FicWad

Darkness and Light
Chapter 4: The Truth

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The light had faded...And Scott Summers no longer stood before the young team of mutants. They were all in too great of shock to say anything as they took in the scene before them. The tyrannical mutant, known as Apocalypse, now stood before them.

"You little PEST!" yelled Apocalypse towards Slayer as he stood before him, "So much planning...So much power...Only to be ruined by the likes of YOU!"

"Yeah...I get that a lot," responded the young warrior with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Slayer was not afraid as he prepared to finish what he came here for. However, Apocalypse's expression soon changed as he let out a sinister laugh at the bewildered X-men and the lone warrior.

"Oh well...It's not like you can do anything to stop me...I've already amassed all the power I'll ever need to put my plan in to action," taunted Apocalypse as he looked over the flabbergasted X-men with a sinister grin. "I should destroy you all right here. But that would be impolite...Since it's because of you my power is so grand that this time...I truly am INVINCIBLE!"

Apocalypses enigmatic words only stirred up great feelings of anger within the X-men as they stepped forth behind Slayer and prepared to fight this tyrannical mutant that was supposed to be dead.

"I don't know how you came back from the dead bub! But we've beaten you before and we'll do it again!" grunted Logan as he unsheathed his claws.

The grin on Apocalypses face only got bigger as he watched some of his greatest enemies crowd around him in preparation to attack.

"You can't stop me this time X-men...I've made sure of it," said Apocalypse who didn't feel the least bit threatened.

"Damn it! Will ya quit the whole high and mighty shit! We're gonna beat you just like last time!" said Rogue as she and Warren took to the air.

Bobby and Jubilee prepared ice blasts and firebombs while the others prepared to attack...But Apocalypse still didn't feel threatened. He merely scoffed at their predictability.


"This isn't like last time my ever persistent enemies. This time...I came prepared..."

Upon saying those words, Apocalypse casually snapped his fingers...And a powerful gravity burst knocked the X-men back with the force of a tornado. When they all looked up to see the source of the blast...They were immediately shocked to find that two of their teammates had not fallen and now they stood beside Apocalypse.

"Emma...Xorn...What the hell are you doing?!" yelled Kitty as she slowly got up.

"They can't hear you...They are, and have been for quite some time now, my horsemen!"

Then, the eyes of Emma Frost and Xorn shifted from their usual color to a sinister glowing red...The same as Apocalypse's. Mysterious markings appeared all over their bodies...Markings that the X-men knew all too well. They were the telltale signs of Apocalypse's horsemen. The X-men could only look back in shock...But Apocalypse wasn't done just yet...

"That's not all...I have one more surprise for you. Xorn! Show them what I mean!"

Then, the young team of mutants watched in awe as Xorn removed his helmet...To reveal his true face.

"Merde! It can't be!" said Gambit as he and the rest of the team finally saw the face behind the mask.

"Magneto...An old friend of yours," said Apocalypse with a triumphant grin on his face.

"But that's impossible! Magneto is dead!" yelled Beast, for he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Ah you poor deluded fools...You really are pathetic!" taunted Apocalypse as his horsemen took battle stances, "But no matter, for I shall put you out of your misery soon enough. Now my loyal horsemen...ATTACK!"

"X-men...You know what to do!" grunted Logan.

The two minions of the demon mutant didn't waste time as they unleashed their powers upon the X-men. Through the mist of the confusion that Apocalypse had caused, Slayer had made himself invisible for reasons known only to him. But this act barely registered in the minds of the X-men as they now concerned themselves with their greatest foe that now stood before them when they had come to believe that he had been vanquished long ago. Quickly...The bewildered team of mutants split off in to random groups to fight Apocalypse's new minions. Bobby, Jubilee, Kitty, and Beast were now fighting the newly enhanced Emma Frost while Rogue, Remy, Storm, and Angel were attempting to fight off Magneto.


However, the fight became all too one-sided as the enhanced powers of Apocalypse's latest minions proved to be stronger than any of them could have anticipated. Emma's enhanced psychic powers made quick work of her four aggressors as she confused them with illusions and used her diamond hard shell to knock each of them out. Despite being outnumbered, Magneto was also able to take down Rogue, Remy, Storm, and Angel with minimal effort.

Meanwhile, Logan had gone straight for Apocalypse...But this proved to be a big mistake...

"Yer goin down Apocalypse! I don't care how many minions you have or what kind of plans yer tryin' to pull...Yer NOT gonna win!" bellowed Logan as he lunged forth at the ancient mutant, prepared to tear him limb from limb.

"You are mistaken Wolverine...I have already won!"

And with a burst of bright light from his hands...Apocalypse blasted the Canadian mutant with a great force and sent him flying nearly 50 feet in to other direction. Apocalypse hadn't even broken a sweat so far and watched in amusement as his two horsemen made quick work of each one of the X-men. However, there was still one left to fight him...Jean Grey. With a sudden burst of telekinesis, Jean attempted to knock the ancient mutant back...But her powers were not as strong without the Phoenix. However, this didn't stop her...

"Oh how the mighty have fallen," laughed Apocalypse as he watched Jean attempt to fight him off, but so far she hadn't even so much as scratched him, "Not so tough now without the Phoenix are you Mrs. Summers?"

"YOU!" yelled Jean as she tried another round of psychic blasts, but to no avail, "What did you do to my husband!? WHERE IS SCOTT!?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out..." hissed Apocalypse as Jean tried to use more of her telepathic powers against him, but could not sense anything within his evil mind.

"NO! YOU TELL ME WHERE HE IS!" exclaimed Jean, who struggled to take in everything that had happened within the last hour.

Apocalypse just let out a sickening laugh as he effortlessly blocked Jean's powerful blasts. From behind, Emma and Magneto approached, surrounding Jean as she continually wore herself down with her powers. But she refused to give in...Apocalypse knew something that she didn't...Something important. However he wasn't about to tell her...

"Pathetic...That's what you are. Without the power of the Phoenix you are NOTHING! You're not even worth killing anymore!" taunted Apocalypse as he raised one of his hands.


Then, a small blue ball of glowing energy shot out...And hit Jean Grey-Summers head on...Nearly knocking her out cold. But she stayed conscious...And now could only hear the sickening laughter of the demonic mutant that had decimated the team.

"What a waste of time...The once mighty X-men are now nothing more than weak little pawns in my game! And now NOTHING can stop me!"

Just then, another voice that Apocalypse had forgotten about in the mist of the battle came from behind him.

"Aren't you forgetting one little detail?"

"You..." scoffed Apocalypse as he turned around to see the powerful warrior that had uncovered his secret, "Don't make me laugh...You merely sped up the inevitable! You can't do anything to prevent the final reckoning of mankind!"

Slayer's expression remained stoic and determined as his hands began to glow.

"Well...Why don't we test that theory?"

Then, mysterious bolts of lighting erupted from Slayer's hands and the demonic mutant fell back in mild shock from the intense force that followed. Even with all of Apocalypse's power, he could not have anticipated the power of these mysterious bolts. There was just something about them that penetrated all of the ancient mutant's defenses.

"What?! Holy lightning..." said Apocalypse in mild shock as the blast stopped.

"You're not the only one who knows a little magic. You survived Cable...You survived the Phoenix...But you will NOT survive me!" grunted the young warrior as he pulled out his mysterious, glowing sword.

"And what makes you different than the rest of the miserable specks of human flesh that have tried to defeat me?" hissed Apocalypse as he quickly regained his composure.

Slayer just grinned as he lunged forth at blinding speeds and slashed the ancient mutant with his sword. Much to Apocalypse's surprise...It actually hurt.

"YEOW! WHAT THE?!!!"

"Still a product of you own flaws I see. Well you of all entities should know...Things aren't always as they seem."

With and angry grunt, he called upon his minions.

"HORSEMEN! ATTACK!" yelled Apocalypse as Emma and Magneto stepped forth and prepared attack him.


Emma lunged forth in her diamond form and began to aggressively fight the nimble, young warrior with the skills Apocalypse had given her. But her psychic powers still didn't affect the strange young man for reasons unknown. Either way, she was still much harder to fight this time around. Slayer's strength was nearly matched by the enhanced White Queen...But what he couldn't do with strength, he made up for in skill. Emma only got off one good hit, before the young warrior countered with an explosive combo of punches, finished off with a single roundhouse kick.

"Is that all you got Apocalypse?!" yelled Slayer as he stood ready to attack him once again.

Magneto, however, proved to be more difficult. His powers were greatly enhanced because of Apocalypse's help. Whatever metal was around him, mainly underground pipes and destroyed laser gun turrets were forged in to powerful projectiles of death as they swirled around and slammed in to the young warrior. He struggled to fight them off because there were just too many of them. However, he would not be stopped so easily. With a determined grunt, he used his mysterious power to cast a glowing shield around him. While it was only a temporary solution, it gave him the time he needed to stop this fight from escalating any further.

"I WON'T BE DENIED!" bellowed the powerful warrior as he closed his eyes and focused a single powerful glowing blast that somehow made it through the melee of metal and knocked Magneto out for the time being.

Now he stood before Apocalypse once more, ready to finish what he had started. Despite his earlier actions, the ancient mutant was still not threatened by the presence of this powerful warrior. He merely gave off a sinister grin as he watched Slayer take his battle stance.

"I must admit...You're more skilled than I thought...Slayer. You'd have made quite the horsemen."

"Spare me your flattery...It won't save you now! I know your secrets Apocalypse...I know what you are planning to do...And I know the dark, terrible future that you are trying to create!"

"If that's what you came here to stop then I'm afraid you're too late! The future has already started to manifest and there is NOTHING that even you can do about it!"

"Wrong...Unlike the X-men...I can kill you..."

Then, with his sword in hand, Slayer lunged forth and began to unleash his skills upon the ancient mutant. As the epic fight commenced, Jean Grey began to regain full consciousness, but her tired mind kept her from participating in the fight. All she could do is watch now as this mysterious intruder began to fight against their greatest enemy. The air simmered with the intense power that both fighters were using as Apocalypse and Slayer soon found themselves in a bitter stalemate.


"You're strong...But not strong enough!" hissed Apocalypse as he and the powerful warrior were locked in a state tension.

"Your wrong Apocalypse! You...Will...Not...Succeed!" grunted Slayer as he looked in to the heinous red eyes of the ancient mutant.

Then, seeing an opportunity to end the fight quicker, Slayer broke the grapple Apocalypse had him in and countered with a quick spinning sword slash that made the ancient mutant yell out in pain. However, Slayer didn't stop there...He proceeded to hack and slash his sword at the powerful ancient mutant, causing damage that Apocalypse hadn't anticipated. But when Slayer's blows stopped and he prepared to unleash another round of slashes...The damage done to the ancient mutant suddenly healed in a matter of seconds. Slayer could only look back in frustration, as Apocalypse seemed to undo any damage done to him.

"Hurt me all you want warrior! I will still heal from it!" taunted the ancient mutant, "With all the power I have amassed, I can NEVER be defeated!"

Slayer was about to attack again...But before he could Apocalypse let out a small, yet immensely powerful, burst of energy that knocked the young warrior back and sent him crashing in to the ground.

"Did you really think it would be this easy?" taunted the ancient mutant with an evil grin as Slayer slowly got back up with his head still ringing from the blast, "I underestimated you this time, warrior...And rest assured, you won't be so fortunate should we meet again! But no matter...By the time I begin the final stages of my master plan...IT WILL ALL BE OVER FOR YOUR PITIFUL WORLD! So long Slayer...So long X-men...And thanks!"

With one last sinister grin, a mysterious light engulfed the ancient mutant and his horsemen. Jean attempted to get up and stop him and Slayer attempted to rush him again for another attack...But a sudden shock wave from Apocalypse knocked them both back as the ancient mutant soon disappeared in to the wind.

Slayer simply stood in before the now calm area, where Apocalypse once stood. All was calm once again as he looked back at the unconscious X-men, who had all been severely beaten by both him and Apocalypse's henchmen. As he put his sword back in to his decorated case; the powerful warrior let out an exasperated sigh.


Jean Grey wearily opened her eyes once more as she tried to recover from the shock wave that had nearly knocked her out a second time. As her vision came in to focus, she noticed a single hand extended towards her. She looked up to see that the hand belonged to Slayer...The intruder that they had fought so hard against, only to find out that they had been protecting one of their worst enemies. Even though Jean still felt somewhat uncertain about this man...She followed her instincts anyway, and took his hand as he helped her back up to her feet. After she regained her balance, the mysterious warrior proceeded to help the rest of the X-men up, much to their surprise. There was still a great deal of apprehension towards this man...But he still seemed somewhat undaunted by this and now stood before the young team of mutants without hostility.

"I suppose I have some explaining to do," said Slayer as the team soon gathered around them.

"You got that right bub!" grunted Logan in an angry tone as he walked up to young warrior and stood only within inches of his face, "Enough games! I want some answers! And yer gonna tell us who you are, why yer here, and just what the HELL was that thing!"

Slayer's expression didn't change, but before he could say anything Professor Charles Xavier, who had only been able to watch from afar, stepped forth to intervene.

"Wait..." said Xavier as he approached the powerful warrior, "I think we all know who that was back there, Logan...But it's obvious that there is more to this than meets the eye."

"You don't know how right you are Professor Xavier," responded Slayer.

"And another thing!" exclaimed Rogue, "How in the hell do you know who we are? How can you know so much about us when we've never even so much as heard of you!?"

All eyes now rested upon Slayer as he stood before the weary team of mutants. The young warrior took a deep breath...For he knew that what he had to say...Would be very hard for them to accept.

"I know a lot of things Rogue...So I guess I have you all at somewhat of a disadvantage. I know who you are...But you all haven't the slightest idea who I am. Very well then...My real name is Jack Robinson. I also go by Slayer. Like you, I am a mutant...An energy manipulator to be precise. I have the ability to tap and focus energy from both the physical and metaphysical realms. Thanks to the blessing of these gifts I am a powerful warrior and master of the mystic arts. I don't expect any of you to have ever heard of me, less alone know who I am. My powers give me the strength to overcome any obstacle...And the magic to keep myself undetected from anybody and everybody. So now you know who I am to some extent..."

"Spare us the autobiography 'Slayer.' You didn't answer our question...How do you know so much about us?" said Bobby 'Iceman' Drake who still felt the sting from the attack this man had initiated.

"If any of you know you're ancient Egyptian mythology...Then you already know the answer to that question," said Slayer as the mark over his eye began to glow.


Hank McCoy, saw this...And he knew a thing or two about ancient Egypt. The symbol over this strange man's eye was definitely more complex than a simple tattoo. It only took a few seconds before it finally dawned on him.

"That symbol...The eye of the Sphinx."

"Yes...The symbol of the all-seeing, all-knowing Sphinx," said the mutant warrior as the glow over the mark on his eye began to die down, "Every culture has it in some form or another...An eye that sees everything no matter how guarded it may be. Through the power of my mutant abilities and my magic...I can channel this ultimate source of knowledge to know things that most other people could never know and I can use it to see through the countless lies that plague our world. This eye has the power to see it all...Past, present, and future. It was through this eye I saw the dark and terrible future that was being set in to motion by the ancient mutant demon...Apocalypse."

"But how can this be?!" exclaimed Jean as she heard him mention that name, "Apocalypse is suppose to be DEAD! I know! I killed him with the Phoenix!"

Jack Robinson just looked back in to the dazed, angry eyes of the young redhead and simply shook his head.

"You merely stopped Apocalypse...You did not destroy him," said Slayer ominously.

"But we saw him die!" replied Jean, who didn't understand this in the slightest.

"What you saw...Was nothing more than an elaborate illusion."

"What are you talking about?" said Remy, who didn't understand this man's any more than the others.

"Simple...It was staged," said the mutant warrior as he remained stoic and collected despite the obvious tension from the rest of the X-men, "Apocalypse knew he was going to lose that fight. He knew that Jean would separate him from Scott...And he knew that the Phoenix would ultimately finish him off."

"Wait...How could he know that?" asked Jubilee in confusion.

"It was simple logic," explained Slayer, "He understood that the even his power was no match for the divine strength Phoenix. He knew that if he simply went ahead and fought it...Either his plans would go up in smoke or he himself would perish. So instead of going through with his plan...He decided to lose on purpose. He decided to start working smarter instead of harder. So he fought back by tricking you."

"Tricking us?" said Warren in response.


"Yes...He realized that if he was to defeat you, his greatest enemies, he would have to follow the basic conduct of war. Apocalypse had lost to you more than once already, and now he finally understood why. It was all a matter of simple logic. He knew...That if you neither know the enemy nor yourself, then you will succumb in every battle. And if you know yourself, but not the enemy...Then with every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. And finally, if you know the enemy and know yourself...Then you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."

Slayer's words were too true to ignore as the tension in the air between the X-men and the mutant warrior finally started to wane. However, there were still countless questions left to be answered.

"But...How did he come to know us so well?" asked Storm.

"It's simple...He deceived you," responded Slayer. "Apocalypse knew that you all would never be prepared for a sudden attack...If you thought he was already dead. He had only minuscule power after your last encounter...So he used the opportunity to grow much stronger in both strength and knowledge while at the same time weakening you."

"Wait...Just how did Apocalypse get all that power in the first place?" grunted Logan as Jack's eerie words continued to strike a chord within the core of the team.

The mutant warrior simply looked back at the team with a stoic look on his face.

"You gave it to him..." responded Slayer in an ominous tone.

"What?!" said Storm as the rest of the team let out a collective gasp.

"All of you...You gave Apocalypse the power he wields. He's been amassing it for so long now...That even the power of the Phoenix is may not be sufficient enough to stop him."

Jean Grey, who had been quiet for the most part since this strange man started explaining himself, struggled to process all of this new information more than anybody else. However, there was still one thing that she desperately needed to know...One thing that now completely clouded her mind since Slayer began to speak.

"But...How? Why? And what about Scott...The real Scott? Where is he?" asked Jean, who desperately wanted to know the answer.

Everyone else looked back towards the mutant warrior as he simply stood there...Hesitating to answer Jean's question. The look on his face made it obvious that he knew the truth. Then, Jean took a few steps closer.

"Slayer...What happened to Scott?"

The mutant warrior finally responded.

"He's dead..."

Jean felt as if an entire building just fell on top of her. Every muscle in her body suddenly went stiff as her heart immediately sank upon hearing those words.

"No..." said Jean shaking her head, "He..."

But she couldn't finish...She couldn't find the words.

"I'm sorry...But it's true. Scott Summers is dead...And he has been for some time now."

"NO!" yelled Jean as new feelings of anger consumed both her and the flabbergasted team, "It can't be! How?!"

"Apocalypse killed him. Scott...Was the main reason why he lost against you before. Because of this...Apocalypse wanted him to suffer the most. So, at some point not long after they were separated. He hunted him down and used his power to surprise and kill your leader before he or any of you could do anything to stop it...But that wasn't enough. Killing the person responsible for his defeat in the past wasn't satisfying enough for the demon mutant. He had to make ALL of you pay. So he did the worst thing any madman could do."

"What would that be?" asked Bobby Drake wearily.

"He took Scott's form and appearance, and with that he was not only able to fully deceive you, but also to walk freely amongst you. He had a major advantage, because he was somebody you all inherently trusted...So he could get to know all of you...And prepare for the battles that would take place in the future. He made you all believe that he was the real Scott Summers and could make you all see him any way he wanted. If he was angry...You would see him as angry. And if he was dark...You would see him as dark. It was the ultimate punishment...Hurt his friends, hurt his family, and hurt everyone he cared about...And he was not alone on this. He had help by controlling Emma Frost and 'Xorn' as well. You all believed that his dark persona was just a result of being a part of the evil demon...That he just needed to do some growing up in wake of the separation with Apocalypse. But both he and the rest of you did all the growing up you would ever do the second your mutant powers manifested. With both his powers and those of Emma and Xorn...He not only came to know you all better than ever...He also used that very same power to weaken you all to the point of obscurity."

"Veaken us?" said Kurt.

"Yes...With the power of his deception and Emma's telepathy he could get inside every one of your heads. It was an effective way to learn about every one of you, but he could do much more heinous things with that power. With it, he could influence your thoughts...Your feelings...Even your dreams. He could actually change the way you see the world. For over a year now, he has been meticulously darkening all your minds...Venturing in to them...Getting to know every aspect about them from your strengths and weaknesses...To your thoughts and fears. And in the process...Corrupt your minds to the point where none of you even know who you are anymore!"

"NO! It's not possible!" yelled Jean, who now had tears in her eyes upon hearing what Apocalypse did to her husband.

"Believe me Jean...It's possible. I've seen it...I've seen all of it. I saw all the terrible things that this team has experienced in the past year...And I know the truth. Apocalypse's influence has made every one of you weak-minded and uncertain. You have all done things in the past year that you know in your hearts that you would never normally do."

Then, the mutant warrior looked over at Jean, and gradually shifted his view towards Logan as well.

"You have done things that you have come to deeply regret...For you know not why you even did them in the first place."

Jean immediately thought of the kiss between her and Logan and how that had greatly clouded her mind. She remembered how deeply it affected her and how much it weakened her as a person because of all the guilt she felt afterwards. Logan too felt the sting of the mutant warrior's words when he spoke of his thoughts, feelings, and dreams being controlled. He didn't want to believe them...But there was still this nagging voice in his, and everyone else's head that urged them to hear more.

"You have done things to loved ones without reason and thinking...And letting your conscious torture you to death."

Slayer's gaze shifted towards Rogue and Remy as he spoke those words. Both of them remembered the horrible Antarctica ordeal and the mass confusion that it caused them.

"And some of you have been forced to live with yourselves with guilt over things you never did...And events that you couldn't control."

This time, the powerful warrior looked over at Warren Worthington III, who immediately remembered the feelings that still plagued him in the wake of Betsy's death. Then, the gaze shifted towards young Kitty Pryde, who felt the memory of her long dead lover Piotr Rasputin and how his death had been coming back to haunt her.

"You must stop blaming yourselves for all these actions!" said Slayer as he continued to speak, "They were not entirely your fault...Apocalypse had a hand in all of them! He has been poking, prodding, and manipulating your thoughts, your feelings, and actions! With every dark feeling...Every negative emotion...And every action you regret, Apocalypse becomes stronger, while you become weaker. For over a year now, he has been using both technology and dark magic to feed off of this team's decent in to obscurity. His power is now so vast...That nothing may be able to stop him anymore..."

So much of this information was hard to comprehend for the young team of mutants. They had faced countless obstacles in the past...But this one seemed to be by far their greatest. It was a mind-blowing feeling to know that Apocalypse had influenced every poor decision and every bad feeling in the past year that had done so much to weaken the team. At one point...They were all as close as family. But with all the death, destruction, and despair of the past year they had seemed to forget everything they had been through. Only now...Without the shroud of deception cast by Apocalypse were they able to see the folly of their ways. However, some still refused to believe it.

"No...That's impossible..." said Logan, trying to avoid all the truth in Slayer=s words, "I would have smelled it! Jeannie or the Prof would have sensed it!"

Jack "Slayer" Robinson simply shook his head.

"Smell, sight, even telepathy...Are all merely senses. Each one of them can be deceived. All it takes...Is for the audience to believe what they sense...And you believed everything."

Logan was at a loss for words upon hearing that...He truly didn't know how to respond. It seemed so logical...So simple...Yet he still didn't want to believe this. There were others who were equally shocked and still refused to accept that Apocalypse had been in their mist for so long.

"But...If Apocalypse vas among us for so long...Why would he help us? Why would he still lead us in to so many battles?" reasoned Jubilee.

"Simple...To get stronger...In preparation for his final plans," remarked Slayer without hesitation.

"Final plans?" asked Jubilee wearily.

"Yes...His final plans to eliminate the human race and enslave all mutants. It was destined to start on this very day. He planned to use Scott's form and Emma's subjugation to trick the Phoenix force that lies within Jean Grey in to seeing an affair between them. This act...Would set in to motion the destabilization of Ms. Grey's control and start a series of events that would lead towards you all discovering Xorn's true identity...And ultimately towards the death of Jean Grey. Then, 150 years in the future...She would rise again from an egg bestowed upon the decimated Earth and would see the destruction that had been unleashed. Out of despair for the future...And regret from the past...She would use the Phoenix to alter the events and change the actions made by who she thought was Scott, and the team in general. In reality...She only did exactly what Apocalypse wanted. The power that the Phoenix used to influence the past...Would be stolen...And tapped by mad tyrant through both magic and treachery so that ultimately...He would destroy both Jean and the Phoenix...And steal their combined power. Through this...He could fully subdue all forces on Earth and plunge the world in to eternal darkness...Forever."

A vast shroud of silence had fallen over the bewildered X-men as they took in everything that had happened so far. The future that he spoke of was far from pleasant...And if it was true, it would be because of them that these heinous events would come to pass. However, Slayer wasn't done just yet.

"I saw this dark and terrible future only recently when Apocalypse began to move ahead with his plans. I used the power of the all-seeing eye that I wield to trace it back to this mansion. I couldn't let such a terrible future come to pass...So I decided to try and kill the horrid beast before he could assimilate his power..."

"But...Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" exclaimed Kitty as she actually started to believe in what this mysterious man was saying.

"If I did...Would any of you have believed me?"

Nobody could respond to that...For they knew he was right. Everything this man was saying was making too much sense. That, and the nagging feeling in the back of their minds, urged them to listen to this man's words.

Jean Grey was taking this the worst by far. In just the past few minutes she has learned that her husband is dead, her mind was being manipulated, and on top of it all it was her that would end up destroying everything with her power in the end. She wanted to believe that this was all a bad dream...She wanted to believe that this was just some terrible nightmare that she was bound to wake up from at any moment.

"NO!" yelled Jean with tears in her eyes, "I DON'T BELIEVE THIS! It's not possible!"

Slayer let out a deep sigh as he stepped closer towards the confused and distraught Jean Grey. This was by far the hardest on her because she was one of the main reasons Apocalypse was doing this in the first place. But she still didn't want to believe such a terrible truth.

"I'm sorry...But it is the truth. Nothing can undo what has happened...Nothing can bring your husband back to life..."

"NO!" said Jean as she took a step back from this strange man, "I can't accept that...I won't!"

Then, Slayer knew there was only one thing left to do now.

"If you don't believe me...Then see for yourself," said the mutant warrior as the mark on his eye began to glow once again. "See the truth...See the future. Look Jean...Look in to the eye that sees no lies...And witness all that shall come to pass if Apocalypse succeeds."


Jean couldn't turn away from the glowing mark on the mysterious man's face. She didn't want to look in to it...But she did. Part of her wanted to know the truth...To be sure that what this man was saying was true. So she did...She looked deeply in to the glowing eye over Slayer's face. As she gazed in to it...She felt the world around her become consumed by light as she fell to the ground. She felt her mind going at warp speeds as she witnessed and sensed a barrage of new images and feelings before her.

Suddenly...She witnessed events that exactly resembled those described by Slayer. She saw the disembodied spirit of Apocalypse escape from the wrath of the Phoenix. She saw that same spirit come up on Scott and kill him without mercy, only to take his form as it stood over the dead body of her husband in triumph. She saw as Apocalypse walked freely amongst the X-men while he systematically weakened and hurt every one of them...Especially her. She saw the image of her walking in on Scott and Emma and seeing her start to lose control of the Phoenix. She saw the turmoil caused when Scott ran off and saw Logan follow him to discover the secrets of weapon X. She saw the horror unleashed upon discovering that Xorn was Magneto and how he decimated the team and launched a new plan to once again destroy all homo sapians. She saw as she was trapped on Asteroid M as it plunged towards the sun and she was forced to unleash more power from the Phoenix to save herself and Logan. She saw what happened in the aftermath of Magneto killing her and the image of Scott standing over her grave. She then saw 150 years in to the future where she was born again from an egg laid by the Phoenix. She saw as she altered the past with her power to make Scott live on and rebuild the X-men with Emma. She saw as Scott faked his happiness around the others, for she could see through the shell and witnessed Apocalypse lying within. Then, she saw him start to rob her of her power and feed off of the energy that the Phoenix had given him to change the past. She saw as Apocalypse rose again disguised as Scott and with the power given to him...Killed every one of the X-men...And later killed her for good. Then finally...She witnessed the world as it plunged in to eternal darkness and the sinister laugh of Apocalypse echoed everywhere over the vast fields of death.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Suddenly...Jean felt all the images stop. She was gasping for breath and fighting the intense pain in her head from seeing so many horrible images. As she opened her eyes once again to the bright morning sun, she felt two people help her back up to her feet.

"Jean! Jean are you okay!?" said Storm as she and Logan frantically helped her up and as the rest of the team crowded around her.

Jean didn't say a word...She just kept gasping for air. As she regained her balance...Tears began streaming down her face.

"Jean...What happened?" said Logan slowly as everyone looked at the heavily distraught woman that now stood before her.


As Jean Grey-Summers continued to let her tears flow freely, she started to lose her balance again. The rest of the team just looked back in shock...Trying to make sense of her actions. Finally...After what seemed like an eternity...She spoke.

"It's true...Everything he says...It's all true."

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AN: Well, what'd you all think? Like it? Hate it? Tell me! It's far from over! The action is just beginning! Just wait and see what I have planned, you won't want to miss it! What about Slayer, AKA Jack Robinson? What did you think of him? You may recognize that name from some of my other stories, but he is NOT the same guy! He is the one from my story "X-men: Evolution of the Heart." I chose the name Jack Robinson because I just couldn't think of anything else. If you want to know what he is like, I'd say he's a big mixture of characters like Dr. Strange, Samurai Jack, Kenshin from Ruroni Kenshin, Spike Spiegal from Cowboy Bebob, and Auron from Final Fantasy X. I'll reveal more about him as the story goes...So stay tuned if you want to know more. Also, some of the events described were based on recent issues of New X-men and Uncanny X-men. I apologize if I botched any of them, but please don't hate me for it! I'm human, I make mistakes! Also, that whole thing about knowing your enemy and yourself was taken from the classic book "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. Please! Tell me what you all think about this fic! Send your reviews to me at my email address or post them on the fanfiction website. Until next time, best wishes to you all!

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