Ancient Egypt.

Thousands gathered before a temple, chanting his name.

"En Sabah Nur! En Sabah Nur!"

He was a force unlike any other the world had seen. He was unstoppable. All powerful. A God amongst men. The God of Death. The Apocalypse.

Thousands of years from the present, a child was born. His features were so hideous that his family left him in the desert to die. He was saved by a nomadic tribe, brought to manhood, and then... then, the young man saw his tribe killed. En Sabah Nur went out for vengeance. When he was done, Egypt was in his hands and the world trembled.

"Look at them, Ozymandias," he spoke on the people gathered. "Look how they praise my name. The fools. So weak . . . "

"Are you sure it is wise for you to leave them, my Lord?" Ozymandias asked. He was once king... until Apocalypse came, made him both blind and his slave.

"You have heard the rumors as well as I. There may be another one of my kind in the so-called middle kingdom. I will find him."

"The journey is long and hard... "

"I shall make it. I am the strong . . . I shall survive. I shall find this man... and I shall return for you, my slave. On this, you have my word."

"Yes, master."

"I shall learn the true nature of my abilities... and then return to conquer this pathetic planet."

FEB 2002 - #1

A mutant reunion! A Force to be Reckoned With: Part I by Paul Hahn

It's a new day, isn't it? Sam Guthrie pondered to himself. He stood on the island's eastern face, watching as the sun continued its rise and the waves continued their splashing along the rough shore. Behind him stood the remains of the Muir Island Genetic Research Center, nearly destroyed by a race of beings called the Neo.

Sure is. Ah've been away from Young Justice for maybe two weeks... and yeah, Ah miss it... Ah miss Jen, too... but this is a little excitin'. Back with other mutants, with followers of a dream. And it's like a New Mutants reunion goin' on here.

Illyana was released here before me, and Ah'm glad to see that she's doin' alright. There was a lotta confusion for awhile, and I still worry about the girl... but she's here.

Dani came back the other day. Last Ah knew, she was running with the Point Men... her an' Feral. Feral killed me... but somehow Ah got better. Ah didn't know what to say to Dani... until she told me that Professor Xavier had sent her to infiltrate and take down the group... and she did just that, plus gathered tons of info on their activities. Ah was glad.

Bobby came, too. He had infiltrated the Hellfire Club on the Professor's request. And when he got found out, he made a break for it... brought James Proudstar with him, too. Thunderbird was a Hellion... but Bobby's vouched for him.

Ah'm not sure exactly what we're doin' here at the moment. Helpin' Moira rebuild, Ah know... but are we supposed to join Excalibur? Restart the New Mutants for people like Doug, Rahne and Rogue? Ah guess time'll tell... 

Illyana and Piotr sat side by side, talking happily. It had been years since the brother and sister had last seen each other.

"It really is good to see you again, Snowflake," Piotr smiled.

"It's good to see you, too, brother," Illyana answered. "So much has happened latley... to all of us."

"Da. The world is changing, growing darker every day."

"That's why you're with Excalibur . . . to make the world a safer place?"

"Of course. And that is why you were with Young Justice, was it not? And that's why you're here now."

"I suppose," Illyana nodded. "I just question, sometimes... after all I've seen... I wonder if this world is even worth saving."

"You must have faith in its people, Illyana," Piotr said. "They will surprise you sometimes."

"I hope so."

Illyana seems happy, Danielle Moonstar noted from outside the room. A light telepathic scan let her sneak a peak. Well, as happy as she ever gets. Good for her... it's been too long. Dani continued walking down the hallway to the med-lab.

"How's he doing?" she asked.

"The new leg should help him out just fine," Moira MacTaggert said, speaking of the prosthetic leg just recently attached to Rory Campbell. His right leg was fried off by a Neo named Seth.

[[Lots of damage was caused by the Neo in Excalibur #12 - Paul]]

"And the Brit?" Dani asked.

"His ribs will heal nicely," Moira answered. "Everyone will be fine in time, girl."

"Good," Dani said. "I'm glad. I'm sorry that we weren't here sooner. If we had been... maybe we could've done something."

"It's all right. What's done is done. We'll get by."

"Supposedly, this Captain Britain is undercover in the London branch of the Hellfire Club," Roberto DaCosta read a file to James Proudstar.

"Just like what you were doing, huh?"

"Guess so. The Professor took a serious interest in what was going on with the club. We both know they're up to no good, but maybe it was a broader scope than we ever imagined?"

"It's possible... "

"So, what do you think's in our future?" Bobby asked. "What're we doing at Muir?"

"Beats me," Jimmy shrugged. "You brought me here. I just wanted out of the Hellions."

"I'm not too eager to join Excalibur," Bobby said. "Europe's nice, but not somewhere I'd want to live."

"Never been."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Huh."

"So, have ye or any o' the others made a decision?" Moira asked.

"Well, we did just get here," Sam shrugged. "For the moment, we're content to help you rebuild. The mansion was important to us... hearin' that it got destroyed, and that the Professor was killed, well... it hurt. For all intents an' purposes, this place is the last outpost o' his dream of a world where people and mutants can live side by side in peace."

"Charles did have a great number of plans," Moira sighed. "Hopes, dreams, ambitions, goals... so much he wanted to do that will probably never be done."

"So long as there are people who believe," Sam shrugged.

"Uh, Moira?" the voice of Doug Ramsey came over the comm system.

"Yes, Dougie?" she answered.

"I'm getting reports of a disturbance in Edinburgh... some brawl with several mutants."

"Ach, me team's not in any kind of shape for a mission," Moira frowned.

"Ah'm feelin' fine," Sam said. "Bobby, Jimmy, Dani and 'Yana're good, too."

"Are ye volunteering?" Moira asked.

"Yup."

"You're nae takin' me plane."

"Illyana'll get us there just fine," Sam smiled.

Mid-12th Century. The Mongolian Steppes.

The man named Apocalypse stood before a man named Garbha-Hsien in the cold of winter.

"You have traveled far, Egyptian."

"I have come for you," Apocalypse spoke.

"I know why you are here. My Wisdom reaches beyond my years... as extensive as they are. Though, from what I understand, not as extensive as yours."

"You, too, are a Forever Walker?"

"Yes. Look inside yourself, and you shall know it to be true. Come... let me show you why I chose to live here after several lifetimes of nomadic existence."

The Asian led the Egyptian to a cliff. Below, En Sabah Nur saw it. A giant construction unlike anything he had ever seen. It appeared to be made completely of metals unknown.

"I call it the Chariot From The Stars," Hsien said. "In the time I have studied this marvel, En Sabah Nur, in all it has taught me, one lesson stands out above all... the fact that even eternal beings such as we shall always find something more to learn about."

"Perhaps you are correct, Garbha-Hsien," Nur said, drawing his sword. "And though that homily well applies to me, I'm afraid that this celestial body has nothing more to teach you... because on this day, your life ends!"

Apocalypse slammed his sword through Hsien's back, impaling him. He removed the blade slowly, letting his victim fall to his feet. Nur approached the wondrous craft and hesitated but a moment before the door slid open, allowing him access. It sealed behind him, its secrets forever his to decipher. End Interlude

Minutes later, a blue stepping disc made out of light appeared in Edinburgh. When it faded, there stood:

Sam Guthrie, a.k.a. Cannonball: Able to fly at incredible speeds while being protected by an nigh-invulnerable blast field!

Roberto DaCosta, a.k.a. Sunspot: He absorbs solar energy and rechannels it into endurance, speed, enhanced strength, flight, and the ability to fire beams of solar plasma!

James Proudstar, a.k.a. Thunderbird: Super strength, invulnerability, super speed, and heightened senses are this Apache's powers!

Danielle Moonstar: A telepath, she's able to make people's greatest fears manifest, or strike with a psionic arrow, temporarily frying her target's synapses!

Illyana Rasputin, a.k.a. Magik: The teleporter demon-child, who can also summon a sword and armor from the evil dimension known as Limbo!

"Okay," Dani said. "Where's the battle?"

"I think I hear the faint sounds of fighting that way," Thunderbird said, pointing.

"Okay," Sam said. "Bobby an' I'll take point, fly in, see what's up. Dani, 'Yana and Jimmy, follow us in."

"Right," Dani nodded.

Sunspot and Cannonball took to the skies.

"Boy, does this take me back," Bobby said.

"No kiddin'," Sam answered. "Ah've missed ya, bud."

"Missed you, too, pal," Bobby replied. "Hey, I think I see our 'disturbance'... "

"Wow, do you hear that screamin'?"

"It's barely audible at times... but sometimes, nearly deafening," Bobby asked. "and it looks like it's coming from that girl! The one that's... flying?"

"That's gotta be Theresa Rourke," Sam said. "I read about them in a YJ mission log... a mutant with sonic screams, she was a prisoner of some guy named Angar, until YJ freed her."*

*(In YJ: Screams of Angar, way back from the Losers Week event - Paul)

"So this is one of your left overs, huh?"

"Not exactly," Sam said. "She's bein' attacked. Let's go!"

An older looking man in a black cloak was attacking Theresa. He held a wooden stick of some sort and was firing energy blasts from it at her.

"Stop ye're screamin', girl," the man yelled. "Yuir uncle Tom's startin' tae get mighty angry... "

"Ye're an evil man, Black Tom Cassidy," Theresa replied. "Ye and yuir associate... I willnae let you continue your mad schemes!"

"You heard the lady," Sunspot said. "Back off."

"Eh?" Black Tom turned to see the two new players enter the scene. "And who are you supposed tae be?"

The New Mutants? Young Justice? Excalibur? X-Men? Sam pondered. "It's not important. What matters is, we're here to stop you."

"What he said," Moonstar added as she, Magik, and Thunderbird arrived.

"Theresa, my name's Sam," Cannonball spoke. "Ah was a member of Young Justice, though Ah wasn't in Springfield when they saved you."*

*(Because he was temporarily dead. Temporarily, you say? Don't worry... all the answers will come in due time - Pablo)

"Then I trust ye," Theresa said. "Call me Siryn. In the meantime, the only thing you really need to know is that he is bad... but ye've got to look out for his partner... he's much, much worse."

"Well, if all this guy does is shoot stuff from a cane, then you'd at least hope he's partnered with someone better," Bobby smirked.

"You better believe it!" a booming voice yelled.

The five heroes spun around behind them to see yet another player enter the field. He was seven feet tall . . . at least three and a half wide... his brown body armor covered most of his body.

"Umm... who's this now?" James asked.

"Your worst nightmare," the giant grinned. "I'm the Juggernaut!"

The Mongolian Steppes. The present.

An old man named Saul leapt from his bed. His dream was a nightmare beyond anything he had ever experienced. His breathing was heavy, his sweat was soaking. His heart pounded harder than it had in hundreds of years.

"He's returned... " the old man said to himself. "After all these years, I know it to be true... En Sabah Nur has returned. This cannot be allowed. When last we faced, he believed he had killed Garbha-Hsien. When next we face, he shall see that, where that man died... Saul lived. The Externals will rise against him . . . "