Cyclops and Detective

I'm back! There still won't be regular updates for some time but I'll upload as frequently as possible. If this book and my original novel Galaxy Quest actually get some traction and have a good amount of readers, I might start to write full-time. So please support my stories by commenting, reviewing, stoning and all that jazz. Thank you.

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While Sinister started to fiddle with a very advanced genetic laboratory that Apocalypse pointed him to inside the ship-like structure, there was a ripple in space behind him.

"You ants managed to find me here too? How troublesome!?" Apocalypse sounded annoyed as he directs started attacking Scott and Sherlock.

Essex, now Sinister was already long gone behind the closed laboratory. Apocalypse sent him a telepathic order not to come out and complete the concoction of the plague as soon as he can while he engaged the assailants.

While Apocalypse punched Scott in the face, he sent an energy blast toward Sherlock. Sherlock in return just created a portal that led right back to Apocalypse's face while creating energy ropes to hold him down.

Scott who had been punched into a wall quickly got up and added to the damage by hitting the mutant god with his laser eyes. Although he was getting slightly hurt, Apocalypse wasn't all that concerned about Scott.

He could easily incapacitate the little laser boy, but he could feel some danger from the sorcerer. He had dealt with sorcerers before but this one seemed special somehow. He could feel a kind of energy radiating around the guy which made him feel threatened.

Apocalypse quickly thought about it and instead of risking things, he decided to lead the battle to other places so that he can gain more time for Sinister. He was basically planning to play cat and mouse with his assailants.

And just when eldritch energy constructs and the laser were once again launching towards himself, Apocalypse forced himself out of the bindings, teleported to the two guys opposite himself, and forcefully teleported them with him to the Sahara desert with himself.

The fight continued once again with fists, energy projectiles, and eldritch constructs flying all over the place. Scott was too focused on stopping Apocalypse but Sherlock felt that there was something wrong.

He established a telepathic link with Scott immediately "Hey laser boy, I think this fake god is trying to distract us and get some time to accomplish something. We need to find out soon or it might complicate things."

Scott replied in his mind, "It's Scott or Cyclops. How do you propose we find out when this monster isn't even giving us a moment to breathe?"

"I will send out my cloned projection back to the place we were at to investigate. While it can't do any fighting or physical tasks, it should be enough. We just need to distract that ugly god for a second."

And just as planned, while Sherlock cast the spell and created a portal, Cyclops attacked Apocalypse with all he could. Seeing that Sherlock had created a portal though, Apocalypse took the hit from Scott and then rushed towards Sherlock right away, sending a couple of energy blasts his way.

Although he had sent the projection in already, Sherlock still had to pretend like he was trying to get inside the portal. And so he did, he created eldritch shields to block the energy blasts and tried entering the portal. But by that time Apocalypse was right in front of him and the portal vanished.

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On the other side of the portal, Sherlock's projection got back to the place they were in a while ago. This projection was being controlled by Sherlock himself through parallel processing in his mind.

He started looking around and was amazed at the futuristic-looking structure with all kinds of equipment he didn't even know the use for. He hadn't been able to notice these things earlier due to having to fight right away.

As a projection, he could walk through the walls, so he did, and the very first room he entered was the lab where Essex was frantically mixing some liquids.

"Essex!" Sherlock called out to him.

Essex looked up to find a ghost-like Sherlock staring at him. "Well if it isn't Mr. Holmes. To what do I owe the pleasure? Sorry, I can't entertain you at the moment, as you can see I'm busy." He got back to his test tubes.

His head jerked up suddenly, "Oh! And its Sinister now Mr. Sinister, Essex died with his family. I'm the mutant horseman of God now."

Sherlock was surprised at first but seemed to understand something as he said, "But they aren't dead yet though. They are being treated right as we speak."

Sinister was shocked by the words. A tiny part of him wanted to believe that was true but he knew it was impossible, the mutant god himself declared them dead and he couldn't do anything.

"Mr. Holmes, I don't appreciate such morbid jokes about my family. The consequences might not be pretty for it." He almost growled in anger.

"You can choose to not believe me but I suggest you see them for yourself before you decide whether I'm joking. I'm ready to face any consequences if what I said is a lie." Sherlock said without missing a beat.

"Take me to them then." Although he had resigned himself to this fate to maybe one day be able to revive them, he still held some hope that his wife and the newborn were fine.

Sherlock looked conflicted, "I am just a projection so I don't have any power to teleport you. And it is quite a distance to Kamar-Taj. Could you wait for my main body to come here?"

Sinister once again looked at Sherlock skeptically but then relaxed somewhat. "This ship can teleport us there. Just tell me where to go." He said as he started fiddling with the device that looked like a computer panel.

Sherlock looked at how naturally Sinister was operating the technology and sighed, "Mutant powers sure are convenient. Now you are even able to operate this alien technology."

Sinister only snorted. He understood that Sherlock was fishing for information regarding his new abilities as a mutant. He just looked back and asked the projection, "Where are we going?"

Sherlock replied, "London. From the sanctum there we will reach Kamar-Taj."