Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind.
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox.
Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros.
X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox.
The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.
Star Wars and all related concepts created by or based on the universe created by George Lucas. Copyright 20th Century Fox, LucasFilms Ltd. and Lucas Books/Ballantine Books.
I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered.
Other stories set in this universe:
"Marvel Knights" "Tales of a Young Mutant" (posting has resumed) "Tales of a Superhero Band" "Tales of the New Phoenix"
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authorjames2002@yahoo.com
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Chapter 24 Into the Dark
Everyone awoke, but only those who were intimate through the night awoke refreshed. The closeness of having someone near reassured their hearts. They felt like they weren't alone. They had something to hold on to.
Lance climbed out of bed and showered up. Then he went out into the corridor to head to the kitchen for breakfast.
"Hey," Northstar said catching Lance's attention.
"Hey," Lance replied turning around. "Can I help you with something?"
"I don't know. Maybe." Northstar walked up to Lance. "I heard you two last night."
"Sorry if we disturbed you. Sometimes we can get into it and be really loud and forceful."
"The walls are paper thin. I heard everything."
"Again, I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. I just wanted to ask you some questions."
"Go for it. Um, can we do it on the way to breakfast?"
"Sure."
The two headed down the corridor to the stairs.
"So, what's on your mind?"
"I was wondering about you and Eric. You are so talented and attractive."
"Yeah?"
"And, well, Eric's nice and all, but he's got those scars on his face. Wouldn't you rather, you know, be with someone more attractive?"
"Hold it right there," Lance said stopping in the middle of the steps. "I love Eric and he loves me. When I met Eric he didn't have those scars."
"So you are saying that he was gorgeous enough to bone earlier. Now it's, what, sympathy?"
"No. Those scars he received saving the world. And I've seen his heart. I love him. It doesn't matter what the outside looks like to everyone else. To me, he is perfect."
"Sorry! I didn't mean for you to get all riled up like that. I was just curious as to what was going on between you two."
"Now you know," Lance said as he turned and went down the stairs leaving Northstar alone.
Justin opened his eyes and stretched his entire body.
"Good morning, sleepy head," Jessica said as she brushed through her hair.
"Good morning, gorgeous. What we did last night, can we do that again?"
"Sorry. We don't have time. Shiro wants us to get underway ASAP."
"But I really need some help here," Justin replied pulling the blankets away to reveal his hard cock.
"Go into the bathroom and take a piss. That will relieve a lot of that."
"Gee, thanks," he said.
Jessica smiled and kissed him. Justin got up and went into the bathroom. Just before the door closed, he opened and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Jessica said. "Now shower!"
Justin and Jessica both laughed as Justin closed the door and Jessica went out of the room.
Down in the kitchen, Jessica met up with Lance who was busy making coffee. She noticed his attitude wasn't the greatest and asked him about it.
"Northstar stopped me in the hallway," Lance answered. "He was asking me questions about Eric and I and why I was with him. He thinks that Eric looks ugly with those scars."
"What do you think?"
"I don't care about the scars. I care about him."
"That's all that matters then."
"Why is the gay community like that?" Lance asked turning around to face his best friend. A tear formed in his eye.
"Why is it that all the good-looking guys are only concerned about the surface? You could have a room full of gay, single, good-looking men. If another gay man walks in, all eyes turn on him. The one thing they look at his physical appearance. If he's gorgeous, the men are plotting ways of taking him home so they could have sex. If he's average, some might be plotting that. If he isn't up to society's standards at all with physical appearance, the eyes turn away and the conversations resume. Just because of his looks, he isn't considered someone worth their time. Why are gay men like that?"
"I wish I had all the answers for you."
"I mean, God knows what Eric would be going through if he and I weren't together. He would be getting a lot of shit from every other gay person because his face is scarred and he's bald." Lance choked back a tear. "That tears me up to think...to think that Eric would be treated horribly simply...simply because of how he looked."
Lance covered his eyes and Jessica went over and took him in her arms.
"You don't have to think about such things. Eric has you. You two are the luckiest men on earth to have one another. I couldn't imagine anyone else for you, or for him."
Lance wiped his eyes and returned the hug. "Thank you," he replied as he released his embrace.
Jessica stepped back and smiled at him. "Most gay men are pigs. In all actuality, most men are pigs. They are only after one thing, society's perfection. We can't let that dictate to us as individuals what we believe and what we hold important. Maybe as we go through life if enough people change their own thinking, society will follow suit."
Lance gave a chuckle.
"Did I say something funny?"
"If you think about this, two very attractive people are discussing the wrongs done on those less attractive. Kind of ironic, don't you think?"
"Hey, we all have battles to fight, even if some aren't for our own personal gain."
Lance nodded.
I awoke to find the room empty. After my usual morning routine, I went downstairs to the kitchen to find Lance, Jessica and Justin talking. Lance smiled at me and came over with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"You look amazing," Lance said kissing me deeply.
"Thanks," I replied. "You are wonderful, you know that?"
Lance handed me the cup of coffee. "I've been told that once or twice."
Everyone gathered in the computer room and Shiro took the floor with Johnny beside him.
"According to Johnny, Apocalypse has a secret base here, just east of the Great Wall of China just north of the Miyun Reservoir. It's going to get us several hours to get there..."
"Speak for yourself."
"Okay, with the exception of Northstar, it's going to take us several hours to get there. What I suggest, then, is that Northstar go ahead of us and scout out the land. Ghost Rider will travel with us until a few miles before we get there. From there, Ghost Rider will go ahead of us, infiltrate Apocalypse's lair and get the security system down. We will be roughly five minutes behind you so you don't have time to dawdle."
"Don't worry," Johnny said. "I don't plan on it."
"From there, we will split up into two teams."
Punisher stood up and looked at the group. "Justin, Lance and I will be team two. Our mission will be to sneak through the facility to the laboratory and computer mainframe. Johnny has indicated several key access points on our maps. Our job will be to enter and destroy the damn thing so the work they have done will be completely wiped out. They will have to start over from scratch. Or maybe they'll get the message that they don't want to fuck with humanity and will leave us the hell alone."
"The other team will consist of everyone else. Our job will be to keep Apocalypse distracted. I'm counting on the mutants to focus on him and the demon hunters to assist us by taking down any other threats which may arise. Who knows who or what Apocalypse has in his employ. Any questions?"
The room remained silent.
"Then let's get packed up and ready to go."
The next two hours were spent packing up Punisher's Suburban and Shiro's minivan with supplies. After divvying up who was riding where, we were under way. With the exception of Northstar who left before us.
The vehicles made there way across the island of Japan where we met a barge that could carry both vehicles to China. Shiro had connections all through Asia that made it easy for us to move between countries. Had it not been for him, we could have spent hours just getting from Japan to China.
When we arrived at the reservoir, Johnny kissed Punisher and said, "Wish me luck."
"Good luck," Punisher replied.
Johnny held the gas cap in front of him. We watched as flames burst around him and subsided, revealing Ghost Rider. He no longer held the gas cap, either. It was firmly attached to a motorcycle of hellish origin. He looked at us and then climbed on the motorcycle. He took off into the night, easily seen for his flaming head.
"The rest of us better change, too," Shiro said.
Ghost Rider drove up to the doorway and typed in the password on the hidden panel. The doors opened and he drove inside. The long corridor echoed the roar of the motorcycle engine and he drove all the way to the end. When he climbed off, he took the gas cap with him.
After walking through a doorway into the dark corridor, he journeyed to the end and turned. To his surprise, he ran into the mutant behind the genetic manipulation rockets, Mr. Sinister.
"It's about time you returned," Sinister replied.
"There was a battle," Ghost Rider replied. "They tried to release the soul from the mystical control."
"It's a good thing they didn't succeed. Go rest. There is nothing for you to do now."
"Where are you headed?"
"My lab, of course. No go."
Ghost Rider nodded and headed down the corridor. He watched as Sinister entered his elevator and headed down to the lower level where the laboratory and computer mainframe sat protected.
Ghost Rider turned and went further down the corridor to the security room where the system monitored the security measures. He knew what to do. Typing in several commands, he accessed the system. Then, shutting down the security measures, he created a redundancy to where any machine would show the system still running. He sat and watched, waiting for his friends to arrive outside.
Five minutes later all of us were in our costume garb, with the exception of Justin and Lance. They wore black jumpsuits Sunfire provided. Huntress came up and put her arm around Justin.
"Things are going to get busy in there. Be careful."
"I will," Justin said kissing her.
Lance hugged me and I lifted my mask to kiss him.
Northstar ran up to the group in his outfit and said, "All is ready. Ghost Rider is nearing the entrance.
"Let's move out," Sunfire said.
Sunfire flew up into the sky and the rest of us headed toward the reservoir. Punisher, Justin and Lance climbed into the Suburban and headed for their entrance, which would be much more conspicuous than ours.
When we arrived, I gave Huntress's hand a squeeze. She smiled at me.
"For the world," she said.
"For the world," I replied.
Blade and Huntress grabbed the doors and pulled. With their super strength, the metal doors opened and the rest of us went in, with them following behind. They looked down the long corridor.
"Why do I get the feeling we are about to get our asses kicked?" Blade muttered.
"Is that what usually happens with you and your team?" I asked.
The Daywalker turned and looked at me. Then he pulled out his guns. I didn't like the idea of him using guns against mutants. Mutants weren't demons but human beings. They didn't need to be killed.
We walked down to the end of the corridor to be met by Ghost Rider.
"Where's Punisher?" he whispered.
"Doing their thing," Sunfire replied. "Let's do our thing."
Ghost Rider led them down the corridor passed the security room, passed Sinister's elevator to the big door where he knew Apocalypse would be waiting.
To Be Continued...