X-Force: Beyond Omega

[Inner Sanctum – The Throne of Genosha]

David Moreau, the Genegineer, strode through the cold, steel-lined corridors of the citadel, his mind weighed down by the unexpected summons. The Leader did not tolerate delay, and any hesitation could be met with severe punishment. He passed through several security checkpoints, each one more fortified than the last. Armed guards in reinforced Magistrate armor stood at attention, their emotionless visors tracking his every step. The deeper he went, the colder the air became

Finally, he reached the grand chamber. Towering metal doors groaned as they slid apart, revealing a vast throne room. The walls were lined with thick cables and holographic displays, each one cycling through surveillance footage from every corner of Genosha. Towering pillars lined the room, covered with grotesque sculptures of Genosha's conquered enemies. The air was thick with incense, the scent designed to keep the mind focused and subservient.

At the center of the chamber, seated upon an obsidian throne, was The Leader. His face was hidden behind a simple black mask, his body draped in ceremonial robes of black and crimson. No one knew his true name, only that he had risen to power through sheer brutality and absolute control. His presence alone was suffocating.

David swallowed hard and knelt. "You summoned me, my Lord?"

The Leader's voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of absolute command. "Yes, Genegineer. I have received disturbing intelligence. Forces beyond our shores are gathering. An invasion is being planned."

David stiffened. "Impossible. We control all lines of communication. Who would dare—?"

The Leader's fingers drummed against the armrest. "Do not waste my time with doubts, Moreau. The threat is real. Our enemies are moving in the shadows. We cannot afford uncertainty."

David lowered his gaze. "What are your orders, my Lord?"

The Leader leaned forward slightly. "You will increase Genosha's defenses immediately. Strengthen the mind-control frequencies, reinforce the slave sectors, and ensure the Magistrates are prepared for war."

David nodded. "It will be done."

The Leader's head tilted slightly. "And one more thing, Genegineer."

A shiver crawled up David's spine. "Yes?"

"You will go to the Forbidden Zone and unseal Irene Adler."

David's blood ran cold. "Adler?"

"She sees the future, Moreau. And I will have her knowledge. Use any method necessary to make her speak."

David hesitated, but he knew better than to argue. The Forbidden Zone was a place spoken of only in whispers, a vault where dangerous minds were sealed away, hidden from both their enemies and their own people. Irene Adler—Destiny—had been imprisoned there for years, her gift of prophecy deemed too unpredictable, too dangerous.

"As you command, my Lord," David said, forcing steadiness into his voice.

The Leader gestured dismissively. "Then go. Do not fail me."

David rose, his mind racing as he turned to leave. The shadows of the Inner Sanctum seemed to press against his back, a silent reminder that failure was not an option.

He had his orders.

And soon, the future would be theirs to control.

...

David moved through the decayed remnants of a once-thriving Genoshan research facility, now known only as the Forbidden Zone. It was a place swallowed by time, hidden beneath the surface of the island, far from the eyes of even the most loyal Magistrates. The walls were scarred with the remnants of forgotten horrors, failed experiments, corrupted mutations, and knowledge too dangerous to wield.

The deeper he went, the more the air thickened with the residue of old power, an oppressive energy that seemed to hum in the walls. Security drones flitted in the dark, their red eyes scanning everything that moved. The flickering lights cast long shadows as David and his escort of heavily armed Magistrates approached the final threshold.

The Vault of Shadows.

A monolithic door, reinforced with psychic-dampening alloys, stood before them. It had not been opened in decades. The runes of containment, etched by the Genosha's most powerful psionic engineers, still pulsed faintly. A warning. A final, desperate attempt to keep what lay beyond from ever waking.

David turned to the lead Magistrate. "Deactivate the seals. Now."

The guards exchanged uncertain glances, but none dared question him. With a few rapid keystrokes, the locks hissed, and a series of massive bolts retracted. The door trembled as if resisting its own unsealing, then slowly groaned open, releasing a gust of stale air.

Beyond the threshold was darkness.

A cell sat in the center of the chamber, surrounded by interwoven layers of psionic barriers. Within it, bound by chains of light forged from pure psychic suppression, sat a frail yet eerily composed woman.

Irene Adler.

She had not aged. Not truly. Her body was weak, her hair silvered, but her presence was unchanged, a timeless figure, lost in an eternal prison of forced silence. Her blindfold, woven from null-thread, remained untouched, ensuring that her cursed sight would not reach beyond her containment.

Yet, the moment the door opened, she smiled.

"I was wondering when you'd finally come," she whispered, her voice brittle yet unwavering. "I saw this moment... so many times."

David stepped forward, suppressing the unease that curled in his gut. "Then you already know why I'm here."

She tilted her head. "Oh, I know why he sent you. The Leader, always so obsessed with certainty. But tell me, David... do you truly wish to know the future? Or is it simply that you fear what comes next?"

David's expression hardened. "Enough riddles. You will give us what we need, one way or another."

The smile never left her lips. "Ah. Torture, then. I have seen that as well. Killing other mutants before me. I have seen that as well. Hundreds of times..."

He nodded to the guards. They activated the suppression field, increasing the dampening energy around her. The air crackled as the invisible chains tightened, crushing her psychic abilities under a weight too heavy to resist.

She shuddered, her frail body trembling but still, she smiled.

And then she spoke.

"Foolish men… always thinking chains will hold the storm at bay."

The air grew colder. The darkness seemed to stretch, reaching out like unseen tendrils.

David hesitated. "What do you mean?"

Irene lifted her face, her unseeing eyes burning through the blindfold.

"He is coming."

David's blood turned to ice. "Who?" He clenched his fists, forcing control over his breathing. "Who is coming, Adler?" he demanded, his voice cutting through the stagnant air.

Destiny tilted her head slightly, the blindfold covering her sightless eyes shifting as she breathed in the stale air of her prison. "I have seen them in flames," she whispered, her voice both brittle and powerful. "I have seen them in the stars, in the ashes, in the ruin of all you have built."

David frowned. "Who?"

Her lips curled ever so slightly, the ghost of a smile. "Two fires burn on the horizon… twin infernos that no chains can bind, no machine can rewrite. One, a spirit unbroken, reborn over and over, a name whispered in reverence and fear."

David's heart pounded. He had heard of only one entity that fit such a description. 'The Phoenix.' He knew about Jean Grey but for her to come here meant he could capture her because without a stable host, the Phoenix wouldn't be able to materialize its full power. With Forge's help, he could create a device to destabilize Jean. And if Genosha gets the Phoenix Force, the world would bend its knees to them. But the mention of 'twin infernos' caught him by surprise. 'What could it be? Two Phoenix? Impossible!'

But before he could speak, Irene continued, her voice taking on an almost reverent tone.

"And the other…" She exhaled as if feeling the weight of destiny itself pressing against her ribs. "A fire that does not burn, a storm of power that devours time itself. She does not know yet. She does not see it yet. But she will."

David stiffened. This wasn't what he had expected. "You're speaking in riddles again, Adler," he hissed. "Give me names!"

Destiny let out a soft laugh, a sound that sent a shiver down his spine. "Oh, but where would be the fun in that, Genegineer? Do you truly think knowing will help you?" She leaned forward, the suppression field crackling around her, yet it could not contain the sheer certainty in her words. "I have seen your death, David Moreau. Hundreds of times."

David felt something cold slither down his spine.

"You will try to run," she murmured. "You will try to hide. You will beg, you will scream, you will curse the heavens for forsaking you." She tilted her head. "And yet, in every path, in every variation, in every twist of fate… you still die. Painfully."

David swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

Destiny took a deep breath. "The lightning queen rises from the storm, her hands crackling with judgment. The shadow-kissed warrior carves through the dark, her mind sharper than any blade. The lost girl, the trickster, the flame-touched child—they are coming."

Her fingers twitched against the cold steel of her restraints.

"The diamond shatters. The witch rewrites. The dreamer bleeds. And the island… oh, the island burns."

The words struck David like a hammer to the chest.

"You cannot stop what is coming, David Moreau. No chains, no collars, no existence, no twisted programming will save you. The fire rises, the tide turns, and soon… Genosha will drown in its own sins."

David took an involuntary step back. The guards at his side shifted uncomfortably, their weapons clutched tighter.

He had come seeking certainty.

Instead, he had found doom.

Destiny's head lifted slightly, as if looking past him, past the room, past time itself.

And then she whispered the words that sent ice through his veins.

"I can see a new future. You will release Apocalypse and his Horsemen, Bennet du Paris, Selene Gallio... Nothing can stop the inevitable."

"We'll just see about that," Both of them said the same thing in unison.

Destiny began to laugh like a mad woman, the sound echoing through the chamber as David turned and hurriedly walked away, his heart racing.

As he left, the doors slammed shut behind him.

Destiny Adler remained, bound in her cell, her eyes blindfolded and unseeing.

She did not move.

She did not speak.

But she smiled.

The end of their suffering was near...

----

**[POWERSTONES & Reviews]***

If you like my work, you can support me on:-

www.patr eon.com/UnknownMaster

[14 advance chapters] [No double billing] [Genosha arc completed on pat reon]

---