Chapter 13: The Strike By X-Mansion!
The Brotherhood's Assault! Pt. 1
[Scott Summers]:
It was a two minute flight to the edge of town where the Professor had tracked the arrival of Magneto and his entourage after getting Luke's warning. Everyone was gathered in X-Jet, from Jean, Logan, Quicksilver and Beast to the new recruits — Bobby, Colossus, Pyro and Shadowcat. Even the Professor was present, via astral projection, listening in as Scott used the two minute ride to explain the game plan.
"— and that is the plan," Scott finished. "We need to isolate Erik and Bennett, otherwise we'll never stand a chance. And, with Bennett's psionic vampirism, Jean should be wary of what might happen if she encounters him; he'll be able to get stronger as the fight progresses."
"I can stand this plan, bub," Logan agreed with surprising ease for once.
"But I still don't understand how we're supposed to contend with someone who's virtually invincible, strengthened by faith, has telekinesis that rivals the phoenix and forcefields strong enough to rival Invisible Woman," argued Pyro, ever the realist. "How do we fight something like that?"
"From a distance," Professor answered. "Both Storm and Cyclops will combat Exodus, while Jean will face off against Magneto with Wolverine. Everyone else will take on Quicksilver, Toad and the others."
"This way we can ensure victory through survival," Scott finished, before noticing Ouroro had been silent since before take off. "Isn't that right, Ororo?"
"Huh? Oh, right," startled from her thoughts, Storm refocused on the task at hand, rubbing her arms in self-consciousness. "Yes, yes… survival… victory… yes."
'I wonder what's got her distracted,' Scott pondered. 'Is it the Luke guy? He vanished just as the alarms sounded, the coward. I'll have to talk the Professor out of whatever partnership or deal they agreed on. Mutant or not, if one isn't courageous enough to fight for their beliefs, they aren't worthy partners, even in business. I know his kind.'
"We're arriving now," Jean said from the cockpit beside Beast, and everyone looked ahead below to where a small army was making its way westward, with Magneto and Exodus at the head.
"Whoa," Bobby said, eyes wide along with the rest of the new recruits. "That is a lot of mutants."
"Can we handle all of them?" Kitty questioned, gulping. "We've never faced that many enemies at once."
"It'll be fine," Scott assured, offering reassurances. "Just remember your training and you'll be fine."
"And if we lose? If we fall?" questioned Pyro, nervously.
"We won't," Scott shook his head in defiance. "We win — Or we lose together."
A sudden jolt rocked through the ship as the roof of the X-Jet was being ripped off.
"I will see you on the ground, my X-Men," Scott said, as the top of the ship was ripped off and they all became skyborn…
[General POV]:
As the X-Men skydived closer and closer to the earth, key members took flight.
The first to come to their senses was Storm, who, grabbing hold of Pyro, began her glide. Jean was next, grabbing Logan in his descent. Rogue managed to grab the waistband of Beast and Colossus had grab ahold of Shadowcat like his life depended on it (it did). Iceman created a trail of ice through the air, freezing a safe path down to the ground.
'Good,' Scott thought, flipping mid-air, righting himself before nose-diving headfirst like a comet.
Then, pressing the button on the side of his visors, he released a steady stream of propulsory, crimson energy, slowing his descent before he landed on his feet before the army before him.
Getting up, he smirked, pressing the button to his X-Communicator. "To me, my X-Men." And he didn't need to turn around to know they did, in fact, land behind him, ready for battle.
"I was expecting Charles to arrive himself," Magneto sounded disappointed.
"Well, you got us instead, sugar," Rogue retorted. "And, between you and me, we are much fiercer company."
"How disappointing," Magneto said, his voice condescending. "Well, no matter. You'll fall all the same. My Brotherhood of Mutants, took up your stand and fight!"
As if waiting for his command, the army of mutants released battlecries and charged forward.
"X-Men!" Scott yelled and his side charged to meet the charging force.
And as the two forces clashed, no one noticed an invisible presence watching it all from the skies above…
[Luke Blake]:
Luke was watching the battle from the safety of the grey clouds. And, thanks to Storm, the sky was full of them — that and lightning, as she and Cyclops were engaging with Exodus. Unfortunately, this was to no avail.
Even double-teaming that concussive kinetic force of his in tandem with lovely Ororo's lightning strikes aren't doing a thing to his forcefields, let alone his defense. If anything, they're strengthening him as he's absorbing that energy, Luke thought, then turning his attention to where Jean and Wolverine was battling their way to Magneto on the other side of the field. Magneto is merely watching it all, hasn't even engaged with them yet…
Using the watch Luke himself invented to allow him to go invisible and mask his physical presence and using his own telepathy to mask his mind's presence via shielding, Luke effectively doesn't exist. "It's an ingenious method, but then again, I may not be the Master, but I still am a genius in general," Luke thought, pride in his own thoughts.
Then, looking at Bobby, Shadowcat, Beast, Pyro, Rogue and Colossus, Luke noticed the six of them were doing pretty well on their own. "Those six should be fine, long term," Luke thought, returning his attention to Storm and Cyclops, whose fight wasn't going so well. "Then on the other hand…"
Using telekinesis, Exodus pushed Scott through the wall of a building with a loud…
CRASH!
"Scott!" Ororo exclaimed.
In rage, Storm called down multiple bolts of lightning at the other omega, but Exodus, surprisingly agile, dodged and maneuvered around each bolt in his path to get before Storm.
BOOM.
He punched Ororo in the face, sending the goddess flying.
'Looks like I'm the end,' Luke thought, deactivating the watch mid-dive, already reaching supersonic speeds. 'I'm intervening.'
[General POV]:
"You may well be a goddess, Storm, but your power does not equate to my own."
Exodus generated a giant blade made of psionic energy, ready to slice Ororo apart.
As Storm held her hands defensively before herself, the blade coming nearer and nearer, she felt shame and rage battle within her. She couldn't believe this was the end. Of all her struggles, she's being taken out by a religiously zealous former crusader and madman.
The shame and rage was understandable.
However, before the blade could even fully swing—
BOOM!
SHATTER!
The enormous blade collided against a fast-moving object, shattering out of existence like glass, surprising the entire battlefield as all looked up to see the source.
"This is an interesting fight, my fellow mutants," Luke vibrated the matter of his vocal cords so that his voice sounded to all ears present. "Unfortunately, I'm here to put an end to it. Cease your assault, Brotherhood… I will not command a second time."
And though he said this, Luke's focus was entirely on Exodus.
'I was initially intending to capture him alive, but the bastard was about to kill Storm… ,' Luke thought, rage coming off him in waves. 'Exodus would make an excellent gift to the Master, whether a slave or a corpse, I suppose doesn't really matter. Then again, I just need the body. The soul inside it is irrelevant.'
"It's you—" Exodus said, eyes wide in glee, but Luke was already a blur, flying to the mutant, fully intending to kill the bastard.
I'll kill him, was all Luke was thinking.
[Elsewhere, same time]:
Meanwhile, at some hidden animal sanctuary on the far eastern side of Russia, a certain quiet but capable head of security man's plane just landed. This guy had a single mission, but what he didn't know was how he'll have to work for it and it would come easy…for those around him, anyway…