Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form, own or stake a claim to any character, setting, concept, or plotline that comes directly from Marvel or the X Men movie franchise. I did however meet Allen Bellman and his wife, once. I fetched that man a LOT of coffee and water during his stay. He was a nice old guy who ate a lot of salad and drew some stuff.

X Men: Last Judgement

'Jean,' came the familiar pull inside her mind, words spoken directly through their telepathic link. The woman looked up from her work in the laboratory.

"Professor?" She answered aloud, rousing the interest of fellow lab technician, Beast. The blue furred man looked over top of his glasses at her but said nothing, going back to the business of reading a clipboard of charts. He was well aware of Charles' penchant for the theatrics. That man could make unsweetened oatmeal seem dramatic.

'We haven't much time. I need you to gather our team and meet me at the hanger as quickly as possible.'

The redheaded woman set down the instrument she held, leaving it next to a row of culture tubes filled with various liquids. Ghosts of worried thoughts she'd entertained all day were somehow growing more corporeal with his words. Hearing the heavy sigh of Hank, she opened her mind to Xavier and spoke to him privately.

'You sound worried. What's wrong?'

'Nothing, if we get there in time.'

She was already well on her way out of her lab coat and nitrile gloves. Dr. Grey barely missed the massive eye roll her colleague donned as she set aside her work, yet again. Why he even bothered giving her any role in his experimentations the man didn't know. She was as fickle and easily distracted as a housecat. Hank checked his clipboard for the umpteenth time and turned away, unimpressed.

The woman quit the room, passing a few open classrooms full of students.

'Tell me, Charles. What's going on?'

'Jean,' pressed the old man with concern, 'I feel our presence may soon be needed. I will explain everything on the way. For now, please gather the others and suit up.

'Oh, and Jean?'

'Yes?'

'Don't bother looking for Wolverine. He is already there.'

Storm was easily obtained, having been mid-lecture just down the hall. Cyclops was met near the library with Bobby and Rogue in tow a few minutes later, discussing a recent win on the courtyard. They had been on their way inside when Jean spotted them.

"-have to be poor sports about it. I mean, we all agreed powers could be used. Fair's fair." Iceman shrugged.

"Jealousy," said Rogue, giving a supportive squeeze to her boyfriend's arm. "A twenty foot ice slide can have that effect on people."

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, it was stylish."

"Hey," Scott greeted Jean, going up to kiss her as she rushed towards the group with Storm close behind. He quickly sensed their state of mild panic and backed up, concern pulling the corners of his mouth into a frown. His brow furrowed heavily over his glasses. "What's wrong?"

"We need to get to the hanger. Charles is waiting. Have you seen Kitty?"

Bobby shook his head, "She and Peter have class right now I think."

Storm detached from the group on the pretense of finding them, going toward the row of classrooms that would yield the two missing members of their team.

"I'll meet you there."

She passed a blue skinned mutant who happened to be wondering aimlessly down the hall, walking off his unanswered concerns. The German elf waved a tri-fingered greeting and went mostly disregarded in Ororo's rush. Kurt looked quizzically after her retreating form. His brow pulled down in concern.

The four remaining mutants continued toward the hanger. Scott once again asked the question on everyone's mind; what was going on?

"Charles didn't say, but Scott...something's not right. I've been feeling as if the whole world's been holding its breath all day. Like something's about to happen. And it isn't good."

"Hey, let's hope so." Iceman said as they rounded another corner. He'd inexplicably picked up a bottle of water sometime during their trek through the school, which he chugged vigorously. "We haven't had a serious mission in a while. Getting kinda boring if you ask me."

Rogue made a face at him. "Bobby…"

"What do you mean?" Scott circumvented the younger members of their squad, going back to the topic at hand. He rubbed his girlfriend's shoulder consolingly. "What is it?"

"I don't know," conceded Jean. Apprehension creased her forehead. "But I have the feeling this whole thing is connected."

The hanger was witness to the gathering of X Men, their corps fully assembled and dressed appropriately for the job. Shadowcat fitfully adjusted the skintight suit which seemed to have shrunk marginally since their last mission. Rogue was definitely not giggling at her friend's discomfort. Jean made a knowing face and crossed into the ship. Storm fought against a smile, zipping herself up with ease.

"Did this thing get smaller?" Kitty tried to reach for the zipper behind her back but couldn't quite manage. Rogue took pity and did her up, straining against the fabric.

"Possible," The woman lied helpfully, struggling. "Breath in, huh?"

Colossus rubbed an embarrassed hand through his short crop of hair. He was tempted to remind her of their recent all-you-could-eat-buffet dating spree through town but decided against it. The image of Kitty gorging on desserts was wisely kept to the privacy of his own thoughts. "Maybe they didn't realize it was dry-clean only."

"Shoulda had a salad," chimed in Bobby, narrowly missing Kitty's fist as they filed in.

The team had all but entered, with Storm rounding up the back. She was almost fully up the ramp when an unmistakable noise caught her attention.

BAMF!

The woman turned and eyed the sudden visitor.

"Kurt," she asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

He looked sheepishly up at her. Truth be told, the man didn't really know. For some unexplainable reason he'd been oddly compelled to follow the troops to the hanger. Nightcrawler had hung back unseen in the shadows while everyone got ready but couldn't help teleporting closer, in light of their leaving.

Storm looked vaguely concerned at holding up the mission, teetering on the middle of the platform. Her honeyed mouth pulled into a frown.

"Zis may be…improper of me, but…vould you fery much mind mein coming vis you?" Yellow eyes held her gaze for an instant before finding something suddenly very interesting on the ship behind her. "I only wish to help."

"Alright," Bobby's excitement had not quite spread to the rest of the team, who buckled in and exchanged glances with one another. "So, who else is like, really pumped right now? Woo. Let's go!"

Scott briefly glanced at the fledgling from his seat in the cockpit, shaking his head. It was hard to believe he'd ever been that young. He put on his headphones and started her up as the professor appeared to greet them all, hovering down the aisle in his chair. The old man's eyes momentarily twinkled as Ororo walked in smiling, Kurt close behind.

The elf sat in an unclaimed seat looking as out of place as earmuffs in the desert, sporting his long taupe coat and vest. He fastened himself in and nodded nervously to the bewildered faces around him, still mildly unsure as to why he'd come in the first place. His brain was oddly foggy whenever he tried to think too hard about it.

All through the flight, even as Professor Xavier explained the mission to the group, Nightcrawler peered out the small port window, mystified.

The four warriors touched down upon the earth, cloaked in Egyptian garb and looking grim. Horses of fire and unnatural construction carried each rider as they slowly approached the house of Claire Harper. Smoke from the recent explosion drifted hazily through the air, obscuring the oncoming horsemen.

Logan narrowed his eyes upon their advancing forms even as he barreled after his foolish charge. He shouted at her to get back inside but the woman didn't listen.

"Goddamn it!" He caught Claire near the front porch, spinning her bodily around and ending her idiotic sprint towards the ruined road. He dumped the flailing girl onto the grass in a tumbling mess. In a furious swish his claws came out, turning back towards the threat.

"What do you think 'stay back' means?" He called over a shoulder. "Wanna get yourself killed?"

Claire stood roughly and brushed herself off, coming to be at the mouth of a very large crater which had been her front yard. She paled. "Lovely, there goes my deposit."

She gave her companion a double-take and noted the adamantium display protruding between his knuckles on both hands. The woman caught his eye. Logan had warned her but never had she imagined this. He really was a mutant then. The man made a face that screamed 'told ya so'.

The children were still outside across the street, cowering. In panic Claire flailed her arms to get their attention.

"Run!" she shouted, resuming the dash from before. A strong hand caught her shoulder.

"Oh, no you don't." Logan shook his head. If Charles only knew how much he'd messed this up...Should have stuck to the script after all he supposed. Damn it. Although, he assumed the handwritten note hadn't covered explosions or horse-riding mutants, or well, whoever the fuck these guys were.

He spun her around and just about shoved her toward the house. "I'm never gonna hear the end of this shit… Get back inside before I kill you myself."

The largest of the horsemen raised two meaty hands above his head slowly, meaningfully. The air went unnaturally still. Without preamble he clapped thunderously, creating another explosion in the street. A wayward car unlucky enough to be driving veered off and hit a hydrant, sending a jet of water up into the air. Its alarm went off in time with the airbag, the driver injured and unconscious. The man fell limply against the deflating bag, arm at a sick angle. Jarring noise melded with the screaming of Mama Holten and the children.

Wolverine lunged at the closest rider, slicing into his mechanical steed. The beast bucked as its master leapt off, cloak splaying out in his agile descent. A metal pair of wings could be seen for just a moment, clinging to the Horseman's back. The strange mutant glided to a stop on the ground, fist propping himself up. He leveled a look upon his challenger.

A moment of recognition passed before Logan's eyes.

"Angel?" said Wolverine, more than shocked. His anger was matched only by confusion. He frowned suddenly. "Why the hell are you blue?"

"You know this guy?" Claire asked from the curb. So much for keeping in the house.

"Yeah, no –" Logan quickly amended, remembering it was an entirely different timeline which had brought Angel to the X Men before. In this life he'd never before encountered the winged mutant. He gruffly raised an eyebrow. "In a manner of speaking."

He realized too late that Claire was once again disobeying his orders. Wolverine barked at her to get back and in his distraction the metallic mutant hybrid which had been Angel took this moment to strike.

Logan was unceremoniously thrown into a parked Jeep Cherokee. The driver's side was smashed in completely by the bulk of him. He moaned and dropped to the ground, pausing to shake away some glass as the car's alarm sounded. The air had been knocked out of his lungs. Small cuts on his brow reformed with grisly precision as he regained his bearings. He cracked his jaw back into place.

"Son of a bitch."

His claws extended once more and he rushed at the other man, swiping the ground where Angel had been standing. The mutant floated soundlessly in the sky above. With a swish of metal, feathers shot down at Wolverine like several long machetes. With all the deft precision of porcupine quills they struck the ground in a long row seconds from Logan's dodging form. One easily punctured a vehicle next to his head where the man came to pause, superior alloy ripping through the car as if made of tinfoil. Logan eyed it warily. "Seriously?"

He stood and faced the floating man.

"Angel!" Wolverine roared, rolling to escape the next barrage of knives. He lunged again, his claws connecting with the tip of the metallic wing in a shower of sparks. They hadn't damaged the strange appendage at all. "Oh, you so don't want to do this. Angel!"

"It's Death, now." Came the calm voice of Angel, quite content upon being evil. He raised his arm and sent another line of blades sailing towards the swarthy man. "Although I admit it's quite refreshing to have someone recognize me, even in my evolved form. Were you an admirer of mine perhaps?"

"Yeah, must have been your good looks."

The Frankenstein of a mutant sneered darkly at the barb, his ego still present despite being so terribly altered. Another volley of weaponry littered the ground. Logan caught one in his shoulder, rearing back from the force. He pulled it out in a sickly squelch of noise and dropped the bloody thing on the ground. It clattered where it fell.

"Jesus," he heard Claire breathe. "The f, man?"

"Go inside, damn it." He spit blood and seethed. "Angel, the hell is going on here? Who are these assholes?"

He pointed round, indicating the three other riders. The one responsible for the explosions grinned wickedly at Wolverine. A sallow, hunched mutant next to him displayed his mouth of pointed teeth, cruel eyes wide with malicious glee. Their ranks were rounded out by a thin mean-looking woman with skin like parchment. She waved at Logan darkly, skeletal fingers curling a horrendous 'hello'.

Logan spared a disgusted glance at the she-thing. He made a face, endeavoring to never do it again. "This ain't you."

Angel smirked at his foe. "Oh, but it is me. Poor Archangel traded in his mortal wings and became a god."

"What the hell are you talking about? Your father put you up to this, bub? Didn't get enough of him the first time around?" Wait, different timeline. Damn, he was still having a problem keeping them separate. God, did he want a cigarette right about now.

"My father is nothing compared to Him." The reverent way in which he enunciated 'Him' gave Logan cause for concern. The blue false idol haughtily permitted the world a wide sweep with arrogant eyes. "The time of Apocalypse is drawing near."

Wolverine scoffed. "Apocalypse? Real original. Let me guess, you're the Four Horsemen?"

"Precisely."

"Yep, and I'm the goddamn Easter Bunny."

He didn't have time for any more sarcasm as Angel once again lunged viciously at him. Logan crouched and splayed out his claws, beckoning the man to come closer. He dared him.

Their fight was put on temporary hold as the wind coiled up unnaturally around them, carrying dead leaves and debris. The other Horsemen looked darkly at the approaching aircraft, hovering soundlessly above. Angel reared back mid-flight, covering his eyes from the sudden gust.

Logan tightened his jaw, knowing all too well who was inside the strange jet. It touched down sleekly and sent a fountain of steam and dust billowing into the sky, looking quite out of place in such a slum of a neighborhood.

"No," Angel snarled, not happy for the interruption. He dove toward Wolverine while the man was distracted. Behind their battle the door sounded and slid ajar.

In a great chaotic collision, both men went for the kill. Wolverine slashed and caught the winged man in the chest, ripping through his flesh. Blood christened the ground moments before the swarthy mutant touched down, brow furrowed with rage. A line of metal feathers stabbed heavily into the blacktop, trailing his evading form. He registered the sound of X-Men as they streamed out in various states of alertness and agility, using their individual skills to aid their comrade and fall into rank.

"Logan!" Jean seamlessly went into battle stance, using her telekinesis to block a wayward blade, preventing the thing from hitting the man's face. She smiled at him from the ramp.

"Saved your ass," Jean teased. "Yet again."

"I knew you couldn't stay away." He gave a suggestive nod toward the redhead which was mostly blocked by Cyclops, who leaned between them and shook his head at the temerity.

"Dude, seriously right now?"

Had to hand it to them; they certainly made an entrance. "Missed you, too, Shades. Storm. Half-pint," He greeted Kitty as she sidled up to the group. "Somebody wanna get her out of here now?" The man jabbed a thumb toward Claire, still precariously standing out in the open like an easy target. Not a brain in her pretty head, that one.

Kitty stepped up to the task and led the woman quite literally into the safety of their jet. Claire didn't go very willingly, but the children had gone back inside at least. Nightcrawler caught her eye as the pair disappeared through the side of the aircraft. The blue man frowned at the mutants clad in Egyptian cloaks, three upon peculiar steeds, the other floating in the air. The suspended man was a similar hue as himself, but the result was somehow cold and unnatural. Nothing good could come of this. Kurt clutched his rosary.

Above Logan Angel curiously dabbed at his open wounds, rubbing the slick red fluid upon his fingertips. This wasn't right.

"But I'm a god," he whispered to no one in particular. "He made me a god."

"Hate to break it to ya, bub, but gods don't bleed." In a robust athletic leap, Wolverine hurled himself claws-first into the stunned floating mutant.

Two bodies returned to earth, one upon his feet, the other in a pile. Logan spat another spray of blood in the other man's direction. Angel or not, guy was a dick. The fallen mutant wasn't dead but definitely would be feeling that one in the morning.

Logan dumped the unconscious body of Angel at the feet of Bobby and Rogue. "Watch him."

The beastly man turned toward the other three warriors with a murderous look. "Who's next?"

Storm's eyes turned white in anticipation, summoning autumn's clouds overhead. Jean sank into a sparring pose. Scott held his hand at the ready. Kitty and the other fledglings tried out their own versions of defensive stances. And Logan, in a rather lackluster display, sniffed unimpressed. He desperately wanted a cigarette.

The anorexic Famine gave an enraged shriek from where she sat on her unusual steed. Wolverine cracked his neck, impassively. "Guess you're up, ugly."