We couldn't find the bodies. Whoever killed Bobby and Warren didn't leave their bodies behind. Jean used Cerebro to pinpoint their location when she felt them die so we could at least give them a decent burial but all we found was an empty desert and the charred remains of Warren's log cabin. I'm not telling Jean this but I think the fact that there's no bodies might be a good sign. Past experience has shown me that when there's no bodies to bury the chances that the person is not really dead are much greater. This rule is mostly true with super villains but as Jean herself proved sometimes it works for us super heroes as well. I know it's a slim hope but I'll never be convinced for sure that they're dead until I see the bodies. I guess this means I'm in the denial stage of accepting a death of someone close to you. I don't know if I want to advance to the next stage of acceptance...I've seen their deaths how their deaths have torn my wife apart. My belief that they're still alive...that this is some terrible trick being played on us by one of our many enemies...it's the only thing that's keeping me going.
I wonder if it's possible to die from a headache? The one I have currently leads me to believe that you can. I've been getting these killer migraines on and off for over a week now and it's beginning to worry me. Normally I'd get Hank to check it out but according to Sam Hank and several other X-men were whisked off into space by Gladiator a couple weeks back. I hope they get back soon...we could sure use them right now. With the deaths...disappearance of Warren and Bobby the X-men consist of me, Jean, Cannonball, Storm, and Wolverine. Psylocke still out there somewhere I think. Jean didn't have a link with her like she did with Warren. They could have taken her when they got Warren...I'm not sure. I am sure that the five of us aren't enough to stop the latest mutant hunting program. What did Jean call it... Operation Zero Tolerance? What ever it is I hope it doesn't kick in until we get back up to full strength because now would be the perfect time to try and take down the X-men.
I'm not going to get any sleep with my head pounding like this. Rising out of bed slowly as not to wake up Jean I make my way out on to the front porch. Maybe a little fresh air will help...I sure hope so cause the couple aspirin I took an hour back have been no help at all. It seems to be helping somewhat I think as I make my way down the dock in front of the boat house Jean and I call home. This dock could sure use some work I think as several of the planks threaten to snap in two as I put my weight on them. Something to work on after this latest wave of anti-mutant hysteria washes over. If it ever does...this latest one is about as bad as I've ever seen it. I miss having the Professor to turn to...kind of like a kid whose just had his security blanket taken away I guess. Jean's just woken up. I can feel her in my head asking where I am. I guess I'd better head back. It's pretty cold out tonight anyway...wouldn't want to catch a cold. I'm already miserable enough with this headache. Hey...what do you know it's gone. Headache's vanished just like that...talk about good luck or what.
Jean meets me halfway back to the boat house. After all the years I've known her I still think it's kind of creepy the way she just floats toward you when she uses her powers. At night time that pink glow that surrounds her adds to that effect even more. I can sort of see why normal humans fear us. She comes to a stop a few feet in front of me and lowers herself to the dock. My God she's beautiful...my thoughts are interrupted by the dangerous creaking of the dock below us. I tell her this dock probably wasn't made to support two people...heck I don't think it was built to support one. She begins to scold me for even coming out on this deathtrap...wants to know why I don't use my optic blasts to level the whole thing. She does have a point, it's not like we really need a dock. Being an X-men doesn't leave much time for leisure activities such as sailing or fishing. Still this dock has a lot of memories to it. It's been here ever since the Professor bought the place...it's where Jean and me use to sneak off to get some privacy. Having a telepath as powerful as the Professor in the mansion tended to put a damper on romance within its walls. We use to stay out hear for hours talking...I was to much of a prude back then to do much else. I about to remind Jean of the significance of this dock when I do the unthinkable. I hit her full force in the face with my fist knocking her off her feet. Why did I do that...I don't hit women...I don't hit period. I'm as surprised as she is. I'm even more surprised at what I do next. I unleash a full intensity optic blast upon her driving her though the dock into the murky lake below. What am I doing?
JEAN! I cry out her name as I continue to fire a continuous lethal blast into the water that she disappeared into. Did she get her force field up in time? She had to...I couldn't live with myself if I killed her. I can't stop myself...I'm trying to but my body won't respond to my commands. Somebody's making me do this! The Shadow King? Malice? They're both dead as far as I know. I stop firing when something erupts out of the water ten yards behind me. My body jerks around and I see that it's Jean. It's Jean...she's still alive. I shout out a warning...or at least I try to before I unleash the full power of my optical blasts at her once again. It hits her force field and deflects back toward me. The redirected blast slams down about a foot in front of me sending me flying back a good distance to land in a crumpled heap on the gravel driveway in front of the boat house. I lie unmoving as Jean closes in on me. I can hear her in my head...she's scared...so am I. What's happening to me?
She didn't even see my next blast coming. She forgot everything I taught her about approaching a supposely defeated foe. She dropped her field to check my injuries and it happened so fast I couldn't even warn her. The blast sent her crashing though the patio doors of the boat house into the bedroom. The next shot I fired targeted the gas main on the side of the house. The boat house exploded into a flameing inferno. I felt her die. The link we shared was broken aburptly like it had never existed. I had killed the love of my life. I had murdered Jean. My God what have I done?
Sam must've of been doing at least 200MPH when he struck me. I didn't even hear him coming. He must've been working on keeping his blast field silent because back when he was on the New Mutants you could hear him coming a mile away. In the space of a few seconds we're about a mile off the ground after Sam makes a sudden 90 degree turn straight up. Holding me by one arm he looks down at me and I can see the surprise register on his face. At the speed he was going he didn't see who he was attacking...he thinks he made a mistake. His blast field begins to falter as he thinks about what he's done and it weakens even more when I try to warn him about myself. The full intensity optic blast at point blank range catches him completely off guard. His supposedly unbreakable blast field shatters and he dissapears in the deadly wake of my optic blast. As I fall toward the ground I see Sam limp body doing the same in the distance. I watch and pray that his blast field kicks in before he hits the ground. Come on Sam not you to...please Sam, you can do it. Sam's body hits the ground about a second before mine does...
Bastion watched as Cannonball's body slammed into the ground a few meters in front of him. Bastion dropped the cloaking device that had concealed his presence allowing him to watch the entire battle unseen. True enough that Cannonball had almost run him down during his flight toward Cyclops but still Bastion was glad he had gotten a front row seat to this battle. Turning to the man beside him Bastion began to smile. This disgusting little toad of a man had managed to kill three X-men. What was his name again...the Puppet Master. Bastion had his doubts when his operatives had first suggested this man to him. He had fought the Fantastic Four several times in the past and had always been defeated. His doubts raised even more when it had taken well over a week for his little doll to break though Scott Summers telepathic shields. He was glad that his patience had been rewarded. The price he had to pay for the Puppet Masters services was simple to meet as well. All he had to do was cure this man of the cancer that was very slowly and painfully killing him. He should let this man die. It would teach him a lesson about playing with radioactive clay...emphasis on the word radioactive. Still the Puppet Master had performed beyond Bastion's expectations...he had killed three X-men when only one was asked for. Yes he would cure this man's cancer so the Puppet Master as he put it "...could protect his daughter from the evils of the world now that the Fantastic Four was no longer alive to do so." Cancer was an easy disease to cure...they had discovered a cure to it in the late 21st century. All Bastion had to do was jump forward about a hundred years to retrieve the cure and return with it to the present. Such a feat was remarkably simple for a man who could control time itself. Yes he might even get to visit his little friend Jubilee with his three new trophies before the day was out...
Mr. Sinister was very annoyed. All of the test subjects he had infected with the Legacy Virus had died. None of his cures had been successful. He had failed once again and Mr. Sinister was not use to failure. So frustrated was he that he did not notice the blinking light until one of his helpers pointed it out to him. No! Somebody had killed Scott Summers and Jean Grey. He had to recover their bodies before they became useless to him. As he made his way out of the lab he became aware of him.
"What are you doing here?" sneered an impatient Mr. Sinister.
"You know full well why I've come?" toned Apocalypse as he towered over Mr. Sinister.
"I've paid my debt to you...I slaughtered or should I say tested the Morlocks like you asked years ago. You should know which of them were worthy for your little Survival of the Fittest plan." stated Mr. Sinister.
"You killed the Morlocks for your own reasons...you were angry that somebody else was playing God besides you...Your debt to me is still owed and I intend to collect." Apocalypse threatened.
"This is the last time...I'll do what you ask and then I don't want to see you anymore in this lifetime." Mr. Sinister said as he made his way back into the lab.
"If you don't do what I ask the rest of your lifetime will be very brief." Apocalypse answered from the darkness.
"You presume to threaten me! I have lived on this Earth for countless years...will live countless more. I have very little to fear from you." stated Mr. Sinister.
"You misunderstood...if you do not do as I ask this world will be destroyed." Apocalypse said.
"The Apocalypse? Your name sake...you should be happy." stated Mr. Sinister.
Even Mr. Sinister was chilled by Apocalypse next statement "I have very little desire to rule over a dead world and if Bastion gets his way that's all that will be left."
The End?
Archivers note: The HTML work for this story was done by the author.