Chapter 250 – The Desert Wakes
The Blackbird's engines hissed into silence as its landing gear crushed the cracked soil. Rio Diablo stretched around them like a graveyard of battles past — scorched earth, melted stone, and the faint smell of ozone clinging to the air.
Logan jumped down first, boots sinking slightly in the dust. He scanned the devastation with a grim squint, the ends of his cigar burning faint orange in the hazy light.
This wasn't just a fight.
It was a message.
Havok stepped beside him, thumb brushing across the metal ring strapped to his upper arm — the same one they all wore now.
"You sure about this, Alex?" Logan muttered.
Havok nodded hard, jaw clenched. "This is where they ambushed me. They wanted a warning delivered. I'm done being their messenger."
Before Logan could reply, shadows shifted behind a massive broken boulder — and stepped into view like a slow death.
The Marauders.
Scalphunter cracked his knuckles with metallic ease. Arclight smirked, every movement trembling with murderous potential. Harpoon twirled one of his lethal weapons lazily. Scrambler tapped his fingers together, impatient. Vertigo's eyes gleamed dangerous green. Riptide's cloak fluttered with hidden blades. And Sabretooth… Sabretooth just smiled like a beast who smelled dinner already bleeding.
And at the back — Polaris, her emerald hair flowing unnaturally, her eyes sharp with Malice's corrupt joy.
"You're early," she purred. "I was planning an entrance. A surprise kiss for Alex…"
Havok didn't wait. The sheer rage broke through him — and a concentrated beam of starfire blasted from his palms. It screamed toward Polaris in a white-yellow arc—
BOOM!
Magnetic force flared, deflecting the beam off into the canyon wall in a shower of sparks.
Malice/Polaris giggled. "Oh Alex, always so hot-headed."
"TEAM — MOVE!" Storm barked, kicking the ramp up as she leapt into the air.
The battlefield ignited into motion.
Storm hovered only a few feet off the ground — not out of choice. She could feel the absence of electricity inside her. Scrambler grinned, already sensing her vulnerability.
"No powers, goddess?"
His hand shot toward her face — but Oro— Storm pivoted, letting martial discipline carry her movements. Her knee drove into his ribs.
He wheezed. "Hrg— Don't need lightning to fight dirty, do ya?"
Storm grabbed him by the collar, flinging him into a cracked rock. Her voice was steel:
"I was a fighter long before I was a storm."
Scrambler recovered, wicked grin stretching.
"And I'm the guy who makes gods bleed."
He lunged again — and the duel turned into a gritty fistfight, the crack of bone and sand spraying with every impact.
Nightcrawler teleported — BAMF — purple smoke swirling as he reappeared behind Arclight in a heartbeat.
"Fraulein, forgive the intrusion, but—"
He barely finished before her fists hit the ground.
KRA-KOOM!
A shockwave erupted, throwing Kurt end over tail. He rolled, tail anchoring into a rock as he flipped back onto his feet.
"Oh. You punch the ground. Vunderbar."
Arclight grinned wide. "I break everything I touch, pretty-boy."
Nightcrawler vanished in a puff. "Let's make it a dance, ja?"
Metal skin gleamed under the sun as Piotr stepped forward — silent, immovable.
Riptide spun — dirt and air whipping into a murderous cyclone — shards of bone and razors firing out with deadly spirals.
Colossus raised his arms, metal clanging as projectiles struck harmlessly.
"You cannot cut steel, comrade."
Riptide snarled — doubling the spin — turning into a blur of death.
Colossus charged into the storm.
"Let us test that theory!" Riptide growled from inside the whirlwind.
"Two little dolls," Scalphunter grinned while loading a new round into his biomechanical rifle.
Rogue cracked her knuckles. "Ah'm the one who breaks toys 'round here, sugar."
But before she could dash, Vertigo unleashed spiraling waves — the air rippling with disorienting energy. Rogue staggered, head swimming.
Kitty phased through the wave and grabbed Rogue's shoulder — grounding her through the phasing interface.
"Stay with me," Kitty whispered. "I'll be your anchor."
Vertigo hissed. "Oh, that's cute."
Scalphunter fired — but Kitty stepped through the bullet like it was smoke and shoved Rogue forward.
"Tag in."
Rogue grinned and launched herself like a missile.
Harpoon twirled his energized spear, eyes narrowing. "Light girl."
Dazzler cocked her hip, brushing her hair back. "Spears guy."
He launched — energy crackling — but she caught the kinetic wave of his throw, converting it into blinding light, blasting him back with a prismatic shock.
"That's right," she smirked, "your attacks make me fabulous."
Alex's voice broke — "Lorna, fight her!"
Malice laughed inside Polaris's mouth. "She's loving every second."
Magnetic shackles pulled around Havok's wrists, throwing him into the air.
He roared, energy building —
She's in there.
I know she's in there.
I will reach her.
Psylocke annoyed Malice with her psychic blasts.
Wolverine and Sabretooth, both stepped toward each other through the chaos.
The world around them blurred — because this was personal.
Sabretooth's grin stretched wide. "Round two, runt."
Logan's claws SNIKT out — the sound as familiar as his own breath.
"You lost track, bub."
"I beat you once," Logan growled, "I beat you forever."
Sabretooth lunged — claws wide — pure beast.
Logan didn't dodge. He let the instinct — that bestial hunter's sense — take over. Reflexes merged with bullet-time perception. Sabretooth's swipe slowed in Logan's mind — predictable, sloppy. Logan twisted aside, elbow finding Sabreooth's throat.
Sabretooth coughed — then raked a gash down Logan's chest.
Blood sprayed — evaporating heat rising instantly from Logan's healing factor.
Sabretooth inhaled deeply.
"Oh, that's the scent I missed."
Logan's senses flared, Sabretooth's emotional scent thick with bloodlust.
"Been workin' on myself," Logan rasped.
He drove his claws into Sabretooth's ribs—
—but Sabretooth grabbed Logan's head and threw him across the battlefield like a ragdoll.
Logan skidded beside Storm, spitting dirt.
"You alright?" she asked.
Logan grinned through bloody teeth. "Just workin' up an appetite."
Sabretooth roared:
"I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR RIBS OUT AND PLAY 'EM LIKE A XYLOPHONE!"
Storm muttered: "He gets stranger each year…"
Logan stood. "You should see family reunions."
Storm caught Scrambler's wrist mid-swing — twisted — then slammed him down. She moved with assassin precision, every motion a reminder:
She didn't need lightning to command the sky.
Nightcrawler teleported into Arclight's blind spots — three cuts across her back before she detonated another quake. He took a hit — ribs bruising — but flashed her a fanged smile.
Colossus wrapped both arms around Riptide's spinning form — SLAMMED him into the earth — turning the whirlwind into a groaning heap.
Rogue uppercut Vertigo so hard teeth flew. Kitty phased through Scalphunter's mechanic body, phasing his brain for just a fraction of a second — enough to knock out circuitry.
Dazzler unleashed a disco nova — Harpoon fell smoking, coughing out sparks.
And Havok with Psylocke overpowered Malice's control for just a second.
Polaris screamed — her own voice — "ALEX—!"
Then Malice took back control with a snarl.
But that single second lit a fire in Havok's heart.
They were winning.
Sabretooth crashed into Logan again — teeth snapping, claws digging — primal hatred in every strike.
Logan dived into bullet time dodging Sabretooth's attacks before Sabretooth even thought of attacking.
"What—?!"
A whisper at his ear:
"Adapt or die."
Logan rammed his claws through Sabretooth's knee.
The big man screamed.
Sabretooth stumbled — healing struggling — bestial instinct fighting shock.
Logan stalked forward like a silent panther, eyes glowing with a hunter's cold wisdom.
"You came lookin' for a rematch," Logan growled, "but ya picked the wrong target, bub."
Dust swirled around them.
The sun bore witness.
And the Marauders —
were breaking.
Because Malice — watching defeat loom — twisted her fingers and whispered:
"These trash!!!"