A Fateful Connection

Chapter 16

Charles and Layna were laying next to each other, unconscious. Charles was the first to open his eyes as he felt a breeze blow across his face. He looked around and saw the four strangers along with sand and rock surrounding them. He looked to his left and saw his wife.
"Layna! Layna, are you all right?" he asked as he gently shook her. She stirred before opening her eyes.
"Charles? Where... where the hell are we? Are you okay?"
He looked around.
"Looks like Egypt, and yes, I'm alright. What did you do to her while you were in my head?" he asked angrily as he looked to the blue and black mutant.
"I sampled her power. While we were connected, she made contact with you and I absorbed her energy. She's quite useful... and very powerful."
"I've never felt so much negative energy come from one person in my entire life," she said as Charles helped sit her up.
"You were sucking the energy out of me... I can barely move."
Charles looked to the mutants intently, trying to reach their minds, but he couldn't. He twisted his face from the blockage.
"You're blocking me. How?"
"I can shield their minds from your power. It's one of the greatest gifts I have acquired through out the millennia. But to... see... inside a mind. To control it. That's your gift. You saw it, didn't you? The glory of what's to come."
Charles looked over to Erik, sternly.
"Are you going to take part in all this killing? Destruction?"
"It's all I've ever known."
"No, it isn't. You've just forgotten."
"No, Charles, I remember. Your way doesn't work."
"I showed him a better way. A better world."
Layna grunted as she adjusted her position.
"All you did was isolate his rage and pain, amplify it, and push away everything else. That's all you've done. Erik, we told you from the moment we met you, there's more to you. There's good in you," said Layna.
"Whatever it is you two think you saw in me, I buried it. With my family."
The couple felt such pity for him. His mother was murdered, he was imprissoned for trying to save JKF, their friends were experimented on and killed, and now his family was gone.
"Charles," spoke the armored mutant.
"You will send a message to every living mind. You will tell them that this Earth will be laid waste. That it is I, En Sabah Nur, who wreak this upon them. Now. Deliver. My. Message."
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't reach that many people. I don't have Cerebro."
The mutant scoffed.
"You don't need a machine... to amplify your powers. You have me. And you, my dear," he said as he looked over to Layna.
"You could dismantle and reconstruct all of creation with your power. Positive energy, as you well know, is made of light, matter, and antimatter. It exists in everything around us. With your gift amplified, you can tear apart the ground beneath your feet, extract positive energy from whatever you so desire to increase your strength, you, my child, could be a goddess."
Layna didn't know what to say, she was mortified and confused and physically exhausted. She didn't want or need that kind of power. She could be dangerous enough as it is, same with Charles, but what would happen if they lost control of this amplified power and hurt someone? What if they hurt each other?
"Now, Charles. Deliver my message."
He looked to En Sabah Nur, who's eyes fogged over with a film of white as he felt the range of his telepathy increase. He was hesitant, but he had no choice.
"Hear me, inhabitants of this world. This is a message. A message to every man, woman, and mutant."
"You have lost your way," En Sabah Nur said with his arms out. Charles glared at him.
"You have lost your way."
"But I have returned."
"But I have returned. The day of reckoning, it is here. All your buildings and temples... will fall. The dawn of a new era will emerge. For there is nothing you can do..."
"Jean."
"To stop what is coming."
"Jean, if you can hear me, focus on my voice. Cairo. Find us. Jean, find us. Cairo. Find us."
"This message is for one reason alone, to tell the strongest among you..."
"Those with the greatest power... this Earth will be yours," said En Sabah Nur.
"Those with the greatest power..."
Layna held onto Charles' hand and gave it a squeeze. He looked to her for a moment and then back to the blue mutant.
"...Protect those without. That's my message to the world," he said with venom on his tongue. En Sabah Nur's eyes cleared back to normal as he glanced down at Charles. He turned to face the city of Cairo below them and looked out.
"This was supposed to be the center of the universe before I was betrayed. Now... it will be."
He raised his hands and his eyes fogged over again. The city below was being beckoned towards him. Sand and various materials from buildings, structures, and houses rose from the ground and started constructing itself into something entirely new. In a matter seconds, En Sabah Nur had created a new pyramid. He turned to Erik and hovered a hand over a nearby rock. The sand that covered it drifted into the air and took the form of a helmet.
"A gift, from the past you left behind. And the future, that lies within it," he said as he handed the helmet to Erik. He looked down and took it.
"You, will reach down, my son, deep into the earth. Rip everything they've built from the ground. Wipe clean this world. And we will lead those that survive... into a better one."
"And us?" asked Charles.
"Are we to play a role in this madness?" he asked as they all turned to them.
"You two have the most important roles of all."
Charles and Layna looked to each other with concern. What could this man possibly want them to do to cause such calamity?
"You're just another false god, another person in the world with a god complex. When this is all over and it's just you and your followers, they'll betray you again," said Layna.
"You're wrong, Layna. For the first time in a thousand lifetimes... I have him."
He referred to Charles.
"For all my gifts, I've yet to posses the one I needed most. To be... everywhere.To be... everyone. Layna," he said as he walked over to her.
"You stay away from her," Charles said aggressively as he extended his arm over her.
"After I transfer my consciousness into his body, you shall rule beside me as the goddess you were destined to be. A mutant as powerful as yourself is fit to rule beside me."
"I want nothing to do with you and your plans. Leave me out of this."
"Now that, I cannot let you do. You play a crucial part in recreating this world as I explained to you previously. You will do as I command. ...Your children shall grow to be fierce and powerful mutants someday... it would be a shame if their mother didn't do what she was told and something were to... take place."
Layna's eyes flashed and emitted white light as she felt anger surge within her. She stood up and tilted her head upwards. She leaned against a rock nearby to keep herself up from still being exhausted.
"Layna," Charles said warningly.
"You dare bring my kids into this, so help me I will shove my fist into your chest and incinerate whatever it is that keeps you alive and breathing."
"In your current state, I doubt you could. My goddess," he said as he ran a finger down her jaw. She flinched away in disgust.
"You will do as I say, or your children can suffer for your actions."
"You will do no such thing. She will comply with your orders."
Layna looked back to Charles with a sad expression. He nodded in response. She knew she had to, as much as she didn't want to. Layna so desperately wanted to fulfill her threat, but she dispersed the energy in her eyes and slumped back down to Charles. Tears were in her eyes as she leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around her and glared at En Sabah Nur. In turn, the blue mutant extended a hand towards the couple. Layna gasped as positive energy started coursing through her, illuminating her veins, making her nervous system visible. She could feel her energy and strength come back, but she could also feel her power amplifying. Charles released her so he could see what was happening. She looked down at herself and a bright flash of light engulfed everyone's vision. As it started to dim down, Layna's previous clothes had turned into some kind of warrior-ess looking outfit (image above). Layna stood up and looked down at what she was wearing while Charles stared. Even though they were in quite the predicament, he couldn't help but admire her new look.
"Attire truly fit for a goddess and for battle," said En Sabah Nur.
"Battle?" she asked.
"Your previous ensemble wasn't very fit for a fight. If you are to rule by my side, you must protect me along with the others. I sense your... friends approaching."
Layna looked to Charles with confusion, but flashed him a small smile none the less. The blue skinned mutant unfortunately wasted no time giving commands.
"Remember Layna, if you fail to obey me, your children will suffer for your actions. It would be best if you complied willingly."
"You don't have to remind me," she said. Charles grabbed her hand reassuringly and squeezed it.
"We won't let anything happen to them. We'll figure something out."
"I know we will," she replied and squeezed back.
"Go, protect me. Your husband and I have some work to do," En Sabah Nur said to Layna. She leaned over and planted a kiss on Charles' lips. She wish she could freeze this moment in time so she wouldn't have to say goodbye. They retracted back and leaned against each other's foreheads.
"I love you, Charles Xavier. I'll figure something out, icy blue."
"I love you, Layna Xavier. Go, quickly, hazel," he said as she walked off towards the powerful mutant's band of misfits down below as En Sabah Nur took Charles inside the pyramid. Everyone went down to pick off the team of... students? Layna saw Jean and Scott along with Peter Maximoff, Hank, and Raven who were off fighting the "four horseman". She caught a new sense of energy that was unfamiliar, so someone else was with the group as well. Jean and Scott looked up to see her standing after they had almost been hit by a hurdling car from Storm.
"Professor Xavier?" asked Jean.
"I'm glad you found us, but I'm sorry in advance," she said as she hurled two discs of positive energy at them. They managed to dodge out of the way, but became confused in the process.
"What are you doing? And what are you wearing?"
"En Sabah Nur is making me protect him and fight as he tries to put his consciousness into the Professor. He threatened to hurt Luci and Andreas if I were to disobey him. I don't want to hurt you guys, but I don't have a plan on how to turn on him without putting the kids in danger. Also he changed out my clothes because what I was wearing wasn't fit for combat."
"Kids?" asked Scott.
"Her and the Professor's kids," Jean clarified.
"I'm sorry if I end up hurting you guys, he upgraded my powers so I'm not sure how in control I'm going to be."
"It's okay, we know you don't mean to hurt us. Is the Professor okay?"
"As far as I know, but you should hurry. I'm not sure how long the process is going to take."
"My dear, less talking, more fighting. I'm sure little Luci and Andreas wouldn't want their mother to disobey my orders. Just as a precaution, you will not be able to speak for the time being."
Layna heard the false god in her head and swallowed nervously. She tried speaking, but not a noise came out. Suddenly, her hand was forced into the air and a bright light shone in her palm. The light was so bright it was almost blinding. Her hand was forced back down and in it was positive energy, but it wasn't in a specific form. It was just glowing in her palm, waiting to be released from her body. It was so incredibly hot that it almost burned her hair as a lock made it in front of her shoulder.
"Professor?" asked Scott. Jean realized she couldn't speak and looked into her mind as she placed a finger to her temple. She sighed.
"That mutant silenced her and is forcing her body to move."
"Great," Scott said.
"I trust that you are capable of continuing on without my assistance," En Sabah Nur thought. Layna looked towards Scott and emitted the energy in a bright, white beam. Scott took off his glasses and countered with an optic blast. Layna's beam was inching closer towards the brunette male as he kept his ground. Jean used her telekinesis to pull him away as the white beam got dangerously close to him. Layna gave them an apologetic expression as Scott tried to calm his nerves from almost being incinerated. He blasted her again, hoping to catch her off guard from the sudden recovery.
"Scott, no!" cried Jean. Instead of countering, Layna held both hands up and the positive energy began to imbalance the pre-existing positive and negative energies of Scott's optic blast, breaking it down. The beam flowed freely in her hands like a mist or smoke. Layna looked to the broken down, red energy in surprise at what her heightened mutation could now do. The other four horseman regrouped around her including Angel, who was previously in the pyramid.
"Split them up," said Psylocke.

Charles was looking around in panic. The gold octahedron in the tip of the pyramid shone for a moment from the sun's light before gold light started trailing down engraved patterns in the ceiling and on the walls. The light started moving closer to the tables that he and En Sabah Nur were laying on.

Layna was taking on Jean, who was now fighting solo. Scott got caught up fighting Storm, Raven and Peter we're trying to get to Erik, Hank was off fighting Psylocke, and the new guy was fighting Angel. Layna looked to the red mist in her hands and then to Jean, she wasn't sure if the young telekinetic could handle it.
"It's okay Professor, we'll put on a show, make it look real. You can put your acting skills to use again," Jean thought to Layna. She gave her a smile.
"Let the show begin then," she responded. She extended her hands out to Jean, propelling Scott's energy back with a mixture of her own. Jean jumped behind some nearby debris and watched the attack burn straight through multiple, demolished houses behind her. Jean raised four large chunks of debris with her telekinesis and flung them towards Layna. The brunette made a double edged sword and slashed each chunk into smoothly cut halves.