Chapter 23 - Alkali Lake

Mikael set Jean down on a couch next to Kitty in the office before taking a seat across from Xavier. The brown haired man with glasses slowly seated himself on the chair next to him as outside the hall the blue furred and tailed teen peeked around the door frame. Silence filled the room before Mikael let out a cough to break the silence.

"So are you going to say something or should I?"

"Ah apologies, it's just today has turned out to be quite the ordeal. I'm Charles Xavier. I'm in charge of this institute to teach young mutants and give them a home where they can feel like they belong."

"Mikael Argent, Inventor. So care to explain how you got into that situation?" Mikael asked propping a leg up onto his knee.

"Well I was scanning for signs of any new mutants when I felt an old friend reappear. It felt like his power grew several times over. I tried to reach out to him but then that…Man forced his way into my mind somehow. He tried to make me launch the worlds nukes into outer space. I tried to resist but I couldn't at least not until Jean helped me. She snapped me out of it if she hadn't I don't know what would happen."

"Normally Hank here would be there with the professor when he used Cerebro but he couldn't today, so he asked me to watch the professor in case he needed help." Jean said as she sat up in the chair.

"I was helping Raven bring Kurt back here while she went to find where the other mutant disappeared to. I think she should be back here soon." The brown haired man quickly blurted out while pointing at the young man at the door when Mikael turned to look at him.

"Relax, it's a good thing Jean was there instead of you. Otherwise nukes would be flying in the air right now." Mikael told him when he sensed a bit of turmoil from Hank before he turned his head towards the door. "If you going to stand there and listen you might as well just come in and take a seat."

The sound of rushing air accompanied by a soft thump and yelp from Kitty soon followed his words as the blue teen appeared on the couch next to her and quickly started apologizing.

"So do you know anything about that man?" Xavier asked as both he and Mikael turned away from the new arrival.

"Actually I do. His name is En Sabah Nur. The oldest mutant and in some records, the first. Records from ruins state that he always has four servants or horsemen and everywhere he ruled ended with disaster hence why he's called Apocalypse." Mikael answered.

"What does he want?"

"He wishes to cull the weak from existence so only the strong remain."

"How do you know all this?"

"I read. A lot." Mikael answered with a straight face as silence filled the room before Xavier spoke up again.

"Well what can we do? I don't know if we have the people to fight him."

"You're right, which is why I'm fighting him. You should just focus on dealing with whoever he picked as his horsemen."

"We can't let you fight him alone!" Jean objected as she stood to her feet.

"You can and you will. You're not ready, you've just started to master your abilities. If you want to help me then just keep his lackeys from interfering." Mikael said in a calm yet assertive voice.

"That still doesn't solve the issue of manpower." Xavier stated as Mikael turned to look at him.

"Well as it so happens, I believe I have a lead on where we can find some." A voice came from the door as a woman walked in. Mikael immediately recognized her as Raven Darkholme.

"Alex is on his way here with his brother and I found out that the other mutant you detected was captured and taken to a hidden base in Canada to be experimented on." Raven said as she walked over to Hank's side as her skin changed to a smooth blue and her eyes turned yellow while her irises disappeared.

"You have a ride we can take to get there professor?" Mikael asked as he turned away from the new arrival.

"Actually I've been working on something." Hank said as he rose to his feet before motioning for everyone to follow him. Mikael raised an eyebrow before he stood up and followed along with everyone else. Hank led the group down into the sub basement before entering a room on the side. They entered into a large open room with workbenches along the sides and a single black plane in the center.

"Impressive, I should have you come work for me." Mikael said as he examined the plane.

"I think I'm alright thanks." Hank responded shaking his head.

"You sure? Your loss. I was gonna tell you all about the spaceships I plan to make." Mikael said as he started to circle the plane.

"You're making a spaceship?" Hank asked as he quickly caught up and started following Mikael. "You're not joking right?"

"As soon as I have the space and equipment. I already have the blueprint in my head. Shame though, been looking for partners to help build the prototype engine."

"Alright save the nerd talk, does this thing fly?" Raven placed a hand of Hank's shouldering interrupting him before he could say anything else. Hank then cleared his throat before he answered.

"Yeah it flies."

"Well then let's go meet some new friends shall we?" Mikael asked as he entered the plane before being followed by the rest of the group as Xavier watched on from the entrance of the hanger. Mikael looked over the cockpit before sitting down in the pilot seat.

"Wait hold on, do you even know how to pilot this?" Hank asked as he rushed to the front.

"Yes I know how to fly. You might want to strap in though." Mikael answered as he prepped the plane for takeoff as though he had done so a million times in more complicated vessels.

"Which button opens the hanger Hank?" He asked as Hank strapped himself into the co pilots seat. Once he felt he was secure enough he reached over and pressed a button overhead as the ceiling of the room sank slightly before splitting in half. The jet began to lift off the ground until it exited the hanger upon which Mikael flew the ship off with a sharp turn as the plane became filled with screaming while Mikael had a wide smile on his face.

Less than an hour later the plane slowed down as it approached the vicinity of Alberta, Canada. Mikael slowly landed it down in a clearing in the forest before he got out of his seat. He chuckled as he watched as everyone else in the plane seemed to be shaking their head and taking deep breaths. He walked off the plane before extending his perception outward as everyone stumbled out after him while muttering curses. Off to the north Mikael felt a collection of different life forces, some strong and others quickly fading.

"Alright snap out of it. We should move quickly if we want to save people." Mikael said as he pulled his hood over his head before muttering as he led the group into the forest. "I should've brought the rest of my gear."

After a 15 minute hike, the group found themselves staring at a large lake and dam. Mikael brushed away some snow that built up on a plaque that read 'Alkali Lake.' Mikael scanned the surroundings before he pulled the group together and enveloped them in a cloak of his power. The group slowly made their way towards the dam under his lead until the reached a set of doors locked with a key pad. Mikael placed his hands over the pad as his power flooded the system before seconds later the light turned green and the doors opened.

The group moved together through the narrow intersecting hallways as Mikael led them down deeper into the dam. They passed several doors leading into empty operating rooms until they came across a room that had a dozen armed guards standing outside. Inside Mikael could sense the presence of several more individuals as well as another presence, one more feral and angry. Down the far end of the hall on their left he saw another room that had a pair of armed guards standing watch. Their was a host of emotions bleeding from the inside of that room, pain, fear, anger, hopelessness.

"The captives are in the room there. We'll get them out first." Mikael whispered to the group. As they made their way to the less guarded room. Mikael waved his hand as the two guards slumped to the ground and the door opened before he stepped into the room. Inside were several cells, half of which were empty. In one cell sat a brown haired, blue eyed teenage boy whose room seemed frosted over. In another was a bald, white eyed boy that seemed about the same age as the other one curled up in the corner. In the last occupied cell was a young girl of oriental descent that flicking small notes of light at the tempered glass wall that separated her.

Mikael pulled waved his hand as he temporarily shut off cameras in the room before he dropped the cloak he placed around the group. The three teens, noticing as his group seemed to appear out of thin air jumped to the feet. The girl pounded against the transparent wall as a muffled unintelligible voice could be heard. Mikael turned to the group that was now brimming with anger.

"Here's what's going to happen. This place is likely already on alert with the two passed out guards and cameras I just disabled. Kurt when I open the cells, can you get everyone else back to the plane from here?" Mikael asked as he grabbed the groups attention.

"I've never done it with this many before but I can try."

"Then do it however you can, just do it quickly."

"Wait what about you? What are you doing?" Hank asked as he stepped forward.

"I'm going to throw them off our trail." Mikael answered as he pressed a button on his belt. His form shimmered before he was replaced with the image of an blue skinned version of Darth Malgus. The group stared in awe as he turned around and with a quick pull the tempered glass tore from the walls with bits of metal mechanisms still attached.

"Kurt, go." A deep distorted voice filled the air as the group rushed up together as they quickly took hold of the three teens comforting them before grabbing onto Kurt. Their forms trembled and shook as the sounds of pounding on the door came from the hall. Sweat pooled on his blue fur before with a shout they disappeared in a burst of rushing air and smoke. Now alone in the room Mikael raised a hand as a blue sphere of transparent energy gather above his palm, lightning crackling around it.

Outside the room a dozen armed guards, their weapons ready, surrounded the door. The door's system seemed to be malfunctioning as they were forced to resort to opening it by force. As two guards continued to work on getting it open suddenly the room exploded. The door was blasted open as the shockwave sent the two unfortunate guards crashing into the opposite wall before falling to the ground in a heap. The guards turned the attention from the bodies of their allies as a tall dark figure walked out of the fires of the now burning room.

"Freeze Mutant!" One of the guards healed out as he leveled his rifle at the figure. The figure raised its head revealing burning red eyes as a distorted voice filled the halls.

"Pathetic creatures. I am no Mutant."