Fic: The Cedar Blooms 1/1 Sky High
Title: The Cedar Blooms Author: Lopaka Tanu Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Fantastic 4, SkyHigh, or X-Men. Characters: Warren, Reed, Will, etc. Wordcount: 3157 Prompt: 08 Apocalypse Now Fandom: Crossover Fantastic 4 and SkyHigh Pairing: Warren/Reed Rating: Adult Spoilers/Timeline: Fantastic 4 -1 year after movie. Sky High - 1 month after movie. X-men - General Universe. Warning: Graphic Violence, Character Death, Suicidal Actions, Angst, Language, Mentions of Rape. Summary: It's the end of the world as you know it. Author's Note: Fear is the mind....mutant killer. Sequel to "Whisper These Words." ______________________________________
The moment they entered the air space over New York City, the bus came under fire. It was hard for Steve to tell if it was friendly or enemy, either way they were under attack. He tried to avoid the rockets, but the energy blasts grazed the wing. An alarm rang out in the bus and several lights on the dash board came on. "Hang tight, this is going to be a rough landing."
"It matters little, we are here." Pressing several buttons on the device, Medula pulled off five cylinders attached to the sides. From inside the cylinders, he carefully removed glowing white crystals. He discarded the cases one at a time, placing the crystals in five slots on top of the spherical device.
In between watching the Mad Scientist ready the device and avoiding flak, Steve searched the skies around him for Josie. There were too many flashes of light in the billows of smoke and fighters for him to catch sight of a single one. Frowning, he risked a glance over his shoulder when the device screeched. "What the hell was that?"
"A minor rip in the fabric of space and time. Do not fear, it is a good thing." Medula had plugged the final crystal in the central core when another blast hit the bus. The bus rocked, throwing him over the device as it spun. With a whimper, he clutched at the control console to keep from sliding around. "I will ask you to keep this thing at least steady!"
"I can't! They took out the thrusters on the left side!" Gripping the steering wheel, Steve tried to keep the bus from going in to a tail spin, but the engines refused to work under the extra strain. "We're going down!"
"Ah, very well! I may say it was an honor to serve with you, but since we have not fought, I will not! Instead, I will say this to my enemies. 'See you in hell!'" Laughing at his own joke, Medula slammed his blood covered hand down on the activation controls. Under him, the device began to groan and screech again. Eyes drooping, Medula enjoyed the warming sensation the crystals produced inside him. "If you wish to live, Commander, I suggest you go now."
"What about you?" Steve fought the downward force of gravity to look over his shoulder at Medula, but found him unmoving. Opening the bus door, Steve threw himself out, hoping Josie was there to catch him.
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"It happened so fast, no one was quite sure how it started. One minute, New York was there, the next it wasn't." Swallowing, the reporter shook visibly from the shock of it all. "It's gone, there was a flash of light and... it's just gone!"
"Thank you, Susan, I am sure this must be hard for you." Another reporter, this one in a studio, smoothly appeared on screen as the shaking reporter's image disappeared. "We have obtained footage of a UFO flying over New York, being shot down, and exploding just prior to the disappearance of the entire city. Due to the graphic nature of this footage and possibly national security threat, the president has issued an executive order that we hand it over. While we did comply, we were not told we could not disclose the following information."
Beside her, the camera expanded to allow a new person to appear. The man was immaculately done up despite his age. "Hello, I am Tom Payne, senior reporter for DSN. Our experts have used photo enhancing technology on the footage before the government took it from us. The UFO, as it has been dubbed, was identified as a flying school bus. Knowing that there was only one group that would use such a vehicle, we can conclude without a doubt that it belonged to SkyHigh. As you may or may not know, SkyHigh is the home of..."
Setting down the remote, Charlotte Powers felt the breath leave her body in shock. It couldn't be possible, there had to be a mistake. All around her, the heads of the various organization of mutants and super heroes were equally stunned. Galvanizing herself before they could regain their wits, she stood up. "Gather your people in the gym, we are abandoning SkyHigh."
"What?" Standing up, Scott Summers looked at her as if she had gone insane. "We can't go back down there, there isn't a safe place on the planet now!"
"You are quite correct. There is no where on Earth we can go." Walking around behind her desk, Powers opened the bottom drawer. Placing her hand against the console, she waited for it to be scanned. When she looked up, she scowled at them. "What are you waiting for? I gave you an order, now carry it out!"
Still, they didn't move. It was absurd.
"Where are we going to go?" As the self designated head of the people, Scott waited for a response. He knew the cause was lost. "This is our last refuge."
"It was a refuge, now it is a target." Powers quickly opened the panel in the bottom drawer as the hand scanner slid back. Inside, she found a large metallic bolt with blue, glowing ends. "The American President thinks we were responsible for the destruction of New York, they have told us as much. If he doesn't do anything, any nut case with a long range weapon will. Even if we stay in the clouds, they will eventually locate SkyHigh and shoot us down! Now, gather your people in the gym, it is our last hope!"
Scott was about to speak up, but Coach Boomer tapped him on the shoulder.
"Settle down, pipsqueak, and do what the lady says." Grinning at the discomfort on the other man's face, he gestured for the door. "Long time ago when this place was built, they put in an escape pod. My gym is the heart of it."
A klaxon echoed over the PA system as red flashing lights dropped from the ceiling.
Looking at them in alarm, Principal Powers shook her head in disgust. "We don't have much time. That's a proximity alarm, an unknown craft has entered within visual range of SkyHigh. It might be another refugee craft or it could be the vanguard of an attack squad. Either way, it doesn't matter, we have to go now!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hands shaking with nervous exhaustion, Jack Dawson grinned like a maniac at what he held. It was so perfect, so small one couldn't see it with the naked eye. In his hands was the solution to the world's greatest threat. He would use it, he would save the world from them all. There had to be an end to it and this was it.
Taking a step forward, head swimming in the glory of his actions, he looked out over the once greatest city in the world. London had been the heart of all true civilization for centuries. Through the action of her enemies, she had been brought down low. He would fix that, he would fix them all.
Catching the light shining down upon the city, he stared in to it. The sun was so beautiful today, it was such a perfect day. The perfect day for the perfect solution. The final solution.
Stepping to the edge of the roof, he heard the door behind him open. It was too late, the infidels would not stop him. Their blood was tainted, it had to be purified. He had to cleanse the world! Opening his hand, he dropped the glass vial. The bullet tore through his shoulder and he fell after it his perfect weapon. It was okay, every cause needed martyrs. He would be the first one, he would be remembered always.
The vial hit the pavement shortly before he landed. All anyone noticed of Jack Dawson was a thump in a metal trashbin. Having landed in it, and it being trash day, no one would ever know of his actions. In the end, all Jack Dawson amounted to was just extra mass in a city dump.
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Klaxons erupted in the halls of SkyHigh as people ran. They jostled one another in panic, attempting to be the first to reach the safety. Along the walls above the lockers, lights blinked on and off, appearing to flow towards the gym. The voices of the many drowned out instructions coming from the loud speakers.
In this chaos, Layla sat on Zach's shoulders, scanning faces for three familiar ones. There were only three halls leading to the gym, but only one contained the entrance to the detention room. She had to brace herself against a wall as Zach started to waver. "Hold still, I can't see!"
"I'm trying to." As if to spite him, another person hit his leg, forcing him to nearly drop her. "Damn it! Watch where you're going!" Now standing on one foot, he shifted Layla to his right shoulder and let her use the lockers to sit on. "I can't keep this up for much longer. Call Ethan, see if he's found Magenta."
Pressing the button on her walkie talkie, Layla frowned when all she got was static. "I can't get him, this thing's not working."
"Let me see!" Raising his hand as far as her leg would let him, he waited for the machine. When she passed it off to him, he readjusted her position so he could put the walkie talkie to his ear. When he pressed the button, it squealed and started to spark. He dropped it to keep it from catching his shirt on fire. "Man, what is going on?"
"I can't tell!" The crowd was starting to thin, and she could see the last of the adults shepherding their charges down the hall. From the speaker ten feet away, she could make out the vague sense of words. "I don't see them and the teachers are coming!"
"They won't let us wait, Lay, we gotta find them now!" Pushing off from the wall, Zach waded out in to the stream of teenagers and kids. He had to shove several kids that blocked his way. Ignoring their cries, he strode on desperately. "Will! Warren! Magenta!"
"It's no use, Zach, they aren't here." Face crumbling, Layla tried to look around one last time. The adults were now only twenty feet from them and there was no one further. "May be they are already in the gym."
"Yeah, they have to be." It was the only situation that made sense to him. There were two other halls to the gym, they had only been placed in the most logical one.
"Let me down." She patted his head to signal she wanted down.
With no small gasp of relief, Zach knelt so she could slide off his shoulders and down his back. When he stood up again, the effort without the extra weight almost painful itself, he found the three adults coming his way. "Is this everyone?" Despite not recognizing them, he had to trust they would know the answer.
Pushing a lock of white hair from her face, Ororo nodded. "This is the last, child. Now, quickly, we must go!"
"Three of our friends..." Layla tried to look past the adults, but an explosion rocked the school. As the lights on the walls winked out, Layla fell to her knees.
"We haven't the time, shrimp!" Picking her up over his shoulder, Logan gestured to Zach, Ororo, and Jean. "That wasn't a party favor, kiddies! Now, move it!"
Taking Zach by the arm, Ororo started running. There were few stragglers, but upon seeing her, they picked up the pace. Behind her, Jean and Logan ran side by side.
Over Logan's shoulder, Layla watched as the hallway grew dark one section at a time. The school was shutting down and anyone left behind was screwed. Closing her eyes, she prayed that someone had freed Will and Warren from the detention room.
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In the commentator's box over looking the gym, Principal Powers, Coach Boomer, and Scott Summers stood around a central console.
In front of Powers, she typed on a small keyboard. A holographic image appeared over the center of the console; three screens, each facing a person. As she typed, the Roman numerals for twenty appeared on the screens. "Almost done."
Boomer was holding the metallic bolt with keen interest. As Powers typed, the ends of it pulsed. "What's this little dohicky for?"
"That's the power source for the star drive." She grinned as Boomer got a better grip on it. Hitting the button at the bottom of the keyboard, she stepped back from it. The screens flashed green. Holding out her hand to Boomer, she sighed. "It's time."
He gratefully handed it over.
As she stepped closer to the console, the room around them rocked. Charlotte had to brace herself against the console to keep from falling. "Damn! I was hoping we would have more time."
"Is there something we can do?" Having spent the past several minutes feeling like a lump, Scott raised his head in hope.
"Tell everyone to brace for hyper space emersion. We are going to do an atmospheric jump and that's going to play havoc with our stomachs." When the shaking had subsided, she ignored Scott leaving the room and focused on the console. She waved a hand over the holo projector in the center, causing an opening to form behind her keyboard.
A blue light emerged from the opening as a metallic stand rose up. The brace was formed of twin prongs on a long poll. As the prongs opened, Powers slipped the bolt between them. The prongs slapped shut and the stand sank back in to the console. Once inside, the opening closed and the entire room started to hum.
Characters on the walls appeared, back lit in blue. The screens above the console began the countdown from twenty.
Boomer and Powers had to grip the console as the room shook once more. He looked at her, eyebrows raised in question. Nodding, she took a calming breath.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the doors to the gym, watched through the six inch thick windows as the hallway beyond started to sink below. They were rising up from the school and the doors would soon be an airlock. Behind her, Ethan and Zach stood watching her, desperately wanting to reach out. When they reached the gym, they hadn't found any of their friends and now they were leaving everything behind.
Stepping forward, Ethan placed a hand upon her shoulder. "When our parents come looking for us, Layla, they'll bring the others with them. It won't be that long before we are all reunited. For now, we have to focus on staying alive so they have someone to find. Who knows, may be by the time they arrive, all this crazy crap will be over."
Layla nodded. She knew the truth behind what he was saying, but it didn't make anything easier to say. They had to hope for the best if they were going to survive.
Slowly, the gym rose above the buildings as they gave way to cloudy sky. Over the horizon, the sun gleamed off several planes. They were zooming about as flashes of light erupted from their wings. Much to their horror, they realized the military jets were firing upon the school. While they watched, a missile was launched from one and it flew in to the parking lot. Several busses disappeared in blaze of heat and light.
Turning away, Layla ran out of the airlock. Ethan and Zach remained behind long enough to see more missiles come towards the school. After they stumbled out, a second set of doors closed behind them, sealing the airlock.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The characters on the walls went from cool blue to deep green as the lights in the control room darkened. Powers and Boomer watched the holographic screens reach countdown to one, then the console lit up. Brilliant white light filled the chamber as an ear splitting whine emanated from the console.
Covering his ears, Boomer winced. Much to his surprise, Powers wasn't the least bit effected. He wanted to ask her why that was, but the whine and light increased until he blacked out.
Body glowing the same color as the console, Powers shifted to her comet form. The entire gym shook as she merged with the console.
From outside the gym, a sudden void appeared above the flying building. The whirling vortex began to suck in everything around it, including the gym. As several jets tried to fire upon the gym, their engines were over powered and they were pulled in to the hole along side the gym. When it disappeared inside, the void collapsed with a violent expulsion of air.
The shock wave hit the flying high school, causing debris scatter and fall over the sides. A distant roar started from deep within and was soon echoing out. The half sphere of the building shook and whole chunks gave way. It started to list to the side, then slowly began to sink. As a series of explosions crossed the bottom, SkyHigh plummeted.
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"I am standing here at the scene of another in a series of disasters plaguing our beloved nation." Pale and thin looking, Susan tried to appear strong before her camera. That composure was broken by a violent coughing fit. Clutching her ribs, she leaned against a broken tree stump to keep her balance. By the time she was spitting up bile, she had given up any decorum and fell to her knees. Rubbing the hair from her face, she smudged the makeup around her eyes.
Susan had to clear her throat three times before she could speak. Taking a shallow breath so she didn't set off another cough, she picked up her fallen microphone. Green smudges around her eyes contrasted with her blue irises. "Here behind me..." She glanced over her shoulder, then gestured more towards her left. "Over there, is the remains of SkyHigh, the once most prominent and secretly located Super Hero training school. No one is exactly sure who attacked them, and the government isn't asking. Why, this reporter wants to know."
Blinking, her head started to droop until she was forced to close her eyes. "Oh god, uh, oh god." She started to rock a little. Leaning back against the stump, she took a shuddering breath. "Why isn't the government investigating this? What are they hiding? Was this a retaliation for the destruction of New York? If so, how long before ordinary citizens are hunted down simply because they don't fit the societal norms? Will anyone be safe in this..."
She gave a pained gasp as her microphone dropped. The camera panned over her before the feed was cut and the channel returned to the DSN studio.
Wide eyed, Reporter Maura Lynn had dropped her note cards on the news desk.