Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Four. Mutation Station

As they walked further in, Logan paused, "I know I left em, but something smells off in here. This is where they made me, and there's a whole lotta adamantium inside, Can you feel it?" and Erik reached out a hand and nodded,

"You figured they were safer outside. If Laura was the first, then there are others." and Logan agreed,

"A whole buncha me ain't gonna be pretty to fight." and the blades on his hands slid out.

Erik scoffed, "If they all have the same weakness you do, then we have nothing to worry about," but Logan shook his head,

"You know, I never liked that smug attitude of yours, Erik. Always rubbed me the wrong way." and as Erik pushed past him,

"It's not smugness when you are confident Logan, it's earned." and Erik pointed down the corridor to the crowd of black-haired Wolverine clones waiting,

"Only an idiot coats the bones of a mutant with metal when one of his enemies is a master of magnetism," and as Erik reached out the clones shuddered and spasmed as Erik grasped his fist and the metal on their bones erupted out of them. "Confidence Logan, confidence."

Logan shook his head and as the piles of flesh twitched and writhed Erik stepped forwards, to be met with a blast of fire erupting from one clone, barely alive but sat up. Its mouth was wrenched open and Erik screamed as the flames licked over his armour.

Logan pulled him back and around a corner, seeing Erik shake and twitch. His face was a mess of blisters and burnt skin, and he moaned softly through seared lips, "confidence gets you killed," and sighing, two blades retracted leaving a single blade, "this'll hurt, but you'll be able to breathe."

As it slid into his throat, Erik's breath whistled through the cut. "Pietro," but the boy had already vanished and reappeared a moment later with a first aid kit, "Tube," and he handed it to Logan, who with bloody fingers slid it into Magneto's throat. "Sorry kid, I know it's your dad but take him back to the jet, and then stay there." and as Pietro stared at his father, Logan put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey! I know it's bad, but we can get him fixed, but only if you take him back to the jet and keep him safe, okay?" and with an ashen face Pietro nodded and grabbed his father, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

"You can join 'em, Jeannie. Fire breathin' ain't one of my powers so who knows what else they can do," and as Logan slid a claw around the corner he saw in its reflection that most of the clones were on their feet already, their flesh knitting itself back together with lightning speed, faster than his own he figured. "Yeah, this ain't gonna be fun."

Jean shook her head, "I can help, and Peter is down there." and Logan laughed,

"Sweet on him eh?" and she shook her head, "liar" and as he held up a finger "on three" one finger, two, and as he held up the third he leapt around the corner and started to fight.

As he cut at his clones, Jean would tear away the slashed pieces, crushing and making sure they were useless. She tried to grab at the clones with her mind but all she felt was overwhelming hatred. Hatred for her and Logan but also for themselves. They hated their own existence and cared little for the pain or damage Logan was doing. Instead, she pushed the overwhelming number back, letting Logan whittle down those in front of him, keeping the rest contained.

As she watched, limbs burned and dissolved into ash but new flesh grew in its place. The clones were regenerating faster than Logan could slice them, and even the most crippling of wounds simply head and the clone stood back up.

"No good Jeanie, need to kill 'em," and Logan slashed at one across the throat and Jean grimaced as she grabbed the head and flung it down the corridor. What was a hallway was now a charnel house. Logan let loose and the Wolverine took his place. Feral roars erupted from uncaring lips as body parts and blood sprayed everything. As she watched him, she could see the burning hatred bubbling away under his control as he ripped these fake copies to pieces and she made sure they didn't stand back up. Anything that flew was taken and crushed by her power, leaving burning piles of flesh as Wolverine cut his bloody swathe down the corridor.

His own flesh was torn at, flames spewed from hateful lips and skin rendered into ash. Jean caught herself gagging as the smell of overcooked meat, Wolverines overcooked meat, filled her nose and without blinking she created a draft, blowing the ash and smell in a cloud away from her. Wolverine was uncaring as much as the clones were, metal glinted as flesh shed and regrew faster than she could ever imagine. Stab wounds and slashes, all gone, as so were his clothing, burnt and turned to ash.

Wolverine didn't care, only the fight and the kill mattered. If the woman wanted it she would ask but the animal cared for nothing right now but the blood and the death of its enemies. He slashed, cut and rent at unwilling flesh. Whatever the things were, they still died and were nothing compared to him, the Wolverine.

Soon the corridor was empty, each of the clones Extremis fueled bodies burning themselves to ash as their power was pushed to the limit. Standing, heaving and sweating Logan let his blades retract and Jean turned her head and coughed lightly,

"It's a dick Jean, if you ain't seen one by now, well, Scott ain't doing too well." and she still unzipped the jacket she had on and as Logan laughed he tied it around his waist and covered himself.

Sniffing, "Your boyfriend's down here," and pointing to an adjacent corridor the pair carefully headed towards Venom,

"So, want to tell me?" and she shook her head, "Cause Scotts been mighty pissy lately, an' I'm thinkin' it's maybe not just at bein' left out the loop."

"He's the only one who listens, well, other than you." and Logan nodded and carefully peered around the corridor corner, "And I'm tired of everyone telling me what I can and can't do" and he grunted an affirmation. "I can't even move out without the professors say so, and its," Logan put a hand on her arm, and peered around the next corner,

"It's frustratin' to see Gwen and the rest all havin' fun and livin' it up with Parker right?" and she nodded, "yeah, well, that boy ain't right, an' I think his powers are less under his control than he thinks. Charles is right to be worried, but he ain't right to hold you back." Logan stopped and sniffed, "Wait" and as he moved, he tried a door handle and peered into the darkened room.

As he looked for a light switch and flicked it, the large fluorescent strip lights came on. Jean stood in shock as they stared at the hundred of cloning tanks, all lining several large floors of a warehouse. "Well, shit," and Logan jumped, spun and his blades were inches away from Venoms face as he let out a breath,

"Mighty stupid sneakin' up on me bub, almost stabbed yah." and as his claws retracted Venom shrugged,

"Almost isn't the same as did, and we need to take care of these tanks. Where's everyone else?" he asked,

"Erik's out. Pietro's takin' care of him and the rest are dealing with three mutants at the front entrance." and Venom swore,

"Shaw's been cloning and collecting augmented powers, they're his prize killers. And you left them?" and Logan shrugged,

"They ain't interested in killin, only fighting, and Shaw?" Venom sighed

"Really really dead. He's not the problem, they are. We need to destroy them all, and I really mean that."

"Ain't gonna kill a bunch of people who ain't had a say in their lives, kid, an' neither are you." but Peter slipped out of his armour.

"Logan, they aren't people. Shaw's been making clones of you, and a whole bunch of people, so," and he sighed, "for things you don't want to know and I don't want to have to explain," and Logan frowned as he saw the pained look on Peter's face,

"Tell me anyway, or I ain't helping you with shit, in fact, I'll stop you,"

"Sex dolls, cloned soldiers, enslaved to follow orders. They aren't people, these are things, never out of the tank, never given anything other than a chip in their head and a set of instructions. Jean, it's painful but tell him, reach out and feel them." but she shook her head

"I can't, Logan. I felt the clones. They hate everything they aren't," and she shook her head, closing her eyes to the oppressive aura she was feeling. It was a struggle and for some reason, as they ventured into this room it became worse, feelings of self-doubt and fear filled her and as a memory pushed itself to the surface she shivered and held herself.

"Hey, what?" and Peter reached out and touched her face, "look at me Jean, it's okay," and as he connected to her with the Mind Stone he felt a small part of her crying out inside. A small child afraid and hurt, watching her parents crushed as the car she was in crumpled and tumbled down the road. Peter reached back, and as she shook, "look at me Jean, it's not your fault, you couldn't help it," and she closed her eyes as the tears leaked from them,

"ALL MY FAULT!" she screamed and flames licked from her, filling the room.

Peter grabbed Logan and pulled him out of the doorway. Sliding back into his armour he spun Logan around, "Hey, you okay?" and he nodded, "good, take care of anything that comes out unless it's me."

As Venom re-entered the room Jean was floating in the middle of the large empty floor. He could feel the heat as it radiated from her, but more than that he could feel the oppressive atmosphere in the warehouse, filling him with dread and trying to break him. As he moved closer to her she screamed and the flames burned hotter, even through his armour he could feel it. Venom had to find the source of the psychic assault or Jean and whatever this power was would kill him and everyone else at the lake.

Venom could feel him around him. Shaw must have been tapping this power to create his army, and in doing so, released the monster that Selene feared. In the room, he searched for and found a control panel and releasing the main switch a hatch in the floor opened and as the black monolith slid up, Venom could feel the oppressive aura increase.

In his mind, a hollow voice echoed, and even as he pushed his powers to the fullest, it still rang out in his thoughts.

I am Apocalypse. My name is legend, my existence is perfection. You are a simple creature of flesh and blood, but you may be reborn in my image. Become my herald, become one with me and usher in a new age for mutants, and witness the end of humanity.

A deep voice echoed around the empty warehouse as cables connected to each cloning tank glowed and power rushed into the black monolith, as cracks slowly began to appear on its surface chunks of the material fell away and Venom could see the mutant Selene had described.

Even after hundreds of years, he was still alive. No longer bearing a semblance to the man he once was, Apocalypse stepped down from the ruined prison and stretched. Swollen purple muscles flexed and he yawned with a strange mutated face as if his mouth was split to the line of his jaw.

"Your lives are mine." and it was almost as if reality itself was warping around him as he advanced on Jean and Venom.