THE SEARCH FOR OZYMANDIAS

Part I: The Great Race

By Shawn Gauthier

Just outside of the town called Haven, a telephone company truck is parked on the side of the road. The driver of the truck is currently working on a nearby telephone pole repairing some damaged equipment and ensuring that the communication network remains operative… or so it would seem to any passerby.

In truth, the driver of the truck has very little interest in telephones or the hardware that makes them work. The man on the pole doesn’t even really work for the phone company at all.

His name is Cable, and he is on surveillance.

He is surveying the town of Haven, and it’s not too long into his surveillance before he notices that something is odd about the town.

Firstly, the layout of the town is completely different from most of the surrounding towns. Haven’s design has more in common with ancient towns during the medieval times. At the center of the town is a giant cathedral which looks amazingly like a castle of old. Like most medieval cities, the castle-like cathedral is surrounded by an enormous wall. It is impossible for Cable to see what is beyond the wall from his current vantage point. The rest of Haven and its townfolk outside of the wall, however, remain visible to him.

This section of the town, at first, appears like your typical small American town. The streets are crowded with pedestrians on their way to work. The town’s most prestigious buildings includes an old church, the town hall that is currently being renovated, the local library, firehouse, and police department. The rest of the buildings appear to be residential homes.

Everything seems typical. Cable, however, isn’t fooled – being a seasoned soldier, he knows what to look for.

One strange thing Cable notices is the absence of any power or telephone lines within the town’s border. Most small towns do not have or cannot afford underground wiring. This disrupts his plan to investigate the town by posing as a telephone repairman. Instead, he is now forced to watch the town from a distance using a set of high-tech binoculars.

Another thing that stands out is the townspeople. They are dressed normal enough and seem to have normal lives as they travel on the streets to and from work. It’s the way they walked that gives them away. They all stand unusually erect – nobody slouches, they walk at a busy, rhythmical pace, almost like they’re marching. Cable knows that this usually results from living a military life. The townsfolk of Haven are really military personnel, which probably means that behind the town’s inner wall is some kind of military installation.

Why would they go through all the trouble of creating this charade unless they were trying to hide something? Cable knows at least a part of the answer; it’s why he’s here in the first place – Ozymandias is somewhere inside Haven.

Several days ago, after visiting Apocalypse’s headquarters, Cable learned that Apocalypse had already awakened. The mutant menace had already departed on his way to find Ozymandias, who Apocalypse knew had knowledge on the identities of the prophesized Twelve. The Twelve, it is said, are the twelve mutants who will guide and shape the future for all mutantkind. It is Cable’s responsibility as the Askani’son to gather the Twelve. It is Apocalypse’s intent to destroy them. Thus, the race to find Ozymandias is on.

Upon returning from his trip to Egypt, Cable began using every contact he had to find Ozymandias but nobody seemed to know where he was. Cable had hoped that the mutant was hard to find because he was hiding from Apocalypse and not because Apocalypse has already found him. Just when he was about to give up, Cable received a clue from an unlikely source.

It was G.W. Bridge, a former Six Pack teammate, who returned his call. Using his S.H.I.E.L.D. contacts, Bridge learned that the mutant named Ozymandias was recently captured by a secret government agency. What the government wanted with Ozymandias, Bridge could not ascertain, but Cable was happy to learn what his friend did know. Ozymandias was being held in a secret military complex near a town called Haven.

What would the government want with Ozymandias? How could a former herald of Apocalypse be captured, never mind being imprisoned, by a bunch of government military goons?

Something just doesn’t add up. Eager to be off, Cable pushes these thoughts out of his head and begins his quest to find the mutant named Ozymandias.

With a sigh, Cable returns his binoculars to their case. Tomorrow, Cable will return and begin his siege upon the town called Haven.

Ironically it’s Cable’s doings that have led to Ozymandias’ current predicament.

In his eagerness to find his quarry soon, Cable got sloppy. When he initially contacted his former teammate, Bridge, he was denied the help he needed. Bridge’s response was understandable – he was just another friend that Cable had regrettably wronged during his long career as a soldier. Desperate for his help, Cable was forced to reveal his hand. In order to get Bridge’s help, Cable told the man exactly what was at stake and why he needed to find Ozymandias so desperately. In the end, Bridge was forced to choose the lesser of two evils, and agreed to help in the search.

After asking all of his friends at S.H.I.E.L.D., Bridge was able to learn nothing. Frustrated, he was forced to ask for assistance from those in the organization which he did not necessarily get along with or trust. It turned out that an arrogant man named Bobby Owens had the answer he sought. In order to coax this information out of him, Bridge was forced to tell Owens about Apocalypse’s seer and of the Twelve. Owens, in turn, used this information to further his military career. For the promise of a promotion, Owens told what he knew to his superior officer who made the same agreement with his superior officer and so on and so forth up the chain of command the news travelled.

In the end, the news reached the ears of Agent Stafford. Agent Stafford is a government man who belongs to no particular department or project. He is a rogue agent, which suits his cause just fine because he serves more than just God and country. Stafford serves a darker master, and his master would want to learn what the seer of Apocalypse knows.

Using his superior government contacts, Stafford soon learned that Ozymandias was hiding beneath the streets of Manhattan with a group of outcast mutants called the Morlocks. Soon, the order was given and a government strike force was sent to retrieve the seer.

The next day, a small motor-home travels the winding road into the town of Haven. The vehicle comes to a halt just within the town’s border. The driver, a middle-aged man wearing waders and a hat full of flies for fly fishing, emerges from the vehicle. Shielding his eyes from the setting sun, the man gazes off towards the horizon.

“Hell of a view, isn’t it!” comes a voice from behind him. Cable spins around on his heels to face the town’s constable who is approaching him, and does his best not to act startled.

“That it is! It’s enough to make me forget how tired I am. Well, almost…”

“I see that you’ve been testing your fortune in our local lakes and streams. Any luck?” The would-be sheriff doesn’t even pause for his question to be answered. It’s obvious to Cable that his presence here has unnerved the locals. “If you want, I can direct you to a few of the local secret fishing holes further north. If you leave now, you could be there by morning.”

“I’d really appreciate that! So far, the local fish have gotten the better of me. But I’ll have to wait until morning to find those fishing holes. I’m too tired to drive any more today. As an officer of the law, I can assure you that you don’t want this driver on the road anymore tonight. Is there a hotel or inn available?”

“No, none,” snaps the man, obviously flustered by Cable’s unwillingness to leave.

“That’s mighty strange! A town like this with no establishment for visitors. Imagine that!” During the whole conversation, Cable can feel every eye in the town on him. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to sleep inside ‘Old Betsy’ here until morning…”

As he says this last part, Cable smacks his palm against the beat-up looking motor-home.

“You’ll want to head out at first light then. The fish around here get up awful early! I’m on shift all night, I’ll come back to wake you and tell you where you can catch some of the best fish.”

“Thanks! I guess I’ll see you soon,” says Cable as he shakes the man’s hand goodbye. He then turns and re-enters Old Betsy.

Cable knows that his time is short.

As soon as a reasonable amount of time has passed, the ‘Sheriff’ will return to wake him. He guesses he has a couple of hours at best. Haven will not tolerate his intrusion for long.

He quickly kneels down on Old Betsy’s floor and begins rolling up the thin battered carpet, revealing a hidden escape hatch underneath. Cable has strategically chosen this spot to park his motor home. The escape hatch is aligned with a sewer cap in the street underneath. Positioning himself over the hatch, Cable then uses his telekinetic powers to turn the keys in the ignition. Old Betsy’s engines roar to life and her exhaust begins emitting a dark cloud of smoke. Using the smoke for cover, Cable drops into the sewer.

Seconds later, Old Betsy shuts herself off.

On the other side of the United States, events are taking place that will affect the life of Cable.

A lone figure streaks overhead in skies above New York City. The flying man dives back towards Earth, and as he swoops underneath a city street light, he is revealed to be none other than Sam Guthrie, the former X-Force member known as Cannonball.

Cannonball is lost in more ways than one. He has recently parted ways with his friends in X-Force, under less than ideal terms. His friends no longer desired his company, and as a result, Cannonball is confused. In addition, a short time before his return to X-Force, Cannonball’s life long dream had come true. He was finally inducted into the ranks of the X-Men, only to realize that it was not what he really wanted.

Life has taken a bizarre turn for Sam, and he is now looking for advice from the only friend he has left – his former mentor, Cable.

For the past several hours, Cannonball has been looking for a warehouse that he remembers as a safehouse of Cable’s. Back during the days when Cable was the leader of X-Force, he had shown Cannonball this secret safehouse just in case the team ever needed to find refuge in his absence. Though neither of them are a part of that team any longer, Cannonball still seeks the refuge of the warehouse.

Unfortunately, his memory of the warehouse’s location isn’t good, and after flying around the city looking in one warehouse after another, Sam is lost. Throughout the night, Sam will continue his search of the abandoned warehouses of New York City.

His actions do not go unnoticed however, as a mysterious stranger watches Cannonball from a nearby roof top. He observes the young mutant through the magnifying scope of his rifle as he keeps the scope’s crosshairs firmly targeted on the boy.

Cable slowly makes his way through the sewers underneath Haven. He makes one calculated turn after another as he attempts to make his way to the far side of town. The locals will be watching his motor-home constantly, so he needs to distance himself from it as much as possible if he’s going to sneak into inner city Haven unnoticed.

Cable’s progress comes to a stop when he notices several video cameras watching the tunnel ahead. The squeak of a couple of large fighting rats catches his attention. He can’t help but smile as a plan to go unnoticed by the cameras begins to form in his mind.

“Holy crap, Sarge! There are monsters in the sewers!” screams a young man in uniform from his place in front of a wall full of monitors.

All the men in the security room run toward him to look over his shoulder. On the screen is a large inhuman face of a monster with beady eyes. They all assume what they see must be some huge beast, since its entire face doesn’t even fit on the viewscreen.

“For the love of God, Mahoney, it is only a sewer rat! It must have crawled up the wall onto one of the cameras.”

By the time the Sergeant is finished, everybody in the room is laughing at Private Mahoney.

On the other side of the cameras field of view, Cable chuckles to himself as he slowly lowers the rat back to the sewer floor. Cable takes extra care to ensure that his telekinesis does not harm his new rodent ally before continuing on.

He knows he is lucky to have spotted the camera – he could have as easily been spotted first. Not wanting to chance being discovered, he takes the first ladder he comes to, and climbs to the surface. Ever so slowly, he lifts the manhole cover.

The manhole is in the middle of a street. On one side of the street is a busy gas station, where several cars are being filled. On the other side of the street is the town’s firehouse, which seems inactive. His choice is clear – using years of military training, Cable exits the sewer, rolls out onto the street and enters the firehouse in seconds, unnoticed.

The reason for the inactivity in the firehouse quickly becomes clear once he is inside. The building is virtually empty. The fire engines that are visible through the garage windows are nothing more than well-constructed three-dimensional paintings. Taking cover behind one of the large paintings, Cable observes the gas station across the street.

Even a military base needs a team of emergency firefighters. If this firehouse is a decoy, that means the real firefighters must be located behind the wall in the Inner City. This gives Cable another idea.

Bypassing all of the espionage equipment strapped to his body Cable fishes in a tiny breast pocket and pulls out a small lighter – the kind that is sold for under a dollar at most gas stations. He then waits until the gas station is almost deserted before he makes his move.

Using his telekinetic powers, Cable causes one of the pump’s gas nozzles to fall to the ground. Concentrating a little harder, he uses his powers to squeeze the trigger, causing gas to be pumped out onto the ground. Soon, a small river of petroleum rolls out into the street. He then slides on his belly to the firehouse’s door and cracks it open enough to slide the small lighter out. Using his powers again, he shoots the lighter across the street, landing it in the puddle of gas. He waits until the gas attendant is coming out of his store before using his powers a final time to flick the lighter.

The tiny spark of the lighter quickly ignites the gas around it. The station’s serviceman, seeing the flames back track up the river of gas towards the pump, runs for his life. In seconds the flames reach the pumps, causing them to violently explode.

Cable is impressed with the firefighter’s response time. Before he can even make his way back to his hiding place behind the fake fire engines, the rescue team is already there battling the blaze. Cable waits for the smoke from the fire to fill the street before making his way toward the closest firefighter.

The man’s attention is diverted by a tiny shiny object at his feet as Cable approaches. The man bends down to pick up the melted remains of a tiny lighter.

“I believe that belongs to me.”

The man spins around only to meet Cable’s fist. He never knows what hit him. After retrieving his badly burnt lighter, it only takes Cable seconds to make his way back to the safety of the firehouse with his prisoner. He quickly strips the man of his gear, and then proceeds to gag and bind him. Then, donning the firefighting gear, Cable emerges from the firehouse just in time to witness the squad getting the fire under control. These guys are good.

With a majority of the fire under control, some of the men begin boarding one of the fire trucks to return to the Inner City. Cable blends in with these men, and boards the truck. Soon, the truck is making its way towards the Inner City’s gates.

Unbeknownst to Cable, yet another player has entered the race to find Ozymandias, bringing the number of seekers to three.

The mysterious figure has traveled to Haven with the intention of liberating Ozymandias from his captors. But upon witnessing Cable’s actions, the mysterious figure has changed his mind.

This new player now smiles in amusement as he observes Cable’s progress. For now, he will bide his time. He has decided that he will observe this Cable to see what his motives are.

All is proceeding as planned for Cable.

The truck travels through the streets of Haven until it reaches the gates to the Inner City. Once there, the gates swing open to welcome their newly returned heroes. Unfortunately, Cable’s time in the Inner City is short. As soon as the truck enters the city, it begins turning around to leave it again.

Unlike the rest of Haven, the Inner City is clearly a military outpost. Armed soldiers are everywhere, as are several Hounds from the Government’s Hound Project. The fire power of the Inner City is awesome!

In the middle of it all sits the Cathedral, and Cable notes that there are no visible means in which to enter the structure. If Ozymandias is anywhere in the Inner City, it would most likely be in the Cathedral.

By the time this last realization occurs to Cable, the truck he is on is speeding through the gates once again, leaving the Inner City behind. The men on the truck quickly began to murmur amongst themselves. It isn’t long before word reaches Cable.

Half of Haven’s outer town is now in flames. Cable can’t believe the news – how can this be?

Surely the fire he caused is not to blame, as it was easily under control when they left. The truck turns a corner, and Cable can see the awesome inferno that is engulfing the town. The wall of flame seems to be working its way towards the Inner City.

With screeching tires, the truck cames to a halt and the men immediately begin fighting the flames. Cable has no means of escape, and with little other choice in the matter, Cable follows the orders given to him and enters one of the nearby tall buildings to get a better view of the situation.

Cable quickly makes his way to the top of the building and looks out the closest window in awe. From this vantage point, he can see the entire town. Fire is everywhere. Cable quickly deduces that it is no ordinary fire – it has been deliberately set to burn the entire city to the ground. But who could cause such damage in so short an amount of time?

Cable has no warning of the attack. The laser tears through his mid-section, splattering his blood all over the window and wall in front of him. Gripping his side, he falls to the ground, screaming in pain. Gritting his teeth, he quickly staggers to his feet and turns to face his attacker.

There before him stands the architect of this chaos…

There before him stands the deliverer of death…

There before him stands the man who represents everything Cable has ever fought against…

There before him stands his most hated enemy…

…Apocalypse!

NEXT, IN APOCALYPSE #2: The Search For Ozymandias continues, as Apocalypse comes face to face with the Askani’son – Cable himself! But will this be their final showdown? And what happens when the party is crashed by a foe from the X-Men’s past?!

NEXT ISSUE: The Search For Ozymandias concludes! The Master Mold returns, as Cable and Apocalypse close in on Ozymandias’ location! Who will find the mutant seer first?! And what will it mean for the Twelve if the victor is Apocalypse?!