girls," she replied standing up, "I'll help." She ran off to the team's aid as Bam helped the others from their prisons.

Jean ran over to Cyclops who lurched back blasting at Apocalypse who cried out in anger swatting at them.

"Jean!" Cyclops said in surprise.

"We have to get out of here!" she warned.

"We can't leave here until he's down!" argued Cyclops.

"We can't beat him," replied Jean. She raised her arms and dropped them down as the ceiling tore from its foundation crashing down onto his shoulders. Bam helped Satta, Cameo, and Erder quickly as the ceiling crashed down onto Apocalypse. Suddenly she could see a glowing luminous blue pyramid from afar, the light was almost haunting until she came to a startling realization.

She helped carry the others across the room, "Jean!" she screamed, "I think he's getting the power from that pyramid thing!"

"No!" she gasped aloud, "It's his time machine! Scott, we have to activate his machine get him in there!"

"I'll do it!" Nightcrawler replied. He grabbed the three girls and Ratfink and teleported then appeared alone next to the time machine and began analyzing its mechanisms.

"Get out of here!" ordered Jean to Bam.

"No!" she argued, "I have to stay!"

She powered up her fists and with all her might hurled rapid fire energy balls at Apocalypses chest knocking him back. "No man big or small has been able to conquer my supreme power!" Apocalypse howled, "I am god, I am all powerful!" Nightcrawler began dialing sequences of codes into the machine and stood back as it began glowing brighter and brighter. Cyclops saw the machine and tore his visor off blasting Apocalypse back; apocalypse staggered back from the force screaming in anger as Jean increased the force with her telepathic blasts to his chest and Bam's energy blasts. "How many is that?" asked Wolverine as he and Beast stood over hordes of immobile soldiers that lay among the jet's floor.

"I-It's too many," he replied, "None have been killed, but they are badly wounded."

"Let's start up the engine," he said.

"What about the others?" asked Beast.

"They'll be here," replied Logan as he stormed to the cockpit.

"Should we take that risk?" asked Beast.

"You're asking that now?"

Cyclops pressed on blasting Apocalypse nonstop as Jean and Bam hit his legs knocking him to his knees, it was a sight that could have only been imagined as Apocalypse, the self-proclaimed god began to weaken before the onslaught of the force of the most powerful mutants on Earth. He stood back and let out a haunting howl as a beam of the blue glowing light blasted him in the back drawing him in like a fish line. He struggled relentlessly to fight its force as they pushed him with the force of their power. Nightcrawler teleported from Apocalypses body and bamfed to the group grabbed them and teleported from the base. Apocalypse grappled the walls in horror as the beam of light pulled him in closer and closer. Finally he rapidly began to lower down into human size and was sucked into the tomb. The pyramid closed shut locking Apocalypse into its small quarters and within an instant, the pyramid imploded and disappeared into thin air.

They stood outside the base watching the white beam of light turn into a blue bolt of light and dash into the sky like a shooting star.

"Where did he go?" asked Bam.

"Maybe to another time," replied Cyclops, "Another dimension." They stood watching among the wasteland known as Genosha. The battle had been fought, and the fates of young children had been tested against the supreme mutant known as "Apocalypse".

"You mean he's not dead?" asked Bam.

"No," replied Jean, "But he's down for a while."

"That sucks," she replied.

"Don't worry about it," replied Cyclops, "Let's just go home."

The armada of jets lifted off the island and blasted off into the ocean, the metal remains of Sentinels and Apocalypse's army strewn among the torn roots of the trees where a war had ensued. For the X-men it was a change of scenery to a place usually known for its misery. Most of the students lay among stretchers unconscious, some were asleep, and the kidnapped genetically altered students were docile with heavy sedatives.

"This was for nothing," Bam complained.

"Not totally," Serrinatta assured her.

"What makes you say that?" asked Bam.

"We got our friends back," she replied with a smirk.

"Apocalypse is still alive," she groaned.

"Just appreciate that we won," she argued, "And some of us took on that bastard and beat his ass."

They laughed in victory as Chi sat beside Firestarter who lay on the stretcher hooked up to an oxygen mask. He looked over to her as she held his hand smiling with tears in her eyes. His face was bruised and dirt stained, but he pulled off what little strength he had left and smiled, "How about that drink?"

"No one was killed," Cyclops said with a sigh of relief as he looked out onto the sun which dove into the horizon of the ocean, "We were lucky."

"It was a miracle," replied Jean.

"Thanks to god," replied Nightcrawler.

"Miracle nothing," argued Logan on the other end of the radio, "We trained 'em right."

"I agree," replied Beast.

"Apocalypse may come back," warned Nightcrawler.

"We'll be ready," replied Cyclops.

"What about the students?" asked Jean.

"They'll be alright," replied Beast, "they'll be taken back to the medical quarters for healing and rejuvenation. They'll be just fine with proper care."

"I don't know about the lot of you, but I need a drink," replied Logan.

"And a long night's sleep," replied Nightcrawler. Cyclops looked back at his troops as they set way to go home, leaving the day battle that felt like ten years behind them forever. Some had grown closer than ever before on the battlefield, and some formed life-long friendships that could never be broken. Cyclops put on his visor and sighed, "Let's go home, everyone."

- END

Legal Disclaimer:

The character Firestarter and Specter, Primus, Dash, and Connor Jenson are original creations of Felix Vasquez Jr.

The student characters from the story are borrowed creations from separate parties.

The X-men, Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Beast, Professor X, Sentinels, Jean Grey, etc. are created by Marvel Comics and Marvel Entertainment.