For years the mighty mutant Apocalypse has been wandering space and time in his quest for more abilities. His latest encounter with the X-Men on Earth has left him weak and drained of much of the power he once had. Only his spirit slave Ozymandias is the force keeping Apocalypse from slipping into eternal death.
During Loki’s most recent attempted invasion of Earth, Apocalypse arrived at the fabled planet of Asgard, the homeworld of Thor Odinson. With the help of Ozymandias, Apocalypse learned of a powerful being from Earth’s early period of civilization who possessed terrible capabilities. This being’s name is Sima, and he once attempted to make himself supreme god of Earth’s humans. Sima was so powerful, that he nearly crushed the other “gods” of Earth in a brutal war against the Olympians and Asgardians.
Odin and Zeus personally arrived on Earth and battled Sima, defeating him. They put Sima under a deep sleep and imprisoned him in a tomb that could only be opened by five talismans. However, when the time came to protect Earth against a catastrophic event that would harm humanity, Sima could be released and his power controlled by Odin himself.
Zeus, jealous of Odin’s potential influence over Sima, scattered the five talismans across all of Earth. This caused a rift between the Olympians and the Asgardians. Since then, the Olympian and Asgardian gods have abandoned humanity to its own fate. Zeus will not aid humanity any longer, and Odin is about to pass away.
This is the perfect opportunity for Apocalypse to return to Earth, find Sima and absorb his abilities so that the reign of Apocalypse may once again have a chance at becoming a reality. That is, of course, if the Avengers have no objections.
After Loki was defeated by the Avengers, many of its members have since went off on their own adventures, but when Apocalypse strikes, all, some or none may return.
Apocalypse, in his search for the talismans, has returned to Earth and is recruiting villainous figures to his side. His slave Ozymandias keeps them all in check.
Nick Fury, alarmed by the return of Apocalypse, is recruiting many heroic fighters to the Avengers. His sense of justice keeps him focused on stopping Apocalypse from finding the five talismans.
The Orion Complex
Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
“What about the Tesseract?” asked Apocalypse as he sat in the dark corner of a tomb, tapping his finger on the stone chair.
“Gone, my liege,” rasped the voice of an old man. A spirit floated inside the room in a circle around the mighty Apocalypse. The spirit was transparent with a golden hue. He appeared very old, very wise, wore ancient robes and carried with him scrolls. His ghastly eyes were empty. The spirit’s name is Ozymandias, and he was the loyal slave of Apocalypse—bound to an eternity of servitude and protection. “The Tesseract cube, along with Loki the mischievous one, was brought back to Asgard by Thor Odinson.”
Apocalypse looked over at Ozymandias. “And what of Thanos? The last I heard, he was behind the failed Chitauri invasion of this planet... Earth...”
“You are right, my liege. Thanos distracts himself with delusions of grandeur and ill-thought strategies to take over our homeworld,” said Ozymandias.
“Yes...” said Apocalypse, “We were both born on this planet. I was born to rule it, and you were born to serve at my side. While Thanos recovers from his humiliating defeat, we should use this time to find the body of Sima to absorb all of his, or her, energy.”
Ozymandias smirked at Apocalypse’s arrogance. Although he was his servant, this occupation was not borne out of choice but instead of the lack of choice. His life is tied to Apocalypse. If he dies, Apocalypse lives. However, if Apocalypse dies, so too does Ozymandias. “My liege, for every defeat there is a victory. The victors call themselves the Avengers. At the time of the Chitauri invasion, the Avengers were composed of six main fighters: a woman skilled in overall combat, a marksman with the accuracy of a hawk, a man who becomes a beast at will, a soldier whose normal human abilities have been greatly enhanced, an influential figure who dons a suit of metal, and then there is Thor the god. If we go ahead with our plan to find the five talismans that will lead us to Sima, we must ensure that we defeat this group called the Avengers.”
“But they have disbanded, have they not?” said Apocalypse with a trace of annoyance in his tone.
“Anything is reversible,” said Ozymandias, “What if the Avengers are reformed, stronger than before?”
Apocalypse motioned his hand at a dark hallway. An elderly man in red robes and a black suit softly walked into the light towards Apocalypse and Ozymandias. He held a red metal helmet under his arm, revealing a serial number etched into his wrist.
“This, Ozymandias, is one of the more honorable people on this degrading planet,” said Apocalypse, “His name is Magneto.”
Ozymandias quickly hovered over to Magneto, “But my liege, how can you be so sure that he will aid us?”
“Because I hate people,” said Magneto abruptly, “The ‘normal’ ones at least. Homo Sapiens they call themselves. We, my friends, are the Homo Superior. And there’s one thing I hate more than normal people: it’s powerful beings like us who wish to aid and protect them. This Avengers, this mix of mutants and homo sapiens—it disgusts me. I would want nothing more than to see the Avengers destroyed. I am also quite interested in finding this mutant you call Sima.”
Apocalypse looked at Ozymandias, “And there’s more than just him.” He grinned. “Magneto, as you know there are five talismans that will reveal the location of Sima. I have pinpointed the location of the first talisman in a city called London on a large island near the northern polar ice cap.”
“And the rest?” asked Magneto, “You said there are five.”
Ozymandias answered, “They are in major historical cities around the world. We know of only one other location: the ancient city of Tenochtitlan.”
“Mexico City,” said Magneto. “Who will be sent there?”
“One talisman at a time,” said Apocalypse. "As the search for the Talismans continue, the pyramids here will serve their original purpose as the Orion Complex. If need be, the Pyramids have the powerful to summon just one other being. Time has taken a toll on the pyramids. Once, the ancient pharaoh's of Egypt called down entire armies using the Orion Complex's power. Now, the 'magic' is all but gone." He turned towards Magneto and gave a cold stare, "I thought you would be gone by now."
Magneto suddenly bowed, "Yes, Apocalypse." He grasped his robe and walked back down the hallway. The search for the five talismans had begun.
OOC Thread: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=180445
)us intruder.
