X-Men the End, Book One: Midnight's Revenge

[Chance]

Okay, this is going to work a little strangely. Anyone is welcome to join, but the story is going to go like Chapters. Follow along and feel free to post with your characters whenever because as the story developes you may want your characters to get in on the action! Basically the some X-Men were kidnapped and the rest need to reunite and save them. If you would like to join pm me and let me know if you want to help find, or be kidnapped. Feel free to write your own chapter on your character to describe what has happened to them since the institute and how they ended up in the present situation. Start Posting whenever you want!!

((note to others: I will be playing as Fallback in the future, even though I dropped him on the normal site. Because of this, I will not be playing as Vida in this thread. In this future Vida was killed while on a mission))


Chapter One: Call of Duty


Nervous, 20 year-old Patrick Delaney looked out of the side of a helicopter as it zoomed over the sky at amazing speeds. He gulped in a mouthful of fresh air and gazed down at the changing landscape, a feeling of nausea growing in his gut.

"Are you ready Private?" A stern military commander with a bushy mustache and musky odor barked from the front of the chopper.

"Sir yes Sir!" Patrick responded giving Commander Kincaid a small salute. He offered a weak smile, but couldn't help but gaze at the rugged terrain below.

“Then what are you waiting for Private? These men need to be on the ground now!” Commander Kincaid spat a little when he talked and a fleck of it landed on Patrick’s dusty uniform.

“Right,” he shifted his stare to the entire helicopter now and it seemed like there were more men now then there were before. Feeling a bit weaker now, he wondered if he would be able to transport this many.

“Don’t doubt yourself now Private, you’ve done harder things before.” The Commander tired to sound reassuring, and Patrick was somewhat comforted. After all, he was number one in S.H.I.E.L.D.S group of soldiers, the MIU, or Mutants In Uniform.

He looked back at the scene below. Bombs and bullets filled the air, and Patrick wondered if the Americans were ever going to get out of the Middle East.

“We don’t have all day soldier!” Kincaid cried. “There are a lot of other mutants in the MIU who would jump at your position any day!”

Patrick knew he was right. Ever since the MIA was founded five years ago, it had been well received by the public who, tired of the ongoing war, were ready to openly accept any solution to the problem. At first people were against the enrollment of Mutants in the Military, especially with the Brotherhood of Mutants still an active terrorist group in the U.S. and the Neo Brotherhood gaining new members every day, but Professor Charles Xavier and General Nick Fury had been able to convince Congress otherwise. The Call to Duty Act was passed the following year and Patrick asked permission to leave the Xavier Institute to join the military.

Ever since he had trained and learned how to maximize the usage of his powers. He could now teleport anything within a small radius, so long as there was a fluid, such as air, connecting them. He could also phase completely on command, and he was working on phasing a mass of others along with him, but so far he had been unsuccessful.

Now, flying over the hot sands of the Middle East, Patrick turned to face the soldiers.

“Okay Captain. Where do you want them?”

“Behind that big rock, this way they have some cover. How long does the transition take?” The Commander asked.

People always asked that. How long did it take? Patrick never really had a direct answer. It usually happened instantaneously. The Professor and some MIU scientists had tried to explain it to him, something about not being able to not exist. He never actually teleported, he simply phased from one place to another at incredible speeds.

“I can get them there in less than a second Sir.” Patrick said, now a hint of pride and reassurance in his voice.

“Excellent. Go…NOW!” Patrick grabbed the arm of the nearest soldier and flexed all his muscles and nerves. Soon a loud popping sound filled the ears of Commander Kincaid, and when he opened his eyes, all the soldiers had disappeared.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Down on the sand the soldiers reappeared behind the giant rock. All of them looked around, seemingly amazed, but Patrick remained undaunted. People always looked like that the first time they teleported. Suddenly a crackling voice sounded over his radio,

“Agent Fallback, is everything okay?” It was the Commander. Patrick always cringed at the sound of his code-name. But, for his own safety, it had to be used.

“Yes Commander. Everything is a’okay.” The word “Good.” Came back across the radio and soon the soldiers began to react. They obviously had their orders and they took no time in undertaking them. Now it would be Patrick’s turn to watch over them and make sure that they were safe. If anything threatened them, it would be his job to “port” them away.

For now he picked up a gun (he had learned very early in his career as an X-Man how to shoot a gun) and crouched a little bit above the rock. Taking aim he shot at an enemy solider and watched him go down. He still felt the pain of killing someone, even after his military training.

But, suddenly Patrick felt something entering his head.

“Oh no,” he thought. “The other team has a telepath!” It was against the New Geneva Convention to use Telepaths in the military. Something about a threat to free will and human integrity, but still, sometimes they were illegally used to gain an advantage. Now Patrick was under attack. This was it…he was going to die.

<Hello…Patrick?> It was a very familiar voice, and Patrick almost smiled when he heard it.

“Mindwarp? What are you doing in my head? Here?”

<Listen, I know I might be inconveniencing you, but we have a situation back at the Institute. We need your help.>

“Now? Are you kidding? I’m in the middle of a freakin’ war! Besides, I thought you left the X-Men years ago.”

<I did, but now I’m back. Can you get here anytime soon?> Mindwarp seemed anxious and Patrick knew it was important.

“I guess I can teleport over tonight. But I’ll need to be back in the morning.” He said as the battle waged in front of him.

<Hopefully a night is all we’ll need.>

[danielle]

((Sorry to 'break the flow' or whatever, but now there are two topics in future called reunion...shouldn't one of them be changed so that it is less confusing?))

[Midnight]

((Haha, yeah, I thought that was interesting, although you should probably change yours as Mike is gone for a week and won't be changing his.))

[Chance]

((sorry, I'll change mine, I didn't realize!))

[xt]

18 year old X-T was not to far behind, looking through her binochulars. She was wearing her black leather suit, along with a leather jacket. Her hair was cut to her to her chin, the front part of her hair longer than the back. She stayed low as she saw the soldiers not to far away.

"What are they doin'?" X-T said raising an eyebrow. When Charles Xavier asked her to go on a mission to this desert waist land, he never said why. X-T sighed and pulled her binochulars away from her face.

"How years can do to the world, I swear..." X-T said, putting her binochulars in her utility belt.

[Midnight]

Back at the mansion...

Thunder rumbled ominously through a clear sky. People looked up, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from: no planes, no clouds, no heavy machinery... Then they saw the source. A huge pillar of black smoke spirled into the sky, coming from a point on land. Was it a fire? Then how did it move? It sped over the ground rapidly, rolling like a thunderhead, creating its own rumble.

Coming near to the Institute, dark tendrils flowed from the cloud, forming the body of a young woman to stand on the grass outside. The figure solidified into life, the dark smoke fading to take on the soft color of flesh. The woman was wearing a long black trenchcoat, tight leather outfit underneath, and had short black hair, cut to hang around her face. But most frightening of all was her eyes. The girl's eyes did not have an iris or pupil, but were completely black, glittering in an unseen light. The darkness swirled around her like smoke, dancing around her hands, dancing for it's master.

"I'm back," Midnight said with a smirk. She strode forward on the lawn and the pillar of darkness followed, collapsing down to flood the lawn, drifting like a fog into the building. Kicking in a door, she entered the Institute.

[xt]

X-T was still lying on the groud when suddenly, her walkie talkie buzzed. She took it off of her hip and pressed the call button.

"Talk to me," She said rolling on her back and closing her eyes.

"Someones out on the front lawn, X-T. I don't know who it is," A voice said over the walkie talkie said.

"You new there, huh?" X-T said as she sat straight up.

"Yes, ma'am," said the voice.

"Now listen. You tell the other x-men to help you, not me who is a whole other country away, ok?" X-T said hanging up. She sighed as she rested her head on her knees, "Wish something would happen to let me know why th' heck I'm here..."

[Chance]

<X-T?> It was the telepathic voice of Mindwarp and it was ringing in the mind of the crouching young woman.

<This is the voice of X-Man Mindwarp. We have...a situation here at the institute. If you could meet the red-haired mutant boy directly across from you and teleport back to the mansion it would be much appreciated.>


"Damn it!" Caity Brosley ran to the window and stared at the lawn. It was her...she was back.

<Professor, get out!> Caity's voice was urgent, full of fear and desperation. She had trained for this day for the past few weeks, ever since the new girl in her Mutant Economics Class had dreamt about a black cloud sucking up the Professor and casting the world into darkness.

It could only mean one thing...Midnight.

Now, as the clouds of darkness fell on the school, Caity felt her stomach drop. She felt a small connection to the darkness, an inkling to the limited amout that had always stayed with her, deep in her DNA. But, this was different, it was darker.

"Please don't do this Marie." Caity silently pleaded. "Not now, we're so close..." She had heard that Midnight had gone off the deep end, ever since she killed Eric, but that's all she knew. Now, as she laced up her combat boots, she remembered all the times she had spent with Midnight, and even Eric, during the past few years.

She quickly pulled on her gloves and then immedietly started to usher students out of their classrooms and into the sub-basement.

"Everyone follow Jubilee!" She said loudly as a large red firework shot into the air acting as a flare. "She'll take you to the basement!" Quickly extending her telepathic enegies she sensed the fear and anxioty that flowed through the group.

"Just STAY CALM!" With an tired sigh she blew some hair out of her face and leaned against a near-by wall for support. A full scale evacuation really was harder than any of the X-Men had anticipated.

"You okay?" Jubilee asked as she ran by, a group of scared Freshman at her heels. "You look like hell. Don't worry about it, we can stop this Midnight girl." She gave Caity a reassuring smile, but soon she was pushed forward by another wave of students.

"Meet you out there! And take care of Tabby and Chris!" She yelled before her voice was drowned out by the chaos.

Yeah, meet you out there, Caity thought as students rushed by in a worried frenzy.

<Professor are you safe yet?!> This message was a lot more urgent than the last, but still the Professor didn't answer. What was going on?

Now, with her mind burning with worry, Caity broke out into a full out sprint, knocking down students and pushing her way through the crowd. Within seconds she made it to the Professor's office.

"Xavier!" She kicked open the door and gazed in only to see the Professor safe at his desk.

"What are you doing?!" She screamed. "Get out of here!"

"You know very well that I'm not just going to run away Mrs. Brosley. Midnight needs guidance, and I think--"

"Oh cut the Horse S*** Xavier! This isn't some New Age Lecture! This is your school, this is your life! These are your students for Christ Sakes!" Caity moved towards him as she continued to yell.

"This is Midnight we are talking about! The girl suffered a severe mental breakdown when she killed her fiance! Her powers shield telepathy! Yuo don't stand a chance in hell against her!"

"Thank you for your concern Mrs. Brosley, but I think I have more to offer than my telepathy. There are other ways to get through to someone."

"You can't do this Xavier!" Caity pleaded. "Please, get to the sub-basement. The school can't loose you, I can't loose you!" Her eyes were tearing now. Xavier had been a second father to her. She couldn't let him do this.

"PLEASE!" But it was too late. The Professor was set in his ways and already the darkness was seeping into the room through the windows. Midnight would be here soon, and the Professor would be completely alone.

"Please, I want to stay and help...but I can't..." She knew she had to go get Mindwarp. She had to wake him out of his trance in Cerebro and bring him out onto the lawn to try and stop Midnight....

"PLEASE!" The darkness was getting thicker and thicker, but Xavier didn't move. Finally, after a minute of violent sobbing Caity turned and ran toward Cerebro, muttering the words "I hate you," under her breath.

[xt]

X-T looked around, hearing the voice then shruged.

"Whatever. Ain't th' first telepath that's swam around in my head lately," X-T said getting up and running arcross the battle field quickly, dodging whatever she could with flips and high jumps, such as bullets and land minds. She reached the group and smiled at the boys.

"Hi boys!" She said with a smile, "No which one y'alls is with the X-Men?"

[Chance]

"I used to be," Patrick said as he raised his arm uneasily.

"What's going on?"

<Turst her,> Mindwarp said into his head. <Take her back to the institute.>

Okay Patrick thought as he looked at the girl who was talking to him. "My name is Fallback, you an X-Man?"

[Midnight]

Midnight walked calmly through the empty hallways, shadows streaming in her wake, creeping in the doors she passed, flickering in the halls ahead, creating clouds like black smoke to billow through the Institute. She knew that they would create fear that is inherant in every person, the fear of being left completely alone, without sight, without sound, alone. And she knew they would stop the telepathy.

Her own mind was a darkened hell, accesable by no one, barely even herself after the blackness had made it's home there. That was after Chance had been killed. She had not been completely taken by the darkness at that time, it was merely an infection, a festering sore that manifested from time to time.

The craziness had come on Midnight at one time. In those times, she flooded the place with blackness, then sought out the people nearby. When this happened, people would run, and someone would find Midnight and give her a shock or something similar to bring her out of it. People had been hurt, but they had never turned her away for being such a threat. But that one time, it was just her and Eric. And he had not run, he would not leave her. And he would not hurt her.

After he was dead, pain, sorrow, and intense self-loathing had flooded Midnight, opening up her mind to the darkness. Her glowing eyes had been stained black as the darkness gained control. They had tried to bring her out of it, but the normal methods proved ineffective. She no longer had the demon eyes, but she was now a demon.

Nobody had ever traced the connection, but Midnight had been destroying places that reminded her of Chance. At this point, her reign of destruction had only touched two places: an Olive Garden in New York where Chance had proposed and a militar complex near Alkali Lake, formerly headquarters for Weapon X. And now she was here for the Xavier Instititute where Eric had worked, and here for the Professor who had not been able to help her. And in Midnights corrupted, twisted mind, all the people who had been primary in her thoughts were now the targets. All her friends were now her enemies. They were still primary in her mind, only now the darkness called for elmination.

Midnight rounded a corner to see a woman run around the hall, heading for Cerebro. Syphon... kill her. Make her feel the pain of absorvation, or choke her in an airtight ball, or call out the shadow walker in her and let her join us!

[Chance]

Oh God no! Caity saw the darkness flowing in around her and she could hear the soft, slow footsteps of her old friend behind her.

Midnight don't do this! she thought as she wheeled around another corner and skidded to a halt in front of Cerebro.

<Mike get out of there!> she knew it was dangerous to talk to someone who was using Cerebro, but she couldn't stop herself. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as Midnight grew closer.

"Oh God!" Caity banged on the metal doors, her soft skin turning red as blood rushed to the surface.

"Mike Please!" Her voice was hoarse and her hair fell tangled in front of her face, wet and knotted with sweat.

<Get in!> Mindwarp yelled as the doors slid apart just long enough for Caity to squeeze through.

"She's here!" Caity ran to him and wrapped herself in his arms. "Oh GOD, oh God, this can't be it, this can't be it." The two held the embrace for a long three minutes and Mike hugged and kissed her, wiping the sweat from her forehead and running his fingers through her hair.

"It's okay," Mike said in a calm voice. He always kept a level head, ever since Caity first met him. Now, even though their executioner was right outside the door, he made Caity feel safe. "How are the kids?"

"There fine, fine, Jubilee is looking after them." She thought of her two babies, alone and afraid in the metallic sub-basement of the mansion. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

"It's okay Caitlyn, it's okay. We are two telepaths in a room designed for telepaths. Maybe we can break through."

Caity knew it was impossible, she knew the strength of the darkness and the way it annihilated telepath energies, but still, Mike's words made her feel better. She dug her body into his and kissed his neck.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too." Mike sang into her ear. "Whatever happens, I'll always love you." Mike hugged Caity tighter and then starred past her toward the large metal doors. Small tendrils of smoke snaked between the crakes. Midnight had come.

[xt]

X-T smiled at the boy.

"Yeah, I'm what ya'd call yer backup X-man. Couldn't get Wolvie ta do th' job. Guess X-23 was busy also," X-T said getting down to the soldiers level, who were blankly staring up at her. She looked at them with a flirtatous smile, "But enought bout me. This Mindwarp guy tells me there's troubles at th' mansion, and he says you and me gotta go," X-T shrugged.

"What's over there, I don' know. But guess we'll find out when we get there, huh?" X-T scratched her head and said, "You a teleporter? Cause I ain't one..." She smiled again and said, "Oh, and by th' way, I'm X-T,"

[Chance]

Patrick couldn't help but to eye her up and down. She was hot, but he had to stay professional.

"Yes, I'm a teleporter. I think I'll be able to teleport back to the mansion, but I've never tried a jump so far. You wanna risk it with me?"

[xt]

X-T shrugged and smiled.

"Hunny, I'm all fer risks," X-T said, taking off her jacket, "Here boys. Keep it as a souvenir," She handed it to one of the soldiers there and waved her black hair back. She looked at Fallout.

"I'm ready when ya are," X-T said with a smirk.

[Midnight]

The darkness slithered through the door, little tendrils that were almost alive. On the other side, Midnight's body turned a smoky black color and then dissipated like smoke which in turn edged it's way through the large metal door. Inside Cerebro, the smoke danced and quivered before pouring into the shape of the woman as if pouring into a mold. The darkness solidified, and Midnight stood there, her black eyes eerily seemed fixed on everything and nothing at the same time. "Aren't you going to welcome me back?" Midnight asked, a cruel smile fixed on her lips.

Stretching out a hand, Midnight's hand seemed to dissolve and darkness blew like smoke over the couple. "Awake, shadow walker. Come join us as we cast the world into darkness..." The darkness began to call Caity, to draw what little of her was left with Midnight's powers to it. Come... Taste the power... Wield the darkness as it wields you...

"Hello Mike," Midnight said, casting him into a cloud of shadow where he was blocked. No light, no sound, no telepathy. What better way to break a man?

[Chance]

The darkness closed in around him like a thick blanket as Mike tried despertly to hold onto Caity. He tried to call her to her, to tell her that everything would be all right. This couldn't be the end...not like this.

Meanwhile Caity listened to Midnight's dark voice echo in her head. It wasn't quite telepathy, it was something more, something was eternal, lurking in her own mind, waiting to be reawakened.


"No Midnight, you don't have to do this. We don't need to destroy the world, we can fix it, together." She tried to keep a level head, but her husband was being coated in the thick blackness. Soon it would swallow him up, and he would be gone forever.

"Just listen to me, no body has to get hurt." Inside her mind was screaming, crying even, but Caity had fought off the darkness before. It had been once, ages ago, but she had done it. "We've been friends since we were teenagers...we both delt with being a shadow walker. Don't let it end like this...please."

Caity felt Midnight's cold eyes pierce through her, staring into the smog that hid her love. He was dying, Caity could feel it. It didn't matter that the darkness cut off telepathy, she and Mindwarp had a link that was deeper than simple mental energies. They had gone to hell and back before, together they could conquer anything.

But now, on the eve of their destruction she stood with a heavy decision to make. She could beat the darkness within her and die along side her husband, or she could allow the darkess to currupt her. Maybe then at least she would be alive to see her children again...

Baby listen,

<Mike is that you?> Caity shot back telepathically, but no one responded. She hadn't exactly heard a telepathic message, but she had heard his voice...or more like felt it. What was going on?

It's me, I'm using Cerebro and I'm hoping you can at least feel me talking to you. Listen baby, I have a plan.

Tears rolled down Caity's cheeks as she thanked God for allowing her husband to be so calm and collected all the time. Always stratagizing. She knew that whatever plan he concocted would work, no matter what.

<Okay Baby I trust you.>

Okay, here we go.

As Midnight watched unknowing, Caity listened carefully to Mike's plan. Then, when the time was right, she opened up and allowed the darkness to flow through her. Her long wavy chestnut colored hair flowed up around her face and her light brown eyes glazed over into a hazy shade of red and black. Then in a triumphant gesture Caity threw up her arms and yelled,

"YES! I am POWER! I am DEATH! I am darkness INCARNATE!"

[xt]

X-T's walkie talkie buzzed again. She looked at the boys then smiled with a short laughed.

"S'rry 'bout that. Jus' a moment," X-T said pulling it off her hup, "Hello?"

"X-T! It's gotten worse over here! We need you! Get ov-" A voice said, but suddenly died. X-T raised an eyebrow. She pressed the call button.

"Hello? Hello? Anyone?" X-T said into the walkie talkie. There was no answer. X-T looked up at Fallback with a frown on her face, "Let's go. Now,"

[Chance]

Patrick nodded. He had no idea what was happening at the mansion, but that last message made him nervous. Were they under attack?

"Okay," he said to X-T. "Just hold on tight." He walked over and held out his hand waiting for her to take it.

[xt]

X-T took hold of his hand and gripped hard, but not so hard that it would hurt him. She turned to the men and suluted.

"I bid you farewell, men," X-T said, "Oh, and ya might wanna watch out fer those bombs. They're a killer on th' head," X-T laughed, then stopped. She turned to Fallout and nodded.