Prism.
Blockbuster.
Tombstone.
Sabretooth.
Four individuals that he recognised from the memories of Cyclops, individuals that worked for the man who experimented on him as a child, Nathaniel Essex.
Or as he was better known as, Mister Sinister.
A man with no moral code.
A man who operated in whatever way allowed him to pursue his goal best.
A man that was willing to sacrifice everything to win.
A man that reminded him so much of Cyclops in many ways.
At the end of the day, after all the years Cyclops fought in pursuit of his impossible dream against all mannerisms of threats, he eventually became just like the man who raised him. From a child not yet in his teens to a boy reaching adulthood, he had been in the hands of Mister Sinister, a toy for him to use and play with however he so chose.
It was only natural to pick up on some things, to take after the adult he knew best.
For many years, Cyclops resisted that mentality within him, a fear of that side of himself forever connected to his powers and making them more uncontrollable than ever before. Yet when the world continued to devolve into more chaos and destruction, when the fight for Mutant freedom kept slipping further and further away, parts of that side of himself revealed themselves.
Bit by bit, piece by piece, Cyclops became the thing he had hated most in the world and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He didn't even try because, as Scott witnessed, for a time his new methods worked.
For the first time, Mutantkind was united under a single leader who led them to battle for their rights, eventually finding a place they could call home. Cyclops led them to a time in which their days of suffering were behind them. It felt like they could finally live in peace, that there was finally a place in this world for Mutants to call home.
Yet like all things in this world, the harder one fought against the world, the harder the world fought back.
However, it was those very same memories and experiences that guided him now, those lessons that Cyclops learned that would enable him to reach even higher heights. 'But first, I must win this battle.' Scott thought to himself calmly, carefully studying the four individuals before him, well aware that Tombstone was approaching, bigger than he was before.
In that time frame, Scott had already logged all of their powers in his mind and how best to handle them using the well of experience that Cyclops had accumulated. The plan was simple, but effective, taking advantage of their environment and naturally, what he needed to do in order to win.
Get them off this train.
A simple objective and one that if executed properly would be simple to achieve.
Yet there was an unforeseen variable in this plan, Tombstone's new powers. 'Some kind of ability to absorb kinetic energy and turn it into physical strength.' An ability that was perhaps the worst match-up for Scott considering his abilities were kinetic-based, every attack he made would only make Tombstone stronger. 'Yet things are different.'
This wasn't an ordinary fight with both sides determined to kill the other, where the death of one's opponents was the sole goal. No, this fight was nuanced and complex, those complexities giving Scott all the advantage he needed.
Threats like Blockbuster and now Tombstone were made irrelevant, the only one he needed to be wary of was Sabretooth. The only guy that Wolverine had admitted was better than him and the track record of their fights that Scott knew about reflected that fact. Though Wolverine, as he often did, gave as good as he got, Sabretooth had been faster, stronger, more vicious and brutal. The two were alike in so many ways, but Sabretooth was just better, plain and simple.
Out of the four of them, Sabretooth was the only one that made Scott sweat, his heart quicken as his anxiety rose.
But, Scott did not let that stall his movements or cloud his mind, he was already in motion as Tombstone swung his hammers around. The movements were trained, and the muscle memory was still there, but they were choreographed and easy to predict. He could see the course of their movements and much like he did with Rhino, was already in motion, constantly five steps ahead and avoiding each hammer strike by a hair's breadth.
The wind from them ruffled his clothes and made his eyes sting, yet Scott did not dare to blink, fighting the urge even as they began to water. A moment, that was all it would take to end this fight, the difference between victory and defeat, life and death.
A single, fleeting moment.
That was what this fight came down to.
Scott was determined to deny them that moment at all costs.
Further and further back, Scott stepped, carefully plotting the trajectory of Tombstone's next hammer strike. Yet he also judged the positioning of his footing, the tensing of his shoulders and the contraction of his muscles, already seeing the next five strikes ahead of time. Tombstone was a simple-minded fighter and often that worked in their favour, they went with what flowed best.
But it also made them predictable.
The body could only contort in so many angles, especially for a man of Tombstone's size. As a result, it eliminated many possible avenues of attacks and limited it to only a handful, Scott already selecting the most likely based on Tombstone's previous actions.
Powerful swings aimed to kill a man in a single blow.
So simple and predictable.
Yet even as he avoided Tombstone, he also kept a careful, watchful gaze upon the other three, Blockbuster's large frame still remaining at the other end of the carriage, the twisted metal cutting him off from the next train carriage. The aisle leading down to them, left open and exposed, prepared to charge him down the moment Tombstone was dealt with.
Sabretooth was crouched down upon the top of a line of seats, claws digging into the fabric and plastic, as his lips twisted in a vicious smirk revealing sharp fangs. He was enjoying the sight, but also watching carefully, studying him closely, a strangely intelligent mind hidden behind the facade of a wild beast.
As for the final man, Prism, he was stood confidently in the open, arms crossed over his chest and a lazy smile on his face. He seemed entirely unbothered by the fight going on before him and why wouldn't he, his powers reflected all energy-based attacks away from him. Much like Tombstone, he should be a natural enemy to Scott whose powers were energy based.
Scott intended to take advantage of that, having the perfect reflexive surface with which to bounce more powerful Optic Blasts off of. He had to always be careful in the regulation of his Optic Blasts because if he intended to reflect them off a surface, too much power would only break the surface and defeat the purpose.
This train was no different.
It was filled with reflexive surfaces and yet, they were all so easily breakable that they were useless in a fight of this scale.
All except for one, Prism himself.
Ducking under Tombstone's next swing, Scott took aim and fired, Optic Blasts firing straight towards Prism who didn't even bother to move. An action he regretted immediately as he was flung back into the side of the train with enough force to leave an indentation and shatter the glass, slumping down unconscious, only propped up by the fact one arm and part of his torso was hanging out the side of the train.
Yet, the Optic Blast also reflected back, striking against Tombstone's back just as he came down in a powerful overhead strike. It struck with enough force to rock him on his feet, he teetering forwards, ever so slightly off-balance.
That was all Scott needed.
Optic Blasts fired from his eyes and slammed into the side of Tombstone, sending him flying into the other side of the carriage, breaking through the glass and metal, and carrying him on for many miles more. 'Two down.' Scott didn't have time to celebrate though, Sabretooth and Blockbuster had both reacted the moment Prism had been taken out, coming right at him.
Blockbuster charged down the aisle, ripping out a line of chairs on either side and using one as a weapon, throwing it towards Scott who rolled underneath it. Even then, it was thrown with enough force to cut through the other end of the train and fly out into the open air.
Sabretooth had also leapt from his purchase, claws aiming right towards Scott who barely had time to shift his body ever so slightly to one side, avoiding the strike. Even then, he dare not grapple with him like Cyclops would have done, he could see the look in Sabretooth's eyes and that's what the man wanted.
As a result, Sabretooth landed much like an animal, jumping up and to the side of the wall, twisting and taking just a fraction of a second to look. A slight pause as Blockbuster came charging in, the second line of chairs he had in his hand blocking the Optic Blast Scott fired, breaking them apart.
All the while he came charging in, fist-slamming into the bottom of the train, Scott having already avoided it. The strength behind it though temporarily lifted the carriage off the tracks, flinging Scott into the air and Sabretooth saw an opening, leaping out towards him once more.
Only for him to just barely, get a foot to the roof to avoid an Optic Blast that came his way, Scott having reflected the beam off Prism's unconscious body while midair. 'He's good.' Victor thought to himself, smile growing wider at the thought of a good challenge. Only to quickly have to dodge the powerful Optic Blast that came his way, one that had aimed to take out both him and Blockbuster in one go.
Instead, it struck Blockbuster full-on, the large brute of a man trying to tank the blast and remain firm in the face of the energy. But it proved too much, his footing shifted back just slightly until it slipped out from underneath him completely, at which point he was helpless to do anything, just trapped in the beam of energy and carried along for the ride. The roof and nearly the entire rear half of the carriage completely exposed to the elements, the metal unable to handle the force of his Optic Blast.
'Very good.' Victor crouched down, an action mirrored by Scott as they assumed a position low and small enough to give themselves an advantageous and firm position. Both watched each other carefully, trying to see who would make the move first. 'Sinister was wrong, this kid, he's got experience beyond his years, more so than most. I wonder what he went through to get this kind of skill.'
Victor didn't ask though, he knew he would receive no answer.
Releasing a slow breath, Scott evened his breathing and narrowed his eyes, neither he nor Sabretooth having made a move in the last minute. 'Who's going to make a move first?' He wondered, sweating dribbling down his forehead and then his cheek, this far tenser than when he had been fighting the four of them. 'And now I don't have Prism either.' His fourth Optic Blast that stopped Sabretooth from grappling with him in midair had also knocked Prism out of the train.
The body had already been flung into the air and was on its way out the train from Blockbuster's punch that rocked the train, Scott had just barely been able to use it in that last moment before Sabretooth was on him.
He was lucky.
'But right now, whoever makes the first move will put themselves at risk.' It wouldn't spell defeat, least of all for Sabretooth, but it would mean sacrificing an advantageous position. For Scott, his crouched position meant that Sabretooth would have to come from a higher position making him an easier target to hit.
As for Scott, getting to his feet would mean allowing Sabretooth to use the crouched position to help catapult himself at him. His reaction times were great and with his healing factor, Sabretooth was able to push his body well beyond the norm to the reams of near superhuman levels, any damage done quickly healed. A crouched position would only make that even more so and so, Scott had to be careful.
Another minute ticked by.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
Victor's smile did not dip, just growing wider and wider while Scott continued to sweat profusely, the tension in the air was palpable and his heart was pounding heavily. This was the last thing he had wanted, a one-on-one fight against Sabretooth was the worst-case scenario.
He had hoped to take him out in two instances, the fourth Optic Blast and then the final one that took out Blockbuster. Neither of those had happened and now only Sabretooth remained and they were approaching the next stop. He had to be careful because if he let this drag on any sooner, then this whole plan would have been pointless.
Body tensing up, Scott prepared himself, Victor chuckling in excitement as he too prepared himself, both aware of what was to come.
Only for mist to burst into the carriage from behind Scott, enveloping his body, the train rapidly slowing down, making them both widen their eyes in shock. "No, you don't!" Victor roared out, leaping forwards and just before Scott's body fully turned to mist, his eyes glowed red and struck Sabretooth while he was completely exposed.
His feet had just left the ground and he was at a height perfectly suspended, unable to reach any surface in time to alter his trajectory and avoid the blast. Suspended like that, it struck him full-on in the stomach, throwing him back out of the train as Scott was pulled away.