Chapter 12: Beginning's End
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You spent your whole life,
Preparing for this one moment in time.
For your own sacrifice,
You carry the hope for all Mankind.
You run with eternal grace
Your courage is matched by your pride,
With every beat of your heart
Your destiny cannot be denied
Capture the dream
Give it all for the team
The call of the glory
The thrill of the game
This is the moment the whole world can see
Go for the goal
With total control
Feeding the fire burning deep in your soul
One vision
One goal
To capture the dream
The moment has come
The eyes of the world are waiting to see
This is your time to claim your place in history
Standing tall with your face to the wind
You've waited all of your life
Finding your strength from within
Making your hopes come alive
Capture the dream
Give it all for the team
The call of the glory
The thrill of the game
This is the moment the whole world can see
Go for the goal
With total control
Feeding the fire burning deep in your soul
One vision
One goal
And with the power you hold, capture the dream
Reaching up straight to the top
Your vision will never be lost
With every mountain you climb
Winning no matter the cost
Capture the dream
Give it all for the team
The call of the glory
The thrill of the game
This is the moment the whole world can see
Go for the goal
With total control
Feeding the fire burning deep in your soul
One vision
One goal
To capture the dream
With the power you hold, capture the dream
-Capture the Dream By Stan Bush
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With a thunderous roar, the X-Jet tore to the sky already near its max speed, rushing the already moving floating fortress. "Ok, here's the plan," Cyclops growled irritably, "We go in, save Mage and Ginny Weasley, kick this Apocalypse's ass, then we kick Mage's ass for doing something as stupid as running off on his own, which, by the way, I blame entirely on you, Logan," Cyclops added, ignoring the snort Wolverine gave him for it,
"Then we blow that hunk of rock out of the air and go home."
"Nice plan, Scott," Phoenix added, rolling her eyes.
"What's that?" Wolverine asked, sniffing the air.
"What's what, Logan?" Storm asked confused.
"Hold on," Wolverine said holding up a finger. He got up from his seat and walked back to a locker, placed one hand on the handle, and drew his claws on the other, "one, two, and THREE!" He growled jerking the door open, to two audible 'eeps'.
Wolverine sheathed his claws and glared down at Ron and Hermione, who both seemed to have crammed themselves in the locker. "Um … hi Logan," Hermione said with an embarrassed giggle.
Wolverine just stared for a moment before turning toward the cockpit, "BEAST! GET BACK HERE! YOUR NIECE, YOUR PROBLEM!" He then without another look, stomped back to the cockpit.
Beast came storming back with a distinct look of displeasure on his face. "Martha Hermione Granger! You know better!" He cried, causing an 'eep' from Hermione and a snicker from Ron.
"Martha?" Ron chuckled.
"If Harry hears a peep of this …" Hermione warned, "I will turn you into a mouse and give you to Crookshanks …"
"What are you doing here?" Beast scolded.
"We came to help Harry," Hermione answered as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
"It's bloody obvious Harry and Ginny are in trouble," Ron shrugged, "Who are we to miss the party?"
"You two will not set foot outside the X-Jet when we land, is that clear?" Jean said firmly walking up to the two teens.
"But …" Hermione started.
"No buts," Jean silenced her, "We'll bring him back as safe as will we your sister Ron, so you two just wait here and let us do what we do best. Ok?"
Hermione stood there for a moment, before she threw herself down in a spare seat and buckled herself in, sulking.
"Bloody hell," Ron gawked taking the seat across from her, "If I knew it was that easy …"
"Shut it, Ron," Hermione glared.
--
"Ok, guys," Cyclops said from the pilot's seat, "Hang on, this looks like a rough landing coming."
"Oh goodie …" Logan said, gripping his restraints, as the X-Jets shot toward the side of the floating temple.
"Storm, anything you can do about giving us a doorway?" Cyclops asked, not slowing the jet down.
A moment later, countless bolts of lightening struck a single area, directly ahead of the jet, blowing a large hole in the side. The X-Jet almost made it through, but the left wing caught on the side of the hole, forcing the jet to crash along the floor of the float temple.
"Bloody hell," Ron complained, "What kind of landing was that?"
"Well this is marvelous," Beast sighed, "The main hard drive and flight systems are scrambled …"
"Ok, Beast, you stay here and get the jet back airworthy," Cyclops ordered, "The rest of us will go after Mage and the girl."
The group nodded and exited the crippled jet, "Tell Harry he promised!" Hermione called after them. Cyclops gave her a thumbs-up and continued onward with the others leaving the two teens and Beast alone.
--
"Ginny," Harry said shaking the girl, "Ginny wake up."
"H-Harry?" Ginny said coming around, "What happened?"
"Doesn't matter," Harry responded looking around at the large cage they were sealed in, "What matters is we find a way out of here …"
"You put yourself in danger for me again?" Ginny said looking at him sheepishly, "I'm sorry …"
"Don't worry about it," Harry said standing up, and then held his palm toward the bars. He narrowed his eyes and they bent out large enough for Harry and Ginny to get through.
"Wow …" Ginny gawked, "You're really a Mutant too …"
"Too?" Harry asked staring in confusion, "You're a Mutant, Ginny?"
"What?" Ginny blushed, "No, heavens no. Just my … err… I know another Mutant at Hogwarts …"
"Oh right, who?" Harry asked, leading through the hole in the bars.
"Promise not to tell or be upset …" Ginny pleaded, earning a nod from Harry. "Ok, he's my boyfriend, it's …"
"And where do you think you're going, X-Man?" Apocalypse laughed making the two teens jump in fright.
--
"Need any help, Uncle Hank?" Hermione asked looking over Beast's shoulder as he worked on the damaged X-Jet.
"No thank you, Hermione," Beast said with a smile, "I've got it under control."
"Uncle Hank …" Hermione said a sense of fear in her voice.
"Yes, Her- MMF!" He grunted as Mystique blindsided him in the back of the head, knocking him out.
"Hello, Hermy," Mystique greeted with a evil smile, "And Ronny Boy," she then morphed into Hermione, "How have you been, Love?" she said in Hermione's voice, then changed back chuckling as Ron began to gag and wheeze.
"I was hoping we'd meet again," Hermione said stepping casually toward her.
"Is that a fact, little girl?" Mystique mocked as the two young women circled each other, glaring at one another. She then stuck her chin toward Hermione, "Go ahead, I'll give you a free slap."
"Ok," Hermione smiled, reared back, and slugged her right between the eyes.
"You little whore!" Mystique gasped pulling herself to a sitting position, "I said slap!"
"Take that back, I'm not the one who slept with half the guys and half the girls at Hogwarts!" Hermione hissed, "Then again, I am not much of a lady, considering …" she said as she kicked her in the face, "I kick little sluts while they're down."
"You little …" Mystique growled, before roaring in rage and tackled Hermione in a hair pulling, punch throwing, hard kicking catfight.
Ron stood by watching them, and was about to jump in and help her but a quick death glare from Hermione stopped him dead in his tracks. Not that he minded Hermione cat fighting a naked, while scaly, attractive, yet scaly, woman. He could think of one word to say, "Wicked …"
--
"Where do you think you two are going?" Apocalypse asked again walking toward the fearful Harry and Ginny. "If you're in that big of a hurry to die," He said stepping toward them, "So be it."
"Back off, Bub!" Wolverine growled slashing at the towering demon.
"Wolverine!" Harry cried, as he looked and spotted the other X-Men on their way.
"You two alright, Runt?" He asked, still glaring at Apocalypse.
"We're fine, Wolverine," Harry said as the other X-Men gathered around them.
"Good," said Cyclops, "Nightcrawler, take Ginny back to the Jet and wait for us there. Hopefully we won't be long."
Kurt immediately touched Ginny's shoulder and the two vanished in a cloud of sulfur.
"Ok X-Men," Cyclops said preparing an optic blast, "Take him."
--
The fight was almost one sided, but no matter how many times Apocalypse knocked the X-Men down, they continued to get back up. "Stupefy!" Harry called as he cast a spell at the demon's back, but it just splashed off as if it was water.
Colossus, in his metallic form, ran up and gave Apocalypse a massive uppercut, which did make the monster back step, only for him to come back and send the Russian X-Man flying backwards into the wall, sliding down back in his normal form.
Cyclops hit him with his full power optic blast. While it staggered him for a moment, he recovered almost instantly. Wolverine dove at him with his clawed fist, only to be caught at the wrist, slung around his head like a rope, and then thrown at Jubilee, Morph, and Storm like an old ragged toy.
Harry, using his Telekinesis to increase his strength and agility, began his attack, and dazed the behemoth with a barrage of enhanced martial arts attacks, the attacks were successful till Apocalypse grabbed him by the face, picked him up, and slammed him down to the hard ground.
Harry managed to get by Phoenix and Cyclops, "Jean, any chance of doing that fire thing you do?" Harry asked hopefully.
"I'm sorry," said Jean sadly, "I don't even know how I do it …"
"Ok…" Said Harry, with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Lets see, he's impervious to magic, so even if I did pull a good demobilizing spell or even the death curse, it wouldn't work, and I can't draw his power maybe … I have an idea!"
--
Nightcrawler and Ginny materialized, and barely missed the two bodies trying to sling the other into the side of the downed jet. "What the?" Ginny and Nightcrawler said in unison, as they watched Hermione brutally pound Mystique's skull into the metal plated side of the X-Jet.
"This. Is. For. Making. Harry. Think. I. Don't. Like. Him." Hermione said, a clang for every period. She finally let go of the blue-scaled woman, who stood there for a moment, dazed before falling backwards, out cold. "That's what you get for hurting the Granger name," She said with a hard nod.
"Um … what I miss?" Nightcrawler asked looking down at the KO'ed mutant.
"Go Hermione!" Ginny cheered the exhausted teen.
"Thank Logan and Uncle Hank," Hermione said; pushing a strand of hair from her face, "they've been giving me lessons in self-defense."
"Self-defense?" Ron gawked, "Bloody hell, you kicked her ass!"
"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked Nightcrawler, ignoring Ron, "Is he ok? He isn't hurt is he?"
"He's with the others fighting Apocalypse," Nightcrawler answered, "Now, I'm headed back to help, we'll be back in just a few, you guys get Beast back awake, so we can get the X-Jet back in the air."
"Wait I'm coming-" she started but Nightcrawler had already teleported, "With you …" she sighed then turned her attention to her uncle.
--
"So what's your idea?" Cyclops asked as Harry eyed the area.
"I can't tell you, because you'll stop me." Harry responded with a smirk worthy of Wolverine, "Just when I give the word distract him."
Cyclops looked at Jean, who gave him a nod showing she trusts him, "Ok, tell us when."
"Alright, first, Dad, Mum, thank you," He said, blinking back tears, "Thank you for wanting me, wanting me to be your son. If this doesn't work, I just want you two to know I love you both, and I couldn't imagine my real parents being any better then you two have been."
Jean despite the dangerous situation, pulled him in a hug, "Be careful, Harry," She whispered before kissing his cheek.
Harry nodded, and then nodded at Cyclops, "Lets get this guy."
Cyclops gave a nod at the entire team, save Harry, attacked the demon, while Harry snuck around behind him. "You're going down!" Harry growled jumping on his back, placing an ungloved hand on the back of the monster's neck.
"You fool," Apocalypse mocked, "You've tried that already, your desperation is laughable!"
"I haven't tried this," Harry said, as he began to reverse his parasitic powers and forced all of his energy to flow into and connect Apocalypse's own energy, his own still living soul.
"How will this bring you a victory, foolish boy?" Apocalypse asked enjoying the added energy.
"If I can't curse you …" Harry said removing his wand with his free hand. "I'll curse us," He said turning the wand to point at his own chest, "I'll see you in hell! Avada Kadavra!!!"
Harry's eyes went wide as the green beam shot into his chest, with the same feeling as a knife stabbing. His whole body burned then the burning seemed to follow the flow of his energy and went out his arm, his hand. Apocalypse screamed for hardly a second, and then they both fell to the ground with two separate sickening thuds.
The field went deathly quiet, all eyes on the fallen combatants. Then finally the silence was broken by the one who had loved him since the moment she laid eyes on him, and would probably continue until her dieing day.
"HARRY!!!!" Kitty cried, dashing to him to pull him in her arms, "Don't you dare do this, you … promised Hermione remember. I am not going to tell her you died and broke your promise so wake up, you jerk!" she then heard him grunt a little, "You're alive? YOU'RE ALIVE! HE'S ALIVE! HURRY! HE'S ALIVE!" She called out to the others, freaking out.
"Bloody HELL!!" He groaned, "That hurt!" he complained holding his chest. "NEVER let me do that again!" He then looked over at Apocalypse's body, "Did I get him?"
"Yeah, yah did good, kid. Are you ok?" Wolverine asked, "Here, Runt, take a bit to help." He offered handing him an ungloved hand, "You don't hurt as much as some people," He said with a wink to Rogue.
Harry took his hand and took just enough to take his healing factor, but this time, he got something strange. An image, a memory, flashed in front of his eyes; the memory was of the person standing in front of a woman. The memory was fuzzy but he could make out red hair and green eyes, "Truth is … I love you, Lily Evans…" he heard.
Harry's eyes went wide, and he turned to Wolverine, who was now looking over Apocalypse's body. 'No, it couldn't be …' he thought looking at his lap, 'could it?'
Harry started to ask for him, but the temple gave a violent shake. "Uh oh…" Cyclops gulped as a large piece of rock fall from the ceiling, "I think that's our cue to leave," He said looking down at Harry, "Can you walk, son?"
Yeah, let's go," Harry nodded as the group made a dash for the X-Jet.
--
"Harry!" Hermione cried jumping into his arms, "I was so worried!" She whimpered, trying to keep herself from crying.
"I'm alright, Mione," Harry reassured, "But we need to get out," he said as the shaking began to worsen.
The group got in the jet and began to buckle up, Hermione's hand immediately going to Harry's.
"Ok, lets get this bird in the air," Cyclops as he pressed a few switches, bringing the engine to live, which died just as fast as it activated, "or not … Beast?"
"It's not my fault!" Beast cried, beating on his control panel.
"The power converter is shot," Beast growled, "We need an outside power source, and it's going to have to be big to get us out of here, before we go down the hard way."
Hermione looked at Harry, terror evident in her eyes. Harry wordlessly pulled her in his arms and held her tight, "We'll get out of this, Hermione, just hang on …"
"Outside power source …" Jean whispered then looked up when all went quiet. "What?"
"Remember what I told you, Jean?" a girl looking to be around Hermione's age, with long red hair, green eyes, and wearing Gryffindor robes, said standing between her and the frozen X-Men.
"What?" Jean asked, her mouth growing dry.
"You can save them," The girl said, walking over to Harry who was holding Hermione tight, "But it will cost you a great deal. Are you willing to die for them, for your family?"
"I …" Jean started nervously.
"If you are willing to die for him, and those you love," the girl said stroking Harry's frozen cheek, "I will help you save them, do you love them enough to give your life for them?"
"Yes," Jean said with no hesitation, "Yes I do,"
"You are a brave person, Jean," She smiled. She then exploded in flames, which suddenly took the form of a flaming phoenix. The Bird gave a strong call before diving into Jean's chest. Jean closed her eyes, and when she opened the world had unfrozen, but her burning red eyes held all the knowledge of what she needed to do.
--
"I'm sorry, Scott," Beast sighed then jumped, "What the … we've got power!"
"What? We're taking off!" Cyclops gasped, as the jet began to rise into the air. "WHAT? JEAN'S OUTSIDE!" He panicked. He grabbed the control stick but found it under another's power.
"I know what I'm doing, Scott," Jean's voice echoed in their minds, "This is my choice, all of you over me."
"Jean, no …" Cyclops gulped, beginning to tremble.
"Hermione," Jean's voice said, "It's up to you to watch over our boys, take good care of them for me."
"Jean …" Hermione whimpered, freely crying.
"All of you watch over each other," she said, "and I'll be watching you too. I love you all." The voice was quiet for a moment, "And Harry, I'll give your mother your love," she said as the jet sped out of the chamber. "MUM!!" Harry cried diving toward the side window, "No, not again! Please not again!" He cried, not even noticing that Hermione had pulled him to her.
"JEAN!" Scott cried as the temple crumbled and dropped to the ground in an explosive crash. "No …" he cried, before Harry pulled him in a trembling embrace.
Storm, wiped her eyes and took control of the Jet, and brought it down to where the students and Professors had gathered. The battle has been won, but had been bought at a tragic price. One that none of them will soon forget.
To Be Continued …
C. Cowboy: As they say all good things must come to an end. And Children of the Atom is nearing its end. Thanks everyone who reviewed and I'd like to thank Xavien for helping me out by beta reading it for me. But one thing to remember, this is not the end, this is only the beginning.
Until next time, True Believers!
Next Chapter: Epilogue