Disclaimers: This story, though probably not in all chapters, will definitely have celebrities in it. I don't know what they're sexualities are, and this is not meant to imply them, either. If you are not of legal age in your area, or are not interested in this type of literature, then GO AWAY!!

The X-Men, Spiderman, Blade, the Fantastic Four, Mutant X, and all associated characters are the property of Marvel Comics.

Batman and all related characters are the property of Dc Comics.

Charmed is owned by Warner Brothers.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox.

The characters of Final Fantasy are the property of Squaresoft.

Hercules and Xena are owned by Renaissance Pictures, I think.

Street Fighter and Final Fight are owned by Capcom. Fatal Fury and King of Fighters are owned by SNK. Tekken is owned by Namco.

I will use a lot of extra things, including the characters of DragonBall Z , maybe Digimon, various ones which I will announce upon use. I don't know if I'll use all the elements listed, but I have them just in case.

This is the second story of this type I've ever submitted to anything. It follows the life of a young mutant I made up, Joshua Monroe. Before you read this story, be sure you have read Adventures of a Real Dark Night in the boy-bands section of this archive, about chapter 7-13. The character was introduced in that story.

For those of you who have read my other story, The Birds and the Bat, this is not a `sex scene in every chapter' type story like the other one was. If you like this story or don't like it, I would like feedback.

Also, email all comments to me at redrealityranger03@yahoo.com

Also, be sure to check out, if you haven't already:

Tales of a Real Dark Knight

Tales of a Superhero Band

Tales of the New Phoenix

Tales of a Human Spider

Marvel Knights

All are in the Gay Male Celebrity Boy Bands section of the archive, save Marvel Knights, which in the Gay Male Celebrity section.

Thanks, and on with the story.

Tales of a Young Mutant

Chapter 35: Tragedy

The time left between summer and the fall semester seemed to pass like water through a leaking bowl. Xavier told me to give up patrolling and try to relax and take a vacation, since I still had no demon attacks to stop. The fortunate part of the whole thing was that I was not attacked by any more Olympians. The unfortunate part was that I was being filled with more and more dread. September had arrived and I was in my second week of school. I was expecting more and more of an attack on us, on the world, but I had no idea how large of a scale it would be.

On one particular night, though, I was plagued with a particularly discomforting dream. I heard the screams and moans of innocent lives as they burned in two large buildings. I heard evil laughter as a blue demon opened some sort of rip in space, a rip that released all sort of evil onto the earth. I saw vampires galore try to overtake the earth.

I awoke with a start, my heart beating fast, and my body in a cold sweat.

"Baby? What's wrong darlin'?" Logan asked me as he sat up and tried to calm me.

"I feel it, Logan. It's about to start." I said.

"Another dream?" Logan asked. "Xavier said that you would start having psychic dreams like a slayer when it became closer to time for it to happen."

"Yeah. It's close. Real close."

**********

The two of us got ready for school, me for another day of my senior year, and Logan for another day of P. E. instruction. I went to my first day of Physics class with Hank. I found it very hard to pay attention to the lesson, though. My mind kept wandering to what would be happening, as well as with my dream.

I went from his class into Scott's English class. I still couldn't concentrate on anything going on, though. I kept wondering what was going to happen, and when.

Then I heard it. It sounded like an thunderclap, but it must have been kinda far away. I dismissed it as an approaching storm. Then I felt it. Fear. Hopelessness. Terror. Agony. Pain. Panic. All sorts of negative emotions flowed into my mind. And the thoughts. People running, trying to get down the stairs. Chaos. Then the feeling doubled. And the screams. The thoughts flooded my mind, and I couldn't stop it. And I began to feel their pain and suffering.

I clutched my head to try and filter it out. Was this another psychic happening? No, this was happening now, and I couldn't stop it. All the feelings were happening now. And the passersby---I could see it through their eyes, through everyone's eyes--The Twin Towers had fallen.

I felt the pain, and tried to cover it, but it only grew and grew. And then I could feel their pain--the pain of their deaths, and them dying.

I fell to the floor as the thoughts took over my mind and it seemed I was there with the people as it happened. My body felt on fire. The flames of the Phoenix grew around me as I felt all the pain, and neither me nor the Phoenix could stop it. It grew and grew until finally I blacked out.

***********

"Josh?" I awoke finally to Logan over me.

"It happened again. I felt it." I said. "It was stronger this time, though. Like it was really--"

"The towers fell, Josh." Logan said. "It's starting."

"What's going on?"

"Xavier's called a meeting of heroes. Scott and Rogue went to pick up Eric, Lance, and Blake."

"Blake?"

"He's a new guy who's taken on the name of Phoenix. He possesses one, same as you. In addition, Jean had to deflect an X-gene missile that was headed for the school. It's probably going to come up in the meeting."

"Then I should get in there." I said as I sat up.

"Easy, easy. Not too much being said in there is going on that you don't already know about. You can relax for a bit. Xavier does want you to talk to Eric, though, and show him to his room." Logan helped me up out of my bed in the infirmary, and let me get my footing, and let me walk on my own when I was sure that I was able. Logan then went off in the opposite direction as I went to the War Room. As I arrived, I watched the other heroes as they left. Some of them I recognized, some I did not. It was weird, one of them felt very familiar as he exited. Almost exactly like me. Everyone seemed to be carrying a lot on their mind.

As they came out, I saw Lance.

"Hi, Josh." he greeted me.

"Hi, Lance."

"Eric's going to be a bit longer, as the Professor wanted to talk with him alone."

"That's cool. I'll bring him later. Ready to see your room?"

I showed him to his room. I guess it didn't take a telepath to see that I wasn't feeling the best right then.

"Josh? What's wrong?"

"It's just. . .all those people. And I actually felt it happen. . .like I was there." I said. I started to cry, and Lance calmed me down, hugging me. I thanked him, then dropped him off at his room. Then I returned to the War Room for Eric.

I waited patiently until Eric finished talking with the Professor. He looked happy to see me. I tried to smile, but it didn't work. Too much had happened for one day.

"Hi." he said as he grabbed me in a hug.

"Hi." I replied. "How have you been?"

"Very well. It's good to see you. How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. Freaked by what happened today."

"Me too. But I think the world is going to survive this and move on. It's going to be scary and rough for a while. But humanity is very resilient. We always bounce back."

I nodded. "Xavier wanted me to show you to your room. I already took Lance. It's not far."

"Great."

We walked down the hall in silence. The elevator took us to the first floor and Eric followed me up the stairs. Students were standing in small groups talking about all they witnessed and the impending war on humanity. They had arrived at the end of last term. Regular schools had been attacked by Friends of Humanity members wanting to cleanse them of mutants. Emma Frost, a transfer teacher from L.A., with Jubilee and Bobby's help, brought the students to the school after being saved by the Punisher and his people. The way some of them talked, the Muslim faith was responsible for the attacks.

How can people who are born differently and rejected by most people be so ethnocentric about a religion? I heard Eric think. I don't think he realized that I wasn't the only telepath around him. This led to an debate between Eric and the students, which ended in Eric giving them something to think about. I dropped him at his room and then went to find my parents. They were with Logan. The three of them held me as I finally let loose and cried.

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

That night I slept horribly. I couldn't get over the memory of the agony those people felt, and when Mom asked if I was going to the site, I couldn't go. She understood and left me alone.

I barely ate that day, I barely was able to do anything. I kept thinking about those innocent people.

But more and more, I began to realize how close Apocalypse was getting to achieving his goal. The missiles were probably Sinister's creations. And I knew that Professor Xavier and Eric were going to meet him that night.

I needed something to keep me occupied, so I decided to cook something. Kevin, my brother, and my adoptive parents had taught me to cook when we were in Louisiana. I decided on making some red beans and rice, with some cornbread. I went into the kitchen and found Remy already there. And I smelled something really good. It smelled, in fact, like. . .

"Red beans and rice?!" I said, "With cornbread?!"

"Soul food t'ease th' soul." he replied. "Want some?"

"Definitely." I replied. Gambit prepared me some, a nice helping. I ate heartily. It helped ease my mind. Marie came in eventually, and we all sat and talked about nothing much, all avoiding the subject of the war.

Ass we ate, I noticed Hank and Jean run past the door.

"Uh, I'll be back guys." I said, then left to follow them. I just missed them in the elevator and had to wait to catch the next one. I followed them all the way to the infirmary, where through the door I saw Professor Xavier lay in one of the beds. I felt a great feeling of sadness from a nearby room. I entered to see Eric on the verge of tears.

"Eric?" I said. Eric hugged me. I could feel that he felt like he had betrayed Xavier somehow.

"What happened to the Professor?" I asked.

"Magneto used a Sentinel and crushed his exo-skeleton. Jean and Hank have him in the medical bay."

Just then I heard the repeated thought, I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him. Logan burst into the room.

"Get away from him!" he shouted. Eric pushed me away as Logan tackled him, laws unsheathed! Eric fell backwards, catching his hands, and planted his feet in Logan's chest to flip him over Eric and onto his back. The two stood, ready to go at it again.

"Stop it! Both of you!" I shouted, "We don't need this!!"

"You were supposed to protect him!" Logan snarled at Eric.

"I did what I knew to do. I wasn't prepared for the jolly green mutant hunter to be there. I had knew nothing about the Sentinels."

Wolverine growled, then sheathed his claws. He then walked out the door, past Eric, nudging him as he went. I turned to talk to Eric, but Eric left out the other door. I figured saw Jessica follow him. I figured she could cheer him up, so I turned to follow Logan. I finally found him in the recreation room.

"Xavier should have gotten some more of us to go with him. Why did he choose Eric?"

"Because Eric is a psychologist and he figured that he could help him."

"If Xavier is permanently paralyzed. . ."

"You can't blame Eric, he's never faced a Sentinel before. And Xavier was the one who asked him there in the first place. And I don't think Xavier asked Magneto to manipulate a Sentinel into crushing him, either."

With a sigh, Logan finally calmed himself, and pulled me into a hug. "You're right. I'm sorry, it's just that Chuck's one of the first people who believed I could be something other than a killer. He could have been killed."

"But he's still alive."

<Alive and well, thank you both.> We heard.

<Good that you didn't die, Prof.> Logan sent.

<Good that you find it good.> Xavier sent back. I could hear the smile in his telepathic voice. <But in all seriousness, there's a meeting that's about to start soon that I want you both to attend.>

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

I stood next to Logan at the door of the room chosen. There was a large number of people present. Eric sat at the table with Blake and Lance on either side of him. Blake was the one who kind of weirded me out. He felt familiar to me somehow, like I knew him.

On the other side of Lance were Jessica and her watcher, Garret, and to the other side of Blake were a black man, who I learned was the vampire Blade, and his team called the Marvel Knights. Also around the table were Emma Frost, Jean, Scott, and Hank.

"Thanks for gathering again," Eric opened. "I spoke with the Professor. He's doing better, as many of you know, and will be along to join us in a little while. He asked that we listen to Garrett and Jessica, as they have some new information to report."

"Thank you, Eric," Garrett replied standing up. "As many of you know, I'm a Watcher. The Watchers' Council is an organization created for the sole purpose of fighting the supernatural forces of darkness. We have many volumes of ancient texts giving us information on demons, spirits, and so forth. Some even prophesy the future.

"Right after the attacks yesterday, I was reminded of a passage I read in one of Nostradamus' acolyte's notebooks. There were many prophecies that came after Nostradamus passed from this world but were written with his name attached to it. Many dismiss them as hoaxes, however, those who are more familiar with such practices know that pupils often place their teacher's name to a document in recognition of how they received the information. A teacher is credited with the student's access to the spiritual world, and therefore, given the recognition of finding the answer.

"Back to my point. There are several verses found that seem to predict the events that happened yesterday." Garrett reached down to his file folder and pulled out several slips of paper. He cleared his throat and read them out loud.

'In the City of God there will be great thunder, Two brothers torn apart by Chaos, while the fortress endures, the great leader will succumb.' Nostradamus 1654.

'Two steel birds will fall from the sky on the Metropolis. The sky will burn at forty-five degrees latitude. Fire approaches the great new city Immediately a huge, scattered flame leaps up. Within months, rivers will flow with blood. The undead will roam earth for little time.'

'In the year of the new century and nine months, From the sky will come a great King of Terror... The sky will burn at forty-five degrees. Fire approaches the great new city...'

'In the city of york there will be a great collapse, 2 twin brothers torn apart by chaos while the fortress falls the great leader will succumb third big war will begin when the big city is burning.'

"So you see, there may be more than meets the eye," Garrett concluded.

"You may very well be right," Professor Xavier said as he hovered in past me on a chair. "Let's take a look at several of the verses you've read to us. Some have said the exact same thing yet adding new words later."

"I can only assume that the prophets were getting more information through visions as time went on."

"Prophecies can be very tricky," Professor Xavier stated. "Is there anyone here who has a background in interpreting prophecies?" Eric raised his hand.

"I have some experience in interpreting," a guy named Dylan said, raising his hand, "but not much. I can get my brother Ryan to help, since it's his forte. But we are not perfect, and sometimes mistakes are made. Eddie and I also had messages imparted to us recently, both with the exact words, that concern Apocalypse, but not words of Nostradamus. More a warning than a prophecy."

"He feeds on fear, he feeds on pain, he rules again. With his right hand, he will command their faith again," Eddie recited. "No hesitation he'll make, poisons the truth to lead the way to a world of decay."

"If the rest of you would leave," Professor X asked, "we can get to work on interpreting what these are saying." With that, the majority of us left the room.

"Now I know what my visions were from." I stated.

"Don't worry about it too much, kid." Logan said, "There's more than enough of us to handle anything that puke Apocalypse can dish."

I nodded in reply, but I wasn't so sure. Something was telling me that I would have to be the one to deliver the final blow, mainly the large prophecy saying so.

"Joshua?" I heard my name called. I turned to see Kitty and Bobby.

"Hey guys." I said.

"What's going on? We know that something big is happening, but no one is telling us anything. What is going on?" Bobby said.

"A battle against Apocalypse. We don't know quite yet ourselves the full details." I replied. "But Xavier is supposed to tell us everything in the morning."

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

A nice table had formed the next morning: Eric, Lance, Dylan and friends, Kitty, myself, Mom, Scott, Blake, Jean, Punisher, Blade and the other Marvel Knights, Dad, Bobby, Jubilee, and Hank.

"I appreciate everyone's patience," Professor X said to the group. "It took us a week to get all the information we needed. I am confident that we have everything we need to continue investigating. I will reveal to you all that we know of Apocalypse. When Blade arrived here over the weekend, I admit we didn't have much about the mutant. But now, we've contacted just about everyone, including the group known as the Talamasca, in order to get the information we needed." I remembered Xavier telling me about them, the telepathic-elite, non-interfering version of the Watcher's council.

"Apocalypse was born nearly five thousand years ago in Egypt as a member of the Akkaba clan. Even as an infant, he inspired fear. Ugly and malformed, he was abandoned by the tribe to die in the harsh desert sun. The baby was found by a roving band of feared desert raiders known as the Sandstormers. Most of them, too, thought the infant should die. However, their ruthless leader, Baal, somehow recognized the potential power in the child. He named him En Sabah Nur, which means "The First One", and raised him as his own son.

"As En Sabah Nur grew, he surpassed the other tribesmen in intelligence and strength. Everyone in the tribe except for Baal hated and feared him for his inhuman looks and great abilities. Nur did not understand their fear, but hardened his heart against it. Moreover, he believed in the principle that Baal and the tribe lived by, that only the fittest, tested by hardship, would, and should, survive. On the day of his tribal rite of passage into manhood, the seventeen-year-old En Sabah Nur killed three armed warriors of the tribe using only his bare hands.

"At this time Egypt was ruled by Pharaoh Rama-Tut. On the day of En Sabah Nur's rite of passage, Baal explained to him that Rama-Tut was no god, as most believed, but a man, who had arrived in a strange vessel. Years ago the tribe had stumbled upon the time-traveler's crashed ship, taken the injured man back to their camp, and nursed the injured and temporarily blinded man back to health. One night he wandered away, taking with him objects the tribesmen had brought from his vessel. Weeks later, his sight restored, Rama-Tut returned, wielding weapons of devastating power and leading the Egyptian army. He massacred the tribe and enslaved the survivors. Although he tortured them, no one revealed the timeship's location.

"In actuality, Rama-Tut was a time traveler from the far future who would later become known as Kang the Conqueror. Kang knew that Apocalypse, one of the most powerful mutants who ever lived, and the one who was destined to rule the world, had been born in ancient Egypt. Hence, Rama-Tut had gone back in time to find Apocalypse as a child, raise him, and thereby become the master of the most powerful being on the planet.

"On the day of his rite of passage, Baal brought the young Nur to a sacred cave whose entrance became blocked by a cave-in, trapping them underground. After a week of wandering without food or water, they found the remnants of Rama-Tut's timeship within an underground Egyptian tomb. Baal told Nur that he believed him to be a conqueror whose coming was foretold in ancient prophecies, and that Nur was destined to overthrow Rama-Tut. Then Baal died from lack of nourishment, and Nur, whose mutant physiology kept him alive, vowed to take vengeance on Rama-Tut and claim his destiny. Four weeks later he finally made his way back to the surface.

"Nur became a slave, but eventually he had a vision of the Egyptian death god Seth, who urged him to become a conqueror. It was at this moment that Nur first manifested his superhuman powers. Eventually, the Pharaoh finally came face to face with En Sabah Nur. Rama-Tut offered to make him his heir if he would swear his loyalty, and then tried to kill him when Nur refused. Nur defeated Rama-Tut's warlord Ozymandias and Rama-Tut, who finally escaped back into the future, eventually to take on the identity of Kang.

"From then on Apocalypse plotted the conquest of the planet through bringing about wars and conflict, in which the strong would defeat and destroy the weak. Over the centuries he was worshipped by many civilizations under a variety of names. Mutants, he was certain, would one day rule the world, with him as their leader, and so he waited. Most of what Apocalypse did during these centuries is as yet unknown.

"At the time of the Crusades, Apocalypse arranged for the warrior Bennet du Paris to activate his latent mutant powers for the first time. Renaming him Exodus, Apocalypse made him his servant but later cast him into a deathlike trance when Exodus rebelled against him.

"According to information I gleaned from Magneto, an old friend may be working with him. He may very well be the man Cloak saw in Columbus with Apocalypse. That is an angle that I have a team set up to investigate.

"Dylan, I appreciate how you and your team have offered to help. I would like for you to go with Kitty to England and work alongside the team Excalibur. Working together you may be able to uncover more information as to why Juffrey is involved with Apocalypse.

"Ororo, Jean, Blake, and Rogue, I would like you to investigate Egypt. The rumors from the Watchers are that rumors are flying around of your vampire Dasro working with Apocalypse. You may uncover some information about Apocalypse and how he met up with Dasro. After all, the legends of the beginning of Dasro's species of vampire began with a king and queen of Egypt, Enkil and Akasha. Since Apocalypse came from Egypt as well, you may be able to uncover how the two met and why they would work together now.

"Scott, Jessica, Blade, Weatherby, and Eric, I would like for you to go to Orlando, Florida."

"You're sending us home?" Eric asked, puzzled.

"No. There is a mutant by the name of Northstar that I want to join your group. He has some information about a mutual mutant that might link her with Apocalypse. She may help lead you to Ghost Rider. From there, you will go wherever the leads take you."

"Lance is coming with us."

"Are you sure that it is safe enough for him? You don't want him getting hurt, do you?"

"I won't put him through what he went through when I went to England. Where I go, he goes."

"Very well," Professor X said. "Any questions?" then he looked to me. <Joshua, you and I will talk later.>

Eric raised his hand. Xavier gave him the floor. Eric stood and looked around at all of us.

"The world hates us because we are different. Some of us are different in more than one way. We are going out from here to face that which goes bump in the night, to face that which the world doesn't want to accept. Vampires, mutants who want to take over the world, and other forces that not all of us could begin to imagine. It is going to be rough. This will be hard for all of us. We will probably be pushed beyond our limits. And for what? To protect the world, to protect people who could care less about whether we have the same rights as them? To defend a population who would rather we all died because of our differences so they could have everyone in the norm? It seems unfair. That's because it is unfair. The world is full of ignorant, selfish people. But I believe that this world will, one day, be better than what it is. They've come so far in a short amount of time. That is evidenced by how ethnic minorities and women are treated. They are being treated more and more equal. That is evidence the world can become better than what they are.

"Looking at each of you, looking through the window to your souls, I can see beautiful people, beautiful on the inside. You are a group I'm an honored to say I've known and worked with. You are a people who can accomplish. You are what heroes are made of. And I want to say thank you for knowing you and having the opportunity to work side-by-side with each of you."

"Thank you, Eric," Professor X said. "Are there any more comments or questions?" There was no response. "Very well. Let's get ready. The X-Jet will be leaving in few hours to take Kitty, Dylan and the rest of the Kindred to England. I suggest everyone else get packed and ready for their return." Everyone stood and went their separate ways. I waited to talk to Professor Xavier alone.

"Why is it that everyone else is going somewhere and I get the "stay at home" treatment?"

"Because I need you here so that you can train. I know that you can feel the impending war. And for that reason, I'm sending everyone else out to try and quell that war. This is only the beginning Joshua. I need you here, to train, now more than ever, to use your Phoenix powers to their advantage. And I need more time to interpret the prophecies fully so that I know when it is that you must fight.

***********

"Josh? Is everything all right?" Logan asked as he entered our room. It was two weeks after the whole war started and everyone had split into their groups. Those of us who remained were in training, trying to prepare for whatever else may happen. After the twelfth day of our danger room training, Logan came into the room and came behind me, grabbing me into a hug.

"I can't help wondering when this will all end. When do the villians all die and go to hell? And at the same time, I can't help thinking. . .that I'll die in this, too.

"Shh." Logan said, "All the teams are coming up well in their fights. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

"What happens if I wind up like Blake? Who will rush me to the sun?" Blake had come from a battle and completely depleted his powers to save his friends. His sister, Andrea, the Green Falcon, had to rush him to the sun to recharge him.

"Then I would take you to the sun myself."

I turned to him in out embrace. "But that'd be suicide!"

"I wouldn't care. I would easily give my life for you. I love you Joshua."

"I love you too Logan." I replied and leaned up to kiss him.

"Joshua!" I heard someone say. I looked to the door to see Pietro.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Evan and I were supposed to meet up to play a game of basketball. But when we started to play, his powers flipped out. He got really frustrated and ran off!!"

"Oh God, no!" I said. I pulled away from Logan.

"I'll go too!" He said. "If we---"

"No, you've got to stay here in case anyone attacks the school. I'll find Evan on my own." I replied. I then took off, changing my clothes into some normal street clothes as I went. I had to find Evan. I've lost enough family to Sinister to lose him to his own powers.

To be continued. . .