THE SEARCH FOR OZYMANDIAS

Part III: The Death of Ozymandias

By Shawn Gauthier

Author’s Note: This story is continued from Apocalypse #2

Two thousand years in the future…

A small boy sits on the floor in the middle of an empty chamber. He is surrounded by a handful of Askani priestesses that slowly circle him, chanting, “What is… is,” over and over again.

All this Cable sees in the third person but has no memory of, even though the boy in the middle of the room is him, the Askani’son. In a far corner sits his protector and friend, Blaquesmith, shaking his head as if disgusted by the spectacle before of him.

‘What is this?’ Cable thinks as he watches himself and the crowd of people around him. ‘Is this a dream? Did this really happen to me? Is this some event that has escaped my memory or is this some fabrication of the mind?’

Suddenly, the crowd of Askani priestesses parts to make way for one of their leaders. To Cable’s astonishment he knows the high priestess, though he doesn’t know how. Her name is Sister Clarity. She pauses for a moment in front of the child as if to weigh her options before confronting the child.

“You are truly blessed, child, for you have been chosen to be the Askani’son, the savior and champion of our people. Are you prepared to accept this title and all the responsibilities that come with it?”

Cable is surprised to find himself whispering, “Yes,” as the younger version of himself nods.

“Then you accept the commitment to put an end to the threat called Apocalypse no matter what the cost or who must pay it?” presses Clarity, leaning over the boy.

“Even if it means sacrificing those you intend to save?” adds Blaquesmith from his corner.

“Silence!” orders Sister Clarity. “The Mother Askani has instructed me to teach the boy what he needs to know of our ways in order to beat Apocalypse, not you. You are only to keep the boy safe from harm until the time comes.”

“No! This is wrong!” continues Blaquesmith. “The Mother would never condone such actions.”

“Now you think to question the Mother’s orders or to expect us to believe that you are so enlightened as to predict the Mother’s true intentions? I have heard enough of this blasphemy. Guards, remove this man from the chamber.”

“I need no escort. I fear that we might be only replacing one evil with another.” With that Blaquesmith leaves the chamber under his own guidance.

“Why do you fight?” asks the young Cable.

“That is none of your concern. For now all I need you to do is close your eyes and accept the title of the Askani’son,” she says reassuringly.

Eagerly the boy closes his eyes. What happens next horrifies the older Cable. He watches helplessly as she uses her telepathic abilities to seize control of the unsuspecting boy’s mind.

“Repeat after me, Askani’son,” she begins. “You are the Askani’son.”

“I am the Askani’son,” the boy repeats.

“You will let nothing stand in your way of your mission to destroy the tyrant Apocalypse.”

“Nothing will stand in my way.”

“No matter who gets hurt or who you must sacrifice, even if it is the legendary Twelve.”

“No matter who gets hurt…” the boy finishes.

Cable awakens from his dream state to an incredible burning sensation in his midsection, followed by the sounds of explosions. Slowly, he opens his eyes to discover that he is lying in a pool of blood. The blood is his own. It is leaking predominately from a wound in his midsection, though his entire body is full of wounds and is badly bruised.

He struggles to get to his feet but the pain is too great. He falls back to the ground with his face in the mud.

Suddenly the ground around him is rocked by another explosion. Painfully Cable pivots his head to see what is going on around him. What he sees shocks him. He has never seen such an awesome display of power.

Before him stand two combatants. One is his archenemy Apocalypse, he who Cable has sacrificed much for in his commitment to bring his tyranny to an end. The other Cable recognizes as one of the most powerful mutant hunting Sentinel robots called Master Mold, though this model seems ten times more powerful than any Sentinel Cable has ever seen before. Its very existence threatens all those who Cable holds dear and loves.

The two warriors continue to ignore Cable as they are locked in combat with each other. Continuously, they fire volleys of lasers and explosions at each other. Apocalypse’s shots repeatedly punch large holes in his robotic enemy, but the Master Mold continues to rebuild himself from his surroundings, mending the holes as fast as Apocalypse can make them. In addition, the giant Sentinel continues to make improvements to its armaments by using all of the firepower of the Haven base around it. Thus its attack on Apocalypse continues to grow in intensity and power. The shields built into Apocalypse’s suit will not last much longer.

Ignoring the pain, Cable crawls on his belly until he reaches one of the dead military men that litter the battlefield. Luckily this solider was carrying a shoulder mounted, hi-tech military laser cannon. Just what Cable needs. Using the last of his strength Cable angles the canon on the soldier’s dead body until it is leveled towards his target. Then using the advanced sights of the gun, Cable aims the cannon at Apocalypse.

‘All I have to do is pull the trigger and a lifetime of pain and misery can come to an end,’ he thinks, ‘but then who will stop this new and improved Master Mold?’ Surely Cable’s in no shape to do it. What if Apocalypse is the only chance the world has at stopping the Sentinel from carrying out its programming of killing all the mutants on Earth? Then Cable would be sentencing thousands of mutants to death by pulling the trigger.

‘You will let nothing stand in your way in your mission to destroy the tyrant Apocalypse.’ The words materialize in Cable’s head as if out of nowhere, but are they his own words or are they a result of Askani programming? This line of thought brings a flood of questions to Cable’s mind.

‘Would I have sacrificed so much or dedicated my entire life to kill Apocalypse if not for the Askani programming?’

‘Did I sacrifice both my son Tyler and my wife Jenscot to fulfill my own destiny, or the destiny of the Askani?’

‘How can I ever be sure that any action I take is not a result of some secret Askani programming?’

‘What should I do? Both Apocalypse and Master Mold stand for everything I’ve fought against, but which is the greater evil?’

It is then that his instincts take over, the instincts of a seasoned veteran of war. Cable takes aim and fires the cannon at his intended target. The recoil, however, is more than he can take in his current condition as he is hurled backwards. His head hits the ground and he is once again overcome by blackness.

Once again, Cable finds himself in the chamber from his previous vision. This time, however, the chamber seems empty.

‘Am I dead?’ he ponders as he tries to come to terms with his new surroundings. ‘Or am I just unconscious again?’

“You are neither.” The voice, which he recognizes, comes from behind him.

“Mother Askani!” gasps Cable in disbelief.

“Yes it is I.” She levitates in one corner of the chamber with light radiating out from around her. She looks like an angel but commands the presence of a god.

“If I am not dead then where are we?” asks Cable trying to come to terms with what was happening to him.

“We are where you always have been. We are in your mind,” answers Rachel Summers as if teaching a child the obvious.

“What part of my mind would that be, the part that is still my mind or the part that has been programmed by the Askani?” asks Cable growing a little hostile.

“Yes. I am sorry for Sister Clarity’s actions. You have to trust me when I say that what she did was not my intention. She only meant to do whatever she could to ensure your success. You have to understand how important you are to all those in the Askani Sisterhood. It is imperative that you succeed in your mission.”

“Is it so important that you are unwilling to trust me to do it myself? You have planted many people in my life to influence and control me. How can I trust you if you do not extend that same trust to me?”

“Brother, you have to understand…”

“No, it is you and your sisters that have to understand. I am my own man and I will complete the mission on my own terms. I am not some young innocent and impressionable child like I was when I was trapped in the future with the Askani. I am the Askani’son and it is time that you started giving me the respect that comes with the title.”

“You can’t expect us to accept such terms. It is important that…”

“Is it not the Askani way to accept? Is it not your philosophy that ‘what is… is’? If I am meant to succeed in my mission, I will, and if I am meant to fail, you can rest assured that I will have given it my all.”

“If you want such respect you will then have to act appropriately to earn it. Your current actions have done little to earn our trust. Why did you not fire the laser cannon at Apocalypse?”

“Because Master Mold was the bigger threat. Would you have me condemn the mutants of this world to the same fate as the mutants from your own timeline? Would you sacrifice your friends to the cause? Our parents, Kitty, Storm, Wolverine, should I condemn them all? Would you ask such a thing of me?”

“Yes!”

“Then maybe I am not cut out to be your Askani’son. Maybe you should choose another.”

“That is impossible. The title is yours by birthright. You are the prophesized one.”

“Then let me do my job my way. I will do it no other way.”

“I seem to have little choice in the matter. But know this brother, if you fail not only the mutants of this time will pay the price but so will all living things of this timeline and every other.”

Cable’s consciousness once again returns to the battlefield. This time, however, it appears that no time has passed since he pulled the trigger. The conversation with the Askani Mother must of taken place completely out of this timeline. Can that really be done using one’s own mind?

He watches as the shot from his laser cannon cuts a hole into the side of Master Mold just as one of Apocalypse’s lasers cut through the robot’s far side. As a result the two shots cleave the robot in half at the torso.

Immediately, Master Mold begins pulling his two halves back together again in an attempt to repair itself. Cable realizes this and what he must do. Ignoring his own anguish, Cable uses his telekinetic powers to surround the bottom half of the robot with a telekinetic field, thus effectively preventing the robot from rebuilding itself. The strain is tremendous and as Cable struggles to maintain the shield, blood begins to trickle out of his nose.

Apocalypse, seeing an advantage, presses his attack. With so much damage Master Mold is unable to effectively repair itself in time. Apocalypse’s blasts begin to decimate the Sentinel. In desperation, Master Mold reaches out for any technological material it can find to repair itself. Unfortunately, most of the base’s equipment is already wrecked from the battle. So, desperately, it reaches out to the only source available: Apocalypse.

Apocalypse roars in rage as a large part of his lower torso and right leg are ripped from him. The now missing chunks of Apocalypse fly through the air towards Master Mold where they are used to rebuild the robotic giant. Apocalypse falls to his side, causing one of his shots to miss its target and blast a hole in one of the surrounding military buildings.

As a large chunk of the structure collapses, the interior of the building is revealed. To Cable’s horror he sees at least a hundred mutants in cages and other forms of captivity. The Haven secret base must have been some kind of anti-mutant operation. Cable is then even more horrified to see that Ozymandias is among the imprisoned mutants.

Still trying to maintain the telekinetic field, Cable begins to crawl towards the building and Ozymandias. The distance is too great, however, meaning that he will never reach Ozymandias before either Apocalypse or Master Mold notice him. Cable chances a glance at the combatants. Apocalypse is now clearly winning over Master Mold who is now struggling to find more materials with which to repair itself.

Then to Cable’s dismay, Master Mold decides to make a strategic retreat. Using the parts from Apocalypse it constructs a small thruster rocket where its legs had been. Then using this unit to fly into the sky over the base, it makes its escape but not before pausing long enough to leave a gift for its enemies. The giant launches hundreds of small explosive detonators from both of its hands. In moments Haven will be no more.

Apocalypse, seeing the rainfall of detonators, uses some unseen device to teleport himself out of Haven.

Cable, however, has no such device. Neither does Ozymandias or any of the other hundred imprisoned mutants. Clearly Cable will not reach them in time and the battle has left him too weak to extend his telekinetic field at such a distance. Infuriated at his defeat, Cable surrounds himself with a weak telekinetic field, not sure if it will be strong enough to survive the coming blast.

*KABOOM!*

By all rights, Ozymandias should be dead, yet he remains alive underneath tons of rubble.

Finally, he is pulled free by the one who has protected him before. It is this savior that protected him from Apocalypse’s detection earlier. It is he who has enhanced Ozymandias’ powers enough to keep the identities of the Twelve secret from his former master, and it is he who has come to Haven to free him from his captors only to find a mutant battle of historic proportions, which even impresses him. Which says something when the being in question is the Watcher.

“It seems that I am once again in your debt, my friend,” says Ozymandias, as he is pulled free. He then begins to dust himself off when he notices the lifeless bodies of all of his fellow inmates among the rubble. “I do not mean to sound ungrateful, but could you have not spared these poor creatures as well?”

“Interfering with events of this world is not our business,” answers the Watcher.

“Then why save me?” asks Ozymandias.

“Because we are forced to use you for a purpose.”

“What purpose is that?” again asks Ozymandias.

“My race may have unintentionally set forth events that will effect your world a great deal in the near future. It is our intent to use you to stop these events from coming to be. But all of that is for a later time. For now you must return to the Morlock tunnels. But first you need to make sure that the Askani’son is safe.” The Watcher points towards the still body of Cable.

“You mean that you are responsible for Apocalypse?”

“There are deadlier beings in your world at the moment than Apocalypse.”

“Then I can’t come with you now. I yearn to learn what you know and to see what you see,” begs the ultimate scribe to the ultimate observer.

“Soon my friend, soon… you must be patient.”

Meanwhile, in a distant corn field, a badly damaged Master Mold attempts to make repairs with what materials are on hand, however, there is a new entity in its systems making repairs difficult.

“Repair program malfunction… repair program failure… repairs incomplete…”

“Determine source of error… searching… searching… searching…”

“Search complete… source of error is due to components of the techno virus found in internal systems… virus entered system through acquisitions made from the entity known as Apocalypse… virus is taking over all functions and programs… computer shut down imminent…”

Suddenly, the massive robot slumps forward and falls silent. Slowly, the last fading lights of Master Mold die out. The techno virus causes the robot to shut down has corrupted all of the robots’ programs, except one. This program sends out a message for help out into the night sky, until…

“Message received… reinforcements will been sent… stand by for further programming…”

NEXT ISSUE: Cannonball comes seeking guidance from Cable, only to gain the unwanted attention of the assassin known as Bushwhacker! Can a badly beaten Cable win a shoot out with the Bushwhacker, with Sam’s life hanging in the balance? And what part will Blaquesmith play in this conflict?