[Age Of Apocalypse] - The World's First Mutant Has Returned

Cairo, Egypt, 1982,

There was a massive crowd of people in front of a pyramid. It was different from the rest of the pyramids because it was... too perfect. There were locals who were excited to see a new pyramid, archaeologists who were excited to study and discover the things in it and there were tourists from around the world. Everybody had one thing in common. They were eager to catch a glimpse of the inside of the lost pyramid.

The Egyptian police had formed a perimeter and were actively trying to control the crowd of excited people. There were also several police cars around the perimeter. News vans from various media outlets lined the perimeter. Their antennas were pointed at the pyramid and they were broadcasting the news reports done by the reporters outside. Several reporters with their microphones in hand were excitedly doing their work.

One of them said, "Six years ago, when the world-famous superhero was fighting a villain he used his power a bit too much. According to our sources, his first punch blasted the poor villain from New York straight to the North Atlantic Ocean. One more punch and the guy flew to Africa. That was scary, indeed. But, his last punch was the most devastating and frightening of them all. An Earthquake! His last punch caused an earthquake that was felt across the world. Although, the magnitude of the earthquake, according to our seismologists, was not life threatening.

But... it did cause some damage. Locals from India, Vietnam, Philippines, Ecuador, Brazil and other countries are reported to have said that their small shops were destroyed. All because of Starlance's punch. But, Starlance wasn't the one to cower and hide. He bravely came out and took responsibility for the earthquake. He promised that he would provide for the people whose shops were affected and rebuild it. And he kept his word. In just two years, Starlance paid and rebuilt the shops of every single one of the affected. However, something good also happened due to his actions. For example, the pyramid behind me."

The camera panned to the pyramid and then, back to the reporter who continued, "This is an archaeological discovery! This pyramid was unearthed a few months ago. A local found that his house's floor was uneven and after he began to work on it, he discovered a pyramid's head beneath his house. The pyramid has been fully unearthed now. According to our experts, the sudden emergence of this pyramid is bizzare. And the more bizzare fact about it is that nobody, I repeat, nobody had ever seen or read a mention of this pyramid. Now everybody's wonderin–"

Moira was standing behind the reporters and the police officers. She gazed at the crowd and saw a man being escorted out of the crowd. The police did a body check on him. After finding nothing suspicious on him, the man was allowed to go. She saw the man look at her and hurriedly walk toward her. He came toward her and stretched his hand.

Moira smiled and shook his hand while saying, "Agent MacTaggert, C.I.A."

The man also smiled and said, "Ahmed Khadry, Director of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization."

Moira gestured toward the pyramid and said, "Let's step inside, Mr. Khadry."

While walking toward it, she asked, "Mr. Khadry. What are your thoughts on this pyramid?"

Khadry asked, "My personal thoughts or the general one?"

Moira said, "Personal, please. I've much more interested in that over the general one."

Khadry sighed and said, "I don't feel good about this, not a single bit. This pyramid shouldn't have emerged."

"Oh?", Moira exclaimed and asked, "Why do you feel that way?"

"Because...", Khadry said and they stepped inside the pyramid and continued, "We, people of the Antiquities Department have learnt one thing – Don't open a sarcophagus if the hieroglyphs warn you of doing so. And, don't think that a pyramid has treasures if it lights up like a beacon in the middle of a city."

Suddenly, they turned around and saw Bob running toward them. He stopped after seeing Moira and panted heavily while saying, "M... Moira... y... you... have... to... see... this..."

A few minutes later, Moira, Bob and Khadry stepped through a broken wall and entered what seemed to be the Pharaoh's chamber. There were several people inside who were busy looking through the chamber. Bob lead them to the platform in the middle of the chamber. After climbing the steps, they looked at the platform and they were shocked.

Khadry had his mouth open when he saw the top of the platform and immediately began praying. Moira shifted her gaze from the platform to Bob and said seriously, "Contact S.H.I.E.L.D. This isn't a national matter anymore." Her gaze shifted back to the top of the platform where the Pharaoh's body should have been and there were signs of somebody getting out from the platform, and continued, "This is a matter of global concern."

. . .

Outside the pyramid, Apocalypse hid his face and blue-skinned body with a cloak and squeezed his way past the crowd. He walked away calmly and stood in front of a market and looked around. People in strange large metal boxes moving around. The people shouting. Strange people talking and moving in boxes. People talking with a rock in their hands. It was all too familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

'Where are my horsemen? Where are the Horsemen of the Apocalypse?', he screamed inside and frantically looked around. He was left shocked by the changes. 'How many years has it been? How many years? Where are my followers? Where are the people who used to chant my name?'

He walked into a crowed market alleyway and stood aside. He looked at the people who didn't even glance at him and went on their way. He felt like a nobody. 'Has everybody forgotten about me? En Sabah Nur? Is there no one who remembers me?'

While he was having his inner monologue, he noticed a change in the wind around him and looked around. Suddenly, his eyes landed on a white-haired, ebony girl who was twirling her fingers behind her back while standing at a corner. He saw her controlling the wind and the people walking by had their wallets fly out of their pockets into the girl's hands.

He narrowed his eyes at the girl and murmured, "Interesting."

=================

Check out my Patr-éon if you want to read ahead.

www.patr-éon.com/aidenusmani