As the dust of battle settled in the grand throne room, Apocalypse stood over the lifeless body of Rama-Tut, his former rival reduced to nothing more than a memory. The knowledge he had extracted from Rama-Tut's mind surged through him like an unstoppable torrent. He had gained the secrets of time travel, the future technologies of the 31st century, and the intricacies of the time-ship that had brought Rama-Tut to ancient Egypt. Apocalypse's mind, already enhanced by the intellect of Steven Haking and the power of the Ka Stone, now processed this new wealth of information with astonishing clarity.
But amid this victory, Apocalypse sensed a lingering problem—something missing. Rama-Tut's time-ship, buried deep beneath the city, was incomplete. From the memories he had extracted, Apocalypse understood that a key component had been removed, hidden to prevent the ship from achieving its full potential. It was the eye of ages, the heart of the time-ship, which allowed it to traverse the time-stream with perfect precision.
The eye of ages was no ordinary piece of machinery; it was an artifact of unimaginable power, capable of manipulating the flow of time itself. Without it, the time-ship could only perform limited temporal jumps, not the unrestricted control that Apocalypse now desired. He needed to reclaim it to fully unlock his dominion over time. And with Rama-Tut's memories, he knew exactly where to find it.
A vision of a cave deep in the desert flashed before his eyes—a cave he had visited long ago with Baal, his adoptive father, during his early years with the Sandstormers that cave had been a place of refuge and survival. Now, he understood its true purpose: the eye of ages had been hidden there, sealed away in a time beyond reach.
Before he could embark on this final quest, Apocalypse knew he needed to consolidate his newfound rule over Egypt. The defeat of Rama-Tut had left a power vacuum, and rival factions and remnants of the Pharaoh's loyalists would no doubt rise to challenge his control. But Apocalypse had no intention of letting such threats linger.
He stepped away from the fallen Pharaoh, his cold eyes scanning the throne room one last time. His telekinesis surged outward, and with a thought, he lifted Rama-Tut's scepter from the floor. The once-powerful artifact hummed in his hand, its advanced technology still potent despite its master's demise. Apocalypse turned the scepter over, feeling its weight in his grasp before storing it within his armor for future use.
Next, he gathered the remnants of Rama-Tut's personal effects: advanced communication devices, encrypted data pads, and small relics of technology from the future. Each item, now his, would provide valuable insights into the workings of the future and the mechanisms of the time-ship. These spoils of war were trophies of his victory, but also tools he could use to further strengthen his control over the present.
With his immediate task complete, Apocalypse turned his thoughts to the time-ship. Rama-Tut's memories gave him a clear vision of its location, hidden deep within the pyramid palace, buried beneath layers of ancient stone. It had been buried there for centuries, dormant, awaiting its master's return. Apocalypse moved swiftly through the palace halls, his footsteps echoing off the stone as he made his way toward the hidden chamber.
He reached the burial chamber, where a massive slab of stone covered the entrance to the underground vault. Apocalypse, with his telekinetic abilities, easily shifted the stone aside, revealing a narrow staircase descending into the depths of the pyramid. He descended into the dark, the air growing cooler with each step. His senses, sharpened by the Ka Stone, could feel the energy of the time-ship pulsing faintly in the distance, waiting to be awakened.
At the bottom of the stairs, Apocalypse entered a vast underground cavern, illuminated by the faint glow of the time-ship's systems. The ship itself was a marvel of futuristic design, a sleek vessel made of metals and materials unknown to this era. It hummed with the power of the future, its surface adorned with strange symbols and circuitry far beyond the understanding of any in this time.
Yet, even as Apocalypse approached the ship, he could feel the absence of the eye of ages. The ship, though operational, lacked the key to fully harness its capabilities. He placed a hand on the hull, his telepathic connection with the Ka Stone allowing him to interface with the ship's systems. Through Rama-Tut's memories and the ship's own data logs, he confirmed what he had already suspected: without the eye of ages, the ship could not travel freely through time.
Apocalypse's lips curled into a grim smile. He knew where the eye was, and he would soon reclaim it.
As the sun set over the desert, casting long shadows across the land, Apocalypse prepared for the next stage of his journey. He would soon return to the cave where Baal had once led him, but this time, he would not be seeking refuge. He would be claiming the power that had eluded Rama-Tut for so long.
The future was his to command, and with the eye in his possession, Apocalypse would become more than a god among men. He would be the master of time itself.
Before that, he must consolidate the power under his command and reign in what's left of Rama-Tuts scattered forces.