(Chapter Six)
(San Francisco)
Howlett yells for Hercules and runs over to his lover’s body. As he touches the body, it crumbles to pieces. Wolverine comes up to him and tells him to mourn later, as they’ve still got monsters to kill. With tears running down his face, he says that he thought they would have more time. Kurt comes up to him and hugs him. Apologizing, Kurt says that Hercules took on the monster to save them but he couldn’t get to him in time.
Sage shouts to them to get their attention. They turn to see one of the giant monsters towering in the distance. She says that the Dreaming Celestial that just fell to pieces around them was ones of the most powerful entities in the universe. Prophet finishes her sentence by saying that the monster has now absorbed its strength. Wolverine unsheathes his claws and says he hasn’t met a monster yet that doesn’t have a weak spot; they just have to keep stickin’ them. Howlett tells him to stop; if anyone wants these things dead it’s him. But they have already tried that twice… now it’s time to see what their world’s wonders can do.
They look up to see Northstar flying at super-speed and laughing. Sage tells him to move faster as he flies round and round the monster. She yells that it’s working and Wolverine asks what’s working. She tells him the monster absorbs energy so Northstar is creating a vortex around the monster to stop any energy reaching it. Wolverine asks how they kill it and Prophet tells him they are accessing the Celestial’s memory box to figure it out. He and Kurt will just need a few more minutes.
Sage turns to Karma and says that Northstar can’t keep this up for much longer and asks if she’s ready. Karma replies that of course she isn’t, the monster is a psychic black hole, but this is what they pay the medium sized bucks for. Sage asks if they actually pay her but Karma replies that it was a joke. Karma tries to possess the monster but starts screaming in pain. Sage tells her to break off as it’s killing her but Karma holds on.
The ground starts to shake and the heroes stagger around. Rocks and debris start flying towards the monster. Howlett says it is just like the other world… it’s trying to eat the planet. Wolverine tells him to calm down, it’s just one monster. Their world is full of heroes and geniuses, they just have to contain it for long enough. Prophet interrupts and say it’s worse than he thought. There’s a whole army of the monsters… millions… billions even. Kurt says they are following this monster right to them. Just then, Prophet is struck on the head by a rock. He wearily says that nothing in the universe can contain them. But he has sent the other team to New Apocalypse so no matter what happens here they still have one more bullet in the chamber and her name is Jean Grey.
(Chapter Seven)
(New Apocalypse)
One of the monsters is rampaging through the city as Jean Grey flees from it with the unconscious body of Nightcrawler on her shoulder. She narrowly dodges a huge beam of light fired at the monster. She turns to see Dazzler, Iceman and Cyclops. She yells at Dazzler that the monster absorbs her power. Dazzler tells her to relax, as she got the memo. Dazzler and Cyclops then fire their powers at the ground in front of the monster, causing it to stagger backwards. Iceman then encases it in ice to slow it down. Dazzler grabs Jean by the scruff of her costume and says that they came there to get the Apocalypse Seed to destroy these things for good. But then Jean and Nightcrawler stole it. Jean says that it gets worse.
Elsewhere, Kurt teleports Howlett and Prophet through the portal and back to New Apocalypse. Howlett asks if Kurt’s alright and he wearily tells him he’s fine, though Prophet says that he has been getting weaker and weaker. The portal they take between dimensions is reacting with his teleportation power and it’s draining his strength. Kurt tells them he’s fine and holds out some tech from the Dreaming Celestial. The device is reacting and Kurt says the Apocalypse Seed must be close. Prophet says it must have been removed from its chamber and that Jean must have it. Kurt turns and says he hates to break it to him but it doesn’t look like Jean has it. They see Dark Beast in the distance trying to harness the power of the seed.
Jean and her team enter and yell for Dark Beast to stop. She informs Prophet that he stole the seed off them but he can’t control it. Dark Beast throws a fireball at them, but Iceman puts up a shield. Suddenly, they hear Dark Beast scream and realize he can’t control the power. Prophet puts his hand on Jean’s shoulder and tells her she was born for this and then asks if she’s ready. She hesitates but Nightcrawler, who has now regained consciousness, joins her. She asks if he trusts her and he replies that he has a hard time trusting anyone these days, not even himself. But, if he has to choose between a four hundred pound megalomaniac mad scientist or her, then the lady wins every time.
With that, he teleports himself and Jean up to Dark Beast. As he does so, the monster also bursts through the rocks and tries to grab the seed. It gets hold of it and Dark Beast screams that it’s his. The monster drops the seed, though, and screams in pain. Dark Beast picks the seed up again and starts to run off, with Jean and Nightcrawler chasing after him. Dazzler makes sure the two are clear and then orders everyone but her and Cyclops away. They aim their powers above the monster and hit the roof of the cavern. The roof starts to collapse as they turn to run. Dazzler says that bought them a minute and then asks if anyone has a plan. Prophet noted that the monster seemed to be repelled by the seed.
Kurt says they need to find Jean and the pod and then bring them back to Dazzler’s world. Dazzler asks what’s going on, on her world. Kurt tells her it’s even closer to destruction than New Apocalypse is. A Celestial powered monster is about to usher in a billion more just like him to eat the universe. He says it killed Hercules; he tried to help but he was too late. He looks sad as he says it but Howlett comforts him. Dazzler tells Howlett she is sorry and he says he is too but then again he always wanted to visit Hades. He figures he can do better than Orpheus did. But first they need to save the world Hercules died for.
Prophet says that he hates it as much as the rest of them but, if they run to save Dazzler’s world, then the monster here will grow just as strong and bring the same doom as the monster over there. They have to choose… seal off the portal and then save one world or the other. Dazzler points a finger at him and says they are X-Men… they choose both. Prophet says it isn’t a matter of will, there simply isn’t the time. She asks him how much faith he has in the Apocalypse Seed and he replies all the faith there is. She tells him to take Iceman, Kurt and Howlett and save Jean and then meet them at the portal. She will take care of the rest.
(Chapter Eight)
(The trans-dimensional portal to Golden Gate Park)
In New Apocalypse, Dazzler and Cyclops look through the portal and see the other team in her universe fighting the monster. Dazzler mutters that she has a bad feeling about it. Cyclops tells her it’s a good plan: they tempt the monster with their energy and it follows them through the portal. They will then have all the monsters in the same place and then Jean will hit them with the seed and save both worlds. She points out the last time they fired energy into a portal, it ended up destroying the world. Cyclops says it might happen again but she’s making the best call she can. She says she asked for this. She wanted to lead, to prove herself and be a hero. Now she just wants everyone to be okay. Cyclops holds her hand and says now she’s a hero.
On the other side of the portal, Sage shouts to her. They fire their powers at the portal and, on the other side, the energy beams come out and hit the monster. Sage yells to her to give it all she’s got as the other members try to coax it towards the portal. Northstar yells that the monster isn’t responding. Karma, surrounded by civilians, yells for everyone to get back. She yells for them to run but it’s too late and the monster grows even more powerful and starts sucking the people around it towards him.
Meanwhile, back through the portal, an exhausted Kurt teleports to Dazzler. He informs her that the others are on their way and the monsters chasing them. They will be there in about five minutes. Sage comes through the portal and says that the monster on the other side isn’t taking the bait and they can’t get him through the portal. Kurt says that he can but Dazzler tells him he isn’t strong enough. He says that Prophet is right; if they have any hope of saving both worlds, then they need all three monsters in front of Jean and the seed. Dazzler hugs him and says there has to be another way. Kurt says this is the only way and Dazzler says that he’s her hero. Kurt says to tell Howlett he kinda loves them all. With that, he teleports away and reappears on the other side of the portal. He grabs onto the monster and screams as he touches it. Around him, Northstar is catching the people being sucked into the air. When one of them yells for God, Kurt pleads a prayer of his own. He then uses his remaining strength to teleport the monster through the portal to New Apocalypse.
Kurt falls unconscious as he falls through the air. Dazzler creates a light-slide to catch him. She catches his body, only to realize that he’s dead.
Cyclops yells that the monster is opening up another portal and then asks where Jean and Prophet are. Nightcrawler, Prophet, Howlett and Dark Beast suddenly teleport in. Howlett yells for dark Beast to give up the seed as it’s killing him. Dark Beast says that it’s his, so Prophet stabs him through the back. He yells for Nightcrawler to get the seed but Dark Beast grabs it and erupts with energy, sending the heroes flying. Having had enough, Dazzler gets up and confronts Dark Beast herself. She fires multiple laser beams at him and then powers up her fists with light. She punches him until she knocks him down and then takes the seed off him. She picks it up and tells Jean that a lot of people died to get it and a lot more will die if she screws it up. So no pressure, but it’s show time. She gives the seed to Jean as a monster rampages behind her.
