ROAR OF THUNDER

Part IV: Evil’s End

By Ryan Krupienski

“LOOK OUT!” Lieutenant Davis yells, as a huge chunk of the Sears Tower falls towards Moonstone.

Moonstone looks up, and without a second thought, uses her powers to completely disintegrate the falling wreckage. ‘Killed by a giant brick? Yeah right,’ she thinks.

“Cyclops, Moonstone, use your powers to blast the falling wreckage to bits! Charcoal, try to contain the flames as best you can!” Hawkeye orders, as he helps a policeman get to his feet and get away from the burning tower.

Cyclops, Moonstone, and Charcoal comply with the orders. Using his optic blast, Cyclops destroys huge chunks of wreckage, while Moonstone does the same with her energy blasts. Charcoal runs towards the building, and absorbs as much of the raging flames as possible.

Several feet behind them, the rest of the X-Men and Thunderbolts help get the police as far away from the explosion as possible. Phoenix uses her telekinesis to deflect any flying debris that Cyclops and Moonstone may have missed, Atlas and Colossus doing the same with brute strength.

Lieutenant Davis, who is running to next to Hawkeye, turns to him. “Hawkeye… what about your friends? Weren’t they in the tower when it exploded?” she asks.

Hawkeye’s eyes go wide. “My God…”

Over a hundred stories above the ground, the Crimson Cowl and the Masters of Evil are in their massive ships, ready to return to their headquarters.

The Cowl, standing with Klaw, Dragonfly, Sunstroke, and Blackwing, says, “This should prove to the President that we are dead serious, and we make good on our threats. We shall return to base, and plan our next move.”

Klaw sighs impatiently. “You know, Cowl, this is getting quite tiresome. You’ve yet to come up with a plan that works out perfectly!”

“Do not DARE to talk to me in such a tone, Klaw!” the Cowl says angrily, as she grips Klaw’s throat with her gloved hand. “It was I who brought you into the ranks of the Masters, brought you back up to full strength! If not for me, you’d still be wandering around like a lost child, powerless and confused!”

The Cowl releases her grip on Klaw. “Y-You… y-yes, yes, I understand,” he chokes, struggling to regain his breath.

“You are all dismissed now,” the Crimson Cowl says.

The four Masters of Evil left, and the Cowl turns to a control panel. She clicks a few buttons, and the ship begins to move. “Computer, set a course for home base,” she orders.

The computer lets out a few beeps, then replies, “Course set.”

Meanwhile, down in the bottom compartment of the ship…

Songbird helps Jolt to her feet, as Archangel and Shadowcat rub their heads, which are throbbing with pain. “W-What happened, Songbird? Where are we?” Archangel asks.

“We were in the Sears Tower, in the same room with the bomb that the Crimson Cowl set off. Luckily, I woke up just in time and was able to surround us all with a sonic shield. I flew us up into the Crimson Cowl’s ship… and since it’s moving now, I bet the Masters are on their way back to their homebase,” Songbird replies.

Jolt starts looking around for a way to the upper levels of the ship. “Then let’s get up to where the Cowl is and take out her and her goons for good!” she exclaims.

Archangel walks over to Jolt. “Just hold on… we can’t go charging in there. Have you forgotten how many of them there are? Even all of the X-Men and the Thunderbolts combined had a rough time battling the Masters. The four of us won’t have much luck.”

“Well, we have to do something! They probably think the four of us are dead, so we have an advantage! They won’t be expecting us!” Jolt argues. “Maybe you three can just sit here, but I can’t.” With that, Jolt continues her search for a doorway of some sort.

Back on the ground near the Sears Tower…

Firemen have arrived, and are putting out the fire coming from the Sears Tower as best they can. Cyclops, Moonstone, and Charcoal have taken care of as much of the explosion as possible, while the rest of the X-Men and Thunderbolts have gotten the police to safety successfully. The remaining members of both teams are now huddled in a circle, discussing their next move.

“Alright folks, the explosion’s taken care of. Now, we got bigger fish to fry, namely the Crimson Cowl. If you didn’t notice, the ships are beginning to leave!” Hawkeye says, pointing to the three massive ships hovering above what was once the Sears Tower. “And not only that… Jolt, Songbird, Archangel, and Shadowcat were most likely in the tower when it exploded…”

Phoenix interrupts Hawkeye. “Hold on a second, I’ll scan for them telepathically,” she says. She closes her eyes and concentrates.

“Got them!” Phoenix exclaims. “They’re alive, all conscious. They’re… aboard one of the Masters of Evil’s ships!”

Atlas is surprised. “What?! How…”

“Songbird encased them all in a sonic bubble and flew them out of the tower just as the bomb went off. She brought them into the Masters’ ship through a hatch that must have been left open. They’re down in some lower compartment of the ship, from what I see in their minds,” Phoenix says.

“Then we must get to them! The ships are leaving!” Colossus exclaims. “We can’t just leave them alone!”

The remaining X-Men and Thunderbolts watch helplessly as the ships leave, starting to vanish from sight.

Back in the lower area of the Masters’ ship…

“We’re all still in contact with Jean telepathically,” Shadowcat says. “As long as we stay that way, she’ll be able to lead the rest of the X-Men and Thunderbolts to wherever the Masters are going.”

Before anyone can respond, the four hear footsteps above them. “Quick, open the door!” a female voice says.

“What the…?! Are they looking for us?” Archangel asks in a quiet voice.

Shadowcat has a look of confusion on her face. “Uhm… hide!” she says, positioning herself behind a large metal pole.

Jolt, Songbird, and Archangel scramble to find hiding spots, and find them behind other metal poles and a stack of crates. A door opens, one that is well-camouflaged from inside the room. Three people enter – Dragonfly, Tiger Shark, and Shocker.

“Dragonfly… there’s no one in here! You better tell the Cowl to check that sensor equipment o’ hers, cuz it doesn’t seem to be working…”

“ACTUALLY, IT IS!” Jolt yells angrily, as she blasts Shocker right through the thin steel wall with an intense electric blast.

“So much for being discreet…” Shadowcat sighs, emerging from her hiding spot.

“You! You’re supposed to be dead!” Dragonfly exclaims.

“Look on the bright side, Dragonfly! Now WE get to kill them ourselves!” Tiger Shark growls, leaping at Shadowcat. “Starting with this one!”

“As if,” Shadowcat says, phasing her body just in time to evade Tiger Shark’s attack. “I can phase right through your attack, as you can see.”

“ARRGGHH!” Archangel cries, as he’s shot down by Dragonfly’s energy beam. He’s sent flying right into Jolt, who falls to the floor with him.

Dragonfly instantly turns to Shadowcat, and before she can phase, he hits her with an energy beam. “You need to solidify for air sometimes, Shadowcat!”

Shadowcat falls to the floor, rattled from the blast. Tiger Shark grabs Songbird’s hands and covers her mouth, preventing her from using her powers. Shocker re-enters the room, now joined by Bison and Lodestone.

“On second thought… we’ll take them to the Cowl first, then kill them,” Dragonfly decides. “Lodestone, pick them up in a magnetic bubble and follow me.”

Back near the Sears Tower…

“Oh no…” Phoenix says.

Cyclops looks at Phoenix. “What is it, Jean? Is everything all right?” he asks.

“They’ve been found… they’re all still conscious, but they’ve been captured, and are being taken to the Crimson Cowl. We have to get on that ship – and fast!” Phoenix demands.

Psylocke walks over to Cyclops and Phoenix. “Then I’ll shadow-slip us onto the ship. You can use your telepathy to pinpoint where I teleport us to,” she suggests.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Hawkeye says from behind the trio.

Cyclops nods in agreement. “That sounds like a good idea,” he says. He turns to Phoenix. “Are you up to it, Jean? If you’re too exhausted…”

Phoenix smiles. “No, Scott, I’ll be fine.”

“But I must make one more suggestion… a smaller group would be more effective in getting around the ship undetected. I suggest that only four us of go,” Psylocke says.

Citizen V steps up, joining in the conversation. “I will go… I refuse to sit here and do nothing!”

“What about me? I want a piece of the Masters!” Atlas exclaims.

“You are not alone, my friend. I will make them pay for almost killing Katya!” says Colossus.

Hawkeye whistles, and everyone turns to him and stop talking. “Will you all pipe down?”

“Alright. Now, we know that Psylocke has to go along because she’s the one teleporting us there. Phoenix is using her telepathy to guide us, so she’s needed as well. Now, as for the other two… I think myself and Cyclops would be the best choices.”

“How self-righteous can you be, Hawkeye? You may be leading the Thunderbolts, but that doesn’t make you the best of us!” Moonstone says angrily.

“Oh really? You guys seemed to be out-of-order when I found you. If not for me…” Hawkeye stops himself, but a smirk forms on his face. Moonstone just looks at him coldly.

Psylocke sighs impatiently. “Fine, if you can’t decide, I guess I will.”

Suddenly, Psylocke, Phoenix, Moonstone, and Citizen V begin to sink into one of Psylocke’s shadows. “Farewell, gentlemen. We’ll be in touch,” Psylocke says. “Jean, enter my mind and guide me to our destination.”

The four women disappear, leaving Cyclops, Colossus, Hawkeye, Atlas, and Charcoal alone.

“Uhm… did any of you notice that Psylocke left all us guys here, and took all the women with her?” Charcoal asks.

Cyclops says nothing, but he’s obviously mad. Hawkeye turns to him. “Is she always like this?” he asks.

“Only as of late, Hawkeye. Only as of late…”

Back on the Masters of Evil’s ship, at the ship’s control center…

The Crimson Cowl stands on a platform, with Shadowcat, Archangel, Jolt, and Songbird contained in a magnetic bubble below her. Standing around the four hostages are Lodestone, Bison, Shocker, Dragonfly, and Tiger Shark.

“So… you survived the explosion and snuck onto my ship? I’ll have to remember not to underestimate you,” the Crimson Cowl says. “I have sensors that detect the human body in many different forms all throughout the ship. The only way you could have gotten around this ship without me knowing it is if you had managed to scramble the sensors… which you didn’t. Now you’re mine, and this time I will make sure you die.”

Jolt looks up at the Cowl. “Well, if you’re gonna kill us, just do it and get it over with. You’re not impressing us or scaring us by standing up there and preaching your evil plans. The four of us have been in life or death situations before, and we’ve definitely faced people scarier than you and your goons. So stop stalling, Cowl – kill us!”

The Cowl’s yellow eyes look at Jolt with astonishment. This is not what she expects from her enemies, especially a fifteen year-old girl. Nor is it what she wants to hear from the mouth of her enemy.

“Eager to die, child?” the Cowl says. “Very well… I shall kill you right now! Lodestone, you may release them.”

The magnetic bubble vanishes, and within seconds, the Cowl shapes the edges of her cloak into super-sharp blades meant to impale her enemy. The cloak darts at Jolt, and hits her in her right shoulder.

“AAAHHHH!” Jolt cries in pain. She falls to the floor, and Songbird rushes to her side.

Songbird turns Jolt on her back. “Hallie? Are you all right?” she asks worriedly.

“Now, who’s next?” the Cowl asks menacingly, staring down at her captives.

“YOU ARE!” calls an angry voice, not too far away from the Cowl and her assemblage. Before any of the Masters can turn their heads, an energy beam strikes the Crimson Cowl, throwing her to the ground.

The Masters turn to see Phoenix, Psylocke, Moonstone, and Citizen V, floating in mid-air on a telekinetic platform. Moonstone is at the head of the group, her hands still glowing slightly from the energy blast she just released.

The Cowl looks up and saw the group, and in an instant, she shouts, “Masters of Evil – KILL THEM ALL!”

Lodestone, Tiger Shark, Bison, Shocker, and Dragonfly charge at the four women, who strike at them with all of their might. Phoenix slams Lodestone and Dragonfly into the ground with her telekinesis, while Psylocke and Citizen V go in for a more hand-to-hand fight with Bison, Shocker, and Tiger Shark. Moonstone flies straight over to the Crimson Cowl, who is attempting to leave the room.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Moonstone says angrily. She poises her hands for another energy blast. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t fry your ass here and now. Believe me, the world would be a much better place without you.”

The Crimson Cowl gets to her feet, and traps Moonstone by twisting her cloak around her. “I am not as easily defeated as you may think!” she exclaims. The Cowl releases Moonstone, sending her flying through the air.

Moonstone manages to maneuver her body so she can’t hit anything, and flies right back at the Cowl, this time releasing more energy blasts. The Cowl deflects them with her cloak.

While Moonstone and the Crimson Cowl continue their fight, Phoenix, Psylocke, Archangel, Citizen V, and Shadowcat fight a large group of the Master of Evil, who have grown in number after the trigger of a silent alarm. They’re holding their own, and have nearly defeated all of the villains who are trying to kill them.

Phoenix and Psylocke are back-to-back, fighting off attacks from Klaw, Sunstroke, and Blackwing. “Betsy, we have to Jolt out of here! She’s critically injured!” Phoenix says.

Psylocke gives Blackwing a kick in the jaw, then replies, “We can’t leave now, Jean, not until we’ve taken care of the Masters of Evil.”

“But…”

Phoenix is interrupted by a huge explosion behind her. Everyone in the room stops fighting, and looks as a huge glowing cylinder in the middle of the room explodes.

The Crimson Cowl and Moonstone are closest to the cylinder. The Cowl grabs Moonstone by the neck. “You fool! You destroyed the main engine that powers all three ships! They’re going to crash!”

“Did you say… crash?” Archangel says, gulping nervously.

The ship’s lights begin to flicker, as the ship begins to sink towards the ground. It becomes lopsided, causing many to lose their balance and fall to the floor.

Phoenix looks around and gathers up everyone she can in a telekinetic bubble. Within minutes, she’s gathered Psylocke, Shadowcat, Songbird, Jolt, Archangel, Citizen V, Dragonfly, Blackwing, and Bison. The rest of the Masters are out of sight, and Moonstone and the Crimson Cowl are still duking it out, regardless of the fact that the ship is about to crash.

“Jean, get us out of here, now!” Archangel orders.

“But we can’t leave Moonstone!” Phoenix replies.

“Don’t be stupid! Just get us out of here! It’s either her or us!” Dragonfly yells angrily.

Phoenix is about to refuse to leave once again, but a huge chunk of the ship’s roof collapses, and falls right on top of Moonstone and the Cowl.

Jolt gets a glance of what just happened. “Moonstone… Karla… no…”

Shadowcat turns to Phoenix. “They’re gone, Jean! Please, get us out of here!”

Phoenix complies, and the telekinetic bubble levitates out of the ship. But Moonstone and the Cowl are not dead as the others think…

The Cowl emerges slowly from the rubble, limping slightly, with Moonstone in her cloak’s grasp. She’s running towards a small hatch all the way at the other side of the room, but then Moonstone wakes up and blasts her way free.

The Cowl gets to her feet as quick she can. “You’ve ruined my plans, Moonstone! I won’t let you take my life as well!” the Cowl shouts.

The two women are at each other’s throats, even as the ship continues to plummet towards the ground. Moonstone grabs the Cowl’s hood, and pulls it off, revealing the Cowl’s identity.

Moonstone’s eyes go wide. “WHAT?!” she exclaims.

“Believe it!” the Cowl replies. Before another word can be spoken, the ship capsizes. The Crimson Cowl falls through the hole that has been made in the roof. Moonstone hears what is possibly the Cowl’s death cry, and does not attempt to help her. Instead, she flies out of the hole, and back towards Chicago.

The three ships that once contained the Masters of Evil are all burning, and crash into the ground below.

Back in the Windy City…

Cyclops is leaning on a police car, while Charcoal is pacing back and forth. Hawkeye, Atlas, and Colossus are just standing around, waiting for a sign of their teammates.

“Looking for us?” calls the voice of Shadowcat.

Cyclops looks up and sees Phoenix and the rest of the X-Men and Thunderbolts, along with three of the Masters of Evil. As Phoenix lowers everyone to the ground, he runs over to her and hugs her. She returns the hug and says, “I’m fine Scott, I’m… fine…”

Phoenix collapses in Cyclops’ arms. “Jean?!”

“Betsy, can you teleport Jean and Jolt to the mansion?” Archangel asks.

“Cyclops, Atlas, bring Jean and Jolt over here, I’ll teleport us to Warren’s estate,” Psylocke says. The two do as they’re told, and begin to sink into Psylocke’s shadow.

“We’ll send the jet to pick the rest of you up,” Cyclops says, as he vanishes into the darkness.

Lieutenant Davis runs over to Hawkeye. “Hawkeye, we got word of where the Masters’ ships crashed. It’s a few miles outside of the city, near some old, abandoned part subdivision. You think you’re up to helping us clean up?” she asks.

“Yeah, sure, no problem… wait…” Hawkeye looks around. “Where’s Moonstone?”

“Right here,” Moonstone says, landing in front of Hawkeye. Her costume is torn in a few places, and she has a bruise on her lip. “I left a little later than the rest of them.”

“We thought you died!” Songbird exclaims. “What happened to the Crimson Cowl?”

Moonstone sighs. “She’s… dead.”

“Well… I guess that means she’s out of our hair for good,” Hawkeye says. “So let’s go gang, we got us some Masters of Evil to arrest!”

Moonstone stands by herself as the others walk off to aid the police. ‘There’s no need to tell them that I saw who the Cowl is… she’s dead, so she’s no longer a threat. They don’t need to know. They can never know…’

NEXT ISSUE: The X-Men and the Thunderbolts part ways, as the T-Bolts move into their new headquarters! Cyclops and Phoenix receive news that will change their lives forever! Cecilia discovers more about the evolution of her powers! Beast makes a startling confession! A major problem surfaces for Archangel! All that, and the departure of an X-Man!