Log File 2017.05.20
- Jeremy Golden
- May 21, 2017
- 5 min read
Four spiraling staircases defended from Pyramid to the ancient skeletal city below, each leading down to a different platform and occupied by one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen. Mal and company closed in on the Blackbird jet to launch the attack to stop En Sabah Nur’s spread of the cure into the world that would wipe out all humankind. Layla facing off with her sister Molly and trying to reason with her that she didn’t have to continue to be Death. Mal took on Quinn, none too pleased at the breach of their agreement at helping the other mutants that wasn’t brought in to the Estate. Val confronted her husband for the first time since losing him at the Tomorrow Center trying to remind him of the man he is and of the wife that still loves him. Ruby had aimed to attack the Pyramid itself but was countered by Max before she could make impact. Gavin and Steena joining in to provide a bit of extra muscle in this fight.
Out of sight within the Pyramid the energy started to gather after En Sabah Nur’s transformation— the cure was soon to be released on the world at a rapid pace. Molly continued to take out her frustrations of a life that, while not perfect, was the closest to being sane and happy ever known to her. Quinn systematically proceeded to dismantle Mal’s tech during their talk about the new world on the horizon. Max continued the more violent banter while trying to take down Ruby. Kevin toyed with taking out Val as she persisted to remind him in some way of himself. Steena at some point in the conflict picked up on something and headed for the Pyramid and Deven himself while sending Gavin away to play crowd control for the rest.
As the Pyramid started to pulse with energy and begin spreading that cure…a sudden change swept over to affect those close to the source. Mal, without the protection of his suit, dropped as the cure for mutants was tearing apart his human body. The rest of the team as well as other mutants would feel a surge of energy from that vapor blasted upwards and spread into the air…an air borne cure. However some of what Mal had said appears to have made sense, as she sends nanites to reform the protective armor she’d previously removed from him before turning her attention to Deven in that Pyramid. At one point Molly pinned Layla to the ground with her scythe to leave her helpless to do more than watch as the chaos unfolds around her…for her to watch it end. An echo of what Layla’s actions had done to Molly. Max eventually returning to the Pyramid satisfied with his victory over Ruby. Kevin still outside and slowly draining Val as she continued to try reminding him of his life.
Layla moved as best she could after removing that scythe blade from her leg to go over where Mal lay motionless. Gavin resurfacing to help them move since neither were in the best of condition currently. Within that floating Pyramid two old colleagues…friends…fight but it was one-sided with the amount of force the once Deven was able to manipulate. Quinn shows up moments later, telling him to release the other woman— only to bring Apocalypse to the realization that she was no longer his and tearing away part of the structure to bury her and her weakness. At this point Ruby launches in that opening and gives Max the signal to start his joint attack with her against Apocalypse. To the surprise of Steena as she realizes that he’s no longer acting as War. The damage to the structure and the force of energy starts to weaken and break the floating metal structure.
Outside both husband and wife were at an impasse, Veronica moves in close to try and reach Kevin to help Val in reminding him of his life to no avail. She moves in to help Val as Kevin dismisses her, telling her to leave. Stubborn and not willing to leave her husband behind a second time, she tells Veronica to go help the others as the Pyramid above begins to break from the fight inside those walls. That fight destabilizing the Pyramid as it continued trying to spread that cure to the world…and tearing itself up inside. As the structure above the skeletal city begins to crumble, Layla gives the call for the X-Men to leave before there was no chance of any of them surviving. The damage between Ruby and Max had taken its toll and the last barrage from Ruby left Apocalypse mangled and attempting to heal. Max retrieved Steena, unable to find or unearth Quinn from the rubble she’d been buried within earlier. Though Quinn was far from done, and made her way out as the others withdrew and reached out with her nannies to bring Deven back. As she did…the hold as Apocalypse over the Horsemen faded. As it did…Kevin finally heard the voice of his wife Val, still stubbornly persisting at not giving up on him. It’d be too late though for them to join the others in the jet— the structure came down around them as the rest made it out of the area barely clearing that blast.
Silence weighed heavy within the jet on the long way back. Ruby dumped Gavin and Steena out in some rural part of Connecticut— not pleased with the chain of events. Mal was unresponsive but alive…and they were now minus two X-Men as Kevin and Val hadn’t made it to the jet in time. She didn’t want to carry them back to the estate or have them anywhere near after this. Ruby started work at patching those that had made it back as best she could…Max and Veronica did what they could to help. Mal fortunately showed signs of brain activity but was still unconscious. In the aftermath since events around the Mediterranean Sea the reports of new mutants begin to emerge in the media. With the connection to Apocalypse severed at his death, Molly was once again in full control of herself and alive— able to make her own path.
A week later after some things settled down, Layla had left without any real explanation for a long journey to Tibet. Traveling through a small village and to a monastery hidden from the world in the side of a mountain seeking the Machiavellian. Only to be corrected by Ethan Rand as the individual himself came out to meet her. In the time Max had before Steena reappeared, the guilt from his past actions forced him to walk away and leave the estate with his mother. With Layla’s absence, it left Ruby, who’d never wanted to be an X-Men holding the bag.
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