Chương 174: Chapter Fifty-Eight, Part Three
Sand trembled, a cascade of grit that spiralled into a mighty whirlpool. Deep below the surface, Apocalypse shifted in his throne. The fire under his skin receded, a long battle against the treachery of his lessers.
"Hmmm…" Dust rippled from his body, pushed free by a wave of telekinetic force. Light returned to the chamber around him, a hall of gilded mosaics. "The virus has been tamed, and it has bolstered my power."
A snort slipped free as he rose to his feet. Sinister's betrayal had served him in the end, as all things should. He would thank the man before he ripped him apart, cell by cell. A flick of his hand and the celestial technology of his throne room hummed to life.
"Time to see what the mortals have been up to," Apocalypse frowned as the cables connected to his armour transferred a tide of data into his mind. A sneer lifted the corner of his mouth, eyes narrowed as he gazed beyond the ceiling and into the world above. "It seems that a new God has risen while I slept… it's about time I met this 'Superman'..."
– – – –
"Scotland is such a peaceful place," Kara drifted through the skies, one hand above her head as she guided a large passenger plane to the nearest airport. "We should open another branch of the Academy here, or open a Stark industries terminal so we can spend more time here."
"The next branch Academy is set to be established in Africa," Cal shook his head as he scanned the interior of the plane for injured passengers. "Storm is next in line to run her own branch and she gets to choose the location."
"I know, I know," Kara rolled her eyes as they closed in on a workable landing strip. The African branch was important, a link to the reclusive Wakanda that Dan-EL had ordered them to create. "When do you open your school for the mystic arts? Maybe you could set up shop in one of the local castles…"
"If you want to live here so badly, then open a Martial school under the Order's name yourself," Cal waved away her suggestion and shifted aside as she set the plane gently onto the runway. "Both Dan-EL and Charles think you're more than ready, and you can easily get Cain and Namor to sign on as teachers."
"You know I don't have the time," Kara shook her head as the doors to the plane opened and unfurled their inflatable emergency sides. "Even with all my training, I'm still the most active out of all of us."
Cal had spent more and more time invested in the Ancient One's magic, while Dan-EL was almost always within his lab. Only Kara had maintained a constant presence in the public eye. She didn't mind, but it left her with little space in her life for more.
"The Primes can handle things, if you let them," Cal shrugged, his biofield extended to help the passengers down the slides. "We've been on this Earth for more than thirty years, you deserve a break like the rest of us."
"The Primes have other work and you know it," Kara sighed as the plane was emptied of the final stragglers. "I'll take a break when we finally form the Justice League…"
"Excuse me," a slim woman with shoulder length brown hair edged closer, hesitant as she glanced from Kara to Cal. "Thank you very much for saving us… I was wondering, you're both members of the Order of Krypton, right?"
"Of course," Kara raised an eyebrow at the woman and let her symbiote scan her body. The new arrival was a mutant, filled with an unusual energy. "Are you looking for sanctuary? The closest Academy is in Denmark, but this plane was bound for America."
"My name is Moira Mactaggert, I was hoping to contact Professor Charles Xavier," Moira extended her hand after a moment of hesitation. "My mutation causes me to be reincarnated after death, I thought I was alone until I heard rumours of the Academies and Superman's Order."
"A mutation that allows rebirth?" Cal titled his head, eyes focused as he scanned over Moira's body. "Incredible! Your soul is one of the strongest I've ever seen, probably due to your accumulated experiences…"
"I don't know anything about that," Moira inched backward from Cal's passionate gaze. "My focus is on genetics, that's why I want to meet the Professor… I hope that together we can gain a greater understanding of the mutant gene!"
"That's not a problem…" Cal froze, mid-word, before his neck swivelled to the southeast. "I'm afraid it will have to wait… Supergirl, can you sense it?"
"Yes," Kara levitated from the ground, eyes on the same path as Cal's. A great power surged from beyond the horizon, waves of untamed force that emanated from the centre of the Sahara desert. "Whatever it is, it's powerful…"
– – – –
"Hmm?" Dan's eyes snapped open, his focus withdrawn from the genetic data within his mind. The Kryptonian genome was massive, but his own genetic code dwarfed even the Gold era samples. "Something's happening in Egypt…"
The surge of power that drew his attention emanated from the desert. His eyes couldn't pinpoint the source, but he could guess based on its location. Mr. Sinister's wounded Master, Apocalypse, had awoken.
"Kara and Cal are already on their way… so is Bucky," Dan unfolded from his lotus position and slashed a portal into the air with the flick of his wrist. The Winter Soldier had done great work over the last ten years, locked in an endless struggle with the corpse of Hydra. "His mutation still hasn't surfaced, but it's probably best to keep him away from En Sabah Nur."
Apocalypse could forcibly awaken and even absorb a mutant's powers. Bucky would be a prime target for the ancient king, a hybrid mutant body that he could take for his own. Dan stepped through his portal and into the desert sands.
"Venom, send a notice to the others… keep them back unless I order otherwise," Dan frowned as he moved directly above the energy signature. Whatever Celestial technology cloaked this place, it refused to yield to his eyes. "Just because I can't see you, doesn't mean I can't deal with you…"
Red blossomed from his vision, concentrated heat that turned the ocean of sand into steam and glass. The desert peeled away and left a massive pyramid exposed to the sun. Carved gold, layered with unusual hieroglyphs, reflected his attack towards the skies.
The structure trembled, reformed from within to create an opening at the apex. A figure, armoured in silver and purple, floated from within. Apocalypse glanced around the molten desert, before he locked his gaze on Dan.
"You are not of my kind," the mutant's eyes narrowed to slits as he peered at Dan's body. "An alien… your genetic code is remarkable, but you have made a grave mistake."
Energy rippled across Apocalypse's Celestial armour, a tyrannical power that pressed against Dan's biofield. The two forces battled in the air, locked in a stalemate that raised the mutant's eyebrows.
"This world is not yours to shepherd, outsider…" En Sabah Nur extended his hands as the skies darkened. Only the silver light on the mutant's skin and the glow of Dan's ki remained, candles in an ocean of black. "It already has a King!!!"
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
VendakSoth
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