CHAPTER 75 BLACK TOM'S WELCOME AND STORM'S NIGHTMARE
The X-Men landed hard, bodies sprawled across cold stone. Dust hung in the air. From the shadows at the far end of the chamber, a laugh rolled out deep, mocking, rich with venom.
"Well, well, well. Look what the tide washed into me keep."
Torches flared one by one, casting jagged light against the walls.
Black Tom Cassidy stepped forward. Tall, lean, draped in dark green and black, a cruel smile plastered on his scarred face. His cane gleamed in one hand, polished like bone. His eyes found Banshee first, and they burned with old, festering hatred.
"Sean, me dear cousin. You brought friends to the family estate! An honor. Shame you'll all be leavin' in pieces."
Beside him, the ground trembled. Heavy steps shook the cavern as a figure emerged from the darkness - Juggernaut. A mountain of muscle wrapped in crimson armor, his dome-shaped helmet catching the firelight. His fists were the size of anvils. Every step was an earthquake.
"Recognize me, little man?" Juggernaut's voice thundered. He cracked his knuckles, the sound like splitting trees. "I'm Cain Marko and you're about to learn what unstoppable means."
Thunderbird growled. "Big talk. You'll fall like the rest."
Colossus stepped forward, already steel-skinned. "If you wish to harm my comrades, you will face me first."
Nightcrawler's tail lashed nervously, his yellow eyes darting between the two villains. "Ach, wunderbar. A mad cousin and a juggernaut. I vote we retreat now, ja?"
Logan's claws SNIKTed out, gleaming in the firelight. "No retreat. Just a couple more piles of meat to carve through."
Banshee's jaw tightened as he faced his cousin. "Tom. You've gone too far this time."
Tom leaned lazily on his cane, grinning. "Oh, Sean. Too far? Nay. Just far enough. You took what was mine, cousin your voice, your gifts, your oh-so-noble life. I'll be takin' them back. With interest."
Storm shifted uneasily, her hand brushing the wall. The cavern was narrow, the ceiling low, shadows pressing close. Her breath hitched, chest tightening. She tried to push it down, to breathe steady. But the walls felt alive, closing, suffocating.
Her pupils shrank. Her hand trembled. A bead of sweat slid down her temple.
Black Tom's laugh echoed louder. Juggernaut's footsteps shook the ground as he started forward.
And Storm whispered, voice trembling, "No... not again..."
The walls pressed closer. The torches flickered low, their smoke curling like claws. Storm's breath grew short, ragged. Her knees buckled.
"Ororo?" Colossus turned, reaching for her arm.
She gasped, clutching at the stone, eyes wide with panic. "No... not here... not the dark-"
Then she screamed.
The sound tore through the cavern, raw and piercing, not of battle but of a soul cracking open.
And with it came the memories.
Bombs shrieking over Cairo. The thunder of warplanes. A child's voice crying as fire consumed the streets. Ororo's parents pulling her into their arms, shielding her. The ceiling split. Stone and steel rained down. Their bodies crushed. The girl buried beneath the rubble.
Darkness. Suffocation. The weight of the world pinning her chest. No air. No light. A little hand scratching at the dirt until nails split and bled. Her tiny lungs clawing for breath.
She screamed again, the same scream she gave as a child when death pressed in from all sides.
The vision shifted. A hand dragged her from the rubble an old man's hand, rough and greedy. He taught her to beg, to steal, to bow her head in the streets of Cairo. A life of survival, of shame.
Then the deserts of Kenya. Wide skies, endless horizons. The freedom of the wind, the worship of her people a goddess reborn beneath the open sun.
Until Xavier came. The man in the chair. His mind touching hers. His voice offering purpose beyond worship. He gave her a name beyond "goddess." He gave her a family.
Now the walls threatened to steal it all away again.
Storm collapsed to her knees, clutching her head, her white hair falling like a curtain around her face. Tears streaked her cheeks, her chest heaving.
Nightcrawler crouched beside her, worried.
"Ororo-what is it?"
But she could not answer. Her voice was lost in the weight of stone.
Juggernaut's laugh boomed as he charged.
"Perfect," he roared. "One down before I've even touched 'em!"
The cavern shook as the giant thundered forward.