[Age Of Apocalypse] - The Apocalypse War I - Preparations

In Apocalypse's tomb, Cairo,

Apocalypse looked down at the unconscious Charles, lying on the altar, and spoke, "The strongest of the mutants. The greatest telepath of this age. The perfect host."

"Hahaha!" He laughed, "Finally, you are in my hands, Charles Francis Xavier."

Apocalypse's eyes glowed eerily purple, and he said, "Your mind, body, and soul are mine."

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew into the tomb, and the sand began to rise, covering the sky above the pyramid.

"I'm here!" Magneto exclaimed and floated down the stairs with Archangel and Storm flying beside him.

"Master," Archangel bowed and said, "I've brought them."

Apocalypse looked at Psylocke standing behind him and said, "Ah, my Horsemen."

He looked at the unconscious Charles and said, "Prepare his body and soul."

He glanced at his Horsemen and said, "Soon, I will show you the true meaning of power."

"Yes, master!" Magneto, Archangel, Storm, and Psylocke nodded.

"Hahaha!" Apocalypse laughed and said, "Let's prepare the ritual. This time, nothing will stop me from reaching my full potential. Hahahahaha!!!"

Apocalypse walked with his Horsemen behind him and entered a different chamber with Charles' unconscious body floating in the air. Two huge altars were in the middle of the room and had several veins connecting to the ground below.

Apocalypse approached one of the altars, and before lying on it, he said, "Bring the Seeds from the treasure room."

"Yes, master," Archangel nodded and flew toward the treasure room.

Storm laid down Charles on the other altar, and both glowed brightly as soon as Charles and Apocalypse lay in it. Apocalypse smirked and closed his eyes, saying, "With Charles as my new host, I would connect with every mind in this world and show them the truth. I would make them feel my power, strength, and glory."

His voice was heard throughout the pyramid, "It's time. It's time to rule the world. Haha—"

At the same time, Archangel flew back hurriedly and exclaimed, "Master!!"

Apocalypse opened his eyes and asked, "What is it?"

Archangel gulped and fearfully said, "M-Master, the S-Seeds aren't here."

"What?!" Apocalypse shouted.

"I-It's true," Archangel stuttered, "The Seeds are missing."

"You lie!" Apocalypse shouted, and his eyes glowed.

"I'm n-not lying," Archangel said.

"Then, search the whole pyramid and find them!" Apocalypse ordered.

"I did look for them, Master. But, they aren't in the pyramid." Archangel bowed his head and continued, "A-Actually, t-there's nothing in the t-treasure room."

"What?" Apocalypse shouted, got up from the altar, and said, "How is that possible?! Nobody in this world is capable of finding the treasure room. I built this pyramid, so nobody could even think about finding it. How is this possible?!"

"I-I d-don't know, Master," Archangel shook his head.

Apocalypse grunted in displeasure and said, "Take me there."

"Yes, master!" Archangel nodded.

Apocalypse and the others followed Archangel and entered the treasure room only to see a vast empty room with nothing in it.

Apocalypse gritted his teeth and shouted, "Where are the Seeds?!! Where are my treasures? Answer me!!"

Nobody replied, causing him to shout, "WHO DARES STEAL FROM ME?! WHO DARES STEAL APOCALYPSE'S TREASURES?! ANSWER ME!!"

Again, nobody replied.

"ARGHH!!" Apocalypse roared in rage and punched the wall, creating a huge hole.

"Master, what should we do?" Storm asked.

Apocalypse was silent. After a few minutes, he calmed down and said, "I'll find out who took my treasures."

He put his palm on the ground, and his eyes glowed purple. The ground beneath his palm began to twist and turn, and this pattern spread around him until he removed his palm and stood up. Storm, Archangel, Psylocke, and Magneto watched him remain silent and stand still for several seconds, and finally, they heard him speak, "I will make you suffer! I will make you feel pain!"

He turned around, glanced at them, and said, "They're coming!"

"Wh—"

* BOOOM *

A huge explosion rocked the pyramid, and the chamber began to shake.

"They're here," Apocalypse said and walked out of the treasure room, "They're coming for Charles. Come, my Horsemen. Let's greet our guests."

* * *

A few moments ago, in the X-Mansion,

"All right! All right! Everybody, calm down!, Val said with a smile, and said, "You're all very excited. I get it. But I want you to know that this mission is important. We can't afford any mistakes. So, listen carefully to what I say. And follow my orders without hesitation. Okay?"

"Yes, Starlance!" the X-Men replied in unison.

"Good," Val nodded and said, "First, let's talk about the enemy we will face today. Our enemy, who abducted Professor Xavier, is an ancient mutant known as Apocalypse, who is immensely powerful. He has four followers, his Horsemen, who are powerful as well. So, we are not going to be dealing with our average villains. The situation will be dire. That's why I want you all to take this seriously. If you hesitate, if you show any sign of weakness, you will be killed. Do you understand?"

"YES!"

"Good. Now that all of you know who you'll be dealing with let's move on to the plan, which is quite simple. I want all of you to be rescuing the civilians. They could be anywhere. So, look for them. Help them. Guide them. Bring them away from the area of conflict. Do not fight the Horsemen; do not engage them. Just bring the civilians out of the city. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Then," He looked at Jean and Emma and said, "I want Ms. Grey and Ms. Frost to find the Professor. If you find him, don't rescue him immediately. Instead, keep him hidden until the situation gets better. Only after the rest of us defeat Apocalypse's Horsemen do I want both of you to bring the Professor out of the pyramid. Is that clear?"

"Yes." Both of them replied.

"Okay," Val nodded and said, "As for the others, they will engage the Horsemen. We might not be able to win against Apocalypse, but his Horsemen should not be a problem. With the help of our allies, we should be able to defeat them and rescue the Professor."

"Me, Wolverine, and Sabertooth will also engage the Horsemen with you," Val pointed at the two of them beside him and said.

"Okay," Val clapped his hands and said, "Is everyone clear on the plan?"

"Yes," Everyone nodded.

"Then, let's go."

As Val walked away, Wolverine whispered to Sabertooth, "He still has the Sergeant's attitude. It's good to see that after all these years, nothing has changed."

"I know, right?" Sabertooth whispered back and followed Val to the Blackbird.

Mystique walked beside Val and said, "Wow! I didn't expect you to have a natural flair for leading."

"Sweetheart!" Val winked at her and said, "You know nothing about me."

"Urghh!" Mystique rolled her eyes and said, "Show off!"

Val laughed as they approached the Blackbird.