《Dial: Call Resumed》 1: Recaps and Returns Dial: Call Resumed EVERYTHING past "The Infinity Saga" info is completely off the rails and cannot be taken as a reliable Canon for Dial. And even post-Phase 2 stuff might be changed. Chapter 1 Laura/Blood Diamond Laura dreamed. It had been a long time since she¡¯d done that. She dreamed of the past. Of what once was. Her home was a soft yellow, painted over brick. Her grandfather had smoked cigars. She liked the smell, hanging about softly in the air, mixing with the smell of homemade tortilla. She dreamed of it. Then of those smells, marred by the copper scent of blood. She dreamed of Mama dying. Of men with guns and machetes slicing into a face that had kissed her forehead and smiled so softly. She dreamed of killing those men with tattoos and guns. Feeling skin rip between her fingers, bones crunch as she snapped them, the harsh feel of wrapped hilts under her fingers as she stole their machetes and used them. Laura had never fought until then. She could still taste the blood. Smell the urine and bile as she killed the men who killed her mother. Then when it was over, she cried. She cried forever, standing over Mama. That was how the men in black suits found her. They took her from Mama. They put her to sleep. When she woke up again, she was in a cage. Every year since then, she was there. They cut her open. They tested her. Shot her. Forced her to kill more. She learned to fight quickly. No one taught her. But she had to learn if only to end it sooner before they knocked her out again. She didn¡¯t question why it happened anymore. Laura knew why. She was in hell. She¡¯d been a bad girl. And God had sent her to hell. That was why she didn¡¯t have her Mama anymore. Mama had been good. She went to heaven. Laura wasn¡¯t allowed to go with her. They took her apart, put her back together, and kept doing it over and over. No more hugs. No more real food when they could just feed her with a tube. Just hell. Then, something changed. January 12th, 2014. She remembered the men screaming as they began to fight. The cage was moved. But as they moved her, she listened. Listened to them talk about Hydra, and SHIELD. And the Avengers. She¡¯d hear a lot about them. Laura was in hell. But she¡¯d never heard about demons being so afraid. They went to a castle. And she kept on listening. The bad men had been scared. Except two. Strucker and Sterns. They spoke to her, sometimes. Told her about things. She didn¡¯t talk unless they told her too. Her voice was still raw. It had been years since she spoke. She didn¡¯t have a lot of context. Some of what they said sounded like fairy tales. Gods, aliens, men with powerful bodies and suits, women who could disappear and reappear. She learned that SHIELD had found out that Hydra was hiding within them, and had begun fighting against them. As a scientist inserted a needle into her, he complained that they had become BRIDGE. Another one said the Avengers were chasing them. Sterns showed her some blue-green crystals. ¡°Beautiful, aren¡¯t they?¡± the green-skinned man with a massive head said, smiling at her. ¡°A gift from Dial. They¡¯ll be yours now. Be sure to thank me, will you?¡± Dial. The Hydra people called him an alien. She saw a video once. A dark-skinned man with a short beard and hair, fighting on the news one time, talking with Captain America another. He sometimes changed into monsters. Giant wolves, flying dinosaurs, small demons that cackled. And sometimes, he changed into pretty crystals. Hydra did something to her. She could feel it, when one day they forced her to watch TV for days. The colors were so pretty. And then she didn¡¯t want to fight them anymore. The next day, the crystals were inside her. She felt them all through her. They were heavy, and if she wasn¡¯t careful, they were sharp. She got used to it. To the feeling of something inside her slicing through her, to feeling her own skeleton and knowing she could control it. From then on, she was almost always close to Strucker. She saw everything he did. And he had seen a lot. She saw Hydra kidnap a pretty woman and turn her into a pretty green giant. She was forced to go with them when they ran away from the Avengers and BRIDGE, seeing a storm in the distance as they ran from a god. Strucker had ignored her as she watched the news with him later. March 15th, 2014, the news said. Rio De Janeiro had been struck by an earthquake. Then, more news came in. Monsters from all across time. Dinosaurs. Demons. Knights in shining armor. The Avengers and BRIDGE went in. Footage played of them fighting in the streets. Saving people. Dial smashing through groups of enemies. Captain America leading men and women into battle. Black Widow carrying a girl in her right arm as she fired a submachine gun into the head of a massive lion. Laura found something warm as she watched them. An armored man with a white skull painted on his chest pressed a shotgun into a creature out of nightmares. Just before he took its head off, Laura took pleasure in the fear on the demon''s face. And then Laura sawher. The green woman. Giant and strong, fighting alongside the others. She looked happy. Laura hated her. Hated her happiness. Hated that she had been captured for barely anytime, but the Avengers had saved her. Made her one of them. Under the sea of fog that Hydra had made of her thoughts, Laura felt that hatred. She clung to it. In that sea of fog¡­ hatred of that green woman was the only thing that was hers. March 12, 2014, Laura went on a mission with two others. Former SHIELD agents, taken in and brainwashed. Agent Trip and Agent Sharon Carter. They were fascinating. Efficient, and very skilled. But beyond that, they were also somehow¡­ alive. In a way that she didn¡¯t feel. That most of the others didn¡¯t. Trip gave her a protein bar on the way to the mission. Sharon told her to sleep. They were worried about her. It made sense. What was the point of hell, if only one person could go. That comforted her. That after years of demons, she had found people like her. They went into a Chinese facility together, killed everyone within, and stole a computer chip. On the way out, Trip reminded her to clean some blood that landed on her. It was a nice thing to do. After they gave Strucker the chip, he woke up a robot with a green face in its chest. And then they watched the news. Dial and Creel had gone to Russia. Creel, as Strucker had helpfully told her, was the first person to survive the same machine that made her. She found that interesting. That they were similar like that. And then, Russia apparently became something insane. She didn¡¯t get to find out all of it, but she heard about parts of it. Monkey robots, other heroes, someone named ¡®Kragoff¡¯ that was described as a James Bond villain. Her training was adjusted to account for the Winter Guard. Kraven, a hunter, and Vanguard, a Captain America copycat were ignored. Chernobog, the dark god, she was told to run away from while an army of Hydra-Hulks attacked him. Crimson Dynamo, she was to slice through the armor and pull out the pilot for capture. Fantasma was also someone she had to be wary of, since Hydra¡¯s knowledge of ¡®magic¡¯ was limited. And Ursa Major was hers to fight, with a focus on slicing apart real bears that Hydra sent towards her. She liked fighting the bears. They were fluffy. Sometimes she could lie against them after she killed them, enjoy the warmth before she was forced to kill more. All the while, all across the world, more superhumans appeared to follow the Winter Guard. A team in Japan called Big Hero 6, China had the Ascendants, Canada revealed Alpha Flight. Strucker kept an eye on all of them, even the pretty Korean girls. The first time in years that Laura heard music was from those girls. The sound of it. So powerful. Beautiful, but also like it was challenging everyone. She listened to it with avid interest whenever Strucker would play the videos. He used the videos to try and prepare for a day he might have to fight them. Laura listened because they made her feel like she could fight the entire world. March 20th, 2014. They heard very little from BRIDGE. She-Hulk had had a very public fight with a redheaded woman, the battle becoming a legend among wrestling fans apparently. There were rumors about BRIDGE hiring paleontologists, biologists, experts in Antarctica, and outdoorsmen for a special project, something Strucker had been confused about. The only thing Laura focused on was a question Strucker asked while they visited Zola with Josef, a strange man Strucker said was one of the ¡®Winter Soldiers¡¯. ¡°Blood Diamond. What will you do if you ever meet Dial?¡± ¡°Kill him,¡±Laura said blankly. ¡°Do you consider him a father, for donating the crystals in your body?¡± She¡¯d shaken her head. She didn¡¯t. But she did feel strange when it came to him. The diamonds in her always seemed to weigh just a bit more when she thought of that odd man. Even as she killed an alien man later, she thought about the human who could turn into aliens. The feeling continued four days later, when she caught footage of him and Captain America on a tv show. At one point, he smiled at the camera. She thought about that. That happened a lot. Under the fog of soothing voices telling her to comply, she watched. Watched Strucker hire a red-haired man that made the base into a shifting moving fortress. Watched Zola create a strange gelatinous creature. Watched Strucker turn the aliens into his own personal army. And then, one day, Strucker sent her on a mission. To kill Tony Stark. She was given a dress and a quinjet. She went. She was happy to comply. It all went wrong when she arrived. The small girl. The Blonde one. Strucker had called her Ruby Hale, a candidate for the Destroyer of Worlds project. The girl was with Tony Stark and pegged her immediately. She attacked. Iron Man and Ruby fought back. At one point, Iron Man shot her with a blast of sonics. She felt her bones shatter in her own head, slicing through her eyes. She felt her cheekbones break and cut into her. It was the worst pain she had ever felt. It happened again and again. And she kept on trying to kill him. She was happy to comply. And then¡­ Tony got new armor. He stared at her. ¡°Sorry about this kid. But this is over.¡± And something in her¡­ for just a moment. Just one. The thought filled her. If I die. Maybe I¡¯ll see Mama again. ¡°...kill me.¡± She¡¯d been so desperate for it. The thought consumed her. It broke through the fog. Then the moment was gone. She complied. And she attacked again. Then, when she had no way of succeeding in her objective, she ran. Strucker had ordered her too. But she sliced out the stomach of Ruby Hale. She never knew if the girl died. When she got back to base, Strucker punished her. He¡¯d cut her open down to the bone diamond bone, burned the flesh there, then timed how long it would take for her to heal. Then again. And again. For hours. ¡°After all,¡±he¡¯d said.¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to do this again.¡± And then. The next day. War. June 5th, 2014. BRIDGE came down, on three great ships, with an army pouring out of the doors. She watched as they fought Hydra forces, and knew that this was hell. Where else but hell could have such a battle, such horrors? Giant monsters, inhuman speedsters, demons from the sky, alien warships. Blood was a common factor in Laura¡¯s life. But that day, she saw more than she thought possible. The aliens came down. They killed hundreds. For a moment. Just a moment. It looked like Hydra would win. Then Godzilla exploded from out of one of the ships. Silence filled the room around her. Laura stared in awe at the sight. A crystal monster, the size of a mountain. Roaring. ¡°...Holy shit,¡± Strucker chuckled, surprising Laura. He looked to his right. Laura looked back at him, her brainwashing keeping her from showing the shock she felt. ¡°It seems your ¡®father¡¯ still has many surprises.¡± He never saw Laura look back at the screen. She stared at it as the ground continued to shake. The echoing voice of a monster reverberated through her body, her blood¡­ right into her crystal bones. From there, Dial infiltrated the base along with a few others. And Strucker told her to go get him. And for the very first time, in the shifting rooms that the strange laughing red-haired man had made. Laura met Dial. Hewas standing there. Long black hair. Brown eyes. He was shorter than Strucker by about an inch, but was built like Josef, with the same powerful muscles and stance, wearing an armored shirt with a hood, jeans, and the famous Omnitrix on his arm. His face when he saw her¡­ it was shocked. But he looked¡­ warm. Like Trip and Sharon sometimes did. But there was more there. ¡°Laura¡­¡± For a moment, Laura stared at him. He stared back. She felt so lost- A voice that sounded like Strucker roared.¡°Comply!¡± Twin blades left her knuckles. His eyes hardened. He reached for the Omnitrix. The dial pressed down. She moved, lunging at him. Green light shone across his body, transforming him before reaching golden eyes. Eyes that matched her own now. A fist punched her. But she barely felt it. He was in Diamondhead form. And she could feel him. She¡¯d felt it with the giant crystal monster. But this wasmore.More intimate, warmer. A sensation like she was connected to him. Not just in her crystals. For a moment, it was like every part of Laura was calling out for him. COMPLY. Then she was trying to kill him. They fought for a while. And Laura continued to comply. To draw him in. To bring him towards the target. Until they fell into the trap. And Strucker sprung it. Laura felt herself raise a blade to her own throat, the diamond slicing just a bit. She stared at Dial as Strucker spoke. Stand in the center of sonic weapons in Diamondhead form. Or she would kill herself. And Laura felt the warmth and hope within her fade. She was going to die. He would let her die. He was a hero. Heroes stopped bad people. Dial would let her die, and then Strucker would die. That was fine- Dial transformed into Diamondhead. And Laura broke. Shock and horror filled her, breaking through her conditioning. Then the sound weapons struck. And Dial began to break too. ¡°GAAAAAAH!¡± He screamed. He cracked to pieces. And then he healed. And broke. His eye shattered. He fell to his knees. Broke. Healed. Over and over. But he didn¡¯t die. He refused to. She watched him scream. Watched portions of him crack. Bleed a strange fluid. When Tony Stark had hit her with sonics, she felt her bones snap apart and shred her own flesh. This¡­ this was so much more. The sounds of his face, chest, and back snapping open, his right eye exploding, crystals growing into the gaps to fill the holes only to vibrate apart and break again. Then the sound stopped. And Strucker and Dial spoke. Strucker sounded powerful, domineering. Dial should have sounded weak. His voice was soft, filled with pain. But his voice still echoed. ¡°What is the point of allowing this level of pain? For a girl you don¡¯t know? A woman who tried to kill you. Tried to kill your friend?¡± Laura looked at Dial and wondered the same. He should have just changed. Turned into one of those other aliens. Killed Strucker. Laura had hurt so many. Killed more. Why didn¡¯t he want to let her die? ¡°You realize the point of brainwashing is you don¡¯t blame the person being forced into it?¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Strucker chuckled.¡°Yes, I suppose. Still, I believe a reasonable person would have given up when their fingers began to explode.¡± ¡°Heroes aren¡¯t reasonable,¡±Dial growled out.¡°That¡¯s the point of heroes. Always meddling in things that aren¡¯t our business. Helping everyone who needs it. We.. I¡¯ll take the pain. I¡¯ll break. If it¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t die.¡± The words shook her. The increase to the sonic weapons did more than that. They had been loud before, but now she could see the air shake. Her own body was shaking, breaking, just from standing in the same room as the sonic weapons. She fell to her knees, tears running down her cheeks. But Dial was dying. ¡°?Basta!¡±the word left her lips without thinking. The first time in months she said something without being ordered to. The light of Dial¡¯s eyes began to flicker. His chest fell open, revealing his inner core. And for a moment, just a moment, Laura thought he was dead. A single arrow stabbed into a speaker to her right. Laura didn¡¯t understand at first. But Dial and Strucker seemed to. Nine more arrows seemed to appear in the other speakers. Then they exploded apart. Laura barely acknowledged the sudden feeling of relief. Instead, she stared upwards as Hawkeye came down from the ceiling. His arrows flew so fast they seemed to be fired at the same time. They never missed. Not a single shot. He landed beside Dial. Strucker screamed at her to kill him. And he didn¡¯t even flinch. The next thing she knew, electricity was pouring through her, and she couldn¡¯t move. Then she was on the floor. She couldn¡¯t stop shaking. Her head hurt. The arrow pumping electricity into her was worse. She stared into Dial¡¯s eyes. He smiled around crystal lips shattered to pieces. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± The words echoed even over the sound of Hawkeye taunting Strucker in the background. ¡°But you¡¯ll be okay. We¡¯ll get you out. I promise.¡± She didn¡¯t believe him. She was proven right when, moments later, Strucker was in her mind again. ¡°Ah¡­ of all the minds in this sea of souls. You are the one I don¡¯t need to manipulate.¡± That hurt worse than anything else. The reminder of her constant violation. Years of horror had broken her even before the mind control. And now, Strucker didn¡¯t even need to try. Then Dial exploded in a wave of green light. So. Even he¡¯d given up on her. She barely registered his new appearance, the thin muscular frame, the four arms, the white robes. She only saw Strucker speak. ¡°Do it.¡± Laura couldn¡¯t stop herself. She reached to remove her own throat. Then a voice echoed in her mind. A soft and kind mumble. ¡°Rest kid. I¡¯ll see you when it¡¯s over.¡± And then the voice was gone. And so was the haze over her mind. Laura fell asleep. For the first time in a long time, her dreams were peaceful.
June 9th, 2014 She woke up in a room later. There was a plate of food on a table in front of her. She got off the comfortable bed and ate the steak and rice. It was the best food she¡¯d had in years. Ignoring the utensils to shovel it into her mouth, she looked around. The room she was in was a pale white in color, with a concrete floor, another table with a couch and a sofa next to it. It was big. The biggest room she¡¯d ever woken up in. She created a diamond blade and tossed it at a wall. It bounced off. Not impale, not even scratch. Just bounced off. Still a prison then. The TV was on. She turned to watch it. A news broadcast of the battle was on, with various people talking about what had happened. Something about a psychic battle and a battle in space. But none of that mattered to her. The important thing was the remote. She stared at it as she ate. A remote. It was black, and covered in buttons, resting on the table next to her food. She reached out, hands slippery with steak juice, and fumbled. With a press of a button, the channel changed. Laura stared at the screen. And changed the channel again. And again. Over and over.
Natasha Romanov/Black Widow In another part of the Triskelion, Natasha watched on a camera with Director Maria Hill as Laura changed channels on the TV with an odd fascination. The young woman seemed to be in shock. ¡°What is she doing?¡± Maria asked Nat. ¡°She¡¯s been imprisoned for most of her life, since she was a kid. Told what to do, where to go, who to kill,¡± Natasha looked over at Maria sadly. ¡°Changing the channel? That might be the first time she¡¯s ever had a choice in something since Hydra kidnapped her.¡± Maria looked back at Nat, then sighed sadly. ¡°Fair enough, but she¡¯s going to be a problem. Even if Dial broke her out of her brainwashing, she¡¯s still someone who was raised in captivity to kill others. She¡¯s a timebomb.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting a lot of Deja Vu right now,¡± Natasha said sadly. Maria chuckled, turning and walking towards her desk. Natasha joined her, sitting in front of the desk as Maria leaned against it. ¡°Yeah, I guess you would. What do you suggest?¡± ¡°Therapy,¡± Natasha said without hesitation. ¡°Lots of it. Someone needs to speak with her first, get a handle on just how feral she might be. Dial asked to speak with her.¡± ¡°Because he stupidly feels responsible for her,¡± Maria pointed out. Natasha didn¡¯t respond to that. Maria shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll schedule a time for later. We already called in Professor Garner for her, so that¡¯s one more among a fleet of therapists we¡¯ve called in.¡± Maria shrugged. ¡°Okay, Laura is in custody at least, but we¡¯ve got a lot on our plate besides her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± Natasha noted. ¡°We¡¯re things supposed to belesscomplicated after we beat Hydra?¡± ¡°We¡¯re BRIDGE, even back when we were SHIELD our lives were never going to become less complicated. Speaking of which,¡± Maria raised a hand and snapped her fingers in a complicated pattern. A screen appeared before her, revealing two people on different screens. Trip and Sharon. The two were in a cell of their own, similar to Laura¡¯s. Trip was roaming back and forth in his cell. Sharon was lying in bed. And both looked like they had been through hell. ¡°How are they?¡± Nat asked carefully. ¡°Enhanced, for one,¡± Maria¡¯s face twisted just a bit. ¡°Apparently Hydra managed to crack the code on a weaker version of the super soldier serum. Nothing like Steve, but the same as Bucky and the other Winter Soldiers. Sharon and Trip were given it.¡± ¡°Everybody is some kind of enhanced nowadays,¡± Natasha said. ¡°How are theyreallydoing?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll probably retire at some point, if my guess is right. Peggy Carter asked to see them. Same with Steve, Coulson¡¯s team, Mack, Bobby, Izzy-¡± ¡°Long list,¡± Nat flashed a smirk. The Director didn¡¯t disagree. ¡°Natasha, I want you to monitor Laura.¡± That didn¡¯t surprise her. ¡°You think she¡¯s like me.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s similar to you, with some severe differences, but at her core she¡¯s got a lot in common with you and Ruby.¡± ¡°Oh, Ruby is going to lovethat.¡± Maria barked out a laugh. ¡°She¡¯ll have to suck it up. Laura has an easy weakness for us to exploit, but she¡¯s also one of the most dangerous people in the world. We need to defuse this tykebomb.¡± That was a fair statement. ¡°When did I become the big sister of every dangerous girl in the world,¡± Natasha said more than asked. As the words left her lips, an old memory hit her. A tiny blonde girl, smiling at her as she colored in a notebook. ¡°...Your request for time-off was approved, by the way.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell anyone else about it?¡± ¡°No, but you should.¡± Natasha and Maria looked at each other for a moment. ¡°...Fine. Well, best of luck when you head out.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Maria looked over at the screen again and waved a hand. ¡°You¡¯re following Dial.¡± The Director nodded. ¡°He left in Big Chill form. He¡¯s almost to Westchester County already.¡± Natasha didn¡¯t speak, but she could see Maria hiding her own stress. The world was getting crazier and crazier. There had to be a breaking point.
Mahmoud Schahed/Dial/Back At It I twirled through the air on wings of blue, chilled air following in my wake, contemplating the past few months. On July 15, 2018, I had been in my home universe writing fanfiction. Then, Professor Paradox showed up in my room and shoved me into the Marvel Universe. Well, one of them anyways. I went from my world, to New York City, Fall of 2013, in a place where Tony Stark, Thor, and all the other heroes I loved existed and lived. At least Professor Paradox didn¡¯t leave me entirely in the cold. He gave me an Omnitrix. One of the most powerful weapons in multiversal history. Allowing me to turn into aliens to obtain their powers. Currently I was Big Chill, a frozen insect. I had faster aliens, but few that I could just kind of relax in the air with. I needed it. I¡¯d been dropped in the middle of November and It was the beginning of June now. And in that time I¡¯d fought in five different wars, various battles, and navigated several dangerous waters across the Earth. I needed a break man. But there is no rest for the wicked, and thus none for the righteous either. I think someone said that once. I flew through clear skies, enjoying the air fluttering across my insectoid form, and tried to breath softly. With New York City having disappeared behind me long ago, I was now away from the skyscrapers, had left behind the warehouses, the suburbs, and was full on in the countryside. Hopefully, me flying overhead in broad daylight wouldn¡¯t lead to Mothman rumours in the area. I say hopefully, but I could have avoided sight¡­ Okay fine, I just thought it would be funny if it happened. I waved at a car full of kids as I passed, grinning at the shocked looks on their faces. I flew through a cloud and appeared out the other side with a small layer of frost. Below, I could see my destination. 1407 Greymalkin Lane Westchester, North Salem, NY, 10560. The building I was reaching was beautiful, large. A mansion with a large yard in front, a pool in the backyard¡­ And a tennis court. And a baseball diamond. And a basketball court¡­ and I was pretty sure the property was even bigger than that! ¡°Good lord,¡±I breathed out, reaching out mentally.¡°You really spring for the full package.¡± ¡°The benefits of an inheritance and careful investments,¡±a voice echoed in my mind. I landed by the front door and transformed back into my human self. I walked up to the doors of the giant mansion. As I did, I noticed someone staring at me from one of the windows. I hid a grin when they tried to hide, but didn¡¯t stop staring at me. The teens were looking me over. That was just¡­ Wild man. Absolutely wild. I almost knocked on the doors before they opened up. Behind the door was, to my surprise, someone I did and did not recognize. Since coming to this world I¡¯d gotten used to many things. One, was that for some reason, every hero I met looked like an actor or actress from my world. Captain America looked like Chris Evans. Natasha Romanov was Scarlett Johanssen. Hell, Fantasma, one of my best friends, was a dead ringer for a cosplayer named KalinkaFox. So when I first met Ororo Monroe, I was surprised I didn¡¯t think of any actress I knew that looked like her. On the other hand, she was a dead ringer for her X-Men Evolution counterpart. The same straight pale white hair, blue eyes, and dark skin, all while looking incredibly beautiful. She was wearing a red shirt and a long blue skirt with some interesting flower designs along it. She smiled at me as she held the door open. ¡°Good Morning, Mr. Schahed. Please, come inside,¡± her voice had a hint of an African accent. Just like I remembered! ¡°Thank you, Ms. Monroe,¡± I stepped in, grinning at her. ¡°Please, right this way. The Professor is waiting.¡± She led me inside. The mansion was beautiful, very old school-looking, with marble and hardwood everywhere. We went up to the staircase in the center of the lobby, Storm just in front of me. I couldn¡¯t help a bit of the fanboy coming out. ¡°Gotta say Ms. Monroe. It¡¯s a real honor to meet you.¡± She gave me an odd look. ¡°Oh? Oh!¡± she seemed to come to a realization. ¡°Right, the Professor did mention the¡­ multiverse, and that you were familiar with other versions of us.¡± Her voice¡¯s odd timbre drew my eye. She was still very calm, almost zen, but she also seemed uncomfortable. I winced. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t even think about that. The whole knowing about different versions of you and their history. The other Avengers, a lot of the BRIDGE folk, they got used to that pretty quick. Just, keep in mind, I basically just have an impression of-¡± Storm stopped me with a laugh. ¡°I understand, Mr. Schahed. I live with a telepath. I do not mind you knowing a bit about me, I am simply trying to comprehend the idea of a multiverse.¡± Ah, that was fair. ¡°Well, at least we don¡¯t live in the one where the Earth got turned into a sea of orange goo by insane lunatics.¡± We¡¯d gotten to a door by that point. Ororo looked over at me, surprised. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You want to see the most insane, beautiful, wonderful sights possible, Ms. Monroe? The multiverse is the best way to see it all. I¡¯ll let you know when we figure out how to travel through it safely, show you some cool shit.¡± She seemed amused by that. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. And please, call me Ororo.¡± ¡°Dial.¡± That surprised her. ¡°You want people to call you by your codename?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s one I¡¯ve earned.¡± Somehow she seemed to understand, based on the small smile on her face. She opened the door, letting me into the room. Within, two men waited. One was short, but thickly built with muscle, his bare arms fuzzy with hair, hair cut into an interesting pattern like a combination of mullet and ducktail. His skin was darkly tanned the way hunters get, and he had a scowl so deep I was reminded of some of my angrier friends. Wolverine. I was surprised he didn¡¯t look like Hugh Jackman, rather looking a lot like his X-Men Evo counterpart just like Storm. The other man was in a wheelchair. And he was a dead ringer for Patrick Stewart. ¡°Thank god,¡± I said as I walked in. ¡°After Logan and Ororo, I was starting to feel like things had gone weird.¡± The two mentioned looked at each other in confusion. The austere man in the wheelchair, on the other hand, knew what I was talking about. Charles Xavier grinned. ¡°I¡¯m glad I could reassure you, Mr. Schahed. I believe we have much to discuss. ¡°A fuckton¡¯s worth,¡± I agreed, Ororo wincing at the language as Logan snorted. ¡°So, let¡¯s talk shop, because I need you to convince me and my boss that hiding the existence of mutants is in our best interests.¡± The door closed behind me and I sat down to talk.
Author¡¯s Note:Next Chapter will be Tuesday on myPatreon. For now¡­ I¡¯m so damn happy to be writing this again. I missed Dial. I''m sorry that the beginning is a recap, but hopefully reading it from Laura¡¯s perspective made it interesting. Next chapter will be more about the mutants, Dial meeting the X-Men kids, Brotherhood, and much much more! 2: In Living Color Chapter 2 June 9th, 2014 Charles Xavier, being the gentleman that he was, had set out tea for us. Logan took a beer. Not one of us was surprised. I was glad for the tea. Tony liked to joke that I was a fanboy, but it was true. I tended to get pretty starstruck when I met my heroes, and the X-Men had been my heroes for a very long time. Ever since the 90¡¯s cartoon I watched as a kid. Having the tea gave me a chance to focus. We had a lot to talk about. I took a sip of my drink before speaking. ¡°The problem, Mr. Xavier, is that while I understand why you and others are worried about hiding your powers, waiting for society to be ¡®ready¡¯ for the reveal of mutants is a losing battle.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Xavier sipped his own drink. ¡°You¡¯ve seen how the public currently responds to superhumans. Even those like Captain America, respected individuals among the community, or Tony Stark, someone who only gained ¡®abilities¡¯ through technology, have those who hate and fear them. Despite my efforts, there are those in the world who know about mutants, who exploit them. How much worse do you think it would be if the whole world knew about us? Knew about our potential?¡± ¡°You could make the argument that they would do that no matter what. And at this point, you¡¯re already pretty deep in the hole,¡± I said. ¡°For one thing, people are going to argue you should have helped fight off all the bullshit that¡¯s popped up. Think about it. Maybe back when the Chitauri first showed up you could claim that those mutants with combat ability were too surprised to head in to fight. ¡°But since then, we have had a dozen different problems. Problems that at the least you could have helped with,¡± I said, indicating all three. Logan scoffed. ¡°Bub, we have enough problems without taking on the rest of the world¡¯s.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Guess the rest of the world will take that into account,¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°Keep in mind, every point I make is from the perspective of that. The WORLD. It¡¯s full of dicks, with all the intelligence of it.¡± Ororo made a small noise that drew our attention. ¡°Dial, I understand where you¡¯re coming from. But mutants aren¡¯t a united force, we are people all across the world. Even in this school, we only have six students. Students. They have already faced enemies we would have rather they didn¡¯t. We couldn¡¯t send them into warzones.¡± ¡°I absolutely agree. I get it. You can¡¯t speak for every mutant. But you three could have helped. Even if it wasn¡¯t combat, Rio needed as many people to help as it could get.¡± Charles shook his head sadly. ¡°And I did do what I could.¡± Huh? At my confusion, he smirked. ¡°During the course of the efforts, I guided as many of the rescuers to victims as I could. It was difficult, something about the way Rio was hit affected the psychic plane, but I did what I could.¡± ¡°That¡¯s-¡± ¡°Not going to matter,¡± Charles finished for me. He leaned back in his seat, frowning. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been worried about that for some time.¡± ¡°Professor, people were going to fear us no matter what,¡± Logan said dismissively. ¡°Half the kids are walking weapons.¡± ¡°That is no reason to make it easier,¡± Xavier admonished. ¡°I must admit, Dial, I¡¯ve been struggling with that question for some time. While I do wish for the children to have normal lives, that is quickly becoming impossible. This world we live in will begin to draw them in. It may be time for us adults to step into the light.¡± ¡°That¡¯s gonna lead to a lot of trouble,¡± Logan pointed out. ¡°Agreed,¡± Storm sighed. ¡°If we reveal ourselves, enemies who once held back out of a need for secrecy will feel no need to.¡± ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to reveal the full truth, do you?¡± I frowned. ¡°People might eventually figure out the full x-gene thing. But right now, you can just step out as another powered human if you want. Same as me, Cap, or any of the rest.¡± Logan scoffed. ¡°I ain¡¯t one for the limelight, bub.¡± God, I wanted to laugh my ass off at that. Wolverine Publicity was hilarious considering how much he would have hated it. Logan continued. ¡°How about you, Storm? Feeling eager to get turned into a celebrity?¡± ¡°I have faced similar prospects before,¡± she said idly. She sighed, looking over at Charles. The bald psychic looked troubled. ¡°In truth, I had been considering it. If Emma hadn¡¯t forced my hand, I likely would have approached BRIDGE some time ago.¡± ¡°I knew that icy bitch was going to ruin something,¡± Logan growled. ¡°She nearly wiped my mind out,¡± I grumbled. ¡°We heard about that. Are you okay?¡± Ororo asked, her eyes soft. ¡°I¡¯ll live. She won¡¯t.¡± Logan smirked at that. Then I sighed, running a hand through my beard. ¡°As for this? Well. I can¡¯t exactly force you guys to expose mutants as a whole to the world. But you gotta understand, you were already in a precarious state.¡± I raised my hand and started counting on my fingers. ¡°Let¡¯s list off all the Biomorphic Events, shall we?¡± ¡°Bio-what?¡± Logan asked. ¡°Catalysts that change a species'' baseline abilities,¡± Xavier said. ¡°We got enhanced. That¡¯s Captain America, Deathlok, Vanguard. Gamma mutates, that¡¯s Hulk and She-Hulk. People with alien genetics, like Thor, those enhanced by items, like me, then cosmic beings like Ares, magic users, and people changed by magic. Now, there are super-geniuses like Iron Man and Crimson Dynamo, so smart it¡¯s basically a power. Technically that doesn¡¯t as a biomorphic event, but they still fit into a tier of their own-¡± ¡°You got a point here, bub?¡± Logan asked, annoyed. I held up my six fingers. ¡°That¡¯s the ones people can google search. But then there are the hidden ones,¡± two more fingers. ¡°One is us. What is the other?¡± ¡°Inhumans. People whose ancestors'' DNA was modified, so now if they encounter a special substance they end up with a random superpower,¡± I explained. ¡°But then, there are mutants¡­ god, there needs to be a less problematic name for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll workshop it in marketing,¡± Logan snarked. ¡°But yeah. The rest of us need to at least encounter some sort of event, make something, take a chemical, to get our powers. Whereas you guys just need to hit puberty. Hell, in some cases not even that.¡± Seriously, the number of mutants who¡¯d had their full powers since birth was kind of ridiculous when you thought about it. ¡°And then we have the randomness of it all,¡± I pointed at Logan. ¡°Super healing, senses, and claws. Powerful, but not galaxy changing,¡± I pointed at Ororo. ¡°A literal hurricane waiting to happen, with weather changing on a level Thor has asked about,¡± Ororo blinked at that, curiosity on her face, while I pointed at Charles. ¡°Come on Prof, do I even need to explain why you¡¯re ridiculous?¡± ¡°I shall take that as a compliment,¡± he said with some real humility. ¡°Still, I must agree with you, Mr. Schahed. For one thing, had I approached BRIDGE some time ago, I may have been within your vicinity sooner, and been able to sense your mental block.¡± ¡°You ever find out who made it?¡± Logan asked us. Charles and I shared a look. After all, Emma may have taken advantage of it, but someone had placed it there¡­ most probable suspect was Professor Paradox. Likely the block made sure I didn¡¯t bring in the X-Men before it would have been perfect for the timeline. But we kept that to ourselves. Bringing him up wouldn¡¯t be useful. He¡¯d do things for the benefit of the timeline, but he¡¯d only step in if needed. For now, just us doing our own thing was fine. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Charles said at last. ¡°We¡¯ll continue to maintain the blocks we placed on far more antagonistic sorts however.¡± Logan and I had the same uncomfortable looks on our faces. I¡¯d guessed he had a similar history to his alternates, a history of mindwipes and mental blocks. After my stint, I was just as disturbed. But there were some people who would end up killing thousands if they regained their memories of mutants. Until BRIDGE was ready, we¡¯d have to let Charles keep them in the dark. ¡°Then I suppose we have a plan,¡± Ororo brought us back on topic. ¡°I suppose this will keep Evan from asking me if I¡¯m going to become an Avenger,¡± she added with a chuckle. I grinned. But that did bring up something. ¡°...Speaking of the kids,¡± I leaned back in my seat. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about asking them to fight,¡± Logan snarled. ¡°Calm down, Papa Logan,¡± my quip made Ororo hide a smile as Logan growled. ¡°I don¡¯t want teenagers fighting terrorists. I¡¯m not Dumbledore. But Charles, I gotta say, for a guy who wants peace between ¡®mutants¡¯ and humans, you have a tendency to make this school pretty insular.¡± Logan and Ororo looked over at him. Charles pressed his hands together, a thoughtful look on his face. ¡°Yes. I suppose I do,¡± the words were said with a sort of, confused and mystified tone. ¡°My plan was always to integrate mutants into society. To train them, yes, keep them safe from those who would bring them harm. But I never planned on making my school mutant-only.¡± And yet, it always was. In terms of comic writing, that was likely because actually having teenage heroes that weren¡¯t mutants, like the Young Avengers and Runaways, added to the school would have ended in some confusion. Didn¡¯t make sense for Xavier¡¯s goals though. And both Charles and I knew that looking at the multiverse from a fictional perspective just didn¡¯t work. These were real places, with real people. And that meant that these dozens of Xaviers had somehow decided to make the same decision every time. Fight for peace, but also keep mutants separate from humans. Of course, Logan brought up a good point. ¡°Not like we could have taken any human students in. Too much of a chance the brats would tell people about it.¡± ¡°We¡¯re simply thinking about the future, Logan,¡± Ororo said kindly. ¡°One day, our students might be able to be open with their powers.¡± ¡°Possibly with other powered people,¡± I pointed out. ¡°There aren¡¯t too many kids right now with powers, but a large batch of the Graveyard Survivors were teens. BRIDGE is doing their best with them, but they might benefit from a more school-like setting.¡± ¡°Graveyard Survivors?¡± Ororo asked. I winced. ¡°Well¡­ a while back, there was this Hydra Facility. A dumping ground, really. We found it full of Hydra¡¯s failed experiments. When they tested out making superhumans of their own. And when those tests didn¡¯t end in the results they wanted, well¡­ Some of them were found in a state of near death. Most were in some kind of¡­ heavily altered state. Charles, could you share my memory of that?¡± Charles lowered his gaze. I felt his presence in my mind. Then Logan and Ororo¡¯s expressions changed. Ororo looked sickened. Logan was pissed, his overly sharp canines flashing. ¡°Luckily, the Omnitrix helped out most of them. But those who ended up with powers are still learning. Some of them, the quick learners, are now a part of STRIKE. Others have new identities or went back to their families. Still, we do have kids, like I said. Some with new super-soldier powers, some similar to my friend Creel, others with new gamma mutations. ¡°I¡¯m not going to force you to accept them, but if you really want to make a school to teach kids, or even adults, with powers? A place where they¡¯ll be safe? Well. I can help with that.¡± ¡°Intriguing,¡± Xavier leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. ¡°Yes, I can see that. We¡¯ll need more teachers as time passes of course. Right now, our children go to Bayville High for their general schooling, but if we become public that may need to change.¡± ¡°Like I said, that¡¯s something the Avengers will help with.¡± ¡°Not BRIDGE, right?¡± Logan said. ¡°Logan,¡± Ororo admonished gently. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t want the government sticking their noses in if we can help it,¡± he snarled. Fair enough. ¡°Just the Avengers. Privately. Maria Hill will be keeping an eye on things of course, but any help we give is going to be on our own. Tony Stark is actually interested in building the defenses of this place further, and a friend of mine, X, is hoping you¡¯ll accept his application to teach here.¡± ¡°I likely will, depending on his credentials,¡± Charles then blinked when I sent him those credentials mentally. ¡°Oh¡­ well that is quite unique.¡± Ororo pressed a hand to her cheek. ¡°Sadly, this won¡¯t all be solved in a single conversation. If Logan and I do go public as members of the Avengers, we¡¯ll have a lot to deal with. And then of course, there are the children.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯d like to avoid the kids being forced to fight. But you know-¡± Logan interrupted me. ¡°Shit happens.¡± Ain¡¯t that the truth. ¡°And what about you?¡± Charles asked me. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve spoken about your compatriots. But would you like to teach at our school as well? During your off-hours?¡± That threw me for a loop. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m really qualified for that.¡± ¡°I disagree,¡± Charles smiled. ¡°In fact, you are more qualified than most. You have a unique insight into my students.¡± ¡°Because of-?¡± He stopped me with a raised hand. ¡°No. Not because of your multiversal knowledge. Rather, because of your familiarity with having powers of your own. As well as the drawbacks of those powers.¡± Oh. That was a reasonable thought. ¡°While you may be a boon to us as a sparring partner, I would value you far more for the aid you can give those students who may be dealing with troublesome abilities,¡± I immediately thought of two. ¡°At the least, consider a trail run.¡± ¡­Well, my mom and dad did want me to be a teacher when I was younger. Before I could think further, I heard something at the door. So did the others. We all looked over at it. For a moment, a long one, I thought about changing forms. This was the Xavier Mansion. One of the top three most attacked locations in Marvel. But logic made me realize who it probably was. Charles smiled. ¡°Students.¡± The noise stopped. ¡°Come on in, brats,¡± Logan said, though he sounded more fond than annoyed. The door opened after a long moment. I couldn¡¯t help a grin as I watched them walk in. In full costume. First, a tall young man, so tall I¡¯d have thought him a full adult if it wasn¡¯t for his baby face, a flop of brown hair on his head, his eyes hidden under a visor. Scott Summers. Cyclops. He looked super-guilty. It was adorable, like a puppy who got caught eating slippers. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. He was followed by a pretty redheaded girl wearing a headband around her head and very green eyes that held a bit of chagrin. Her hair was left loose, and she was wearing a similar costume to Scott, just with a bit of green. Easy enough to point her out as Jean Grey. Though I didn¡¯t know if she went by any of her code names like Marvel Girl. Or Phoenix. Doubt the Phoenix Force had arrived yet after all¡­ As I was contemplating that mess, another girl stepped in. Even younger than Jean and Scott, just a bit older than Shuri and Ruby really, with brown hair set into a high ponytail with a set of pink beads to hold it up. Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat, looking cute as a button, with a blue scheme to her costume. The next kid was younger still. He looked sort of like Ororo, with the same cheekbones. His hair was blonde as well, though yellow rather than white, and he had cocky energy to him, reminding me of Pietro. Evan Daniels, Spyke, the nephew of Storm. Finally, he entered. Blue fur across his body, with hair that had a hint of blue tint as well. He had a tail, three fingers, and two toes. He also looked nervous as hell, though he grinned back at me when I met his gold eyes. Kurt Wagner, known as Nightcrawler, looked the least guilty, which made me think this whole thing was his idea. ¡°Looks like you all are dressed to party,¡± I noted. ¡°Against our orders,¡± Ororo said sternly. ¡°We told you this meeting was to be in private for now.¡± Scott winced. ¡°Sorry Professors. We just¡­ got curious.¡± ¡°Yeah, for good reason!¡± Evan popped in. ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re going to be an Avenger?¡± ¡°Well, reserve at least,¡± I said. ¡°She still gets her own action figures, but she doesn¡¯t need to join us full time.¡± ¡°Action figures?¡± Storm asked. ¡°With kung fu action if you want.¡± ¡°That is so cool!¡± Kurt chimed in with a thick German accent, the blue-furred kid said, popping into the room with a familiar ¡®BAMF¡¯ sound, stopping just in front of me. ¡°Dial, right? I¡¯m such a huge fan!¡± ¡°He has your poster in his room,¡± Kitty added, sounding like a Valley Girl, grinning as she walked in. ¡°Kitty!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked, just a bit surprised. ¡°Guess we should trade autographs, huh?¡± All this time and I was still thrown that I was actually famous. Not because I was humble or anything, just that I wasn''t used to it. ¡°Trade? That would be amazing!¡± Kurt said excitedly. ¡°Children, please,¡± Charles said. ¡°Let¡¯s be more polite to our guest, shall we?¡± ¡°Yes, Professor,¡± Kurt looked chagrined. ¡°Just¡­ not every day we get an Avenger in here.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll happen more often,¡± I said, leaning over. ¡°Does that mean we¡¯ll be teaming up sometimes?¡± Scott asked, a bit of the kid in him coming out. ¡°We heard some of what you guys were talking about.¡± The kids all started talking at once. Except Jean, who was looking a bit weirdly at me. I pushed aside whatever that could mean to focus on the kids. ¡°Well, like I told your teachers. I¡¯d prefer not to get you guys involved in missions if I could help it. You have powers, and you should learn to defend yourselves. But having you along on say, a mission to take down weapons manufacturers in India is not something we¡¯re ready for. More likely some of us will help with training if Professor X asks. That said, if you guys do need help with some bigger threat,¡± at that point, Charles whispered to me mentally that the kids didn¡¯t know that Magneto or Juggernaut were a thing yet. ¡°We¡¯re more than happy to jump in.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re going to get training from Avengers?¡± Evan asked excitedly. ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡± ¡°What, Wolverine and Storm aren¡¯t cool enough for you?¡± I asked. ¡°Awwww, Logan and Auntie are cool, but they aren¡¯t famous, you know?¡± Ah, Evan, if only you knew. ¡°About that,¡± Logan said, drawing attention. ¡°What are you brats doing in your uniforms?¡± ¡°...¡± They all shuffled in place. ¡°We kind of thought he was here asking for help on a mission?¡± Scott said nervously. Logan took a deep breath, then rubbed at his eyes with the deliberate movements teachers the world over did so often. ¡°So you put on your uniforms?¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of adorable,¡± I said with a grin, getting an offended look from the kids. Kids. What sort of world was I in where the X-Men were kids to me? Yeesh. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sad to say I¡¯m not going on a mission right now,¡± I leaned forward. ¡°That said, boys and girls, we¡¯ll probably do a few of those. And I do come bearing gifts.¡± I reached into my pockets and began taking out cards, handing them out. ¡°Business cards?¡± Jean asked, speaking for the first time. She took one from me, then jumped when the white card lit up. A gold X flashed into being. ¡°Whoa.¡± ¡°That card is something the Avengers had been using for a while. It¡¯s a communications unit capable of working just about anywhere. It¡¯ll also let you into the Avengers Tower.¡± ¡°We get to visit the tower!?¡± Kurt said happily, his German accent getting stronger. ¡°Dude, that¡¯s awesome!¡± ¡°Calm down, Elf, I doubt he¡¯s just doing this out of the goodness of his heart,¡± Logan looked at his card suspiciously. ¡°I bet these are trackers too.¡± ¡°Well yeah, duh,¡± I said instantly. When the students stared at me in betrayal I shook my head. ¡°Guys, you know how often heroes get lost mid-adventure? I once got lost in the middle of a jungle full of dinosaurs, enslaved, forced into gladiatorial combat against dino-human hybrids, and rode through a prehistoric city on a dragon''s back to escape. All because my friends couldn¡¯t find me and my Omnitrix broke.¡± ¡°Like, are you joking right now?¡± Kitty asked, surprised. ¡°Not in the slightest,¡± I nodded at the cards. ¡°In the case of an emergency, the cards can let others track your location. We still don¡¯t have anything in case of dimensional travel off of Earth, but it¡¯ll send out as best a signal as it can in case you¡¯re just on a different plane.¡± ¡°That would have been useful a while back,¡± Kurt said half-jokingly. ¡°Can we call each other?¡± ¡°Yes, text, access the internet, all the things a smartphone can do. But I don¡¯t recommend using it outside the mansion.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, new favorite toy!¡± Kitty said happily. ¡°Yo, this has a camera!¡± Evan cheered. The adults in the room shared a look. I decided to let them enjoy it for now, but continued. ¡°The real important thing is that it means the Avengers can come in if you need extra help. If something comes up and you guys might need extra muscle? We¡¯re in.¡± ¡°That might be real useful down the road,¡± Jean said with a smile. ¡°Especially if the Brotherhood decides to attack us again.¡± Oh yeah. Those idiots. ¡°Anyways, I don¡¯t only come with fancy business cards. Scott, I hear you¡¯ve got trouble controlling your powers.¡± Scott winced. A few of the others looked over at him, Jean in particular looking saddened. ¡°Yeah. You could say that.¡± I rose to my feet, sighing. Honestly. Why was it this poor guy''s destiny to have uncontrollable eye beams? ¡°I¡¯m not going to beat around the bush. I might have a solution.¡± ¡°Really!¡± Jean looked ecstatic. ¡°Scott would love that!¡± He looked stunned as well. ¡°Well, I said might. Tony and I developed this,¡± I reached into a pocket and brought out a big watch, about the size of the OG Omnitrix. ¡°Well, we had some help of course. But basically, it needs to be calibrated. So¡­ who wants to show me to the Danger Room?¡± The looks of confusion I got didn¡¯t stop me from feeling a bit giddy. Danger Room. That was gonna rule.
In the Danger Room, Scott and I stood alone. The others were up in a control room above looking down at us. Really though man, the Danger Room. A big old semi-spherical room, empty right now. Still, if it was anything like the X-Men media, this place might suddenly turn into a big old obstacle course. When I¡¯d told Tony about it, he¡¯d spent some time wondering where the hell the tech for that came from, before getting to work on redesigning one for our own use. Right now though, it was just Scott and I in an empty room. He was adjusting the oversized watch on his wrist nervously. ¡°Are you sure about this, Mr. Schahed? I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± ¡°Believe me, if you could hurt me like this, I¡¯d have died a while back,¡± I tapped the Omnitrix, shifting quickly into a new form. ¡°Feedback!¡± In the control room, I heard a loud shout of glee. Heh. As a fanboy myself, I approved. ¡°Man, that is weird looking. Uh, no offense,¡± Scott said as he looked over my alien form. I lifted a hand tipped with gold and gave him a massive Feedback grin. ¡°None taken. I like to think looking kinda weird is a fine trade-off for sweet powers. Now. Are you ready?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be,¡± Scott still looked nervous. ¡°Mr. Schah-¡± ¡°Dial. Call me Dial.¡± ¡°...Dial. Will this really work?¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t, then it will still be good for us,¡± I pointed at the watch. ¡°That power stabilizer is meant to read data, first and foremost. It will scan you as you fire your laser, and use the data from that to shut down your powers. It should even be able to adjust as you grow older.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not permanent, right?¡± Scott asked. ¡°Not a chance. Never know when you might need to keep an eye on the situation,¡± I punned. ¡°Ugh, really?¡± Scott groaned. ¡°Couldn¡¯t help it. Now. Hit me with it.¡± Scott stared at me through his gold visor. Then he took a breath, raising a hand to his visor. I crossed my arms and extended my top tendrils outwards.. Okay. Party time. The visor opened up. And the sun burst forth. A beam of red as large around as a dinner plate, crackling with energy. The red beam swirled into me. Just like that, the battle was on. Well, sort of battle. More of a test. Cyclops¡¯ optic blast hit my plugs and was absorbed into them, flowing into my body. My singular eye crinkled at the feel of it. It was weird. A touch of solar radiation, odd photons, something similar to Thor¡¯s personal energy. Optic blasts felt like they took the flavor of every form of energy Cyclops¡¯ came close to before unleashing it. Though he wasn¡¯t going all out. ¡°Come on, Scott. Hit me with all you¡¯ve got!¡± I shouted over the sound of lasers. Scott grunted. Then he let just a bit more power unleash. And I sighed. ¡°Scott, I have absorbed the power of the God of Thunder. I can take in the energy of the Big Bang if I have to. So stop holding back. For the first time in your life, you can unleash all the energy you¡¯ve got, and no one is going to get hurt. So let go!¡± ¡°Nnnnn!¡± Scott fell to a knee. ¡°Fine! Here you go!¡± More power. I raised my hands and absorbed energy into them. ¡°Nah, kid! That watch needs to read your full output! So take off that visor!¡± ¡°Dial, are you sure-¡± Charles whispered in my mind. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Prof X,¡± I grinned while speaking both mentally and outloud. ¡°Scott! Let go! For the first time in your life, just have some FUN.¡± For a moment it was quiet. Then Scott reached for his visor. And when he took it off, a blast the size of a wall headed towards me. The floor under us cracked. The air screamed. ¡°RAAAAAAAH!!!¡± Scott shouted and laughed, and I joined in. Goddamn, this kid was strong. I thought that Sauron had had a lot of energy. Thor¡¯s lightning, Iron Man¡¯s repulsors, those were powerhouses. But Scott was on par with all of them as just a kid. He may have had just one power, but it was a damn good one. And as he unleashed hell, the watch on his wrist finally let out a loud piercing beep noise. I shouted to Scott. ¡°Okay! Close your eyes and tap the watch!¡± Scott staggered to his knees. With a shudder, he closed his eyes. Energy equal to nuclear power plants, stopped by a thin pair of eyelids. God, the physics of the kid would be fun to go over later. For right then, he tapped the watch hesitantly. I lowered my arms, noting the immense heat in the air. The cracked concrete under his feet. The look of exhaustion on his face. The watch beeped quietly. I sighed in relief. Well, that should have worked. ¡°...Scott. Open your eyes.¡± He seemed so hesitant. Then, slowly, he peeked the lids open. The red glow glimmered there, but then it slowly faded. As I watched, his eyes fully opened. For a long moment, he stared up at me. I looked into his eyes as well. The pupils glowed a bright red before they slowly faded away, leaving brown and very normal irises there. He stared at me. ¡°Huh, you¡¯ve got nice eyes, dude.¡± He began to cry as I smiled down at him. No more red hues for Scott Summers. Not if I could help it.
I begged off hanging out further. I wanted to let Scott enjoy his new sight. Jean had been crying for him, and the kid seemed to love looking at everything around him with his own eyes. I imagined it was something like a colorblind person seeing color for the first time. Though with more not blowing away the world around you. Still, I had more appointments to keep. Scott wasn¡¯t the only one who needed help. I flew over the city in Astrodactyl form, rocketing through the air at high speed. She was walking alone when I found her, taking a path home. Thankfully few had hair more distinctive than hers. Aiming for the goth girl with a white stripe through her brown hair, I began to drop towards the ground. First her, then a certain batch of idiots. 3: Holding When I tapped the Omnitrix to shift back into human form and dropped down in front of Rogue, she jumped in shock, staring at me. ¡°Whoa! Wha-¡± We were in a small park, with benches and pathways, and a small fountain in the distance. More importantly, nobody was around, so her secret was safe in case someone saw a random girl talking to Dial the Avenger. She stared at me as I walked over. ¡°Hi. Rogue right?¡± ¡°Who wants to know?¡± she said, surprising me. I expected her to sound like that, but her accent was stronger than I realized. Very Southern. And adorable. Rogue wore the same green see-through top over a black tank top, a collar around her neck, and a pair of gloves. Basically covering herself entirely. Her hair was in a tight bob, and dark green lipstick shined just a bit. Just like the X-Men kids, she was cute as a button. Probably wouldn¡¯t have appreciated that opinion though. I kept back a safe distance, and Rogue took a good look at me. ¡°Yer an Avenger!¡± She sounded surprised. And scared. She backed away from me, holding a stack of books close. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°To say hi, partially,¡± I waved just a bit, smiling as non-threateningly as possible. ¡°I¡¯m Dial. And you¡¯re Rogue, one of the X-Men¡¯s friends.¡± She scoffed. ¡°They ain¡¯t no friends of mine.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t what they said,¡± Scott was a big believer in her actually. Rogue eyed me suspiciously. ¡°Good for them. What do you want? You gonna arrest me?¡± ¡°For what, being a teenager?¡± I asked honestly. ¡°No, for my powers!¡± she spat out. I think she was trying for defiant anger. She seemed more scared to me. ¡°...Rogue. I¡¯m an Avenger. We arrest bad guys. Fight demi-gods, armies, monsters. Not high schoolers,¡± I looked around the park. After a second, I moved over to a bench near us and sat down. ¡°I¡¯m not here to hurt you, Rogue. I know about your issue controlling your powers.¡± She hesitated at the sight of me sitting, then brushed some hair back from her eyes. ¡°It ain¡¯t¡­ really about control.¡± I motioned for her to sit, feeling like I was dealing with a skittish cat. It was similar. Rogue hadn¡¯t had a good time of it. Never knew who to trust. Half of that was likely Mystique. That blue woman lied so much for a living that she couldn¡¯t tell the difference between loving someone and gaslighting them. Rogue finally lowered down next to me. ¡°You know about my power, right?¡± ¡°Absorption,¡± I said immediately. ¡°With a touch, you can take on the abilities of anyone you touch. But it takes a toll on the people you touch.¡± ¡°More like nearly kills them!¡± she waved a hand in the air and turned to face me. ¡°I can¡¯t control it! I don¡¯t mean to! But every time I get close to someone now I just end up hurting ¡®em!¡± She turned away from me and stared at her hands. ¡°I just wish I never got these stupid powers¡­¡± ¡°...Rogue. You have incredible powers.¡± ¡°How can you say that!?¡± she snapped, spinning around. ¡°The last person I got close to-¡± ¡°Is recovering,¡± when I said that, she stopped in shock. I smiled sadly. ¡°Slowly. But Cody is being looked at by some of BRIDGE¡¯s top people. They¡¯ve managed to wake him up. He might be slow to get out of bed. But the fact we knew what to look for meant we could wake him.¡± Rogue looked as though the sky had opened up. ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes. And Rogue. I don¡¯t think your powers are as uncontrollable as it seems, based on the science,¡± I reached for my pocket and took out a large watch. An exact copy of Scott¡¯s actually. ¡°I think, with time and practice, you might be able to choose when and how your powers activate. You¡¯ll be able to take in powers for longer periods of time, mix and match them¡­ and touch people without them being harmed. But until that time.¡± I reached out for her hand. She jumped, startled. I stopped. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± The moment it took for her to finally reach out as well was longer than I expected. But she finally did, placing her gloved hand carefully in mine. I took my other hand and wrapped the watch around her wrist. ¡°Now, this model is a bit cumbersome,¡± I attached the clasps. ¡°But it¡¯s going to work. Made by Iron Man, Jury Rigg, and a bunch of the smartest people I know. Based on the research we did on Cody. And¡­¡± I touched her glove. And removed it in a movement Nat had taught me. Turns out even gloves are easy to steal when you have enough pickpocket skills. She gasped in horror. ¡°No-!¡± My palm pressed into hers. And it began. God. I hadn¡¯t expected the pain of it to be so all-encompassing. Still. I¡¯d felt worse. I¡¯d seen literal hell. ¡°Relax,¡± I told her, watching as the watch beeped loudly. It didn¡¯t need much. As I¡¯d told her, we had plenty of data. The watch shone a familiar green. And the pain ended. I sighed in relief. ¡°There. That wasn¡¯t so bad.¡± Rogue¡¯s jaw dropped open. ¡°Well, it was pretty bad,¡± I admitted. ¡°But it¡¯s over now. How do you feel?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ touching you¡­¡± I chuckled. Then I turned her hand around and took it in a shaking position. ¡°Let¡¯s try this again. I¡¯m Dial, of the Avengers.¡± She stared at our bare hands touching. ¡°How-¡± ¡°The watch,¡± I took a hold of her other glove and removed it, folding it together with the other one. ¡°It¡¯s meant to negate the powers of the wearers. You can turn it off anytime you wanna take down a moron or two who makes the mistake of ¡®messing with the Rogue¡¯. And I still think you should train your powers. But for now, you can touch people agai-¡± I stopped when a pair of arms wrapped around me. I felt her shake against me as she hugged me. Closing my big mouth, I held the crying girl close, sighing sadly. ¡°Hey, hey. I got you. I got you.¡± Later, maybe, she¡¯d ask me what the big catch was, or would wonder if there was something I was hiding. Hard to counter all the trauma, fear, and lies she¡¯d been hit with. But right then, Rogue hugged another person without fear for the first time in what must have been weeks. That was enough for me.
We were like that for a good while. Not going to say how long. Rogue needed time to get herself together. Afterward, I gave her a card. If she noticed the X-symbol on it, she didn¡¯t mention it. ¡°I can call you with this?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s also got a few other numbers. Jen, my girlfriend, put the number of her law firm there, in case you need legal assistance. Tony is on there, if you want to ask about the watch.¡± ¡°She-Hulk and Iron Man?¡± she asked, startled. ¡°Man, if those surprise you, wait till you find out the God of Thunder might stop by to say hi.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± she grinned, looking up at me as I stood to my full height. ¡°Does that mean I need to watch out for lightning?¡± ¡°Naw. Just keep an eye out,¡± I said honestly. After all, Storm was in the area. I sighed. ¡°Rogue. You can live whatever life you want from here. I¡¯m not going to force you. But if you want help practicing with your powers, or just need a friend. Well. Try reaching out. Okay?¡± ¡°...No promises,¡± she said softly. That would have to do. ¡°Oh, and if anyone tries to pretend to be me, know that the card works to ID others carrying one,¡± I added. ¡°So if I show up screaming about how you¡¯re evil or something, it¡¯s bullshit.¡± With that, I twisted the dial. In a flash of light, I was in Fasttrack form. ¡°Whoa!¡± Rogue said, surprised. ¡°Later, skater,¡± with a wave of two fingers, I spun around and zoomed off at super-speed, leaving the Southern belle behind me. Thank god that hadn¡¯t been more awkward. I¡¯d had a huge crush on her as a kid. Can you blame me? I was ten and she was a hot goth girl. As of now, she was just a kid who needed help. A dangerous kid, with a possible bright future. Hopefully, I could help with that.
Running at Fasttrack speed was always so addictive. There is something so damn fun about blazing around while the world stood still. Granted, I could tell why Pietro sometimes got annoyed with how slow the world could be. Or why La Vent considered his speed a curse. Thank god I could turn it off. For me, the fun moments between heartbeats was a choice. As I ran past people, I thought about the watches I¡¯d given Rogue and Scott. They were¡­ expensive. Prohibitively expensive. Each one had been made for a specific problem, put together based on designs Tony had already been working on for a while to do the job. Poly-tectic adaptive materials let it survive a whole lot of abuse. The on-board software to adjust to the power needs. Oh, and a specialized power source. The watches cost as much as a Quinjet. Each. And of course, they were imperfect. If Scott really wanted to blast out a laser, if he put his full focus on forcing it out, his powers would eventually overload the systems and shatter the internal mechanism. Rogue, despite what she thought, might have enough control that she could do the same. Which was fine. Last thing I wanted was for some techno villain to break through the safeties and force their powers off against their will. Did mean Magneto wouldn¡¯t let it work on him though. Maybe the next iterations. Of course, one other thing. It did nothing for physical mutations. Sorry, Kurt. Blob. Toad. And a whole list of others. As these thoughts ran through my head, I came to a skidding halt at my destination. There, a familiar man waited. ¡°Huh. I guess I¡¯m late.¡± ¡°Not at all. I was just early,¡± Fury, leaning against his new car. Well, old car, renewed. His Chevy Tahoe, a heavily modified and upgraded version, was a standard SHIELD one that Fitz had worked on with Shuri to restore and give to the superspy. ¡°How¡¯s she running?¡± I asked, joining the older man. He looked pretty happy, in his relaxed suit and long coat, his classic eyepatch on. ¡°Like a dream. How about yours?¡± he said with a nod to the Omnitrix. ¡°Same,¡± I looked over at the building Fury had been waiting in front of. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t need to ask?¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re in there,¡± Fury said. ¡°Except the big fish. She¡¯s probably at work.¡± ¡°Easier this way, I guess. After you, old man,¡± I said, turning back into my human form in a flash. ¡°Kid, you¡¯ve gotten real uppity lately,¡± Fury grumbled with no real heat. ¡°Naaaah, I¡¯m just fond of you now,¡± we passed a sign as we walked. It read ¡®The Brotherhood Of Bayville Boarding House¡¯. We came to the steps of a large building. I knocked on the door, stepping back with Fury. As I waited, I wondered a couple of things. Back in my universe, I¡¯d watched X-Men Evolution. I remembered it fondly. And one thing I remember was that Quicksilver was a member of the Brotherhood, with Scarlet Witch following. That was clearly not the case here. Man, what is the point of meta-knowledge if it¡¯s useless a lot of the time? So when the door opened and an unfamiliar young teen stood there, I was unsurprised. He was tall, fairly athletic for his young age, with brown skin a few shades lighter than my own, slicked-back black hair, and dark brown eyes. He looked us over, confused. When he spoke, it was with a bit of an Italian accent. ¡°Who the hell are-¡± then he stopped. His eyes widened. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. First, he looked at Fury. The famous former head of SHIELD. More famous since he shot the leader of Hydra in the face on live television. Then me. Dial. His fingers clenched on the door. I spoke quickly before he could unleash hell. ¡°We wanted to speak to you guys. Just speak. Nothing else.¡± He glared at me. ¡°Or what!?¡± ¡°...seriously?¡± I asked him pointedly. I looked over at Fury. Fury rolled his eye and walked forward. ¡°Boy, you really don¡¯t want to ask questions like that,¡± Fury pushed past the kid with the confidence of decades. ¡°The guys you ask might answer.¡± I followed him after while the teenager sputtered. Fury stepped into the living room, where a massive mound of flesh was sitting on the couch. He stared at us weirdly as Fury sat down on a beat-up old armoire. I took a spot just behind Fury while looking around. The place was cleaner than I expected. Granted, still messy, since, you know, teenage boys, but the garbage was empty at least. Guess Mystique ran a tight enough ship that the place wasn¡¯t a toxic wasteland. ¡°Uh, who are you?¡± the big kid asked, sounding just a bit lost. ¡°I¡¯m Nick Fury, Agent of BRIDGE,¡± Fury sat back in the seat with his usual Sam Jackson cool. ¡°Some people call him a bad mutha-¡± ¡°Shut your mouth,¡± Fury cut me off. ¡°I¡¯m just talking about Fury.¡± Fury didn¡¯t laugh, but he did give me an amused smile. The large kid on the other hand looked confused. Not a fan of classic blaxploitation films probably. Three others rushed into the room. One, the slick-haired kid who¡¯d opened the door. Then, a long-haired kid wearing a black t-shirt and a brown vest. Finally, a kid who literally hopped into the room, with pallid grey-green skin and the worst teeth I¡¯d ever seen in a teenager. Their appearance seemed to spur the large kid into action, who stumbled up to his feet. The long-haired one took the lead. ¡°What is going on here!?¡± The room shook. Something fell in the house. Impressive stuff. One clenched fist and suddenly there was an earthquake. ¡°We came here to talk,¡± Fury said. ¡°Just that.¡± ¡°Yo, what if we don¡¯t want to-¡± the green-skinned kid said. ¡°Todd Tolansky,¡± I pointed at him. ¡°Frederick Dukes,¡± the large kid. ¡°Lance Alvers,¡± long hair. ¡°And Gunther Bain.¡± That was the slicked-back hair one. Fury took over. ¡°Or, as you have codenamed yourselves. Toad. Blob. Avalanche. And Unus the Untouchable¡­ little ostentatious on the last one.¡± ¡°Fuck you,¡± the aforementioned Unus spat out. ¡°Told you,¡± Toad whispered. ¡°Plus, it sounds like Anu-¡± ¡°What the hell do you want!?!¡± Lance spat out. ¡°Like Fury said. To talk. Because obviously, we know what you are. Mutants. Powered humans. And we came here to make you an offer.¡± The batch of teenagers glared at us with varying levels of anger. ¡°Part of the offer is a massive bundle of cash,¡± I added helpfully. The anger lowered a significant amount. ¡°...We¡¯re listening,¡± Lance said hesitantly. ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple,¡± I began. ¡°We know you guys have powers. Not insignificant ones either.¡± ¡°Did the X-Nerds tell you that?¡± Gunther asked. ¡°No, our research did. It¡¯s how we know you can form force fields around you, for example.¡± Unus the Untouchable. I had never heard of him, back in my world. Likely he was one of those X-Men characters that just didn¡¯t show up too often. In this world, Gunther Bain, born Angelo Unuscione was an Italian immigrant who had moved to Bayville after spending some time in New York City. He¡¯d gone to the same school as Spyke actually, confirming he¡¯d taken on, at least in spirit, the role that Pietro had in the X-Men Evolution universe. I wondered who had taken Wanda¡¯s role before focusing up. ¡°But, despite what your principal would say, you guys have been using your powers to bully, attack, and otherwise abuse others,¡± I said without holding back. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t prove it,¡± Toad said quickly. ¡°We don¡¯t have to right now. As I said, we came with an offer. I¡¯m just letting you know why we¡¯re extending it, rather than having Hulk drop out of the sky.¡± That last part stilled them. Even Blob looked worried. ¡°Here¡¯s the basics, boys,¡± Fury said. ¡°I¡¯ve been authorized to offer you all a job. With BRIDGE¡¯s Grappler unit. Come work with us. We¡¯ll provide you with pay, training, and a place to live. You want an education? We can provide the best.¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t want to go to school?¡± Blob asked, looking worried. For a moment, I felt for him. His school records reminded me that modern education dropped the ball in a lot of ways, especially for kids like him with possible developmental issues. ¡°Then we¡¯ll talk it over,¡± Fury said diplomatically. ¡°Fuck that,¡± Lance snapped, the ground shaking again. ¡°What do you want? Why are you even making this offer?¡± ¡°Because you guys might end up in jail if we don¡¯t try to intervene. Or dead,¡± the sigh that left me then shook my lungs. ¡°Lance. You can quake buildings apart. In fact, you have. If you cause that kind of damage wily-nily, and you don¡¯t stop, then cops will have to intervene. And they¡¯ll likely kill you. Because you are powerful. Not bulletproof.¡± I looked over at Unus and Blob. ¡°Now, you two are bulletproof. Which means I get called in. And one of my options to beat you is tossing you into lava.¡± The smug looks on their faces faded. ¡°Hey, what about me!?¡± Toad squawked. We all looked over at him. "Well you are very agile and even fairly strong for your size¡­ but would you really like to have The God of Thunder or the Doomslayer of Rio come after you?" Toad paled. And yeah, Doomslayer of Rio. You¡¯re welcome, Frank. After a long moment, I continued. ¡°So we are making you an offer. But beyond that, we have an ultimatum.¡± ¡°Stop causing trouble,¡± Fury said. His smirk was gone. Instead, a single intimidating eye glared at them. ¡°We know about you. We know what you can do. And we don¡¯t mind you having powers. But you are done. No more buildings quaking apart. No more kidnapping others. No more random fights.¡± The ground began to shake. Blob¡¯s face began to twist in rage. Unus glared at us. I stepped forward then. I looked them over one by one. The teenagers tried to glare me down. Then, the ground calmed as Lance slowly unclenched his fists. Blob stepped back. Unus eyed me warily. Guess my reputation proceeded me. ¡°You¡¯re lucky,¡± Fury said. ¡°If you were adults, we¡¯d have taken you in. As of now? Those are your choices. Join BRIDGE and get paid handsomely. Stay as you are and stop causing trouble. Or cause trouble.¡± That last one didn¡¯t need any additions. Fury got up. I followed him calmly. ¡°Think about it. Here¡¯s a card,¡± Fury handed Lance one. Similar to Rogue and the X-Men¡¯s versions, with a G for Grappler. And a fuckton more restrictions. ¡°My number is in there.¡± ¡°¡®In¡¯?¡± Unus asked, confused. ¡°It¡¯s a phone,¡± I said, not explaining further. We walked up to the door, not looking back at the kids. ¡°Hey,¡± Blob said. Fury and I stopped, turning to look at him. He looked hesitant. ¡°Um¡­ how much money do we get?¡± I named a figure. A very large one. Then Fury and I left the shocked kids behind.
¡°I feel kind of bad, bugging their place like that,¡± I told Fury as we entered his car. ¡°Had to be done,¡± the older man started up his car. ¡°We need to monitor them.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just happy we got out without a fight. Those kids are damn volatile. I think Blob was ready to start swinging.¡± Fury scoffed. ¡°These kids are going to end up causing a lot of damage if they continue as they are. Same with the X-Men.¡± ¡°Fury-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what kind of soft spot you¡¯ve got for them. The kids on that team have caused a lot of damage. Both of them are teenagers. That gets them a lighter sentence, not a get-out-of-jail-free card for stupidity¡­¡± ¡°I was going to say I agreed completely.¡± ¡°...Huh,¡± he blinked at that. I may have been a fan of the X-Men, but I¡¯d spent enough time around other heroes, being a hero, that my hero-worship was way lower than my pragmatism. I leaned against the window as I sat there, thinking. Fury wasn¡¯t wrong. We hadn¡¯t had time to talk about it. But the two groupss of kids had caused some property damage recently. Nothing that couldn¡¯t be repaired, and no one hurt so bad they couldn¡¯t heal. But enough that they would have been sued a couple of dozen times. An argument could be made for Scott since he didn¡¯t ask for the lack of control, but even he¡¯d done some damage on purpose. Either way, I felt uncomfortable misleading the Brotherhood. The way we¡¯d worded it, they would get training in their powers. But they weren¡¯t about to become Avengers anymore than the X-Men were. Maria had gotten some therapists ready to go, unorthodox teachers, had Creel, the Grapplers, and a few former criminals turned BRIDGE Elites to drop in. Training, schooling, and pay. And maybe, when they turned 18, they could decide for themselves what they wanted, after plenty of mentoring. Like I¡¯d told the X-Men kids, we weren¡¯t down for child soldiers. ¡°Also, that green kid-¡± ¡°Smelled.¡± ¡°Like absolute shit, he needs a few showers. But also, he¡¯s leaving,¡± I looked up to see Toad leaving the house. He was talking in towards¡­ the same place we were going. ¡°Makes sense they¡¯d try to reach out to her,¡± I said softly. ¡°Then we need to beat them to it,¡± Fury started driving. ¡°If you¡¯re right, she might be trouble.¡± Yeah. Maybe we¡¯d get lucky and she would look like Jennifer Lawrence. Unlikely, but hopes were high.
We got to Bayville High. Fury and I walked into the office, striding past the secretary. When we entered the Principal¡¯s office, she was shocked to see us. She had short brown hair, high cheekbones, and brown eyes. None of which mattered. ¡°Raven Darkh?lme? I¡¯m Nicholas Fury,¡± he said with a grim look on his face. ¡°This is Dial, of the Avengers. We¡¯re here to talk to you about-¡± The brown-haired woman¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What are you doing here? Who let you in?¡± ¡°The law,¡± Fury snapped. He glared at her. That led me to remember that Nick Fury in the comics was actually one of the first people to take on Mystique. Along with Captain Marvel¡­ Huh, what is Carol up to? Fury sat down again, while I stood behind him. ¡°We came here to talk to you about a few things. Namely, your powers.¡± She stared at him. Then she looked over at me. Then she leaned back in her seat, harsh eyes glaring. ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Mystique,¡± I paused. ¡°You¡¯ve got blue skin.¡± That was enough apparently. Pale white flowed into soft blue. The smart pantsuit became a flowing white dress. Brown eyes shifted to gold. Brown hair became long and scarlet, the color of blood. Mystique leaned back in her chair. ¡°Then it seems you know more than you should. Are you here to arrest me for having powers? Because while I may lose my job, I don¡¯t believe you could hold me for that.¡± ¡°Oh sweetheart,¡± I smirked. ¡°That¡¯s just the tip of the iceberg.¡± She smirked back. ¡°You have no idea.¡± Doubt that. Sorry Mystique. But this is my house now. Still¡­ I kept an eye on the metal in the room. Just in case. Dial: Nullverse Invasion Kolar Way Bad Servantis Swift Leander Phil Billings VS Captain America Thor Falcon Creel Warrior Dial Sam Wilson/Falcon ¡°I¡¯ve been flying for a while up here, guys,¡± Sam said, looking down at the ground as he tumbled through the air. He aimed himself toward one building in particular. ¡°We sure this is the place?¡± The place was an industrial container terminal, right next to the river. No one was working there. Not since the Avengers had tracked strange energy signatures in the area, which had been connected to similar energy signatures found at a jewelry store that had been robbed just a week ago. Sam was trying to see if he could get a view of what was causing those, but all he¡¯d done was fly for a few minutes. As of right then, only six Avengers were available to check in on it. Captain America, Dial, Sam himself, Creel, Warrior, and- ¡°Indeed,¡± Sam almost had a heart attack when Thor came out of the sky, flying alongside him for a moment before disappearing at high speed. Thor continued speaking, Sam listening through his radio. ¡°This place seems completely empty.¡± ¡°Watch where you¡¯re flying!¡± Sam said, drifting down to a building that looked like a large warehouse and landing in front of it. Thor landed next to him, giving Sam an embarrassed look. ¡°Apologies, Son of Wil. I do not have the precision you do in flight.¡± ¡°Fast as hell though,¡± Sam admitted. ¡°Even if you do fly like you¡¯re constantly strapped to a meteor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pronounced ¡®Mjolnir¡¯,¡± Thor said helpfully. Sam shook his head, chuckling. Then he looked over the area. ¡°What do you think, hammer boy? We got anything to worry about?¡± ¡°I believe we do,¡± Thor said grimly. He looked around. ¡°I sense some sort of fel magic has taken place here. The energies here¡­ it is like the Convergence has happened once more.¡± ¡°That whole thing with portals all over London?¡± Sam shook his head. ¡°Yeah, after Rio, I think I¡¯ve had enough of that kind of thing. Just feel like we fight enough weirdness on Earth without adding to it, you know?¡± ¡°I do know,¡± Thor¡¯s voice took on a melancholy tone. ¡°I hope this is not yet another Asgardian problem. My people have caused enough trouble for your-¡± ¡°Oh please,¡± Sam rolled his eyes, giving Thor a grin. ¡°Like you''re responsible for what a bunch of dickheads from your world does. I might as well take the blame for HYDRA stealing stuff from you.¡± ¡°But the chaos we cause when we arrive-¡± Thor was ready to say. ¡°Look,¡± Sam cut him off, lifting a hand up. ¡°You¡¯ve been helping out Earth for what, four years now? Little more? I doubt you haven¡¯t made up for what your brother and a bunch of guys related to Asgard¡¯s history have done. Far as I¡¯m concerned, we¡¯re square,¡± Sam patted his arm with a grin. ¡°And I¡¯m not just saying that because you can toss me into the sun.¡± Thor laughed at that, giving Sam a large smile. ¡°Thank you, friend Sam. I will admit, I do worry about-¡± ¡°Yo!¡± Thor was interrupted when someone came around the corner. They turned around and saw Izzy walking over. The powerful brunette woman was dressed in her knight-like armor, sword on her back. Her helmet was removed, allowing her hair to flow as she walked over, giving Thor and Sam a bored look. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose either of you found a fight somewhere around her.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Thor barked. ¡°I agree, Lady Hartley. I hope for a battle for the ages!¡± ¡°As long as it isn¡¯t over too quickly, ya know? Lately, all I¡¯ve fought is thugs and mercs,¡± Izzy sighed dramatically. ¡°What¡¯s the point of this fancy armor if I don¡¯t get to really test it out, ya know?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m all for the overkill,¡± Sam said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind a fight for the right reasons, but getting my ass kicked isn¡¯t something I¡¯m eager for.¡± ¡°Ah, come Sam!¡± Thor placed a heavy arm around Sam¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Where is your warrior¡¯s spirit!? The drive for battle, the wish to prove yourself against an enemy worthy of your strength!¡± ¡°I¡¯m more of a ¡®do what I have to for the right thing¡¯ kind of guy,¡± Sam said honestly. ¡°Awwww, that¡¯s boring though!¡± Izzy grumbled. Sam shrugged, smirking. ¡°What can I say? All the monsters coming out of the woodwork makes me want to tone things back. You can only fight so many demons and mutants before you start to relish normal gangsters.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t fight that many monsters,¡± Izzy said with a sigh. It was then that a building exploded. Sam staggered back as dust blew outwards from a warehouse several dozen feet away from them, steel and concrete shattering. And a massive purple form lifted up into the air. Sam stared at the being that stood up, higher and higher, towering over them. The earth shook under a massive footstep, a shadow falling across the three of them as Sam tried to comprehend the sheer size of that being. ¡°Nice tits,¡± Izzy said nonchalantly. ¡°What.¡± Sam stared at her. The giant monster strode forward, but Izzy ignored it to look at him. ¡°Well, look at her. Even if we ignore the fact she¡¯s a giant, she¡¯s got some nice proportions-¡± ¡°HER BEING A GIANT IS ALL WE SHOULD FOCUS ON!¡± Sam exploded. ¡°Where the hell did she come from!?¡± ¡°She is no Frost Giant. A worthy opponent nonetheless!¡± Thor said happily, twirling the hammer in his hand with a savage laugh. Before he could do anything, however, something smashed through a wall. For a moment, at the sight of the four arms and the muscular powerful body, Sam thought it was Dial in Four Arms form. Until he noticed the pale blue-gray skin and long hair, rather than Four Arm¡¯s dark red skin and bald head. Red eyes glared at them. The being was a little shorter and less built than Four Arms, but he was still at least thirteen feet tall, rippling with muscle, and now running right towards them. Sam leaped back, holding back the urge to start shooting. While he had some powerful weapons available to him nowadays, most weren¡¯t built to defeat things as durable as Four Arms. Thor, on the other hand, was. ¡°Come, brute!¡± Thor ran forward, Mjolnir raised. ¡°Have at thee!¡± ¡°You think you can take on Kolar!?¡± two fists smashed into Thor¡¯s face, sending out a shockwave, then uppercuting him in the stomach. ¡°Bring it on huma-¡± A hammer to the chin shut up whoever this Kolar guy was. Thor grinned, his eyes gleaming with savage pride. ¡°I am not a human. I am a god.¡± Thor punched Kolar, who backflipped to get out of the way. ¡°Falcon to all Avengers on site, we have two meta beings!¡± Sam shouted, lifting into the air. ¡°Same here!¡± Dial said through the radio. ¡°I¡¯m taking over tactical control of the mission. I¡¯m going to go deal with the Way Bad!¡± ¡°You know what that thing is?¡± ¡°Intimately. I know these guys. Steve is dealing with the leader, Creel is headed your way with the other three! Sam, take on the girl with wings, Creel will handle the furry one, Izzy, your suit is hardened against rads so you can take on the one that looks like NRG¡¯s little brother!¡± Before Sam could say anything, a wall nearby shattered into concrete dust. Creel came out of it, rolling on the ground for a moment before snapping to his feet. Sam and Izzy took a spot on either side of him, facing whoever had sent him through the wall. Two men and one woman came out of the hole. All three were wearing similar uniforms, with black armored plating over a lighter shade colored black undersuit, with silver linings around the edges of the armor. One of them was female, with red skin, short red-black hair, red eyes, and a yellow pair of eyebrows or something. Her feet and hands had three digits each, a long tail was coming from her back, and she had wing flaps under her arms. The second one was human-shaped, with a powerful-looking build, but had a helmet that looked like a smaller version of NRG¡¯s. He blasted out red energy as he stepped forward. Izzy stepped in front of them, a shield of catoms flowing on her arm and taking the blast. The laser turned the catoms to slag but were successfully blocked, Izzy glaring at the tall man. The last one surprised Sam. Because he looked like a human soldier. He was well built, caucasian, with grey-white pulled into a ponytail, and slightly scraggly beard around his face. He raised his hands as he came forward. ¡°Hold on!¡± the man said. ¡°Wait for a second! We aren¡¯t here to fight!¡± ¡°You put me through a wall,¡± Creel said idly. He was in his human form, but Sam could see his gauntlet, full of useful materials, shining on his arm, a large box-shaped object on his back. ¡°I tend to start fights with people who do that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the laser that does it for me,¡± Izzy said, looking like a little girl about to get a new doll as she slowly raised her sword, the armored knight of the Avengers ready to brawl. Sam had to step in. Dial likely had good reason for why he thought these guys were hostile. If he could get some time... ¡°Wait a sec,¡± Sam stepped forward. Izzy and Creel stepped back, but stayed ready. ¡°Who are you? Why is that guy with the four arms attacking one of my team? You with him and the 300-foot tall woman?¡± Why were these sentences so normal in his life now? ¡°The Way Bad and Kolar?¡± the man shook his head. ¡°No. I apologize for my compatriots¡¯ original attack,¡± Sam noted that the guy was beginning to step to the side. Sam slowly backed away, keeping his eyes on him. ¡°My name is Phil Billings. We¡¯re the Rooters, members of an organization that fights alien criminals in my world. We aren¡¯t here to fight. But as I said, we¡¯re from another world, another dimension. We were just confused. We want to go home.¡± ¡°The Rooters tried to kill a 16 year old superhero because they thought he was going to end the universe. He wasn¡¯t. They¡¯re the worst kind of military intelligence. Shoot a possible threat while it¡¯s still an ally. Like every general who keeps urging us to find a way to kill the Hulk or Thor. Or me,¡± Dial said. The sounds of explosions were going off in the distance, the purple-being screaming. ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± Sam said, keeping an eye on all three. ¡°We can talk about that. I¡¯m Sam Wilson, of the Avengers, a peacekeeping organization. We can help you. Provided that you-¡± A voice came in on the radio. Steve. ¡°Avengers. The leader of these metas, Servantis, just initiated a psychic assault on my mind. Consider them-¡± the sound of a shield bouncing off a hard surface was followed by a posh accent cursing. ¡°Hostile.¡± Phil looked up. He apparently received a message of his own, as did the winged woman and armored man. For a moment the six of them eyed each other. Dial was speaking as quickly as he could. ¡°The girl is Swift. She can fly fast as fuck, and has laser eyes and a laser tail. But she can¡¯t take a beating, so stay on your toes and you can take her Sam. Phil can transform into a monster with enhanced physical abilities, can absorb energy, and interfere with my Omnitrix. Creel can beat the shit out of him while ignoring his lightning blasts and lasers. Izzy, you¡¯ve got the skills to take on Leander, the NRG knockoff, just avoid his direct radiation attacks. Steve. Servantis can manipulate minds, move things with telekinesis, levitate, make force fields, and shoot electric beams. He¡¯s a badass. But you¡¯re Captain America.¡± A whistling sound filled the air. The six of them looked out at the harbor. For a moment, just a moment they could see the purple woman facing a flying green light flashing at her. The light smashed into the woman, sending 300 hundred feet of monster movie reject skidding back. That might as well have been the signal. Sam¡¯s wings snapped out. Phil shifted into a furry monster. Creel¡¯s skin became a dark black like rubber. Izzy¡¯s sword snapped out as she went for Leander, a red blast aiming for her head that she barely dodged. Sam lifted up into the air. Swift followed. In a blaze of speed, the two went into the sky, and the fight began.
Steve Rogers/Captain America At first, Steve had tried to be nice. He¡¯d seen the man on his own. Tall, almost seven feet, and thin. His skin was red, and his head was elongated, like the Leader¡¯s. Unlike Sterns, his head seemed to be covered in a carapace, like the armor of a crab. Steve had been ready to give the man the benefit of the doubt. Simply attacking someone for being a meta, for looking so different from the norm, went against his nature. So Steve had walked in, cautious, but not about to attack without reason. Then, a blast of red lightning slammed into him. And he found himself in the War. He stared around himself. He was in the War. It didn¡¯t matter what time, what place. He was in a fight again. All around him, allies were fighting enemies. Maybe they were Bucky, or the Howling Commandos, Avengers, SHIELD, or BRIDGE. Maybe they were fighting HYDRA or the Chitauri. All that mattered was that he was in the war. And someone was fighting him. ¡°Impressive,¡± a voice said. Steve blocked a punch, snapped a kick out that was dodged, blocked a blast of electricity on a shield that shifted shapes and colors. ¡°Most minds that resist me have had practice. Years of experience with mental defense. But you? How are you fighting me?¡± The voice sounded amused. Steve fought with everything he had. As best he could. ¡°Is it some form of misguided patriotism? That incredibly naive look at the world, or-¡± Steve hit the enemy in the face. The world shook. The voice let out a gasp of noise. Steve focused on that. ¡°Bow,¡± a voice snarled. The weight on Steve¡¯s shoulder became insane. ¡°I am Servantis. And you will listen to me. Tell your team to stand down. To let us go!¡± There was a war. There was an enemy. And there was the right thing to do. The people he had to fight for. The ones he knew, the invisible ones he would never know, but who he had to save all the same. He reached for that. The world was not black and white. But for Steve, that didn¡¯t matter. As long as there was good in the world¡­ Steve planted his feet. The enemy surrounded him. An intangible body that pressed to his skin. He lifted his shield, and threw it forward. For a moment, he wasn¡¯t throwing a shield. He was throwing everything. His beliefs, hopes, his willpower. Not a metal frisbee, but all the things that represented him. Red, white, and blue flashed through the war. And the voice shouted. Steve¡¯s mind cleared. The man he¡¯d been facing staggered back. Servantis. That was what he¡¯d said his name was. ¡°Avengers. The leader of these metas, Servantis, just initiated a psychic assault on my mind. Consider them,¡± Steve tossed his shield, and it hit the chest of the man. ¡°Hostile!¡± ¡°Damn you!¡± Servantis shouted. He snapped his head up. The carapace on his head opened up, revealing his brain, to Steve¡¯s disgust. Red electricity snapped across the crevices of his brain. Steve caught his shield in time to block a blast of electricity that lifted him into the air before he could get his feet under him to tank the blast on the invulnerable shield. ¡°Dial, give everyone a rundown on what we¡¯re fighting!¡±
Mahmoud Schahed/Dial I sped into the air, trying to figure out what the fuck the Rooters were doing here. I hadn¡¯t watched a lot of Omniverse. But I had visited the Ben 10 wiki a lot before getting dropped into this world. Hell, I¡¯d dropped into a lot of wiki¡¯s in my time. So I knew who these guys were. But hadn¡¯t they been locked in the Null Void? Hell, in the show, Kevin 10,000 mentioned fighting them a bunch. So what were they doing here, in 2014 New York? With a Way Bad. Don¡¯t forget that. The terrifying and giant Kaiju of a monster currently striding into the Hudson. I cartwheeled into the air and spoke while flying, trying to inform everyone even as I tried to figure out a damn way to take down a cosmic storm summoning mutant. ¡°The Rooters tried to kill a 16 year old superhero because they thought he was going to end the universe. He wasn¡¯t. They¡¯re the worst kind of military intelligence. Shoot a possible threat while it¡¯s still an ally. Like every general who keeps urging us to find a way to kill the Hulk or Thor. Or me.¡± I started blasting the Way Bad with green energy blasts as I flew, thinking carefully. She screamed as the blasts exploded against her. I dived between her legs, right above the water, and shot at her thighs and crotch as I passed. She screamed again, but it was like taking down a normal human with pop rocks. Okay. Needed to hit a lot harder then. I flew up out of the city, passing every mach I could, sonic booms following in my wake. Until I was going past the atmosphere, reaching space. I twisted in the air, for a moment flying with the Earth to my back and the great emptiness of outer space above me. Then I flew back. Everything I had went into my flight. I arced down, aiming diagonally towards my target. I spoke as I went over the ocean, the Omnitrix passing my words through to the others despite the fact I¡¯d passed the speed of sound a while ago, giving them the rundown on Swift, Leander, and Paul. As I did that, I aimed for the Way Bad¡¯s chest. She roared, though I couldn¡¯t hear it. I tapped the Omnitrix and transformed in a flash of green light. At mach-20, I slammed into the Way Bad in Diamondhead form. The Way Bad screamed, a wave of spit coming out of her mouth. God. Until you actually saw it, it was hard to comprehend what it meant to interact with a being of her size. As she fell back, I could feel wind get created by her movement. Her voice cracked the air with a sound like a car crash. Even in my Diamondhead form, so much taller and larger than my human form, I felt like a beetle falling away from the chest of a human woman. I raised my arms and fired crystals as I fell, the crystals exploding on impact as they smashed into her chest and face. I tried to aim for her armpits, elbows, groin, then knees, with a few shots headed for every place a super-assassin and a war god had pointed out as a weak point on a bipedal body. The Way Bad acted with all the pain of a person getting hit by a bunch of small bouncy balls. That being, pained, but far off from knocked out or dead. I landed in the water with a splash, thinking furiously as Way Bad reached into the water, waving her arms around. Even below the water, getting spun around like a toy in a bathtub, I could hear her grunting and moaning in exertion, the sound booming in the water. I tapped the omnitrix. In a flash, I was Big Chill. Under the water, I went intangible, letting that feeling of being separate from the universe fill me just as Way Bad¡¯s fingers passed through me, her hand becoming encased in ice. I spread my wings and arms. I forced that chill within me, the dark power that filled Big Chill to his core, out of my body in an explosion of cold. ¡°YAAAAA!¡± The water of the Hudson River around me froze into an iceberg. It climbed up the legs of the Way Bad, surrounded her as she panicked and punched at it, but slowly became covered in chilled gross smelly ice. She reached out just before she was finally frozen entirely, her face a mask of fear and pain. Then I flew up out of the water, creating a tower of ice that floated up to about neck level from her. I knew what was going to happen next. This was a creature of immense power. No way getting frozen would stop her. ¡°Have at thee!¡± Thor went flying past. Kolar was punching him in the face. Thor laughed, lightning sparking in his eyes. ¡°Die already!¡± Kolar roared. ¡°Not this day or any other!¡± Thor got his arm out of Kolar¡¯s grip, then smashed him in the chin with Mjolnir, sending him skyrocketing into the sky in a trail of a few broken teeth. Then Thor noticed me. ¡°Dial! How does this battle find you my friend!?¡± True to my paranoia, the ice began to crack. I tapped the Omnitrix. A giant monster erupted from the ice, then blasted me in the face with a laser. I spread my stance on the chilled ice platform and raised two pluglike hands. The laser, as big around as a semi-truck flying at me, shrank and was absorbed into the openings on my fingertips. In Feedback-form, I absorbed the full power of a cosmic storm. The energy was warm. In my time, few bursts of energy that I¡¯d pulled into me matched the energy of the Way Bad in terms of output. ¡°She¡¯s got a lot of juice,¡± I mumbled to Thor. ¡°Indeed. Would you like aid in this battle?¡± my Asgardian friend said, hefting Mjolnir in a single hand. I raised my hands and fired. The beam of blue light I smashed the Way Bad with was the most powerful I¡¯d ever done, enough to send her screaming onto her back in a wave of ice and water. I kept up the blast, trying to keep her down. ¡°After you¡¯re done with Kolar!¡± I said in answer to Thor. ¡°Very well!¡± Thor looked up. The spinning tetramand was coming back down towards us, screaming with abject rage. ¡°Tell me, how do members of his species deal with lightning?¡± ¡°Enough will work,¡± I absorbed another blast from the Way Bad, then groaned when my return blast had as much effect as a firehose on a person. Hurts, but not unbearable. ¡°Then I will be back!¡± Thor rocketed upwards, slamming into Kolar with a loud ¡®boom!¡¯ The lightning that fell from the sky enveloped them. The clouds above began to swirl, and rain poured down upon us. Thor and Kolar fell towards the Battery, the park that sat at the southern tip of Manhattan island, the sounds of thunder and lightning echoing before I lost sight of them. This wasn¡¯t working¡­ Okay then. I shifted to my human form. For a moment, I stood there in my black and green armor on top of a pillar of ice. Then I looked at the Omnitrix on my wrist. Time for a hail mary. ¡°Come on, Omnitrix,¡± I mumbled, staring at it, before looking up at the Way Bad. ¡°Give me something appropriate.¡± I popped the dial up, spun it like the cylinder of a revolver, then smashed down on it. Honestly, if I had to deal with the Way Bad with any of my normal forms, I knew I could figure something out. But here and now? Hoping that the AI within was going to help me out felt oddly appropriate. A flash of light appeared. The Way Bad looked at me. Then she blinked. The ice platform beneath me shattered as my weight crushed it. I rose upwards. Like all my transformations, it was instant. But the sheer size I was growing up to made it seem like a gradual increase, my shadow crossing the Way Bad. My head grew a tall and thin fin, as did the backs of my arms. My skin shifted shades to red across my fins, arms, and feet, with a single line stretching down my chest to surround the Omnitrix. The rest of my body was colored a shade of white almost dark enough to count as grey. I stopped at my final height and stared down at the Way Bad. She stared back at me. ¡°You¡¯re in big trouble,¡± I said with a slow, long, smile. She snapped to her feet. Now, matching her in size, her moves seemed normal. Rather than the strange slowness her colossal weight gave her movements, I could appreciate how fast she really was. She grabbed at me, squealing. She sounded like a scared animal. I grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her, the water at my feet ankle-deep now. Funny enough, I was about a foot taller than her. Uh¡­ Well, make that a lot of feet. Whatever, I was taller than her. She desperately fought against my grip, our struggle bringing us closer to the buildings. ¡°Jarvis, is the city-?¡± ¡°I had the buildings near the harbor evacuated the moment you began fighting a giant. You are clear.¡± ¡°Then sorry in advance if Tony ends up having to pay for a hell of a lot of property damage,¡± I brought the Way Bad around and punched her in the chin, then throat, solar plexus, right breast, trying to throw her off guard as much as I could. She blindly grabbed me and twisted around, pushing me away. I stumbled when my ankles hit the rocks masquerading as the Hudson¡¯s shore, falling back and smashing into one of the buildings behind me. The Way Bad, sensing weakness, rushed me in a manner that reminded me of the time a meth addict had attacked me once. I rolled out of the way and smashed her head with my elbow as she spun away. It was so strange, being this size. No other transformation had made me feel like this. I felt like I was in the middle of a Lego city, cars smaller than my feet, buildings reaching up to my waist. And inside I felt power. Power that swirled in me. Only in my Asgadian form had I felt such insane strength. Beyond that there was this¡­ sense. Of something outside of the atmosphere. A storm. I pushed aside that thought to focus on the Way Bad¡­ who was running? ¡°Are you serious!?¡± I roared, rushing towards her, the ground cracking under my footsteps. ¡°Get back here!¡± ¡°SKREEEEE!!!¡± she screamed like a scared animal. Damnit, I should not be feeling sorry for a giant monster made to subjugate worlds. I got to her and punched at her. She blocked it on her forearm, then lashed out. I slid to a stop, so that we were standing on either side of a street. For a second, things got relatively interesting. She started punching and clawing at me. I blocked and parried. A fin on her arm slashed out at me. I caught it between my elbow and knee and punished her by grabbing the horns on either side of her face, pulling her in for a headbutt. She surprised me with a claw across the chest, her hardened nails clashing with my tough skin and leaving a painful sensation. I kicked her in the ribs, then cracked her in the jaws. She blasted at me, and I had to take the blast to keep the buildings behind me safe. I was the better fighter, but I wasn¡¯t trained in being a giant in a city I wanted to keep from squishing. She had no such issues, and could unleash her animalistic fighting-style with impunity. At one point, she stepped back. Her foot smashed through a wall, crushing a restaurant that had been situated at the bottom of a building. Neither of us paid attention to it beyond the pain that was caused when she blasted me again. ¡°How dare you?¡± I winced. Way Bad screeched. We looked at the source of the voice that had seemed to echo in our minds and souls. I couldn¡¯t recognize him. At Way Big¡¯s height, all the people looked like dolls. He was wearing a purple set of robes. Which he was removing, glaring up at us. The Way Bad, seeing I was distracted, punched me in the face. I staggered back, but forced myself to fall in front of the one guy who¡¯d ignored evacuation, landing on my knee. I raised my hands in a cross, focusing the energy within me into the air in front of me, then out towards her. A beam of green light sliced through the air, smashing her in the chest and sending her flying back into a building. ¡°Ultraman, bitch!¡± Yeah, I couldn¡¯t help it. I¡¯ve watched Kaiju movies all my life. Even for all my new experiences with superhero antics, fighting as a giant still made me excited. All I needed was Godzilla, but the closest form I had to that was too short to fight here. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Then the guy I¡¯d been protecting began to grow behind me. I turned, stunned, to watch him rise up towards the sky. Now, much closer to him, I could recognize him. He was bald, but with a long wispy beard. Despite his appearance of advanced age, he had the muscles of a martial arts master. He was changing shape, however. His pale white skin darkened and thickened into green and savage scales. His small head elongated out and out, until it was shaped roughly like a lizard or horses, long spikes sprouting along his spine between two wings that rose from his back before they went down along the tail he grew. He came to match me in height, then even taller, finally stopping when my head was about chest level with him. ¡°...Always a bigger fish,¡± I mumbled slightly, staring up at him. ¡°A sound philosophy, from a below-average film,¡± the bipedal dragon told me, smirking. ¡°I am-¡± ¡°Fin Fang Foom.¡± I hadn¡¯t seen him since the party, where he¡¯d been talking to Thor and Jane. I¡¯d decided to leave him alone after a deep background check had revealed a simple chef making good food, rather than the conqueror of worlds he was in other incarnations. I wasn¡¯t willing to attack him for no reason. I¡¯d hoped to speak with him, but all the other problems kept coming up. And now, here he was, forced into my life¡­ Of course. He chuckled, stepping forward to walk around me. ¡°My excellent reputation precedes me! As does yours, young hero. But I¡¯m afraid I must step in. You are clearly inexperienced with fighting in a form of such magnificent size,¡± his eyes narrowed. ¡°And the young one there crushed one of my restaurants.¡± ¡°Well. My mom always taught me not to get between a dragon and their enemies,¡± I stepped aside to let him pass. God. He was huge. I felt like I was standing next to the Hulk. Which, considering my own size made him- my mind shut down at the numbers. How was New York City even standing while three of its citizens were currently making the square-cube law their bitch!? ¡°She sounds like a wise woman,¡± I watched hundreds of thousands of tons of muscled scales stalk towards the Way Bad. She rose to her feet, eyes blinking in confusion, then widening at the sight of Foom, his tail whipping in the air behind him as he walked towards her. Panicking, the Way Bad brought her arms up and blasted out a red beam of power. Foom returned it with a beam of green light from his mouth. They clashed for a mere moment, then Foom¡¯s blast overwhelmed hers, exploding against her face. She staggered, then ran forward, claws slashing outwards. If my shift in size had made fighting a bit harder for me, then Foom showed what I had to aspire towards. He ducked the claw strike, hit the Way Bad in the chest with a palm that pushed her back, then brought his hands up, his body swaying slightly. For just a moment, I was reminded of Ip Man or Bruce Lee. The comparison became more relevant when he began blocking her attacks with high speed. He used two hands at first. Then, when he seemed to realize her lack of real martial skill, he turned to the side, brought one of his hands behind the small of his back, and started blocking and parrying with one clawed hand. I was beginning to feel really annoyed at my previous performance. Ares was going to make me run drills when he saw my fight, I knew it. ¡°Ah, child. Someone truly ruined you,¡± Foom said, shaking his head. He blocked a kick with his left leg, grabbed a wrist before a fist could land in his ribs, then chopped the Way Bad in the throat. ¡°All rage and hatred. That is no state for you to be in. For any being to be in. A feral child, unable to even speak. Where are your kin?¡± ¡°She was cloned,¡± I said helpfully. Foom looked over at me. For a moment, he looked shocked. Then his eyes lit with rage. When the Way Bad, still coughing from his neck chop, came at him with a screech, he looked at her. Her arms were wide, teeth bared. ¡°SCREEEEEEE-¡± There was a blur. A sound like meat getting smashed by a baseball bat. A few windows cracked. And Foom was lifting the Way Bad into his arms in a bridal carry. ¡°What the-¡± I mumbled. That had been so fast! Like watching Pietro or Fasttrack move a little slower than normal. Likely it was a lot slower than I thought, but he¡¯d still moved really damn quick for such a big being. ¡°The irresponsibility of parents,¡± Foom looked down at her sadly, shaking his head. He looked down at Way Bad. She was so small compared to him. Compared to me as well, really. He sighed, hefting her. ¡°It makes an old fool like me¡­ well. Enough of the past I suppose.¡± He looked at me. ¡°I will be taking this one into custody. See if I can teach her how to become more than an animal.¡± ¡°Do you really think you can?¡± I asked, walking until I had a close look at the Way Bad. ¡°Rehabilitating anyone is a tough prospect. Her¡­ well, her DNA might be a mess. Her mind, the way Dr. Psychobos created her and her ¡®siblings¡¯, might make her unable to even function as a normal person. She was made from the DNA of this species,¡± I patted my chest. ¡°To be a weapon.¡± ¡°Is that so,¡± Foom chuckled. ¡°Well. A weapon is a noble thing, in the right circumstances. I will see if I can give her that.¡± His wings rose into the sky, spreading their shadows across the city. With a massive beat that somehow left the city around us undisturbed, he lifted into the sky, leaving me behind. ¡°Well,¡± I looked up in the sky, watching a dragon take off with a kaiju woman in his arms. ¡°Still not the weirdest thing I¡¯ve seen.¡± With that, I turned and ran to join the others, who I hoped also got magical help with their battles.
Sam Wilson/Falcon Sam twisted in the air, cursing as a laser went spinning past him at immense speed. ¡°Damn she¡¯s fast!¡± That was putting it lightly. Swift wasn¡¯t quite as maneuverable as he was, but she had blazing speed, blasting past him before he could blink. He also had trouble keeping an eye on her, twisting and turning to dodge her, only to lose track. Luckily, he had some extra advantages. ¡°Redbird, give me some eyes!¡± On the back of his wings, a small drone unfolded out, shooting a pair of wings out before rocketing out. As it zoomed off to begin sending data to his headset, Sam reached for his leg while dropping from the sky. In the battle against Hydra recently, he¡¯d ended up losing a leg. He was still getting used to that idea. Even with all his experience helping vets with similar issues, even after talking with Frank¡¯s friend Curtis, a fellow soldier and amputee¡­ it was rough, getting used to it. Thankfully, the new leg he¡¯d gotten had some upgrades. The leg raised up a pair of rockets, each one around three inches in diameter, both on his thigh. A green laser brushed his side, forcing him to snap his wings out and pull aside as the flying alien hybrid shot past him. They entered the airspace of New York City. The pair shot over the city streets, blasting past the office buildings, buzzing over the top of an eighteen wheeler. Sam struggled to keep ahead of her while also twisting out of the way of her laser by diving into an open building, finding himself on the upper levels of an above ground parking garage. Surrounded by dozens of cars of various makes and models, Sam zoomed through the place, someone shouting in shock in the distance. A parked car behind exploded as he passed, lasers firing past him. He raised a gun and fired a repulsor shot at an elevator door across from him, blowing out the doors to enter the shaft. He flew upwards through the tight space as Swift struggled to keep up with the tight maneuver, bouncing off the walls. He stopped for a brief moment in front of one door, blasting it open and flying out to the next floor, his HUD screaming as another green laser flew past. For a sickening moment, he was reading the data from Redbird, dodging a laser by flying through an above ground parking garage, and snapping around an approaching SUV. Behind him, Swift bounced off the same SUV, shouting in pain. Sam took that brief respite to spin out of the parking garage, flying up and around to land on the rooftop. He crouched briefly, breathing. Sam had to time it just right. She was quick. But not so good on the turning. Stop and go were her main moves. If he could catch her just as she was accelerating, he could hit her with everything he had. Any other time, he¡¯d have been embarrassed at what he was going to do next. Tony had promised they¡¯d change the new move to something less weird. But in the moment, the move worked, and it would let him finish this alien chick off. Redbird floated nearby, tracking the movement of Swift as she flew out of the parking garage and upwards towards the rooftop. Sam grit his teeth. The repulsors in his new prosthetic leg lit up and began to charge. His wingsuit¡¯s jet flared up, slowly getting to its final launch. Soon he could barely keep himself down as his leg and wingsuit shuddered. Swift flew upwards. Sam released all restraints. He lifted into the air just as Swift came into view. Her red eyes widened under that golden crown eyebrow of hers when she saw him there. She tried to stop, to twist aside. Sam was already coming in. He called out the codeword Tony gave him to activate his finisher. ¡°Rider Kick!¡± His HUD flashed up a diagram, targeting Swift and displaying bright red rings on the trail to attack her. His wings snapped back as his leg rockets and wingsuit jet exploded forth. The air screamed and split with his passage as a boisterous voice echoed in the air. ¡°FINAL WINGED RIIIIIDE!¡± In a flash of red and blue, Falcon smashed into Swift with an impact like an asteroid into the Earth. She screamed as the boot in her stomach refused to let up, the pair flying through the air with streams of fire in their wake. The impact into the street below echoed in the air, glass shattering and car alarms going off. Falcon bounced off of her, landing on the asphalt and skidding across it with a stream of sparks before he slid to a stop, while Swift rolled just behind him. The winged girl halted after one final roll. She weakly stared up at Sam as he stood straight, his wingpack and leg steaming. He didn¡¯t look back at her as she passed out. ¡°Swift is down. You guys okay?¡± ¡°Working on it,¡± Creel returned. Sam took that for what it was and turned around, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll have to come and help.¡±
Carl Creel/Alloy The problem with the modern world was that things had gotten super-weird. Even after who knows how many fights, Creel still found himself surprised by shit. The most recent one being the old guy that suddenly turned into a giant freaky spidey monster that punched him through the side of a metal warehouse. In his steel form, Creel bounced off a truck and landed in a role, raising his hands up to take the claws of the beastly monster on. The razor-sharp nails bounced off. On feeling the strength of the blow, Creel switched to his vibranium form. The next attack didn¡¯t even flinch Creel. He returned it with a right cross then staggered the spider-beast, then a simple jab opened him up for an uppercut. The guy, Phil was his name? Flipped through the air and landed on the side of a building, his claws digging into the brickwork. For a moment, Creel and Phil glared at each other. ¡°...Osmosian?¡± the massive spider-creature snarled through fangs and mandibles. ¡°What?¡± Creel asked, confused. As he did, he slowly adjusted his back. A large box he¡¯d gotten from X after they started training together while back shifted. The second he got an opening, he would reach for it. ¡°The¡­ material shifting. You Osmosian?¡± ¡°Buddy, I have no idea what the fuck-¡± The spider raised a hand and a red beam of energy flew out. Creel reflexively blocked it on one arm while the other reached back, wincing at the feeling of electricity running across his Vibranium form. He could withstand it unlike in other metal forms, but it still fucking hurt. His other arm grabbed the box on his back by a handle and snapped it forward. Panels exploded apart. The box opened to reveal a four-foot-long object as big around as one of Creel¡¯s arms. He grabbed it by the handle and raised it up. Paul¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of a shotgun-rifle-hybrid pointing right him, moving quick- The barrel exploded with enough force to crack the concrete beneath Creel¡¯s feet. His vibranium form ignored the recoil even as the cars around him begin to ring out alarms and windows shattered. Paul screamed something aloud when a few of the pellets fired at him slammed into his flesh. The spider-creature fired another red energy blast, Creel ducking aside then shooting again. Paul snapped out another beam of red energy, but this one solidified into a red web, snapping out to engulf Creel. ¡°Fuck!¡± Creel fell back against a car as the web of energy surrounded him, snapping his arms and legs together. Taking hold at the other end of the net, Phil pulled hard and spun Creel around before letting go, sending him flying into a parked car, the vehicle exploding. Phil landed in the wreckage, reaching a hand out to grab Creel. The barrel of a gun pressed to his chest. Phil had enough time for his eyes to widen before the shotgun exploded, sending him flying back with his suit, fur, and upper layers of skin and muscle ripped apart. As Phil screamed, Creel leaped out of the fire in vibranium form. Then dropped towards him as osmium. A grocery bag of osmium weighed as much as a humvee. Creel was much larger than a grocery bag of osmium. He landed like a meteor on Phil¡¯s chest, face, and groin. ¡°...uk-¡± the large man weakly squeaked staring up at the unforgiving face of the man whose knee had yet to move from the sensitive bits. Then, mandibles flapping weakly, Phil passed out. Creel waited a bit to make sure he was really unconscious. Then, sighing, he rose to his feet, looking at the massive grey and black shotgun in his hands. Creel shook his head. ¡°.950 calibur¡­¡± Creel looked over at a shell casing nearby. It was the size of a coke can. ¡°Goddamn. X, when do you have time to make these things?¡± Musing on that, Creel reached into his pocket for some cuffs as Phil shrank back into his human form. As he did, a voice came on the radio. ¡°Swift is down. You guys okay?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Working on it,¡± Creel returned. ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll have to come and help,¡± Sam returned. ¡°I¡¯m good. Just arresting this guy. Izzy?¡± ¡­Nothing came in. Creel got worried. ¡°Izzy?¡± Still nothing. Creel¡¯s eyes narrowed. He hurried to cuff Phil, worry filling him.
Isabella ¡®Izzy¡¯ Hartley/Warrior Izzy loved her job. Sometimes it didn¡¯t feel real, like she wasn¡¯t supposed to be living it. But she enjoyed every moment. Her sister¡¯s cancer was long gone, taken care of by whatever magic Dial and Tony had worked. She was a goddamn superhero, fighting monsters and mobsters every day. Often with a superhero boyfriend. And she got to use a sword every time she fought! All around, not a bad deal at all. That said, sometimes she knew when she was in over her head. A guy blasting out a big laser from a grill set into his face was one of those times. The sound of a Geiger counting slowly ticking away in her helmet wasn¡¯t helping. Leander, Dial had called the guy. A big guy in black armor, with an head that had similar features to that NRG alien Dial used sometimes. They¡¯d ended up in a warehouse, and red lines of melted metal and stone surrounded them. Even in her hardened suit, she could feel the immense heat through her armor. Izzy landed in a roll, barely dodging the radioactive beam of energy. She snapped to her feet as she stopped in front of him, swinging out her sword. The double-edged broadsword bounced off one of Leander¡¯s raised arms before the eerily silent man punched outwards. Izzy blocked it, only to be sent flying back a few feet, tossing a knife at him to prevent the larger fighter from following up. As she landed, she took stock of the situation. Strong as hell, durable, and with a very powerful energy beam of radiation. He was also trained. She didn¡¯t know what military force he had once been under, but he used a mixture of martial arts common in the US armed forces. As well as some new stuff she didn¡¯t recognize. Izzy noted the red shine of his grills, dodging before the red laser could hit her. Her suit may have been rated to take a lot, but the smoking patch on her shoulder said a lot about how much power the guy had. Even while dodging, she felt the heat brush past her back, feeling blisters form as her HUD screamed. Ignoring the pain, she tossed another knife, Leander letting this one bounce off his head in favor of rushing forward and reaching out for her. Izzy stopped to block his grabbing hand, kicking at his leg. The large man took the hit, punching her in the chest. Her armor locked up a bit to resist the force of that hit, letting Izzy stay in the fight and swing her sword out, jamming the edge into his throat, then punch him in the solar plexus. Then she had to duck the beam of red light again. Damn. Those beams were a bitch. But that was why she¡¯d made him follow her into this warehouse. Like a few of the other abandoned buildings that seemed to frequent New York City, it had once been a manufacturing plant. Full of tools, tables, and old discarded materials. Including one she could use. Izzy dropped and kicked the larger man in the ankles, grinning as he fell on his ass. Then she turned and ran. Another beam brushed past her helmeted head, the heat scalding. She ignored it. In the back would be¡­ there it was. In a small shed, she found a large metal barrel. She ducked behind it, her Geiger counter¡¯s ticking lessening as she hid there. She began chopping at the soft metal, gouging out as big a section as she could. It was slow work. Leander came to a stop in the same room. He looked around, red grill sending up small hints of smoke. He didn¡¯t speak. Instead he slowly prowled forward, his stride calm, stance low. The problem with fighting him was that if Izzy really tried to stab or slice him, that would end in his containment suit leaking. If she even could do that. So she needed to go for something else. She slowly finished slicing off the dinner plate-sized section of metal, carrying the soft, heavy material under one hand. Leander was circling the barrel. Izzy took a page out of Black Widow¡¯s book. Sensing he was close to her, Leander spun around the barrel and fired a shot of radiation. Hitting the floor. He stared at the smoking concrete, surprised. Then Izzy landed on his shoulders. He let out no sound, but raised up his arms in surprise, grabbing for her legs. Then the world went dark. He fired a beam of radiation, only to curse when metal heated up just in front of his grill, blocking his vision. Blinded, he tried to fire again, but Izzy landed on the ground in front of him and punched him in the gut. Her armor, increasing her strength by a massive level, let her dish out a blow even the half-Prypiatosian-B felt despite his immense strength. He instinctively lashed out, but missed, Izzy hitting him in the solar plexus with a kick. He landed against the barrel, then staggered forward, arms wide. Izzy grabbed around the waist and suplexedsupplexed him into the ground. She grinned at the sight of lead wrapped around his head. Yep. Lead. Soft. Heavy. And very resistant to radiation. Heat notNot heat so much though. If that makeshift blindfold stayed too long, it would melt and disappear. Better finish things quick. As the lead began to heat up, Izzy kicked Leander in the gut, groin, and torso. He staggered silently, trying to fight back. When he kicked out at her, she grabbed his leg and twisted. The sound of an ankle breaking filled the air. A very human scream came muffled from Leander. It didn¡¯t help when Izzy kicked him in the groin again. He pulled his leg away, silently crawling away, clawing at the metal on his face. It was beginning to drip now. If he could keep it up, if he could- The sound of metal grinding filled the air. Izzy gave the metal barrel another push. And it tipped over, landing directly on the large alien hybrids'' back. On his stomach, thousands of pounds of lead on top of him, Leander never saw Izzy come to a stop in front of him. He did feel the punch. Then the next, then the next. ¡°Damn, what does it take to knock you out?¡± Leander released another blast. Izzy barely dodged this one when it finally pierced through the lead blindfold. Then she grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed it into the ground, the radioactiveradiactive blast beginning to scorch the concrete. Then Izzy viciously punched him in the back of the head. The last thing Leander heard before passing out was Izzy¡¯s gleeful laugh¡­
Mahmoud Schahed/Dial In Way Big form, making it back to the warehouses everyone had been fighting in was easy, just a few strides. As I got there, Thor landed on my shoulder, clutching an unconscious Kolar by the ponytail. The four-armed blue man groaned. Thor idly electrocuted him, knocking him out. ¡°What ho, Dial! How went your battle? Is the giantess vanquished?¡± the God of Thunder asked. ¡°Actually, I think she got adopted?¡± I said, befuddled. ¡°I don¡¯t know how adoptions of people on battlefields work.¡± ¡°I could ask my father,¡± Thor grunted. We came to a stop just before Steve was suddenly blasted through a metal grating by a blast of red lightning. From my height, he looked like a living action figure as he backflipped through the air, landing on his feet. He looked beat up a bit, his helmet gone, a portion of suit burned off across the chest. But his shield was still on, and his eyes glimmered with a familiar shine. Servantis stepped out of the warehouse. He had a sour look on his face, a broken nose, and his right arm hung oddly. Then he noticed me, standing high above. ¡°...Ah,¡± he said weakly. His eyes panned to Thor. ¡°Well-¡± Falcon flew down, carrying Swift in his arms. Creel smashed through a wall, Phil over one shoulder. Izzy moved into view, pulling Leander behind her. We all looked at him. ¡°...Show¡¯s over I suppose,¡± Servantis mumbled, sighing. ¡°And what a show it was!¡± a voice said from nowhere. And Servantis smirked as he flashed away in blue. Swift, Kolar, LeanderLeandros, and Phil disappeared in the same flash, leaving us staring at nothing. ¡°Avengers, get ready!¡± Steve barked, shield raised. ¡°What sorcery is this!?¡± Thor shouted, dropping off my shoulder to land on the floor. ¡°Not just sorcery! TV Magic!¡± A drone flew down out of the sky. Then another. Then another. Dozens of them, flying around us, staring at us with box-like cameras. ¡°Uh, what¡¯s going on?¡± Sam asked. ¡°And are they getting my good side?¡± Izzy added, though she still pulled out her sword. ¡°Sweetheart, you got nothing but good sides!¡± all the drones said at once. Then one of them projected a hologram. And suddenly I understood everything. ¡°Mojo¡­¡± My booming voice echoed. And the man of the hour laughed. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± his deep voice echoed, before shifting into a high-pitched laugh. He was somewhat green in color, obese as I¡¯d ever seen in my life, with long thin arms and fingers ending in sharp nails. His eyes were yellow at the pupils, and red around, eyelids pulled back A Clockwork Orange style to reveal them as he laughed through giant square teeth also getting pulled back by the same metal contraptions. He sat on a spider tank of sorts, his massively fat form flowing over its edgesoverflowing it. Oh good lord he looked like an obese Jim Carrey. ¡°The man, the myth, the living legend!¡± Mojo laughed, shifting his voice as he spoke. ¡°What a fight! The Avengers vs the Rooters, two brutal groups of superhumans, fighting to the near death! What a fight! Ratings are through the roof!¡± ¡°Dial,¡± Steve whispered to me, the Omnitrix broadcasting it to me. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Steve. Mojo is dangerous, I can say that.¡± ¡°Aw shucks,¡± Mojo chuckled. ¡°Look at me, blushing! I gotta say, even after that show your guys put out in Siberia, I didn¡¯t expect you to keep up a good show! But you did it! I can¡¯t wait for the sequel!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to do this again?¡± Sam snapped out angrily. ¡°What manner of fiend are you, to summon enemies to battle us for mere entertainment?¡± Thor growled. ¡°MERE entertainment?¡± Thethe hologram grew to tower over everyone except me, reaching knee-height with Way Big. ¡°Oh bubbala. You have some lessons to learn, youlearn you big dummy! Entertainment is EVERYTHING! I guess your trilogy is going to be a teaching experience.¡± He laughed. Steve tossed his shield through him, destroying the drone projecting his image, only for another one to take his place. ¡°Awwwww, so cute! The heroic Captain America, the man with a plan who kills for a living!¡± Steve¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Sam Wilson, the Falcon with a broken talon! Izzy, the psycho-knife nut! Creel, the wanna-be hero and current thug! Thor, the dumbest god alive! And the Universal Dial, the fanboy still clutching for greatness!¡± He laughed as we glared at him. ¡°Ohhhhh, yes! That¡¯s the look! The fire! Perfect for the poster! Ohhhh, the ratings are going up, baby! We¡¯re headed to the moonto moon!¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Thor shouted, lightning crashing from the sky. ¡°We are not here to play games, cur! We will find you, and stop you from doing this ever again!¡± ¡°Gosh,¡± Mojo mockingly clenched his fists under his chin. ¡°I hope not! That would be ever so awful for my ratings!¡± That was enough for me. I slammed a hand down onto one batch of drones. ¡°You¡¯ll get your ratings. The sequel will be titled ¡®Mojo¡¯s Asswhooping.¡¯ Coming to theaters next fall.¡± ¡°Needs more panache on the name,¡± Mojo laughed as the other Avengers began popping the drones out of the air. ¡°But deal! See you maniacs next season!¡± The last drone shattered, the laughing fat man disappearing. Steve scowled, looking around as I shifted back into a human and landed with the others. ¡°...Can we track him?¡± he asked me. ¡°Maybe. But he¡¯s from another universe,¡± I scowled. ¡°And apparently the Rooters are available to him¡­ This might be trouble, Steve.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll deal with it,¡± Sam said, growling. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go home and debrief.¡± Mojo got away with fucking with us. But that wouldn¡¯t be the end of things. Not if we had anything to say about it. Sam suddenly looked around, confused. "Wait, Dial. What happened to that big one? The Way Bad, you called it?" "...A dragon took her. I think he''s going to adopt her and teach her kung fu." Everyone but Thor looked confused. I shook my head. "And no, I''m not joking." I lead an interesting life. 4: Registering the Stupidity Chapter 4 Sat in Mystique¡¯s office, Fury and I eyed her carefully. She looked calm, assured. And very very blue. She knew we had made her, but was confident she could find a way to get out of it. Impressive composure. Then again, a professional liar had to stay calm at all times. And this was one of the best in the world. ¡°If you aren¡¯t here to arrest me, then I hesitate to ask why you have arrived,¡± Mystique said with a small smile. ¡°Other than faking your credentials to become a principal?¡± Fury asked. ¡°Oh, my credentials are entirely real. I¡¯m a qualified educator of children,¡± she said. ¡°I shed tears for the state of our educational programs,¡± I quipped. ¡°You should, but that¡¯s another story,¡± Mystique said. ¡°And even then, your credentials are under an assumed identity. Not a great defense, there,¡± Fury then frowned. ¡°We¡¯ve met, haven¡¯t we?¡± He looked surprised but was still certain of his words. ¡°Oh, I doubt that,¡± Mystique said. ¡°We have,¡± Fury glared at her. ¡°I¡¯ve known shapeshifters. Damn good ones. I don¡¯t remember who you were pretending to be, but something about you is damn familiar.¡± ¡°I do have one of those faces,¡± she said smugly. Fury and I glared at her for different reasons before Fury continued. ¡°Ms. Darkh?lme, Mystique, whatever you call yourself. I doubt we need to explain who we are. And the reason we are here is that we know who you are. And what you can do.¡± She quirked an amused eyebrow upwards. ¡°I¡¯m still wondering why you¡¯re here. If not to arrest me, then maybe the X-Men? They have been at the epicenter of quite a few instances of property damage.¡± ¡°If we were going to arrest them for that, your boys would be on the block as well,¡± Fury waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Ms. Darkholme-¡± ¡°Mystique is fine.¡± ¡°Mystique. BRIDGE is not SHIELD. We are not Hydra, and we are not any of the dozens of organizations that want to turn powered folk into weapons, soldiers, or victims. We¡¯re trying for a better approach. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here with an olive branch.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s comforting for those on your, what was it called? The Index?¡± Mystique said pointedly, looking over at me. ¡°Has he told you about that? That SHIELD puts powered people on a list to be watched. Possibly, what¡¯s the word?¡± she dramatically drew a blue finger through the air. ¡°Crossed off.¡± I winced. ¡°Yeah. He did.¡± ¡°I have a friend. He was put on a similar list. Same with his family. His friends. His neighbors. I have to ask, will you be tattooing us next?¡± Fury didn¡¯t seem the least bit surprised. ¡°You want to spit out facts without context more? Ignoring that the Index is no longer a thing for us, we stayed within ethical boundaries. We¡¯ve made mistakes. Hydra was likely behind some of our worst ones.¡± ¡°How charming, that you can simply blame Hydra for any of your wrongdoings.¡± ¡°Nah, we¡¯ve had a few of our idiots to cull as well. But we¡¯re putting in the work. BRIDGE is not and never will be abusive towards others. We stop criminals. Rehabilitate people. Help those with powers that can hurt themselves and others. And mutants are part of that. We¡¯re reaching out, helping folk. Like Cyclops or Rogue.¡± Mystique¡¯s face became stone. She looked as though we¡¯d threatened her children. ¡°What about Rogue!?¡± ¡°The teenager with powers that hurt people she might get close to? Nothing but help her,¡± I said. ¡°You are coming at this the wrong way. We came here to offer peace.¡± ¡°Well, and to lay down a line in the sand,¡± Fury added. ¡°We won¡¯t come after you and yours. But if we get wind that anyone has been hurt, by anyone at all, we¡¯ll come down on them like hellfire.¡± Mystique flashed a set of fangs. ¡°Is that so¡­ then I suppose I¡¯ll have to keep my hands clean, won¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Should be easy for you,¡± Fury said idly. ¡°As for your friend¡­ make one thing clear to him. A few of us were around to see the worse levels of racism. Of World War 2 even. I imagine he knows a couple of us from when they saved him,¡± her eyes widened at the implication. That we knew who her ¡®friend¡¯ was. ¡°BRIDGE is not the same organization as SHIELD. We protect everyone''s rights. Everyone. Human, mutant, alien, god, and everything in between.¡± Her fangs flashed again. ¡°That remains to be seen. I¡¯ve known government agencies. Worked within them on every level. The only difference, Mr. Fury and Dial, is that you are looking at my true face while you make these claims of wanting a better world.¡± Neither of us responded to her. Fury simply rose, his single eye glimmering just a bit. I stepped aside to let him leave. Mystique and I eyed each other for another moment. Then I turned my back on her. Fury said one last thing. ¡°If you or your friends want to talk, let us know. Until then, keep your noses clean.¡± ¡°Or else I show up,¡± I added. Mystique¡¯s flashed to the Omnitrix. Not much else needed to be said there. There wasn¡¯t much more we could do. Just let her know that we would keep an eye on things. With the mutant secret still in effect, BRIDGE would be able to prepare a whole lot of PR to counter the various anti-mutant and anti-human shit that would follow the reveal. But the best way to fight back against already built-in prejudice was just to do good. To show that we were on the up and up, and would only take down those who deserved it. If Mystique, and more importantly, Magneto, were anything like their other counterparts, they could be swayed to join the good guys. If not. Well. What was one more powerful enemy on the pile? Fury and I left the school side by side. ¡°What do you think?¡± He huffed a bit at my question. ¡°I think that woman is more paranoid than I am.¡± ¡°That bad huh?¡± ¡°Not like I can blame her. If she¡¯s survived for as long as you claim, she¡¯s probably seen the worst of humanity. She¡¯s like a less intense Agatha.¡± The thought made me want to laugh. I let it go. ¡°Think we¡¯ll need to be careful of¡­ you know.¡± Metal. I didn¡¯t need to say it, but Fury knew what I was thinking. ¡°No more than usual. Keep an eye out just in case Tony doesn¡¯t have a counter ready to go.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if he didn¡¯t already have one half-done.¡± ¡°He does tend to be proactive like that.¡± ¡°What next other than that?¡± Fury and I reached his car, though I didn¡¯t move to enter it. He looked back at me. ¡°Next, we keep at it. You work on that space shit. I¡¯ll keep building the underground.¡± ¡°You think we¡¯ll need it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing Maria didn¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°Tell me what?¡± ¡°...The Registration Act. We got a draft of it.¡± ¡°...Oh.¡± Fuck.
Director Maria Hill of BRIDGE Maria was in her office, holding onto a bunch of papers as thick as a textbook. She flipped through them, ignoring the various ¡®UN¡¯ emblems on the pages. On a notepad next to her was a series of notes. The notepad was scratched up by now, full of anger. She¡¯d calmed down now. But barely. When Dial had warned her and the Avengers about the possibility of a Registration Act, she¡¯d been ready for many things. But this was beyond what she¡¯d planned for. So many parts of it were a direct attack on members of the Avengers, right down to a ban on changing forms without sending a request in. In other words, Dial wouldn¡¯t be allowed to change into any alien without asking, then getting signed permission. For a single change. The fact members of the US Senate were pushing for this mess of unconstitutional affronts made her want to scream. She took the time to send a copy of it out to a certain law firm in New York City, then to BRIDGE¡¯s lawyers. Probably Tony¡¯s folk as well as Jen¡¯s firm. As a UN organization, they¡¯d be required to uphold it. Which meant it was time for her to prepare some contingencies. If the people of Earth were willing to destroy themselves, it was up to her to protect them from their stupidity. No matter the cost. And so, a set of orders was sent out.
Frank Castle/The Punisher Frank looked over the holographic screen in front of him. New orders. More suggestions. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°What¡¯s up, Frank?¡± Jamal, one of the BRIDGE STRIKE members and a part of Frank¡¯s team, walked up to join him. The two men were in the New York City Strike barracks, set aside for them in a secret location. Frank stepped aside to let the much larger man join him. Jamal was a super-soldier. Well, now he was. Before he¡¯d been part of a large group of disenfranchised folk tricked by Hydra to accept a ¡®vaccine¡¯ that turned out to be a version of the super-soldier serum. He and his grandson were among a small group that hadn¡¯t died. Just mutated. Until Dial showed up at the Graveyard he had been imprisoned in and used the Omnitrix to heal them. Now Jamal joined Strike as one of their superhuman fighters. However, that might end up changing. ¡°Registration,¡± Jamal sighed sadly, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Goddamn it.¡± ¡°The Director isn¡¯t going to kick you out of BRIDGE just because the UN says so,¡± Frank said. ¡°I know she won¡¯t. But a lot of the Graveyard survivors are just getting back to a normal life. This registration shit is going to mess with it even if it doesn¡¯t get pushed through,¡± Jamal looked further down the list. ¡°Wait, our power armor is going to get restricted?¡± It was true. The use of technology to bestow individuals with innate superhuman capabilities is strictly regulated and was on the list of proposed rules. Frank scoffed. ¡°Fucking stupid. That armor saves lives. Same with our guns. They¡¯re going to ask us to drop our capabilities while still arresting superhumans and monsters?¡± ¡°They¡¯re scared, Frank,¡± Jamal said softly. ¡°Siberia was a shitshow. The world saw Hydra summon enough superhumans and aliens to invade a country. And even with Hydra dead¡­ well, Dial turned into Godzilla. Footage of that Russian god-eating people is on the web. Thor and Hulk turned a portion of the battlefield to glass. Hell, even footage of you ripping a Hydra-Hulk¡¯s chest open showed up.¡± ¡°They just don¡¯t stay down,¡± Frank grumbled. ¡°Fear makes people do strange things.¡± ¡°At the worst times. Fucking aliens know we¡¯re a threat now. We should be prepping for random bullshit. Not downgrading our weapons to make damn politicians happy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just politicians,¡± Jamal tapped the screen before them, speaking towards it. ¡°Jarvis, can you show us the Watchdogs?¡± ¡°Right away, Jamal.¡± News articles, forum pages, Facebook, Twitter, and more began to pop up. ¡°These guys showed up recently. Militant types, but way more organized than the norm for some reason.¡± A few messages stood out. Cries by anti-government folks screaming about secrets BRIDGE was hiding, how Siberia proved superhumans were hiding among the public, that people in the streets were willing to destroy cities on a whim with their powers. Nothing like direct attacks or anything, but a nasty level of rhetoric that was building and building. ¡°Jung Moon, a friend of mine with Creel-type powers? She was worried she was getting followed. Found a rumour on a Watchdog site that she was a powered human.¡± ¡°She okay?¡± ¡°She¡¯s staying with family. Director is having the Korean branch watch out for her.¡± ¡°Wait, these guys are worldwide?¡± ¡°And growing,¡± Jamal sighed. ¡°They¡¯re more than just a loose group of internet political nerds though. They¡¯ve started connecting in more ways than just shouting online. Now, with all this stuff going on¡­ if the act really does out people with powers, the Watchdogs might end up getting their hands on it. Then we¡¯ve all got a target on our backs.¡± Frank stared at the screen. Maybe he was strange. He didn¡¯t feel fear at the thought of people with powers. Never really had. Not more than the normal fear a soldier needed to keep their edge. People were assholes. Didn¡¯t matter if they had powers, guns, knives, or stones. As long as there were two people in the world, someone would want someone dead. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it,¡± Frank said grimly. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s entirely true, Frank.¡± More news popped up. A face of some Senator, an Indian woman. Senator Ellen Nadeer was the caption. She looked pissed off and was facing a crowd of other politician types.
United Nations ¡°This isn¡¯t just Hydra now,¡± Nadeer said into her microphone. ¡°It¡¯s not just the Avengers, or BRIDGE, it¡¯s people on the streets. We can¡¯t trust our friends, or family, we can¡¯t trust anyone if they could end up getting powers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fear-mongering and you know it, Senator,¡± Boris, the handler for the Winter Guard, barked out angrily. By now, things had become less formal, and those within were simply speaking their mind rather than the more polite methods usually used for these meetings. ¡°By that definition, anyone with access to a knife or gun cannot be trusted, I didn¡¯t see anything about restricting those did I? Powers can be dangerous, but the people who gain them are simply that. People! And the proposed rules you have in place go against everything the UN stands for.¡± ¡°But they will be necessary,¡± the Austrian representative barked. He slapped his hand on the table. ¡°We aren¡¯t dealing with simple terrorists! We live in a world where people can turn into skyscraper-sized monsters, or send armies of aliens and robotic monkeys to kill us.¡± A French-accented voice chimed in. ¡°I will remind you that the skyscraper-sized monster was on our side, and we have dozens more who helped, including two French heroes. This Act, as you¡¯ve set it out, is nothing less than page after page of human rights violations. Not to mention, the sanctions you¡¯ve proposed on those nations that refuse to sign it are nothing less than outright bullying.¡± ¡°They¡¯re necessary,¡± this time, the representative from Canada spoke, a serious-looking man with dark red hair. ¡°It would be nice if we could be one-hundred percent sure that everyone with powers was good, kind, and innocent. But for the past few years, we¡¯ve seen different flavors of monsters instead. We need to adapt. To regulate. Make sure those with powers don¡¯t use them for anything but the benefit of others.¡± ¡°And what of those who don¡¯t want their powers,¡± King T¡¯Chaka of Wakanda said grimly. ¡°Or those who simply wish to live normal lives.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll have to be restricted from using their powers then. Otherwise, the economy will be full of those who use their powers for profit.¡± T¡¯Chaka raised an eyebrow. ¡°And I imagine many of us would be less unwilling to restrict them if they used their powers to instead profit their governments? Or defend them. I noticed the United States, Russia, and China all had technology or superhumans that would be affected by this list.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what we want,¡± Senator Nadeer scowled. ¡°But the fact is, these people are dangerous. We need to stop them, before more of our people die.¡± ¡°What about those we can¡¯t ¡®regulate¡¯,¡± T¡¯Chaka pointed at the ceiling. An unsettling silence came over everyone. ¡°Strucker revealed us to the universe. And even if we were willing to use nuclear weapons, we have no guarantees it would work. BRIDGE has already begun working on defending us from the stars, but how can we do that with these limitations you¡¯ve created? Among the many rules, limitations on Catom technology, Iron Man¡¯s suits, even NASA will be affected by these rules.¡± The King of Wakanda looked about the room, his presence dominating. ¡°This Registration Act isn¡¯t just limiting. It¡¯s dangerous. I recommend we take it, and rework it into our current laws. Make sure it does not make our people into slaves simply for being able to do the abnormal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Nadeer snapped. ¡°We need radical change! We need to step up! Otherwise, we don¡¯t need to wait for hypothetical aliens. We¡¯ll be killed by the ones in our midst. Once we know Earth is safe, then we can look up. Because if Dial decides to turn us, to rule over us, who can stop him? Worse, SHIELD was a puppet of Hydra. Who is to say BRIDGE isn¡¯t under the control of those with powers? How can they be trusted?¡± Another storm took over the room. Loud shouting. One woman asking if they would go after people with robotic prosthetics next, another arguing about the dangers of a telepath stealing nuclear codes. T¡¯Chaka leaned back in his seat, briefly meeting eyes with Boris and the French representative. The look was a simple message. This wouldn¡¯t end quickly. 5: Lykos and Friends June 10th, 2014 Mahmoud Schahed/Dial A day after meeting the X-Men, the Brotherhood, and finally Mystique, I sat down in the Nelson, Murdock, and Walters office with a document laid out before us. I wasn¡¯t reading it. Just watching the three before me react to it. Jen, Matt, and Foggy looked as though someone had murdered a cat and laid out the organs before them. ¡°This is more than just stupid,¡± Foggy said. ¡°This might as well be criminal. Forget the rest of the world, this goes against how many amendments?¡± ¡°At least six,¡± Jen said. She was in her green form with her hair held back into a ponytail, a pair of glasses on her face as she sat back in her chair. ¡°To start. You see one of those rules going against my boyfriend and me?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, that one is funny,¡± I chuckled. ¡°More illegal honestly,¡± Matt said, though he still smiled as he read it outloud. ¡°¡®No individual may take a form outside the human norm without submitting a permit, to be signed and released by an approved individual, with a specific time and place noted in the permit.¡¯¡± ¡°They literally want to make it illegal for me to quick switch in the middle of a fight,¡± I said. ¡°Worse, they don¡¯t want me to change at all without it being planned out. And who the hell will be approving?¡± ¡°A government-approved member of the nation you reside in. Also in order to travel and use abilities, the authorization of your native government authority and the one from the country being visited when on foreign soil.¡± ¡°So now me, Jen, Bruce, and who knows who else, all can¡¯t change without someone we don¡¯t know signing off days beforehand. And what the hell is a ¡®human norm¡¯ anymore between the enhanced, mutants and who the hell knows what else might come up in the future?¡± ¡°And what about us who currently can¡¯t switch at all, and have a law degree to sue with?¡± Jen asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Pretty sure it''s made purposely broad and vague so that there is very little wiggle room to argue against it.¡± Foggy suggested. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Matt smiled. ¡°That¡¯d be the pizza girl.¡± ¡°Pizza girl?¡± Foggy said incredulously. ¡°Oh come on! I bet you know if she¡¯s hot or not, too.¡± ¡°How would I even know that?¡± Matt said as he pointed to his glasses. ¡°Because you always do!¡± I got up and opened the door, finding a pretty and short Latina woman in a Joe''s Pizza uniform holding three boxes. ¡°Hey, you guys the law firm?¡± ¡°That we are,¡± I took the pizzas in hand and passed her some cash. ¡°That should cover it. Keep the change.¡± ¡°Whoa, what!¡± she blinked, shocked at the fold of bills I¡¯d handed her. ¡°A-Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah, I won the lottery,¡± I closed the door in her face (making sure to smile politely before I did). As I left, I heard her voice through the door. ¡°Are you an Avenger!?¡± I returned with the pizza and placed it on the designated snack table, where Foggy and Matt had placed the piles of food their clients sometimes gave them in lue of money. ¡°Ohhh, nice!¡± Foggy snapped up to his feet and rushed over, placing a pepperoni slice on his plate. ¡°So, was she cute?¡± ¡°Am I allowed to answer that?¡± I asked Jen. ¡°Only if you think I¡¯m insecure.¡± ¡°She was pretty, but not my type.¡± ¡°Ohhh, good answer.¡± ¡°How do you always know?¡± Foggy asked Matt, who only chuckled. Jen took her own thick crust pizza, something Foggy stared at in disgust. ¡°God, I can¡¯t believe you. Living in New York City, and you order that? Might as well spit on the Statue of Liberty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m from Cali, I don¡¯t like floppy pizza.¡± ¡°Your honor, my opponent is clearly insane.¡± ¡°Guilty,¡± Matt jokingly added. We all chuckled. Then I looked around briefly, swallowing my chunk of four-cheese pizza. ¡°I knew this shit would be bad, but I thought we¡¯d have more time to fight it.¡± ¡°We do have time,¡± Matt said. ¡°This is just a proposal. They bring out the tough sell, try to force what they can. But there¡¯s going to be a lot of people fighting this. If Tony Stark doesn¡¯t have an army of lawyers fighting it, BRIDGE will.¡± ¡°Same with us, honestly,¡± Foggy lifted another paper. ¡°According to this one ¡®Any enhanced individuals who does not sign will not be allowed to take part in any legal, police, military, or espionage activities, or to otherwise participate in any national or international conflict, even in their own country¡¯. And legal meeeeeeans,¡± he snapped his fingers and pointed at Jen. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to practice law,¡± Jen shook her head. ¡°Forget the Constitution, that violates the Fair Employment and Housing Act.¡± ¡°Technically the Americans with Disabilities Act too,¡± Matt took another bite of pizza. I rubbed my eyes. ¡°Okay¡­ we¡¯ll do what we can legally, huh? Or, you know, the bevy of trained professionals will. And I know a few of us that are best at public speaking will be talking it over. Goddamn, and after I met the X-Men.¡± ¡°The X-who? Is that a band or something?¡± Foggy asked. ¡°Don¡¯t get me started,¡± I leaned forward grimly. ¡°I have another meeting later on. Meeting a frie-...Former enemy? Guy who tried to kill me in his alternate persona but is apparently an okay guy in the other one?¡± ¡°You might be overthinking that,¡± Jen said gently. ¡°Maybe. Anyways, before I go, you guys gonna be busy today?¡± ¡°Technically we already are,¡± Matt slowly began gathering the papers before him, looking somewhere to the right of my head. ¡°We have hiring today.¡± ¡°Hiring?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something we¡¯ve needed for a while,¡± Foggy said, sounding a touch excited. ¡°It¡¯d be nice to have some real help around here.¡± ¡°How many people do you need to hire?¡± ¡°6-10.¡± I hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°So many? I thought you guys were staying small for a bit.¡± ¡°Dude, that is small.¡± Jen finished off her pizza and continued on from Foggy. ¡°Law firms need a lot of maintenance. Don¡¯t need someone for our computers, since we cheat with X¡¯s help,¡± she waved vaguely at the computers. ¡°But we each need a secretary and paralegal to assist us. Then we want to hire some associate attorneys, and even if we only hire two they still need a shared paralegal and secretary between them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget if we add a summer associate or a law student doing an externship,¡± Matt pointed out. ¡°God, do we really want a law student? They¡¯re so tiny and annoying,¡± Foggy groaned. ¡°Foggy, we just stopped being law students ourselves.¡± ¡°All the more reason not to add one more!¡± I was once again reminded of how little I understood about the law and lawyers who defended/prosecuted people. Even for all my recent research into the topics. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you guys too it then,¡± I scarfed down the last of my pizza, tossing the empty box in the trash. ¡°Whoa, did you finish that whole thing already!?¡± Foggy asked. ¡°I burn calories like a nuclear engine,¡± I kissed Jen on the lips. ¡°See you at home?¡± ¡°Maybe, depends how long this takes us,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Good luck!¡± With that, I headed to the Raft.
The Raft was a huge round facility hidden in the middle of the ocean, built to be damn near impossible to find or escape from. I flew in through the top and entered right as the facility sank under the waves again. A BRIDGE guard guided me through the halls of the Raft. Men and women were rushing through the corridors with various tools, with sounds of banging, drills, and welding all around us. ¡°Sorry about this, sir,¡± the tall man said as we moved around a pair of scientists. ¡°We¡¯re still putting her together. Water damage would be hell without the improvements we¡¯ve been getting. Plus, the new guy, Flux? Keeps having fits and trying to find his ¡®mommy¡¯.¡± ¡°If anything it¡¯s a miracle it¡¯s functional enough to sink under the waves,¡± I noted. ¡°Is he dangerous right now?¡± ¡°If he is, nobody told me,¡± the man sighed, stopping at a door and nodding to me. ¡°Through here. He¡¯s excited to see you.¡± I raised an eyebrow. On stepping inside, two things stood out to me. One was the force field. Shining a bright transparent yellow, looking like the one the US Army had been using to contain Hydra in Siberia. I pressed a hand to it, blinking at the feeling of static barely buzzing from it. The second thing that stood out to me chuckled. ¡°Interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡± Karl Lykos, formerly Sauron, eyed the field. I once more was reminded of Raul Julia. ¡°This side of it is far more painful, believe me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t absorb it?¡± I asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t tried,¡± at my disbelieving look he shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave honestly¡­ How are you?¡± ¡°Good... Kind of¡­ Lots changed, some of it bad.¡± While I spoke, I took in our surroundings. Behind the field, Lykos had been given a desk with a computer, two bed behind walls, a large table, and another private section in back. Nice digs for a cell. He was wearing a pale blue jumpsuit, the kind all BRIDGE prisoners were given. ¡°The Registration Act,¡± he nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve been talking about it.¡± ¡°¡®We¡¯?¡± ¡°WAAAAAGH!¡± a head poked out from the private section. I stared at the goblin as he approached, noting that my Omnitrix flashed yellow. So, not one I¡¯d encountered¡­ oh fuck me, did he say WAAAAGH? ¡°Ah yes!¡± Lykos waved the guy forward. He was green, with hair pulled into a ponytail, pointy ears, and intelligent-looking brown eyes. He joined Lykos. ¡°A fellow scientist. One of the visitors from that unfortunate Rio Incident. He has quite the noteworthy intelligence! Mind like a steel trap, eh Wrugaz?¡± ¡°WAAAGH!¡± ¡°That means-¡± ¡°No, I understood that,¡± I said with a wave of my hand. The Omnitrix¡¯s universal translator was truly op. ¡°How are you both caged up together?¡± ¡°Special permission from the director,¡± Lykos said proudly. ¡°We are consulting!¡± ¡°WAAAGH!¡± ¡­So many questions, not the least of which was what was the world coming to. Better make sure that I took care of as many as possible before I left. ¡°Okay? Well uh¡­ Dr. Lykos, I was told you wanted to meet me?¡± ¡°Indeed, young man,¡± Lykos looked me over. ¡°I imagine that by now you¡¯ve met my old friend.¡± ¡°Charles Xavier.¡± ¡°The very same! I imagine you¡¯ve been having long conversations with him?¡± ¡°One, actually. More in the future though.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± he frowned. ¡°He was so excited to speak with you, I thought the two of you would be best friends!¡± ¡°Trust me, things ended well, but we¡¯re gonna have a few more long conversations,¡± I popped down into a chair set aside before the forcefield. ¡°Registration being a new one. I¡¯m worried about what will follow that. And once the news comes out about the Savage Land¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yes. My former domicile. Of sorts,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I must admit, the nomenclature escapes me for what you call a place your other half ruled over.¡± ¡°Partly. Savage Land has other kings,¡± I said, thinking of Ka-Zar and Hauser. ¡°Ah yes, you did end up taking rulership yourself.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± We stared at each other, confused. ¡°What are you talking about, rulership?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you didn¡¯t realize,¡± he began to pace. ¡°You may have made a mistake. My dear hero. You must know. When you fought your way out of the Savage Land, from the clutches of my¡­ hm, better half?¡± My eyes traced his path, the goblin watching as well. ¡°I believe that you may have had an effect you didn¡¯t realize. My memories of that magnificent land are clear. Well, somewhat. Feelings, impressions, basic facts of life. And one thing I know is that the cultures of that world look to leadership in a very different way than we do. The kingdom of the Savage Land is one that reaches for tyrants. It¡¯s what made Sauron so effective at such things. Especially the Saurians.¡± I thought of Gresh. ¡°But if you didn¡¯t take rulership of them, then the city Sauron ruled over may continue as they did.¡± ¡°There wasn¡¯t much chance we could have stopped them without dismantling the whole society. BRIDGE isn¡¯t exactly the kind of organization to do that. Ideally.¡± ¡°You should have, my dear hero. You should have,¡± he shook his head. ¡°It may be that you¡¯ve left a sleeping dragon in that land.¡± I opened my mouth. ¡°No, not that magnificent beast from hell.¡± I closed my mouth. ¡°You should have taken over. As it is, Styro was killed. I imagine, with Sauron and him dead. Stend will be alive. And if no one else can take over, then he¡¯s the one willing to do so.¡± Stend. That asshole. Even with the heat that filled me at the thought of him, a bit of Nat¡¯s training pushed through. Putting the pieces together with his psychology. ¡°Sauron left something, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Dozens of things,¡± Lykos shook his head. ¡°Textbooks, metals, technology, some of it stolen from the ruins of ancient civilizations within the Savage Land. Stend will get his hands on it.¡± He rubbed his forehead. ¡°I shudder to think what could follow. All that power, in the hands of him? My other half at least wished to release things at a slow and even pace. Stend will have no such discipline.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I thought about that. Then I chuckled. ¡°Oh!¡± Lykos leaned forward, a smile on his face. ¡°It seems my words haven¡¯t disheartened you! Good news I hope?¡± ¡°Yeah. Kind of. It¡¯s just. If Stend does end up causing trouble. The Savage Land has its own heroes to defend it. It has its own Avengers. But thanks for warning me.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m more than happy to aid you,¡± Lykos smiled. ¡°This world. It¡¯s become very interesting recently. I shudder to think what new surprises will come around the corner. And yet, that tense sense of fear is joined with a certain excited anticipation! What an intoxicating combination of emotions!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to keep you apprised I guess,¡± I frowned. ¡°So. Was there anything else you wanted to talk about, doctor?¡± ¡°Allow me to consider that question! Let me see. We discussed my old friend. My current roommate-¡± ¡°WAAAGH!¡± ¡°My old home seems to be in good hands. Did I have anything else to speak with you about?¡± he chuckled. ¡°Ah yes! I¡¯ve spoken with BRIDGE before. They¡¯ve requested my knowledge on certain things. But I wish for more. I have a lifetime of knowledge I wish to put to use. Dial. I wish to ask. Would the Avengers be looking for another pair of minds to join them?¡± Well fuck. Didn¡¯t expect that at all. ¡°Ah, it seems I¡¯ve shocked you quite a bit!¡± Lykos laughed boisterously. ¡°What a fun result, my friend!¡± ¡°WAAAGH!¡±
I told him I¡¯d think about it and left. I walked through the halls of the Raft, my thoughts racing. Fact was, Lykos was smart. Very smart. Even Tony was impressed by him. Having access to his mind for the long haul could be great. What he was asking for was a direct line to the Avengers. A way to aid us in any scientific research, and to speak with us. As of now, BRIDGE had him under tight lock and key. His forcefield was just stage one. If that failed, then massive metal doors would smash down around him. His vents were filled with incinerators just in case that goblin was a spore kind (as far as we knew it wasn¡¯t), his communications were monitored, and since meeting Charles, Tony had started working on figuring out a way to block psychic stuff (he wasn¡¯t having much luck so far). He was a complicated problem then. Lykos, by all accounts, was a nice guy. Enthusiastic, dramatic, and very much in what I imagined it was like to interact with Raul Julia. Sauron though¡­ he was a monster. He¡¯d stood against Creel, Fantasma, and me, and almost won. I didn¡¯t know if that was in line with his comic version or not, but it was for sure powerful. If Lykos ended up getting enough energy to transform back, we were all in trouble. And of course, the Goblin. Intelligent. Fiercely so, speaking with a familiar British accent I remembered from the WH40K series. I didn¡¯t know much, but I knew the Warhammer ones could make more of themselves through spores. This one didn¡¯t. Instead, he somehow made the laws of physics work for him. Just like Jury Rigg. Now I had his form. No idea what to do with it though, since Jury Rigg was already in the watch, but maybe it would pop up at some point. I¡¯d talk to the others about it later. I couldn¡¯t make a decision for all the Avengers after all. ¡°Hey, you,¡± a female voice drew me from my thoughts. I looked to my right and blinked. For a second I was reminded of Komodo, AKA Melati Kusama, the reptilian scientist who¡¯d joined Coulson¡¯s team. This woman had a scaled appearance as well. It was the guy in the cell next to her that made me realize who she was. After all, the Abomination doesn¡¯t need an introduction, and neither does the Aberration. The two scaled superhumans watched me approach, Abomination leaning casually against the massive metal bars just behind a yellow forcefield, while Aberration rested on her bed. ¡°Emil,¡± I said to Abomination. The ten-foot tall man grinned. ¡°Rana,¡± Aberration grunted. ¡°How are you guys doing?¡± ¡°Bored,¡± Abomination grunted. ¡°I was hoping you were here to go a couple rounds.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like knocking you out today.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You really think that¡¯s how it would go?¡± I shrugged. He leered down at me, but I only smiled back before looking over at Rana. ¡°I¡¯m getting out soon,¡± she said, though she looked nervous. ¡°Gonna join the Grapplers.¡± ¡°Good for you.¡± I was honest about that. Still, she looked nervous. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to¡­ but I heard about the Registration. I want to do good, Dial. I want to redeem myself. Am I going to be able to do that, or am I going to stay here?¡± ¡°...I can¡¯t make any promises, Rana.¡± ¡°See?¡± Abomination chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re all in the dark, baby girl. Guess you and I are stuck here forever, huh? Leaves me more time for lessons?¡± ¡°What are you learning, piano?¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°Knitting. Hahaha!¡± I ignored him to focus on Rana. ¡°This Registration is something I knew was coming for a while. We¡¯re fighting it, and BRIDGE has plans for it. And a few of the bigger countries will veto it from being the rule of law across the world. But if we have to, we set up some contingencies.¡± ¡°What, are you going to run away?¡± Abomination asked sarcastically. I looked up at him. He blinked. ¡°Wait. Is that really it?¡± ¡°No. But it¡¯s one thing we¡¯re considering,¡± I said sadly. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure anyone trying to do good can do just that. Beyond that, we aren¡¯t going to force anyone to accept us. So don¡¯t worry about it, Rana. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± I walked away sadly. Yeah. If a country decided we weren¡¯t worth helping, then maybe we couldn¡¯t stay there. Not as heroes anyways. This whole thing was stupid and was only going to get worse.
Steve Rogers/Captain America ¡°I¡¯m just saying, I wasn¡¯t willing to give my suit to the government before, why would I want to do it now?¡± Tony asked Steve as he set up a camera. The pair were in Tony¡¯s penthouse floor of the Avengers Tower, Steve sat down on a far too comfortable couch with a milkshake in his hand and his shield laid down next to him. Steve sighed. ¡°Tony, it¡¯s not about giving our powers to the government. You know that. I just know that people are scared. I want us to try, just try, to create reasonable laws. To adjust the system to make sure people like us can¡¯t abuse them.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m saying that¡¯s fine, but not what we¡¯re dealing with now,¡± Tony adjusted the camera and moved to grab himself a drink from the bar. ¡°What we¡¯ve got is a bunch of government idiots trying to monopolize us. I know that I apparently agreed with that in another universe for some¡­ unfathomably stupid reason. Probably guilt, that tracks with how I work.¡± Steve watched as Tony poured himself a glass of whiskey. ¡°But here it¡¯s a bunch of idiots.¡± ¡°They¡¯re scared, Tony.¡± ¡°Yeah, people keep telling me that. You know scared people can be stupid too right, it¡¯s not like they get a license to make dumb decisions? Nobody cries when Jason kills the dumb teens in a horror movie.¡± Steve rolled his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not what this is. I agree that the act they¡¯ve suggested is far too restrictive, but laws need to be adjusted. It¡¯s not just one guy a little stronger than others anymore. We have telepaths, storm makers, Dial even mentioned a guy who could manipulate luck.¡± ¡°So we change the laws a bit. But for now, I think we can agree. If this new act becomes the law of the land, then you and I, buddy? We might need to start looking into new jobs.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a CEO?¡± ¡°Nah, that¡¯s more of a sidegig.¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± Steve smiled just a bit. ¡°Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Right?¡± ¡°Heh. Yeah. Yeah¡­ I know what you¡¯re thinking. You want everyone to sit down around apple pie, talk things out, come up with a way to koombaiya. But that ain¡¯t gonna happen. The guys behind this aren¡¯t just doing it out of fear now. They¡¯re politicians.¡± He took a swig of his drink before continuing. ¡°These guys, they can¡¯t be seen changing their minds no matter how logical it is. They got a precious image to hold on to. The people behind the act? Guys like this Nadeer woman, like Ross? They didn¡¯t put out this damn act because they thought it would pass. They knew it wouldn¡¯t. So ask yourself. If they knew that, what¡¯s the act they really want to put out?¡± Steve thought about that idea. The idea that the draconian laws they were pushing for were so blatant because they planned for more insidious versions of those laws to replace them. Instead of wrist and ankle trackers on superhumans, a digital census. Instead of indefinite prison time without trial, years worth of time for using a superhuman power. Worse replaced with bad. ¡°There,¡± Tony pointed at him. ¡°That, right there. The things you¡¯re thinking of? I¡¯ve gone over it in my head a thousand times, Steve. Going over every angle. So yeah. I don¡¯t care how scared regular people are. I¡¯m worried about the guys making a show for voters. Guys using fear to get power. Because if Dial and his team don¡¯t get enough allies in space for us to be ready for the next invasion, the politicians aren¡¯t going to be the ones laying their lives on the line. They¡¯ll be the ones complaining the rules they made that restricted our freedoms also kept us from doing our damn jobs.¡± ¡°...A cold war, then,¡± Steve said sadly. ¡°You and I know that the world needs defenses. But what¡¯s the point of that if we need to sacrifice the freedoms of everyone? You and I, we made that choice, we decided to step up to the plate. But kids like the ones at Xavier¡¯s school, people like Melati who just want to be scientists, prisoners who are actually looking for some kind of redemption like Wanda? They need to have someone looking out for them.¡± ¡°...All right then. I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°I knew you were,¡± Tony finished his drink. ¡°Now. You ready?¡± Steve felt some of his good nature return. ¡°Yeah. Yeah, I am.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Tony moved to adjust himself on the couch next to the seat. Then he waved a hand and a large screen appeared before him. The camera began recording. ¡°What¡¯s up you nerds?¡± Tony said to the camera. ¡°Thanks for joining the Capsicle and I on this whole thing. It¡¯s been, what, a month?¡± ¡°A little more I think.¡± ¡°Yeesh. Time flies. Then again, we did have a little thing. Small war, got in the way of all this.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a little bit thematically appropriate,¡± Steve said with a hint of humour. ¡°We stopped the series at the finale while having a finale of our own.¡± ¡°Hey, ours had Godzilla, so this one has a lot to live up to.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t really Godzilla,¡± Steve chuckled. Tony rolled his eyes. ¡°He was a giant lizar- Oh, I can¡¯t with this argument again. Anyways! Avatar: The Last Airbender. Sozin''s Comet. This show has been a fucking blast to watch, and I can¡¯t wait to see how it ends. I already bought the company that makes Korra too.¡± ¡°Wait, wha-¡± ¡°Anyways, let''s start.¡± ¡°Tony, I think that¡¯s a conflict of interest.¡± ¡°It better be, I¡¯m voicing a character in the final season.¡± ¡°Tony-¡± ¡°Start!¡± The two friends began to finish the show together. As they did, they let go of the thoughts of doom and gloom. For now. Only for now.
The Beginning and the End In an AIM base halfway across the world, a computer played the live stream of Steve and Tony watching and responding to the show. It then flipped to traffic cam footage showing Dial in Bayville. Records of the Registration Act. More footage. Hulk. Aliens. BRIDGE. Watchdogs. Thousands of records compiling. AIM¡¯s systems were being taxed, but that didn¡¯t matter. He was making more. AIM was expanding. Forcefully, in some cases. The Evolution Project was growing. Among it¡¯s files, new folders opened, with small addendums being made as new data was found, a project that had been continuing for some time. The words ¡®Gamma Gene¡¯, ¡®Mutations¡¯, ¡®Alien Additions¡¯ came up at various points. Yet another folder was opened for one simple project. Magic. Fantasma was in that folder, hundreds of hours of footage of her. But along with it, was another name. Kulan Gath. The newest guest of AIM. Research was ongoing on both. In another base, blueprints were being followed. New technology. And within the base the computer was working in, a single tube sat. It was stolen. Not the actual tube, but the design for it. It had been created by a woman named Helen Cho. A brilliant Korean doctor. It was missing a component. But that was fine. That could be stolen as well. He was coming. The computer froze on Dial¡¯s image. A bearded man, smiling in a group of heroes, mid-transformation into a monster. He was muscular, matching the super-soldiers around him for sheer size if not in height. His beard gave him a savage appearance despite his happy smile. For all the speed of the computers, they held onto that image of a man with an Omnitrix for a prenatural amount of time. A single image flashed throughout AIM, on thousands of servers and screens. A scarlet face like fire, set with a pair of glowing white eyes. Then it disappeared in a flash. A series of 1¡¯s replaced it in a digital cloud of many angles. AIM continued its work. 6: Into the Woods Chapter 6 June 11th, 2014 You¡¯d think with all the bullshit we were dealing with, I wouldn''t have a random mission pop up. But you¡¯d be wrong. ¡°A wild man?¡± I asked Maria, befuddled. ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± she leaned back in her seat in her office, rubbing her chin. It was a day after I¡¯d gone to the Raft to visit Lykos. I¡¯d spent the morning training with Ares, so my legs were still shaking. He¡¯d spent a lot of our training recently forcing me to move between Astrodactyl and Fasttrack form, moving as fast as I could while catching or dodging his attacks. I knew that catching arrows was possible. Theoretically, so were bullets. Turns out, bullets are not easier to catch when they''re bigger. They just make bigger holes in your hand. Ares was a damn sadist. So yeah, my morning had been exhausting before Maria called me in with a request. ¡°It¡¯s a story that came up a while back,¡± she began to explain. ¡°People in a set of Canadian woods are reporting a man in leather with incredible strength and speed is running around out there fighting off an unknown group of soldiers.¡± ¡°And you want me to track him down?¡± I rubbed the back of my neck. ¡°Director, aren¡¯t we kinda in crisis mode? I was working on my ship when you called me.¡± ¡°I know. And I wouldn¡¯t have called you if it wasn¡¯t for your contacts,¡± Maria leaned forward. ¡°Dial, we need to wipe the slate as clean as possible before whatever happens with this Act happens. So I¡¯m getting aggressive. Coulson¡¯s team is tracking the Ghost Rider you mentioned down. The Grapplers are joining in an operation in China. I¡¯ve got Bucky and Bobbi helping with the Luna, Crescent, and White Fox with rumors of someone trying to steal from Helen Cho. We¡¯re dealing with a lot.¡± ¡°I know, Fitz-Simmons told me they ran out of tea from all the late-night building Tony has them doing.¡± Maria continued. ¡°So yes. I want you to go in, find out what¡¯s going on, then come back. Thankfully you¡¯ve got enough power that I can trust it will be nothing you can¡¯t handle. And since it¡¯s the Canadian wilderness¡­¡± Ah. Yeah. That made sense.
An hour later ¡°And that¡¯s basically when I called you,¡± I said while piloting the Quinjet. ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Logan, wearing a leather jacket and jeans, grunted from the seat next to me. ¡°Don¡¯t you have an alien that can track though?¡± ¡°Track, sure. But there is a difference between that and actually knowing the area. Plus, the reports of armed soldiers chasing whoever this guy is has me worried. With this registration act shit, I¡¯m worried the Canadian government has some black ops groups that are getting a head start on shit.¡± The glower I got at that told me he understood. And yes, of course I grabbed Logan. I needed a guy who had run through the Canadian wilderness and he was the best backup I could get. We flew low and tight over the forest in cloak, rushing over the snow frosted trees. I stared at the GPS coordinates of the last place that our¡­ I don¡¯t know, target? Call him a target I guess. ¡°So, you have any questions about alternate versions of you?¡± I asked Logan casually. ¡°You get a lot of those?¡± ¡°An unbelievably large amount when people find out I have seen their alternate selves. Usually they end after a while. It¡¯s kinda the ultimate ¡®what if I did ¡°x¡± instead of¡¯ game.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll pass. I lived a solid life. I can let the other versions of me live theirs.¡± I looked over at him. He was relaxed. ¡°...I have something I¡¯m looking into that has to do with you, but I can¡¯t tell you until after the mission.¡± ¡°Because it might affect me?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Leave it then, bub,¡± he scoffed. ¡°Just focus on what we gotta do. Leave everything else for later.¡± Damn. I forgot how self-assured Logan from the Evolution universe was. Still had some issues, but he was DadWolvie instead of SadWolvie. Like the later versions of him in the comics really. A loud noise from the back of the Quinjet made me jump. We both shared a look. A pained look. A look that told me he knew exactly what that was. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± I mumbled. ¡°Goddamnit!¡± Logan snapped to his feet and strode to the back, where the bathroom was installed. Yes, bathroom. It was an Avengers Quinjet. ¡°No Avenger is gonna hold it if I can help it.¡± Yeah, Tony had weird lines in the sand. I set the autopilot up and got up as well. Logan and I walked over in front of the bathroom. I tapped the panel next to the door. It slid open. ¡°Uh¡­ like, heya?¡± Kitty Pryde waved her fingers awkwardly at us. She had her laptop on the sink counter. I slapped a hand to my face. ¡°Ms. Pryde.¡± ¡°Half-Pint, what the hell are you doing here?¡± Logan said with an odd combination of frustration and fondness. ¡°Well uh¡­ I wanted some privacy?¡± ¡°And you choose my quinjet?¡± I asked, aghast. ¡°Yeah, cause Kurt always finds me in the Blackbird!¡± She got up quickly. ¡°Like, I just wanted some peace and quiet! So I thought, if I hid in here for a little bit-¡± ¡°Why not tell us you were in here? I would have stopped and turned around.¡± ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t want to get in trouble?¡± ¡°And what, half-pint, was your plan? To just stay in the bathroom until we went back?¡± She looked between us. Then she shuffled awkwardly, looking down at the ground and rubbing her arm. ¡°Half-pint¡­¡± ¡°Leave it. You¡¯re here. Now we gotta work with it. Kitty, put on, um¡­¡± I thought quickly. ¡°Ruby¡¯s suit. It¡¯s bullet resistant, and she¡¯s about your size. Her suit should be in the back of Black Widow¡¯s locker.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kitty jumped in surprise, staring at me. ¡°What are you thinking, bub?¡± From the sound of Logan¡¯s voice, I needed to have a real good explanation. ¡°We can¡¯t leave her in here,¡± I sighed. ¡°There is no telling what¡¯s out there in the woods, and that paramilitary group is running around.¡± ¡°Paramilitary!?¡± Kitty squeaked. ¡°Even under cloak, I¡¯d rather make sure we are fighting together and not getting eaten separately.¡± ¡°Eaten!?¡± ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m being overly dramatic,¡± I kept my eyes on Logan. He rubbed his face, grumbling. Then he looked down at Kitty. ¡°Like¡­ do I have to?¡± she squeaked. The shorter but much more dangerous man sighed. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. This isn¡¯t a regular mission.¡± ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s the same as all our other missions.¡± That little comment got a growl that made her wince. I held in a small smile. DadWolvie man. ¡°Like I said,¡± I pointed at the lockers. ¡°Ruby¡¯s costume should be in that locker. Go ahead and put it on so you¡¯ve got some real protection, all right?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah!¡± She ran over to the locker and opened it up. Then she blinked. ¡°Wow¡­ this is Black Widow¡¯s stuff?¡± ¡°If you take anything, she¡¯ll know, and she¡¯ll hunt you down in the shadows.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to!¡± Still, Kitty was much more careful about reaching behind the widow suit and gear. She pulled out a dark red uniform and ran into the bathroom with it. Once the door was locked, Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. ¡°I need to tell Charles the sprout hitched a ride.¡± ¡°I thought you called her half-pint.¡± ¡°Right now I¡¯m considering calling her ¡®pain in my ass¡¯.¡± Grumbling, he sauntered off. I chuckled a bit. Internally though, I was thinking about the mission. Kitty being here was going to be¡­ interesting.
In a bit, we were all standing outside of the cloaked Quinjet. Kitty was wearing Ruby¡¯s suit, a red take on Natasha¡¯s usual uniform. She didn¡¯t have any of the weaponry, but she was putting Ruby''s earpiece into her ear. ¡°First things first. Silence,¡± I told her as gently as I could. ¡°As long as you mumble things, Ruby¡¯s quantum earpiece will pick it up and send it, but keep the conversation to that. We don¡¯t know what we¡¯re hunting. We just know that some kind of black ops group is also after it. So stay close. Be ready to go intangible,¡± I need to introduce her to Ghost soon. ¡°And be as quiet as you can. Stay between us so that a sniper hits Logan or me first.¡± ¡°Sniper!?¡± she shouted in shock. In the open air, her voice cracked across the snowbitten forest. Logan and I glared at her. She covered her mouth quickly, squeaking quietly. ¡°Uh¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just be careful. Logan?¡± ¡°On it,¡± he took a whiff of the air. Then he frowned. ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± I didn¡¯t reply, letting him lead the way. We took a slow and careful pace, our boots crunching through the snow. I took in cold frosted breaths, and smelled the pine around us. If it wasn¡¯t for the mission, this might have been relaxing. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. He spoke softly, his voice going into our earpieces. ¡°It¡¯s hard to track this guy. I can smell him, but it¡¯s usually easier to get a trace than this. He smells like steel. Blood. Smoke. Sweat.¡± Kitty pursed her lips in disgust. ¡°What about his pursuers?¡± ¡°Walking around like elephants, Half-pint. Might as well make this a learning experience. What do you see?¡± Kitty swallowed at being put on the spot. ¡°Um¡­ like, can I get a clue?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been in forests. What doesn¡¯t look like it belongs in a forest?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been in a real forest.¡± Logan closed his eyes, then opened them slowly. ¡°You¡¯ve seen them on tv. Make educated guesses.¡± She looked a little freaked, but started panning her eyes around. ¡°Okay. Tree. Tree. Snow¡­ I mean, those branches are broken I guess.¡± When she looked back at Logan, he was smirking. ¡°What? Like, seriously? Broken branches?¡± ¡°Like, seriously,¡± he said sarcastically. He walked up to the branches and waved her over. Softly speaking, he panned his fingers across them. ¡°Bear or deer might have done it, but there¡¯s no tracks, no antler scratches, no claw marks. If you look carefully at the ground, what do you think you¡¯ll see?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Kitty leaned down. I watched carefully, feeling a bit like a third wheel in this teaching exercise, but still enjoying the show. Kitty slowly pouted. Her eyes were hard, glaring at the landscape. ¡°Calm down,¡± Logan patted her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not an enemy. Just take in all the details, half-pint. The forest is dangerous. But it¡¯s fair. And it tells its story to you long as you¡¯re willing to take it in.¡± Her eyes softened. She looked a bit more. Then she sighed. ¡°Okay. So, like. The branches are broken here. So maybe they were running?¡± The grumpy older man didn¡¯t reply. Kitty continued. ¡°Chasing somebody. Over here maybe?¡± She walked the perimeter and stopped in a spot of snow that looked lower than the others. I had a guess as to what she¡¯d find. Group of paramilitary dudes, chasing someone? No way they didn¡¯t- ¡°Bullets!¡± Shoot at the guy. ¡°Nice job,¡± Logan walked over to take a hold of one of them. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you how to tell the difference between cartridges another time. But for now-¡± ¡°5.56¡Á45mm NATO,¡± I cut in, cocking my head. ¡°That could be used by a lot of rifles. I was hoping for something more specialized.¡± ¡°Are they like, really common?¡± Kitty asked us. ¡°Used by everyone from the US to the Swiss and much more. Including, of course, Canada.¡± ¡°Makes it harder to tell if this is one of those other countries or just Canada being Canada.¡± ¡°Wait, what does that mean?¡± Kitty looked between us, confused. I decided to copy one of the catchphrases of an old friend of mine. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you said that,¡± the young girl said. Logan took a sniff of the bullet, frowning. ¡°All well and good to use normal tracking skills. But from here on out, it¡¯s up to me I think. The guy they''re pursuing. He¡¯s good. Almost as good as me. Reminds me of Sabertooth.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t bode well.¡± ¡°Like, tell me about it!¡± Logan tossed the bullet aside and started walking. ¡°This way. Come on.¡± We moved in his wake, quick, but not running. Just staying on the move. Kitty started to run towards a tree, but I pulled at her arm to make her dodge it rather than run through it. ¡°Hey, what gives?¡± ¡°Does going through things cost energy?¡± I asked pointedly. She nodded, though she still looked confused. ¡°Then save it. We might need your powers later. Better that you¡¯ve got a full tank.¡± As we continued, I stared out at the forest. Miles of woods. Hundreds of them. Rivers, animals, snow, trees, all hiding secrets. I don¡¯t think Kitty had really registered what it meant to find bullets in the woods. They weren¡¯t just pursuing this guy. They were trying to kill him. Thing was, were we trying to help him? Or did he need to be taken down too? I reached for the Omnitrix and flipped through the playlist of aliens. Speed. I¡¯d need speed.
Kulan Gath Within AIM, the thin and wrinkled man wearing a suit watched next to Lyle Getz as a group of men manipulated the cameras before them. Footage of soldiers moving in formation, holding guns, the cameras either flying on drones or attached to helmets. ¡°In some ways, technology is both inferior and superior to the magic available to me,¡± Kulan mused. ¡°How so?¡± Lyle asked curiously. ¡°I can understand both perspectives, but I wish to hear your thoughts first.¡± ¡°Ah, a true intellectual,¡± Kulan felt a hint of amusement . Lyle Getz was an idiot. But better than most Kulan had to contend with. ¡°Magic allows me to unleash the forces of the elements. Few are the men who can match me. Even your modern guns cannot match them. And yet, for my single august self, you can arm thousands of soldiers with those wonderful toys.¡± He continued. ¡°My spells let me not only see across the world, but to project my astral self so I may feel, smell, even affect things from miles away. But your cameras allow you dozens of different perspectives, perfect recordings, and continuing advancements to the clarity, right down to thermal imaging!¡± Kulan didn¡¯t hide his enthusiasm. ¡°Oh yes. My powers are truly formidable. But I would be a fool to discount the lessons of this new world''s great gifts.¡± ¡°That is good to hear. For a moment, I believed you thought me to be an idiot. Though, I suppose you still do.¡± Kulan froze. He turned to stare at Lyle. The scientist didn¡¯t look at him, merely watched the screens. ¡°I¡¯m simply making an observation, Mr. Gath. Based on my interactions with you, I know you are far more familiar with this man than you led me to believe. In fact, he is your enemy. You kept this from me. I assume it¡¯s because any information you share with us may reveal your true goals, even your weaknesses. Which leads me to believe you do not have our best interests at heart.¡± ¡°...And?¡± ¡°And nothing, Mr. Gath. After all, I cannot pretend I have your own best interests at heart. I am content to allow you to use us. As long as it is understood we are using you in turn.¡± ¡°How amusing. What exactly do you believe I can offer you, if I am as duplicitous as you say?¡± ¡°The keys to the kingdom. This is a world of monsters, myths, and super-science. AIM will not lose its traction. Not after its previous failure. We will become greater than ever before. If I must shake the hand of the devil, it will be worth it when we strike at the gods. At that moment, Kulan¡¯s estimation of Lyle Getz rose. ¡°Strike at the gods. It makes this old sorcerer laugh, to know that blasphemies such as that are considered possibilities.¡± Getz looked him in the eyes for the first time. Gath felt his heart swell at what he saw. Desperation. Madness. And pure obsession. How beautiful. ¡°I¡¯ve seen gods bleed, Mr. Gath. I know they can be killed as well. AIM can rise higher than them one day. I plan to make that happen. Now. This man we¡¯re hunting. How is he doing as much damage as this with nothing but a sword?¡± At that, Gath¡¯s new admiration of Getz turned into annoyance and rage towards their shared adversary. ¡°If I knew that, I¡¯d have killed him long ago.¡± ¡°Fair enou- Wait!¡± Lyle snapped his hand at one of the cameras. ¡°Who is that?¡± The camera froze on the woods. There, Kulan and Lyle could see a single glowing symbol on an arm moving through the trees. ¡°Omnitrix,¡± Lyle hissed. ¡°Dial,¡± Kulan smiled. ¡°Now that is interesting. What is he doing here?¡± ¡°No clue. We wouldn¡¯t have known if that thing wasn¡¯t glowing!¡± Lyle pressed a button on his watch. ¡°All teams, avoid contact with Dial.¡± ¡°Are you afraid of him?¡± Kulan asked mildly. ¡°Yes.¡± Kulan smirked. ¡°I am no fool, Gath. So far, every enterprise Dial has encountered has gotten shut down. He can turn into Godzilla damnit!¡± ¡°Is that supposed to mean something to me?¡± To Gath¡¯s annoyance, Getz ignored him. Gath watched him continue coordinating his forces. As he did, he stroked his chin. He¡¯d already seen Dial in action. But perhaps¡­ ¡°Oh Dr. Getz?¡± Gath asked, his voice sweet as sugar. ¡°I believe I may be able to offer some assistance?¡± Lyle looked over at him. The scientist and the sorcerer met eyes. Lyle finally nodded. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°A cow will do. This summoning will require a sacrifice. Hahahaha!¡± It was time to see how the Omnitrix dealt with magic. After all, Kulan was learning quite a bit about science. Now for an experiment or two. 7: The Future King I hopped up into a tree, looking out over the landscape. ¡°This guy¡¯s range is pretty damn impressive,¡± I mumbled into the Omnitrix. ¡°More like crazy,¡± Kitty complained in my ear. I could see her at the bottom of the tree, looking up at me. ¡°This guy really hunts across 20 acres? Is that normal?¡± ¡°Not usually,¡± Logan said back. I couldn¡¯t see him, which probably meant he was doing all right. ¡°Most hunters range around only 10 acres in the modern day.¡± ¡°Modern?¡± I asked, noting that choice of language. ¡°I¡¯m starting to have doubts about this guy. I found arrows. Flint and wood.¡± Someone landed behind me. I jumped and turned quickly, only to sigh a bit at the sight of Logan. We both dropped down from the tree, landing next to Kitty. ¡°He smells like animal skins along with everything else. But all the modern smells; Smog, plastic and such. They¡¯re new on him.¡± ¡°New?¡± My mind raced through the list of characters I knew in Marvel who might fit the bill. ¡°Maybe this is a caveman.¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± Kitty asked skeptically. ¡°Only a bit. Literally anything is possible, but that just means we take in evidence without bias, not that we assume things offhand,¡± I rubbed the back of my neck, sighing. ¡°Still¡­ who is this guy? And who are the people after him?¡± Logan spoke softly. ¡°No idea. But they¡¯re avoiding us.¡± Kitty looked around. ¡°They are?¡± ¡°Yeah. Like the damn plague. Surrounding us, but not moving in.¡± ¡°Figures,¡± I¡¯d noticed. I didn¡¯t have Logan¡¯s instincts, but I¡¯d been at this for long enough to feel when people were watching me. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving. Sooner we find this guy, the sooner we get answers. I saw something fly overhead. A drone, flying high. I choose to ignore it for now. Better to wait for my moment. The three of us moved differently. Logan practically flowed through the woods, like he was a part of it, each step landing perfectly without sound. I was less used to woods. My beat tended to have a lot more concrete and street lights, but I felt pretty good about how quiet I was. Kitty was less relaxed. She kept stepping on branches, getting leaves in her face, doing the Valley Girl equivalent of Joe Pesci cursing his head off. Finally, I had enough of that. I reached for the Omnitrix and tapped it. In a flash of light, my body shifted. I became taller and thinner, insect wings floated off my back then wrapped around me like a cloak. ¡°Big Chill.¡± ¡°Here, take my hand,¡± I said to Kitty. ¡°Ewww!¡± Kitty recoiled, staring at me. ¡°Your eyes are like, totally grody!¡± I¡¯d have rolled those same eyes if I could have. ¡°You are being too loud and clumsy. And you don¡¯t have to be. Take my hand, Shadowcat.¡± Kitty still looked grossed out. Still, she took a hold of my clawed hand. ¡°Wha-¡± I shifted to become intangible. And so did Kitty. ¡°Whoa!¡± she shivered. ¡°That feels like, so weird!¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡± She didn¡¯t feel like Ghost did. When Ghost and I had to interact intangibly, she felt like she was disconnecting from the world around her. Like touching a soap bubble made of power. It was there, but it could disappear at any moment. Big Chill felt more like a cold breeze. Cold, of course, invisible, but still there. You couldn¡¯t see the air as it blew around you, but you could feel it. It was a part of the world, rather than pulling away from it. Kitty felt like she was fuzzy. I don¡¯t know how else to explain it. She was still there, but it was like the universe couldn¡¯t quite get a hold on her. Fuzzy and hard to touch. I lifted off, floating upwards with Kitty in tow. Kitty gasped at the sensation, but otherwise closed her mouth. ¡°Come on,¡± I pulled her along, following in Logan¡¯s wake. Without thinking, I started repeating a lesson Nat had once taught me. ¡°It¡¯s fine to learn stealth, but you have natural advantages you can take advantage of. If things can¡¯t touch you, then you also avoid making noise. Noise requires interaction after all.¡± We went through a tree together. ¡°How long can you stay like this?¡± ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know? Like, a few hours? I get tired after a while,¡± Kitty said, floating over the snow. ¡°A few hours. That¡¯s perfect,¡± I mused. ¡°Anyways, next time you need to keep under the radar, don¡¯t be afraid to turn intangible. The stuff you¡¯ll run into has no problems cheating, so neither should you.¡± ¡°Run into? Like what?¡± Kitty asked curiously. That¡¯s when an arrow slammed into Logan¡¯s throat. ¡°Guh!¡± Logan fell to a knee, coughing. I pulled Kitty over to him as she screamed in horror, watching as he grabbed the arrow and ripped it out, a spray of blood following the movement. Another arrow flew at me, but I turned intangible in time, the arrow getting covered in frost as it passed through my head. ¡°Grrrrr!¡± Logan snapped, his throat healing in seconds. ¡°Cheap shot!¡± He leaped up and entered the brush. A sound filled the air. Metal on metal. ¡°Who shoots arrows at people!?¡± Kitty shouted. ¡°I know a guy,¡± I tapped the Omnitrix and shifted to Wildmutt form. I could smell Logan and one other person, the person we¡¯d been tracking. I leaped for them, reaching the pair. Through Wildmutt¡¯s superpowered senses, I could tell the man was tall. A giant of a man really, around Thor¡¯s height. He was wearing a deer hide as a cloak with wolf fur trimming his arms and legs, but was otherwise nearly naked, his body running hotter than most people. He had a sword in each hand, one of which had been sliced in half by Logan¡¯s adamantium claws. Apparently he¡¯d learned his lesson though, because he parried the claws instead of meeting them head on now, dodging when he could, and sliced into Logan several times. I kept quiet as I lunged at him, trying to catch him off guard. I don¡¯t know how he sensed me. But as I was about to hit him, he spun around and stabbed me in the chest, kicking me back moments later. ¡°RARRGH!¡± Gaaaah, that hurt. Getting stabbed in the chest hurts no matter how many times it happens or whatever form you¡¯re in. You don¡¯t get used to that shit. Logan rushed in. His right claws whistled through the air, barely missing. The large man retaliated with a stab, which Logan took in the shoulder, trading it for a chance to kick his leg. The man rolled as his leg left the ground, swords slicing out to parry Logan¡¯s follow up. Then the two stood in front of each other and began moving at top speed. In Wildmutt form, I couldn¡¯t see it, but the sounds of the clash was clear as day to me. Metal ringing over and over, painting the world in vibrating air, bits of heat as swords and claws clashed, the breathing of the two men going fast and hard, sending clouds of warmth into the warm Canadian air. The smell of sweat and blood mingling with the muddy snow flying up around their feet. Both of them moved faster than anyone not on super-soldier serum should have been able to, bouncing back and forth. Cuts flashed across Logan¡¯s body, healing near instantly. The man got similar wounds, but ignored them, focusing on the battle. The man slashed downward at Logan. Logan blocked it with his forearm. The blade sliced through his flesh and stopped with a metallic clang that surprised the barbarian. Logan smirked. ¡°Metal bones don¡¯t break.¡± ¡°Get away from him!¡± Kitty threw a rock. The giant man slashed it out of the air without looking and continued his duel with Logan. She then surprised me by rushing in and throwing the most clumsy punch I¡¯d ever seen. It landed on his cheek. He didn¡¯t flinch. He did, however, lose the hood that had been covering his face when her hand caught on it and pulled. I was getting up, covering the hole in my chest, but I almost froze at the sight of Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a headband, with tanner skin, and much more youthful than the former California governor. But close enough that all three of us stared in surprise. He took his chance to let loose a casual backhand towards Kitty. I knew what he expected. To send her flying, then continue his fight with Logan. He stumbled when his giant fist flew through her with no resistance. Kitty screamed and punched him again, surprising him further. Logan and I moved at the same time. I tapped the Omnitrix while Logan rushed him. I still got there first. ¡°Fasttrack!¡± at super-speed, I punched Conan (Because who else could this barbarian with swords and an action star¡¯s face be?) in ribs, shifting to let Logan slash at him as I ripped a sword from his right hand. Conan roared in rage, as loud as any animal, and parried Logan again. I took the sword in hand and swung with superhuman speed, slicing off his cloak. Conan¡¯s eyes widened. Then they closed. When I swung again, he parried it. Despite my superspeed. Holy shit. ¡°Logan, back up!¡± I shouted. ¡°Are you kidding, brat!?¡± Logan snarled. ¡°This guy doesn¡¯t have guns!¡± I answered. He understood instantly. If we were surrounded by enemies, then Logan would be the one who could detect them first. Reluctantly, Logan backed off. I twirled my stolen sword and rushed Conan. He rushed back. And just like that, I was in another sword fight. Conan was good. Scratch that. He was the best I¡¯d ever dueled. Natasha, Melinda May, Clint, they would have been in for the fight of their lives. The closest I¡¯d ever fought that compared to him was Thor. Thor. The 1500 year old warrior, who had fought everything possible to fight. Conan was almost as good as him. In Fasttrack form, with my blue fur getting bits of snow in it, I could match and surpass him, but I felt admiration fill me at the sight of his swordsmanship. He adjusted to my speed by slowing down, not trying to overwhelm me like he had Logan, but instead flowing with me, eyes taking in my whole body. Sparks flew with every blow, the swords in our hands shaking on every contact. I felt bad for what I did next, but I didn¡¯t have time to waste on admiring his swordsmanship. Conan raised his blade to slash at my neck, and I stopped holding back. Fasttrack was not as fast as XLR8, but he was still insanely quick. If I gave Conan enough time, he might be able to counter him, clever and skilled opponents could do it. Couldn¡¯t give him that time though. I ducked under his slash then bashed his sword with mine with all the strength and speed I had, knocking the blade from his hand. Then I swung my own sword so the blade was placed against Conan¡¯s neck, tickling his adam¡¯s apple with the point. A small amount of blood came from the point. Conan stared at me. Then he spoke. And I couldn¡¯t understand it. I stared at him, uncomprehending. Since I¡¯d gotten to the Marvel Earth, the only time I¡¯d had trouble with language had been when the Omnitrix had shut down. Conan said something else, trying a different language. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°What¡¯d he say?¡± Kitty asked, confused. ¡°I have no clue.¡± ¡°...haf na clo.¡± Conan mumbled, repeating the words thoughtfully. I backed away from him and tossed his sword back to him. Conan¡¯s eyes widened, catching the blade with ease. Then I tapped the Omnitrix. In a flash, I was back in human form again. He didn¡¯t seem that put off by my transformation, only raising an intrigued eyebrow. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Logan asked me, snarling. Conan clenched and unclenched the blade. ¡°Conan.¡± I said. The man in question now looked truly surprised. I pointed at myself. ¡°Dial. Logan. Kitty.¡± He watched me point at each of them. Then he said something else. Gibberish. The Omnitrix fluttered with colors on my wrist. Conan added something. ¡°-manner of demon?¡± ¡°Not demons,¡± I said. I raised my Omnitrix up. ¡°You have swords. But in this world, weapons have evolved a good amount.¡± ¡°You speak good now?¡± Conan¡¯s voice was deep as hell. He twirled his sword, not sheathing it just yet. His speech was also not what I expected. He sounded like the Heavy from Team Fortress. Slow, deep, using simple words. Like the Omnitrix was having trouble translating him. Conan wasn¡¯t dumb. For his time period, he was a fucking Renaissance man. I had to remind myself of that as his speech was butchered to pieces. ¡°Weapons. Hmf! Weapons like coward. Sneak knife, metal bone, ghostly wench and beast men. You are sorcerer?¡± ¡°I know your legends, Conan. Are any of those things you haven¡¯t encountered before?¡± I asked. ¡°...No metal bones. You say not demons. Then what?¡± ¡°Superheroes. Which kind of makes us weirder than demons,¡± I tried to joke. He didn¡¯t seem to get it, only scowling. ¡°Look, we aren¡¯t with those guys who were tracking you.¡± ¡°The worthless ones?¡± Conan cocked his eyebrow. He had inky-black hair I noticed, something that further separated him from Ahnold. ¡°Hmmm.¡± That was a growl. A deep and rumbling one. Okay, so he was pissed. ¡°What want then?¡± He pointed at me harshly. ¡°Honestly, to get you out of trouble. You aren¡¯t supposed to be here.¡± That was an understatement. The Hyborian Age was what, 10,000 years ago? Further? Had he been left here because of the Rio Timequake? ¡°Who is this guy?¡± Kitty asked. ¡°A man from an age way before ours,¡± I walked over to the sword on the ground and picked it up, noting where Logan had sliced through it. When I handed it to Conan, he put it away without looking. ¡°...Hmf,¡± he turned and began to walk away. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked. ¡°Away. Leave me.¡± Conan growled, continuing on. ¡°So you can keep getting hunted by assholes?¡± He seemed surprised by the last word, stopping to chuckle. ¡°Funny, beast-man. I Conan. Need no one.¡± Logan frowned. He sniffed the air. ¡°Whatever the hell you two are talking about. Stow it. We got company.¡± I felt a run of frustration fill me. God fucking damnit, I had to get him out. I had no time to waste on this. Whoever was tracking him, they¡¯d cause trouble- Magic. It was in the air. Sudden and rushing. I was no wizard, but time with Fantasma had gotten me used to the sting of it in the air. Magic had different flavors from person to person. My favorite witch girl had a different feel from Wanda¡¯s more chaotic or Agatha¡¯s ancient and controlled versions of magic, for example. This magic felt like a baby being strangled. It was horrific. Poisonous. And it covered us all. Conan snarled, looking around. ¡°Sorcery!¡± Logan was looking around as well, though more confused than anything. Kitty shivered, grabbing at her arms. ¡°Like, what is that?¡± ¡°Magic,¡± I reached for the omnitrix, looking around with wide eyes. ¡°Logan-¡± It came from beneath me. A claw of pure ice separating the snow as it reached for my crotch with lacerating spikes. I leaped back, screaming a bit higher pitched than normal when the claws caught briefly on the armor protecting me. I slammed down on the Omnitrix. ¡°NRG!¡± In my armored form, I grabbed the claw and ripped it upwards. The creature was around four feet in height. It was made entirely of spiky ice except for its green eyes, the two wings on its back giving it the appearance of an imp. ¡°Mephit!¡± Conan snarled. The creature screeched, breathing pure ice onto my helmet. So I breathed nuclear radiation into its face.The creature didn¡¯t have enough time to respond before its grinning demon head melted. Then the earth snapped up beneath me, another creature, this one made of dirt and stone, punching me, followed by gunshots. ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± Logan extended his claws and went to rush forward. Only to trip as the ground beneath him began to soften, pulling him under. ¡°Crap!¡± ¡°AH!¡± Kitty screamed when another earth imp looking thing rose up and swung at her, getting nothing. She grabbed Logan and pulled him out of the mudlike-earth, letting go of him once he was out. ¡°Thanks, pipsqueak!¡± Logan dug his claws into the imp and ripped it in half, taking several shots in the back with spurts of blood. He rushed for where the bullets had been shooting at him from, leaping into the woods. I grabbed my own earth imp by the shoulders and pulled, ripping its arms off before twirling them to beat the creature to rubble with its own limbs. Then ice covered me instantly, keeping me in place. I couldn¡¯t see it, since I was frozen, but behind me Kitty yelled out again, rushing towards Conan. The quintessential barbarian had circled around me, using me as cover from the bullets bouncing off my new icy prison, only for a water imp to flow out of the snow and soak him in a blast of fluid. He sliced through the attack, removing the lethal aspect of the attack but covering him with water. In the middle of the snow. I raised my temperature, exploding from the ice around me as Kitty passed me and blasted the water imp, evaporating it in clouds of steam. I tried to keep my radiation contained while my heat was high, a trick I¡¯d practiced with Bruce, and Conan sighed in relief at the rush of heat that filled the area. ¡°What are these things!?¡± Kitty shouted, letting an ice one''s claws go through her before pushing it back, Conan smashing it apart with his sword. ¡°Conan, give me info, comrade!¡± I shouted in NRG¡¯s Russian accented tones. ¡°Mephit! Spirit of nature they are!¡± That fit. We were surrounded by them. Ice, earth, air, water, imps of various types. Or mephits, I guess. A rock smashed into me, hard enough to send me stumbling back. Then ice surrounded me as a ball of wind hit Conan in the back. A hail of bullets from the treeline was concerning as well, Logan¡¯s rage filled voice coming from that direction. The bullets went through Kitty, nearly took Conan¡¯s head off, and smashed apart an earth imp. This was too much. We had to deal with the problems separately. ¡°Kitty, get Conan to Logan!¡± I shouted. ¡°Conan, shut down the honorless ones!¡± Conan took in the sight around us, then growled and nodded. Thank god he wasn¡¯t dumb. Logan and he could easily deal with the gunmen. But the mephits, whatever they were, required a more powerful touch. Kitty grabbed Conan and pulled him, only for the giant of a man to spin her around and take her into his arms. ¡°Eep! Like, what are you doing, you creep-AHHHH!¡± Conan took off, running faster than anyone I¡¯d ever seen who wasn¡¯t on super-soldier juice, rushing past the monsters without care. He adjusted fast, that was for sure. ¡°Now,¡± I raised my fists, the armor around them beginning to glow with red hot power. The mephits around me screeched and charged. ¡°Let us party, comrades!¡± The demonic forces of nature rushed me. I ran forth and unleashed all the power within me on contact with an earth mephit, exploding in radiative power. My fist split the air before exploding inside a water golem. Then I was dogpiled. I punched, grappled, blew fire, as the dozens of mephits clawed, blew various types of breath at me, and screeched. ¡°Yes, cry some more!¡±
Kulan Gath ¡°Cry some more,¡± Kulan shook his head, chuckling. ¡°A man after my own heart.¡± On a television screen in the small room he¡¯d been given, footage of Dial fighting the mephits was playing live. Kulan hummed to himself. He raised a hand to his beard, only to stop himself. ¡°Oh, that would have been embarrassing. His hand was still covered in blood. Getting that in his beard was a sticky endeavor to clean. Kulan looked over at the calf he had been cutting into. Still a babe in truth, the living creature was bleating weakly with its entrails spread out across the floor. Its pain, youth, and blood were all feeding into the entrails arranged into ancient patterns across the concrete, bringing forth the neutral spirits of the elements and binding them to Kulan¡¯s will. Kulan idly kicked the calf, trying to feed just a bit more pain into the spell, but otherwise smiled. This was good. His powers were, if anything, more potent than ever. Perhaps because his particular brand of magic had less users in this world. The ¡®pool¡¯ he drank from had less competition. And summoning the mephits would prove to be immensely useful. The elemental spirits were neutral, but easily binded to a sorcerer who knew what they were doing. Enough of them could cause damage, distract, and use subterfuge. They had weaknesses. They could only be formed from their environments. Thus why Dial was only fighting spirits of ice, earth, air, and water. In the right settings, lighting, fire, and much more could be added. Still, as a beginning test, Kulan was satisfied¡­ Except. Conan. On the screen, Kulan watched as Conan approached a soldier, the barbarian savage slicing into the armored man¡¯s throat. Conan. Always Conan. Kulan believed in Crom. How else could a barbarian somehow overcome odds over and over again, if not with the aid of a god¡¯s strength? Conan was no superhuman. He was skilled, strong, but he had no true power. And yet, he survived. He won. Over and over again. Pain in his palms drew his attention. When Kulan looked, he had driven his pointed nails into his own hands. Kulan relished in the pain for a moment, allowing it to bring him back to reality. Conan would be dealt with. Dial, the Avengers¡­ and eventually, even AIM. All would become his. Until even his benefactor would become his thrall. Kulan raised his palm, covered in the blood of the calf and his own, and licked at it idly, smiling at the screen. 8: Moving Forward June 11th, 2014 Conan the Barbarian Conan put down the witch girl once they had reached the other battle. The Cimmerian¡¯s eyes swept the field, taking in everything as a whole picture before parsing the details, a trick he had learned through many battles. Then he dived forward, swords held high. The men before him wore black clothing armored with some strange material, and carried those metal sticks that fired arrowheads without shafts. There were fifteen, two of them firing at the steel boned one. Conan landed before one of them, ducked under his aimed weapon, and sliced into his gut, just under the black material the man wore as armor. His sword ripped through cloth and flesh, entrails steaming as they met the cold air. The man screamed, only cut off by Conan¡¯s other blade slamming into his throat in a spray of red on the white snow. 14 men now. 12, since the steel-boned one had torn into two others with those sneak knives of his. In truth, he preferred this battlefield to the one he had left behind. While the honorless warriors here fought with strange sticks that blasted thunder and released hyperfast beads of iron, at the end of the day they were the same as any archer. Stay out of the way of the arrow, and you would not be struck. Mephits, while something he was familiar with, sat firmly in the realm of things Conan was wary of. Lesser spirits they are, but Conan felt more comfortable fighting men of flesh and blood than he did those elementals. Let the shapeshifting demon deal with those. Conan had blood of his own to spill. But not alone. As he approached the next soldier, he ended up with the steel-boned man at his back. He ignored him, focusing on his opponent. Dodge from the path of the soldier''s weapon as his hand tightened around the trigger. Swing his sword at the man''s fingers, slicing them off. Followed with a stab to the throat, twisting as he pulled out. The steel-boned one landed in front of Conan, taking a hail of arrowheads into his chest. Rather than dying, he roared, a true roar, a sound that reverberated in the air and sang to Conan¡¯s warrior blood. The short man charged forth, biceps and forearms bulging as he stabbed deep into the soldier, slashing upwards in a bloody spray that curled in the air. Conan moved to cover the other man¡¯s back, only to shudder when the witch-girl passed through his chest. She ran through the steel-boned one as well, before landing a clumsy punch to the face of one shocked soldier. Another more prepared soldier shot the girl in the face. She yelped, ducking back despite not getting harmed in any way. What a useful ability. Conan sliced the man who had shot the girl, metal passing through his elbow and sending his forearm flying through the air. The man screamed before a trio of unnaturally sharp blades impaled his face. Conan looked around. There had been 12. Now there were nine. Very well. The barbarian and the steel-boned man rushed forth. The witch-girl followed.
Mahmoud Schahed/Dial Thank god Conan, Logan, and Kitty were far away. I didn¡¯t want to risk irradiating them. Sure, Logan could take it and maybe Kitty¡¯s powers could protect her, but still! I didn¡¯t want to give anyone cancer or worse. I took a moment to enjoy the irony. These creatures of magic, the power of the ancient world, fighting a being of radiation, the power of the modern world. I discarded the thought to focus on the fight. There were dozens of mephits, as Conan had called them. They had a bevy of abilities. Earth ones dived into the ground before showing up again, while ice and water ones could do the same with snow. The earth ones were also physically strong, hitting me not just with stone projectiles from their mouths but with rocky fists. Air mephits were the most elusive, constantly hitting me from just out of range with balls of air with similar force to a punch from Nat. So to counter most of it, I unleashed the heat of my body in full. Radiation blew from my hands and feet, surrounding me in an aura of nuclear energy. Only the earth golems could approach me without just evaporating after a few moments in my vicinity. I slammed those with punches, full body slams, grabbing one by the face and melting it with a palmful of fire. The other mephits got blasts of poisonous fire. I fired them carefully, aiming away from the battlefield where Conan, Logan, and Kitty were at. Some mephits tried to head over there. I ignored a bolt of ice that hit me in the back, instead smashing my hands into the ground. In front of the mephits trying to head for the others, a volcano of pure radiation exploded upwards, molten rock flowing back towards us and cutting off the other battlefield. With that, I went back into the fight. This battle was worrying. The mephits weren¡¯t very tough compared to NRG. Compared to a lot of aliens, really. But for a normal army they would have turned most battles into a massacre. I could cook the air ones with my radiation, but they were able to shift to be almost as intangible as Kitty, then come back with claws of pure air. Earth ones could dig under the ground as though it were water, and hit as hard as a car. Ice ones could freeze things in their tracks just by passing through them. Water ones could drown a man in their bodies. To me, they were a challenge. But there were dozens of these things. Whoever had summoned them might be able to replicate that. And this was just one of the magical species. BRIDGE had to be informed. I covered myself in my aura of radiation and dived forward. The next few minutes were a blur. My fists shatter elemental heads and torsos, with more ephemeral mephits screaming as they were cooked alive either by my aura or my blasts. I felt like I was doing a real life horde mode. They were weak, compared to me, but there were so many. At points, they¡¯d dogpile me, covering me enough that I couldn¡¯t see anything but their bodies for a few feet. I kept punching- Kept blasting. The mud and snow turned to hardened earth as my heat cooked it, radiation soaking the ground like poison soaking into cake. The sound of mephits squealing filled the air, like a variety of guitar strings being abused, cut, and oiled. The noises were grating. My armor ringing with hits, the squeals of the creatures, claws scratching at me¡­ ¡°Otyebis ot menya!¡± I finally roared. I ripped open the helmet of my armor up and the real NRG came out. The Mmphits died. They died merely by being next to me. I didn¡¯t hold back beyond the bare minimum to keep my radiation to my own battlefield. Earth, snow, air, and water spirits burned. In the form of pure fire, I flew forth, passing through spirits and leaving burning holes in my wake before they dissipated. The ground cracked and split under the heat. And the mephits all around began to fall apart. I flew through a couple more, but stopped when I realized they were all simply fading away. One, an ice one still melting, grinning. For a moment, its eyes were¡­ not alive. You couldn¡¯t call something with those eyes alive. I felt, for a moment, like I was meeting the gaze of a shark. An ancient apex predator. Then the look faded. The ice spirit melted and the battlefield was empty. And chock full of radiation. ¡°...This is big problem,¡± I said, crossing arms of radioactive flame. I flew over to my armor and hopped into it. After the hood was closed, I began absorbing the radiation, cleaning it as much as I could. I also sent a signal out through the Omnitrix. Time to get out of here.
Conan The Barbarian ¡°They¡¯re pulling back!¡± Conan roared at the short man fighting alongside him. He swung his sword in a downward arc, cutting off an arm, then stabbing with his other sword. The man said something in that strange language of his, but his tone sounded like agreement as he sliced through the weapon of a soldier. As well as his armor, trisecting the man in three pieces. Conan felt some envy for those blades. They seemed to cut through anything with ease. Other blades, armor, those metal weapons. To have a sword of quality similar to those sneak knives. More soldiers shouted in the distance. They began to back up. Conan, to his frustration, took cover behind the smaller man. While the other man was smaller, Conan had seen him heal in mere moments without a scratch, while those arrowheads bounced off of his metal skeleton. It galled Conan, to take cover. It was why he called these soldiers honorless. None of them were willing to fight like godsdamned men. They attacked from afar, shooting at him in cover, surrounding him in numbers. If he was not Conan the Cimmerian, he would have been dead long ago. A head popped up from the ground next to him. The witch-girl. The brown-haired girl had used her powers to sink into the earth as though it were a pond. A few soldiers had been pulled into the ground as well, their upper bodies wiggling as they tried to escape. She said something to the short man. The steel-boned man scowled and nodded, then looked up at the sky, ignoring a bullet that bounced with a ¡®spang!¡¯ off his chin. Conan kept his eyes on the treeline, watching as the soldiers retreated. Then the wind picked up. Conan raised his gaze and scowled. A flying machine. Conan had seen a few since coming to this strange land. Metal constructs that flew faster than any horse, falcon or dragon. This one was different from ones he¡¯d seen, birdlike but with those twisting blades built into the wings. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Hn,¡± Conan spat to the side, ignoring the witch-girl watching him in disgust. ¡°Atlantean trickery.¡± The flying machine twisted so its buttocks faced them. The buttocks opened to reveal a hole. Like a castle dropping a drawbridge. Inside, the shapeshifter stood, holding one of those weapons. ¡°Inside, now!¡± the man called in a butchered version of Conan¡¯s tongue. Still, he made himself understood. Conan leaped upwards, landing inside, the steel-boned man and the witch-girl following. ¡°Going, going now,¡± the shapeshifter said, running to the front of the machine. The door shut behind them as Conan followed, stopping to watch the man sit in front of a set of windows. Ah. A saddle for the machine then. A comfortable looking one, with pillows across it. So the many buttons and sticks were the reins. ¡°Conan, sit!¡± the man shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t order me around,¡± Conan grumbled. Still, he listened. He sat down. The shapeshifter flicked some buttons. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAGH!¡± Conan screamed when they suddenly zipped off. ¡°Crom!¡± ¡°Wooo!¡± the witch-girl shouted. The short man spoke calmly, as though they weren¡¯t moving at demonic speeds. The shapeshifter nodded. ¡°First, drop off both you. Then, take Conan safe after. Bridge see him.¡± Both you? Safe after? His grasp of grammar was atrocious. And how could a bridge see Conan? Conan the Barbarian grimaced, holding tight to his seat, looking at the shapeshifter. ¡°Explain. Now.¡±
Lyle Getz Escaped. They¡¯d made it out. Of course they had. Dial was a goddamn Avenger. He had no idea who that girl and man with him were, but they¡¯d displayed impressive abilities of their own. Damn BRIDGE, for somehow managing to consistently pull in superhumans. Well. He¡¯d have his own soon enough. Lyle sat at his desk, staring hard at his computer. This. This was good, in some ways. They had more raw data on the Omnitrix now. They¡¯d gotten some pings on the network whenever Dial transformed. They knew about two more assets of BRIDGE. And Kulan Gath¡­ No. That last one worried him more than anything. Kulan had, with the sacrifice of a calf, summoned dozens of elemental spirits. Creature of air, earth, and water. They had barely scratched Dial. They would have annihilated most soldiers. Kulan was not on AIM¡¯s side. Lyle repeated those words over and over like a prayer for a moment. Then a message came in. He opened it. ¡°...The Benefactor,¡± Lyle mumbled. The mysterious person providing all their new advancements. They¡¯d passed on something new. Something¡­ Three, maybe four months. He could build this. They just needed to gather some tech, make some chemicals. And then. Well. Kulan Gath would be a footnote.
Mahmoud Schahed/Dial ¡°Explain. Now.¡± A voice like stone rumbling down a mountain peak echoed. I looked over at Conan. The man looked almost comical, holding onto his seat as the ship rocketed forward. Almost. He was still a 6+ foot man covered in muscle and radiating power. As well as irritation. Lots of that last one. ¡°What¡¯s Schwarzenegger asking?¡± Logan said. ¡°Thaaaat¡¯s who he looks like!¡± Kitty said. ¡°That old movie actor, the funny one.¡± Logan and I stared at her. She stared back. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Old?¡± I said, feeling a deep pain in my soul. ¡°Yeah, from like, the 90s. He was in that movie where he wanted to get a superhero toy for his son?¡± Kitty looked closer at Conan, who leaned back from her. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s like, totally crazy.¡± ¡°...Kitty, have you seen Terminator? Or Commando?¡± ¡°No. Those movies are like, ancient and grody!¡± Oh dear lord, save me from Cali teens¡­ Wait, I was a Cali teen once. Valley Kids then, save me from Valley Kids. I pushed back the inner nerd rage. ¡°Okay, well. I¡¯m guessing Conan here is an ancestor of Schwarzenegger. Thus why he looks like him.¡± ¡°An ancestor?¡± Conan frowned. ¡°Hm. Home, I return to.¡± He said that with some small smidgen of relief. That was a good point. Conan being here was part of a whole bevy of problems. ¡°...Okay,¡± I hit autopilot. The ship began to guide itself towards the X-Mansion. As it did that, I brought up comms and texted a message to Maria, Agatha, and Thor. Agatha likely wouldn¡¯t answer, but she did keep a smartphone to keep in touch. ¡°Conan, I¡¯m going to give a brief breakdown of the last¡­ Ten thousand years? No, let me actually start with my theory on how you got here. It all started in a place called Rio de Janeiro.¡± As I spoke, the back of my mind was focused on the implications of everything else. Conan in the modern age was somewhat normal. We were used to it. But those paramilitary guys and the mephits? Marvel Canada would never stop with its bullshit. Meme or not, it was true this time. I broke the news to Conan. As I did, I wanted to sigh. I just needed a break. A nice long break where nothing happened to me beyond the usual routine¡­
July 19th, 2014 High above the Earth, the International Space Station, known by many as the ISS, floated peacefully, orbiting the planet below. The astronauts within were simply enjoying the moments before a quick lunch. Experimenting, studying, doing some light exercise. Since aliens had proven to be real, the ISS had become busier than ever. Hundreds of scans, experiments, and hours of surveillance footage, all done from there. It was quiet despite the business. Peaceful. Until there was a knock at the door. A knock. At the airlock door. In space. The astronauts, one woman and two men, shared a look of horror. ¡°...Uh-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± one of the men, Victor, shook his head, his dark bald head shining in the light. ¡°I¡¯ve had nightmares about this kinda shit.¡± ¡°And yet, you became an astronaut anyway,¡± the woman, Wang, snarked, just a hint of a Mandarin accent to her voice. ¡°You know how many people want to date astronauts?¡± The other, paler, man, Douglas, leaned to look out the window. ¡°Uh. It¡¯s one of ours. I think.¡± Wang looked out, Victor following. The three looked out. A blue-gray ship. But one out of science fiction. It was huge, the size of a large house, shaped like a disc with a main body and two structures on the sides. A large gun rested on the top. More importantly, three symbols rested on it, on each structure and one more on the top. A BRIDGE eagle. An Avengers logo. And a large number 42. Under the number was a name. The Defiant Reborn. The ship had an airlock tunnel extended out to attach to theirs. Lights shone across the ship. And another knock came. A series of them. Victor hummed to the tune of the knocks. ¡°Shave and a haircut¡­ two bits.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna say they¡¯re human,¡± Wang said just before the doors slid open on their own. Behind them, the famous face of Dial grinned. ¡°Ola, astronauts. We brought lunch and a gravity field. Wanna partake?¡± The astronauts shared a look. Victor was shocked. Douglas pinched himself. And Wang stared at Dial. ¡°Um¡­ are you real?¡± she finally said. Dial¡¯s smile fell. ¡°Wait, did you guys not get a message about this?¡± Just then, a large man with short shorn hair came floating around the corner. Alexander, a large bald man, with a wide grin on his face. He spoke in a German accent. ¡°My friends, we are going to have vis-¡± He stopped. ¡°Oh, you are here already!¡± Dial nodded. ¡°Yep. And I brought gifts.¡± ¡°Wunderbar!¡± Alexander said in excitement, the German man floated over to Dial, landing heavily when he entered the airlock. Right. Gravity field. After some hesitation, the other three followed.
The inside of the ship was huge. Well, compared to the ISS. It had more in common with ships from Star Trek. Large halls big enough to walk through with head room. After so long in the comparatively cramped ISS, it was a relief. Took time to get used to the gravity though. After months in space, the astronauts had to get their earth legs. Just beyond the airlock, a pair of heavy metal doors slid open, a glowing pair of turrets in the ceiling tracking their movements. Past those, a locker room rested, filled with weapons, armor, breathing equipment, and small packets labeled MRE¡¯s. ¡°What is all this?¡± Wang asked, trying to understand what was going on. ¡°The Avengers built a spaceship?¡± ¡°Correction. Tony Stark and a team of scientists built a spaceship. For legal reasons, this belongs to me as a private vessel.¡± ¡°Because of that registration crap?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Registration?¡± Alexander said. ¡°Don¡¯t get me started,¡± Dial said. ¡°Anyways, we needed to take a flight test, and a little birdy named Chris said you guys might enjoy a fresh meal.¡± ¡°Hadfield?¡± Douglas barked out a laugh. ¡°That man is way too nice.¡± They entered a kitchen and dining room. An actual one. With food. Tons and tons of food. ¡°Dig in! Got all your favorites! Pizza, Chinese, pies, chicken wings-¡± The four astronauts were already digging in. Food. Non-dehydrated, fresh, nice smelling food! Dial smiled, turning and leaving the group to eat. Wang looked around briefly with pizza in her mouth, swallowing. ¡°You think we can get one of these?¡± ¡°God I hope so.¡± With a whole army of questions ahead of them, they focused on food for now. Later they could interrogate the superhero. For now, the chicken wings were calling. 9: Dials Travel Agent July 19th, 2014 Mahmoud Schahed/Dial The Defiant was done. And it was beautiful. It wasn¡¯t the first ship we made. Not even the second really. We¡¯d put out work into other vehicles, modifying Quinjets, testing standalone vehicles, even making Coulson a little surprise for him. But this one was mine. Every layer of the ship, overseen and modified by me. Tony, Shuri, Fitz-Simmons, a few others, had helped, but beyond that it was all me¡­ approving the changes. Hey, I could change things as Jury Rigg and Upgrade, but my human self was just mastering the basics of mechanical repair. By the time we were done, I could fix the ship if needed, but fuck me if I understood how it all worked. While Tony helped, X had backed me up with the financing. A lot of the money I got from his investments went into helping various organizations and causes, but that still left me with a nest egg. A much depleted nest egg. Literal billions had been spent on the ship. I bought vibranium from King T¡¯Chaka, and layered it in a thin alloy though the main living quarters, cockpit, and engine room. The hull was double-layered with a foam composite within made to activate on exposure to vacuum and seal any breaches. The cockpit had windows made of something Fitz explained were called aluminum oxynitride. Three times as durable as steel while still transparent. If they did break, vibranium would snap into place to replace them before anyone could get sucked out. For defense, there were plasma shields, ionized particles that were trapped by electromagnetic fields. There were also catoms throughout the ship made to repair the ship on the fly in case of damage. They¡¯d immediately reshape themselves to fill any injuries. For offense, repulsor turrets, of course, on the top and bottom of the ship, with the same variable power as Tony¡¯s gear. He¡¯d made them himself, strong enough to rip through steel, but also able to go weak enough to knock someone out instead. Tony had also taken a look at the laser weapons the alien ships had used during the final battle with Hydra, and redesigned them into turret nodes. They weren¡¯t as useful as the repulsors, for a variety of reasons like not having as much mass to their hits, but they were useful to destroy debris/floating trash, and could harass enemy shields. Finally, railguns. Big honking electromagnetic railguns. They fired big chunks of various metals at immense speed. Repulsors and lasers were good. But the railguns were meant to end shit they fired at. Tony was a little disappointed with the weaponry. He wanted to put in more, like the unibeam he¡¯d been working on, but we made do for now. The ship was able to turn small asteroids into pebbles already, so I was satisfied. Inside, comfort hadn¡¯t been sacrificed. Anti-Gravity was something we could do now, copying data from the spaceships we¡¯d salvaged. It took some testing, but Fitz had managed to implement it using research from a Dr. Franklin Hall (Thank god that whole incident had resolved itself). Now we had gravity. It could be used to increase and decrease gravity. Tony and Fitz had some ideas on how to use the same tech to increase maneuverability and speed, but that¡¯d have to be added in later. The inside of the ship also had a vertical farming and closed ecological system. With nothing but the fish and plants inside, the ship could last a full 3 years feeding and giving oxygen even without the air scrubbers. Probably more with Swampfire around. Finally, the Garden. Fancy name for the ¡®kitchen¡¯. Beyond normal cooking, it had a machine made by Jury Rigg that could take the base components of biological material to make basic bars of food or even full dishes. It sometimes fired the food out like a bullet, or gave them very bizarre tastes (Iron flecked with pine needles was one), but I couldn¡¯t do anything about that. Beyond that, the works. Comfy beds, sofas, and hard drives full of as much music, movies, television, images of art, mathematical equations, philosophical learning, books. When we encountered other species, they¡¯d learn about us in full. Good and bad. Because yes, Twilight was in the hard drives. Ugh. On the bottom floor of the ship, underneath the living quarters and cockpit, was the hanger bay, tech room, and prison. The hanger bay was small, only big enough to carry a single vehicle that my assigned BRIDGE liaison would be bringing in. The tech room was for X. He was designing a body for the journey, uploaded with all the data he would need, with the tech room holding enough to repair both himself and anything else we needed. It doubled for scientific analysis as well, if needed, and held several empty hard drives ready to download petabytes of data. The prison was technically called the Containment Module. Based on a design Fitz-Simmons and Bruce had created, it was a white cube-like room with glass windows, a pale-white interior, and a small bed inside. It had four rockets, one on each corner, made to be able to fly upwards into the Defiant whenever we needed it to. It was made of poly-tectic adaptive materials. No clue what those were without turning into Jury Rigg. I could basically program it to resist a variety of things. Shuri and Tony had given it an extra once over. Then I got shoved into it and told to break out. NRG couldn¡¯t burn through it, Four-Arms couldn¡¯t smash, Feedback couldn¡¯t blast, Diamondhead couldn¡¯t slice. Any alien I shifted to, they adjusted the module to take it on. I doubted it could work on everything, but it was enough for me. The ship wasn¡¯t perfect, since by definition that was impossible. But I loved it. It controlled like a dream. Taking it up to the ISS was easy enough, then I dived and ducked around the atmosphere, sometimes using the lasers to evaporate some more dangerous trash floating around the Earth. The ship was ready. I just needed a couple of people for my crew.
¡°Me?¡± Creel cocked his head to the side, amused. I¡¯d found him boxing a bit with Matt, the Daredevil and Alloy trading blows in the old Fogwell gym. Matt was listening curiously, sweating just a bit, the two of them up in the ring looking down at me while I hung on the ropes. ¡°Thought you¡¯d ask Thor or someone else first.¡± ¡°First, you were always going to be my first choice.¡± Creel grinned, placing a hand on his chest. ¡°Why Mahmoud! I¡¯m touched.¡± ¡°Asshole,¡± I grabbed a water bottle and tossed it at him, bouncing it off his head. He was unfazed even as a portion of his skin went plastic. ¡°I didn¡¯t invite you just cause I like you. Of all the Avengers, you¡¯re probably one of two that is as adaptable as me, with way more combat experience. I¡¯d love to bring 15 members along. Considering I¡¯ve only got room for a few, you¡¯re the easy choice along with my other one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in then,¡± Creel chuckled, smiling just a bit. ¡°I¡¯d be crazy to miss out on heading to outer space and fighting aliens. Well, more aliens. I mean, you guys figured out the kinks on space travel, right?¡± ¡°Yep. Granted, Tony is still making improvements. He thinks he can make a wormhole generator that will let us travel instantly between planets.¡± ¡°Like in Stargate?¡± Matt asked, befuddled. ¡°He gets all pouty when we mention that,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°But yeah. He¡¯s using some of the principles of a viewer I made that could look into other dimensions along with alien tech for it. Hopefully it doesn¡¯t break New York.¡± ¡°I hate when you say that kind of thing,¡± Matt said, worried. ¡°You sound way too cavalier about it.¡± ¡°You get used to it,¡± I looked at Creel. ¡°So, how are you gonna tell Izzy that you might have to leave Earth for weeks at a time?¡± Creel froze. I couldn¡¯t help but start laughing at the look on his face.
¡°I cannot believe you asked Creel virst!¡± Fantasma pouted, her Russian accent just a bit stronger on the last word. We walked through the Avengers Tower. ¡°We ate breakfast together!¡± ¡°I would have asked you guys at the same time, but Agatha was checking her library to see if there were any books she could give you first,¡± I explained, hands behind my head as I casually strolled behind the short witch girl. ¡°Why would that mean you couldn¡¯t ask me?¡± ¡°Because she didn¡¯t want to see you go out into space and accidently open a hole to the wrong alien hell.¡± Fantasma frowned, thinking about that. ¡°Is that possible?¡± ¡°Hell if I know. Do you know how that conversation went? First, I don¡¯t know how the fuck she found out I was going to ask you, so that¡¯s weird. Second, she turned my reflection into her image while I was naked, then acted like I was the crazy one for trying to hide from her. Then she told me she¡¯d rip the engine out of my ship if I brought you along without making sure you were safe.¡± I sighed. ¡°Seriously, as though I¡¯d ever hurt you.¡± She gave me a warm smile, before sighing. ¡°She is, how do you say? Overprotective.¡± ¡°Better than the alternative, I guess.¡± We entered the lounge area. Hulk was there in a giant robe, eating from his mega bowl of cereal while watching cartoons. Steve, Thor, Jen, and Natasha sat with him, all of them in their own robes and with their own bowls while they kicked back and watched together. Jen gave me a jaunty wave that made an involuntary smile sprout on my face. ¡°Where are you going, anyways?¡± Fantasma asked me. ¡°In the Tower, or in space?¡± ¡°Both, I suppose.¡± ¡°For the Tower I¡¯m mostly just waiting until Tony finishes with his StarkGate.¡± ¡°StarkGate?¡± ¡°He refuses to call it a Stargate,¡± I rolled my eyes. We reached the balcony, where we could look out on New York City as the sun shone down. I leaned against the railing, Fantasma doing the same in a somehow more elegant fashion. ¡°But basically it¡¯s his machine to teleport between places instantly.¡± ¡°Ahhh, yes, Stargate.¡± ¡°Right? Anyways, he¡¯s making that thing. As for space¡­ we¡¯re still deciding on that.¡± I tapped the Omnitrix, using its connection to the Avengers Tower database to bring up a digital map of the solar system. ¡°Why is it all in green?¡± Fantasma asked, poking at the asteroid belt. ¡°Still haven¡¯t figured out how to make colors on purpose,¡± I brought the map between us. ¡°So here we are, obviously. Earth. Then the solar system. From there, Jane Foster helped us use the data we stole from the alien ships, combined it with our own data, and we made this.¡± I extended the map out. And out. And out. Numbers, names, and orbs flew past, over and over, until Earth had disappeared entirely. ¡°Vo dayot¡­¡± Fantasma whispered. ¡°The number of places we can visit is kinda infinite,¡± I said, looking around. ¡°I know some places we should start with though. This planet,¡± I zoomed in one in particular. ¡°Is where the Nova Corp, an interstellar space corp, works from. We¡¯ll go there to make sure they know we aren¡¯t roaming around to cause trouble.¡± ¡°And then?¡± Fantasma asked, fascinated. ¡°Probably to visit a nebula or two. See the sights. Maybe get in trouble¡­ So. You coming?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Fantasma said, cheerfully. ¡°I cannot wait! Ah. I¡¯ll have to digitize my library, won¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Even with Anti-Gravity, every bit of weight we can drop helps.¡± ¡°Are you calling me fat?¡± ¡°I¡¯m too smart to answer that.¡± Before we could joke around anymore, Hulk called out. ¡°Dial!¡± I looked over at him. Hulk was waving me over. He looked worried. Natasha had put down her bowl and had her Black Widow face on. Thor was more interested in the TV than before, and Steve glanced at me, gesturing his head towards the TV. I walked over, Fantasma following. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± The TV was on the news now. Natasha answered without looking away. ¡°Maria told me to check the news. Said you needed to see it as well. News from Latveria.¡± ¡°Lat-¡± My eyes widened. I looked at Jen, who gained the same worry I felt. ¡°Shit.¡± I turned back to the news. An image of Latveria flashed on screen, the small nation on the borders of Serbia, Romania, and Hungary. A blonde woman took over the screen, the WHIH logo next to her name. Christine Everhart. ¡°After the death of the former ruler, King Fortunov, the new ruler has been welcomed with wide arms by the population of Latveria, despite rumors behind how he came to power. Then the screen flashed to display a castle. Hundreds of people were cheering in front of it. They were dressed in older looking clothes, patchwork and dirty in some cases. But they seemed genuinely happy. They looked as though they had woken up out of a nightmare. I could see some people holding their kids on their shoulders, a few people holding up signs cheering on the new ruler. The man himself was striding through the cheering crowd like a benevolent god. His cape flowed behind him, a pair of robots stepping to his left and right. He was tall as hell, but his build was mostly because of his armor. Grey, imposing, and powerful looking. He glanced at the cameras. A familiar visage forged of titanium looked at all of us, eyes bright with intelligence shining behind that mask. ¡°Dr. Doom.¡± I whispered. ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°How bad is this?¡± Steve asked, watching the screen. ¡°Victor Von Doom is one of the most dangerous and intelligent men in existence. If this one is as close to as intelligent, we¡¯re in trouble. If he isn¡¯t as arrogant, we¡¯re done for.¡± ¡°We have to hope our latest big bad is an arrogant jackass?¡± Jen asked snarkily. ¡°Boy, we really won the lottery with these guys.¡± I didn¡¯t answer, just watching as Doom¡¯s coronation continued. The new ruler of Latveria¡­ But this might have been an opportunity. ¡°Let¡¯s invite him over.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Natasha said, befuddled. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
¡°You want to invite a guy named DOCTOR DOOM to dinner?¡± Tony asked me, befuddled and annoyed. ¡°Probably,¡± I said, idly flipping through the Omnitrix¡¯s menu as Tony continued working on his StarkGate. The StarkGate was large enough to allow a single person to pass through, with Tony¡¯s trademark red and gold metal making up the entirety of the round portal-like device. Circles are pretty damn good in making things that will take unknown stress. Not too much weird energy focusing on one part, like a corner or something. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this guy was one of the worst villains ever?¡± Tony frowned at a part in his hand, then shrugged, tossing it aside. ¡°Potentially. Doom has nuance. And not every Doom has to be evil. Plenty of our friends are bad guys in other universes,¡± I sighed. ¡°Besides. I want to get a read on him. Doing it in Latveria is idiocy.¡± ¡°As opposed to here,¡± Tony scoffed. ¡°Did you say the guy was almost as smart as me?¡± ¡°I said ¡®as smart¡¯, not almost,¡± I teased just a bit. ¡°Impossible, I¡¯m the smartest man alive.¡± ¡°And the humblest.¡± ¡°Truly, I am burdened with wonderful virtues. Come on kid. Seriously,¡± Tony looked over at me. ¡°You think it¡¯s a good idea to bring him here?¡± I thought about it. ¡°...Here, in New York City, we have the home field advantage. All our friends, tech, and allies are close by. Doctor Doom is dangerous, but he isn¡¯t a god yet.¡± ¡°Yet?¡± I ignored his befuddled comment. ¡°We go to Latveria, we don¡¯t know what hornet''s nest we¡¯ll have to deal with. If he¡¯s anything like the other versions, he¡¯s basically you and Agatha rolled into one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a terrifying thought,¡± Tony shrugged, then installed another object into the StarkGate. ¡°Tell you what. Give us about a month. Let me get some suits together. Then we can invite the dictator over for a barbecue.¡± ¡°Hey, I wouldn¡¯t have invited him unless everyone agreed anyways,¡± I looked out the window of the lab we were in. Fantasma and Jen were talking to Simmons, the redhead giggling. Fitz was at a computer connected to the lab. He looked confused about something. ¡°So, when are you lighting this thing up?¡± ¡°Not for a few months honestly,¡± Tony shrugged. ¡°The principles it works on are a bit wonky. Analysis from the portal made in New York, the logs from the wormhole tech, studies based on gravitational stress factors, the maps we pulled from those idiot aliens, and the calculations we got from the Rio Timequake and Fishhook device.¡± ¡°How much trouble could we be in?¡± I asked him. ¡°Ah, not much. It¡¯s a portal, not a bomb.¡± ¡°Hey Tony!¡± Fitz said through the speakers in the lab. ¡°Can you take a look at these calculations?¡± Tony gave me a smirk. ¡°See what I mean? Wonky.¡± He rose to his feet and waved his hands sarcastically. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at this thing, give me your expert opinion?¡± ¡°What, you don¡¯t think I¡¯m helpful?¡± ¡°If I need friends to punch things or watch tv with,¡± he slapped me on the back and walked off. I shook my head, looking back at the StarkGate. It was pretty cool looking. I lowered the Omnitrix and eyed it a bit longer. Huh. Lights were beginning to turn on. ¡°Mahmoud?¡± Tony said through the lab speakers. ¡°Did you do something?¡± I looked over at him. ¡°What do you-¡± BOOMSWISKUM! The sound of glass shattering, water exploding, space imploding, like the world was being pushed and pulled, wrenches clattering against ice. I couldn¡¯t explain how the sound bounced against my mind. Something threw me forward, smashing me against the windows of the lab. The glass cracked but didn¡¯t break, leaving me to fall to the ground. ¡°FUCK!¡± I twisted around, staring at the StarkGate. Glowing blue. Like a star. A ball of energy, within the ring of the StarkGate. ¡°Tony, tell me this isn¡¯t as bad as I think!¡± I yelled. I ran to the door, reaching for the handle. Jen¡¯s fist lifted towards the window. Magic surrounded Fantasma in violet rings. Pieces of Iron Man suit flew towards Tony while he screamed. ¡°Get out of-¡± the ball of energy exploded again, sending everyone flying. Except for me. For some reason, something grabbed hold of me. Power like nothing I¡¯d felt. I felt my body flicker. Fasttrack. Diamondhead. Big Chill. Four Arms. Upgrade. I reached desperately for the door. Still I was pulled in. My feet were ripped from the floor. I shifted forms to Grendel and slammed back into the ground, just to get pulled up again. My legs felt like they were on fire. I shifted to Blight. Then Ethereal, surrounding myself in a shield of psychic energy. It was shredded to pieces. The last thing I saw before I was finally sucked in was Jen, Tony, and Fantasma smashing through the glass. Then the world was gone. ------ I fell into a void of blue lights. My body stretched into infinity. But it was also small as an atom. I had infinite understanding, and knew nothing. The feeling was intense. And familiar. The pain of knives slicing me apart, before I was healed once more. I reached out with arms, tentacles, and claws. The Omnitrix blared with color. I screamed. I flew into a brick wall in a flash of light. I fell to the ground. And I lay there, gasping. ¡°What¡­ what. What the hell!?¡± Human again. I groaned, getting up as quickly as I could, trying to breathe. Everything ached, even though I hadn¡¯t been hurt. It didn¡¯t matter. I needed to focus. Get the landscape of things. I didn¡¯t know where I could have gone. The StarkGate was meant to send people to other worlds. I could have been anywhere. Close by like Mars, or far, like Hala, Skrullos, or Spartax. I looked up. And I was in New York City. 54th Street was in front of me, I could see the sign. Smell New York City too, a very distinct scent. But¡­ ¡°...This is the wrong New York.¡± It was half a guess. Tony¡¯s portal was made to shift people between worlds. Maybe I¡¯d just ended up a few blocks away, but I doubted it. Still feeling on edge, I slowly walked out of the alleyway and into the sunlight. It was hot as hell. Humid too, the moisture clinging to me. Muggy is how Steve would describe it. New York City summers don¡¯t mess around. I frowned when I saw an older looking car. Then another. And another. They drove lazily past dozens of cars from the 70¡¯s and 80¡¯s. I wasn¡¯t a car guy, but Tony had me repairing enough of them to recognize them. And then there was the fashion. People looked at me like I was weird in my now ripped apart t-shirt and jeans, while the women walked past with shoulder-padded jackets and bell bottom pants. A guy wearing black leather and a two-foot tall mohawk passed me by, his pants an obnoxious red. And all the clothes were like that, bright and colorful. Then again, this was New York City, and I wasn¡¯t the most fashion conscious. ¡°...I need more info, clearly.¡± On a whim, I opened up my comm. The quantum comm was supposed to be able to work anywhere in the universe. But here, I got nothing. Worth a shot. Pulling back into the alleyway, I tapped my Omnitrix. ¡°Big Chill.¡± Immediate relief. Thank god. I hate heat. You can layer up and get warm easily in the cold, but hot weather is a bitch. Floating upwards, I went intangible and invisible. Higher and higher, until I could see the whole of New York City. On instinct, I looked for the Avengers Tower. And¡­ Well, it was technically there. Just with a large ¡®Stark¡¯ sign on the side of it instead. ¡°Well. Unless I¡¯m less observant than I thought, that¡¯s not quite right.¡± There was more. More landmarks that I hadn¡¯t seen before. Like a random mansion I could see in the distance on Fifth Avenue, where I was positive an office building had been. But hey. The Empire State Building was still there. And I could see the Statue of Liberty¡¯s green butt out in the harbor. Thank god. Having some familiar landmarks helped me feel better. I looked around to see what else- ¡°... Oh.¡± They stood side-by-side in the distance. Taller than everything else around them. I could see a spire coming off of one of them. I floated there, staring at them. When I was ten years old, I¡¯d entered my parents room to hang out with my siblings and them. The TV had suddenly switched to breaking news. And I watched the planes hit. Even as a kid, I remembered being horrified. I didn¡¯t understand the implications. But the sight had shaken me. But here, the Twin Towers, the World Trade Center, stood tall and proud. Large blocks of concrete and steel instead of the large crystal tower that was slated to replace them. Yeah. I was a long way from home. Okay. Same as last time. Find a library. Figure out how far I was from my set of folk. Then make/find a dimensional portal/time machine to get home. Twisting in the air, I started flying. Just a bit over the buildings, enough to see the landscape. It was such a clash of the familiar and the new. Cities are living breathing things, and this version was no different. Construction was being done on buildings that I would one day defend. Others would one day be demolished. The sections of Hell¡¯s Kitchen where I¡¯d worked in construction were still there. And as I passed over the streets, a more familiar sound came in from the distance. People screaming in terror. ¡°Ah. Of course. Never a day off.¡± I said in Big Chill¡¯s spooky tones. Damnit. I cartwheeled and tapped the Omnitrix. In a flash, I shifted. Blue insectoid to orange dinosaur. ¡°Astrodactyl!¡± Star power exploded from the back of my jetpack, rocketing me forward. Big Chill was quick, but Astrodactyl was lightning. I blazed over the city, eventually reaching the fire. The literal fire. A building was burning. Cars were in pieces. People were screaming. As I flew in, a little girl was crying in the street, not seeing the chunk of building about to hit her. I flew in and grabbed her, noting the Iron Man shirt she was wearing while I zipped her off the street and to the side. ¡°EEEEEEE-¡± a woman started screaming at the sight of me. I ignored her, putting the girl down and turning to face the destruction, my eyes narrowing over my beak. ¡°Squaaaaawk. What happened here?¡± And what was with all the¡­ sand? The grains were all over the ground. And as I watched, the brown grains began to bounce. Then shift around. I crouched, snapping out a whip of emerald star power from one hand while the other was ready to shoot. The sand gathered together, all of it. A figure about fifteen feet tall formed in the street. ¡°Aw. Well squawk.¡± A black and green striped sweater. Blocky head. And a body of sand. Up above, a feathered man dropped down dressed in green with a white collar, his bald head shining in the light as he eyed me curiously. ¡°Now what is this that you¡¯ve found, Marko?¡± ¡°Some kinda¡­ dinosaur?¡± the giant made of sand mumbled, looking confused. ¡°Squawk!¡± I raised one fist to point at them and cracked my whip. ¡°Quick question. You guys behind all this?¡± The Vulture (Come on, we all knew he was the Vulture just like we knew ¡®Marko¡¯ was Sandman) had a sudden gleam in his eyes. I bet he¡¯d been planning to try and trick me. He was a cunning bastard. He was foiled by Flint Marko¡¯s honest personality. ¡°So what if we did!?¡± I shot him in the chest. He blinked. Then stared down at the new hole in his pectorals. ¡°Just making sure!¡± And with that, we started trying to kill each other. 10: Kitty and Conan Interlude Chapter 10: Interlude Kitty Pryde Kitty Pryde woke up screaming. Again. She was in her room. It was pitch-black for a bit while she sat there, panting. She grabbed at herself, shivering a bit. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness as she sat there, breathing carefully. The door to her room opened and her breath hitched. Logan stood there. He eyed her for a moment. Then he stood aside, waving. She quickly got out of bed, following him.
Outside, Kitty took a deep breath of air. Logan and her sat on the roof, looking out at the mansion''s grounds. Logan had a beer in his hand, while she played with a soda in hers. It was warm despite the time of night. She took another breath. ¡°So¡­ the battle?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Kitty sighed. ¡°I keep dreaming about it. Those guys b-bleeding on the snow. And all those monsters.¡± ¡°Mephits,¡± Logan said. ¡°Looked them up after Dial sent me the login for the Avengers servers. Weaker elementals.¡± ¡°They were like, so freaky! And they tried to kill me!¡± Kitty swallowed. ¡°I felt bullets go through me!¡± ¡°Had that happen a time or two.¡± Logan took another sip of his drink. ¡°I had blood in my hair!¡± Kitty brushed at her ponytail, shuddering. ¡°It was so sticky! I just¡­ That was scary!¡± For a moment, she felt embarrassed. ¡®Scary¡¯. She¡¯d seen people die. Soldiers had tried to kill her. Monsters had reached through her. And it was just ¡®scary¡¯? She couldn¡¯t stop dreaming about it. It was easier at school. She could pretend things were still normal there, with Kurt and Jean. Even Rogue was sometimes talking to them now. But then she fell asleep. And she dreamed about it again. ¡°Does it ever stop?¡± Kitty sighed. Her soda was still in her hand, ignored. Logan shook his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. Hasn¡¯t stopped for me.¡± ¡°...Like¡­ How do you deal?¡± ¡°Therapy.¡± Kitty glanced at him, surprised. Logan smirked. ¡°What? The Professor knows what he¡¯s doing.¡± He finished his beer and placed it down. ¡°I¡¯ve been fighting a long time, half-pint. These kinds of things¡­ They can stick to ya if you let them. It¡¯s like poison. You need to take antidotes.¡± Logan laid back against the roof. ¡°Hang out with your friends. Talk to them. Talk to the Professor. Remind yourself about what¡¯s good in life.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you spend a lot of time alone?¡± She asked. He chuckled. ¡°I spend a lot of time in the woods. I walk out there, in nature. Hunt. Join wolf packs sometimes. It helps. I ain¡¯t one of those idiots that thinks nature is some one hundred percent peaceful thing. But it¡¯s simple. Beautiful.¡± Kitty looked at him. His eyes closed for a moment. He seemed more¡­ peaceful, then she was used to. He huffed out a breath. ¡°...Can we stay out here a little longer?¡± ¡°Long as you need, half-pint.¡± Kitty smiled and looked up at the stars again.
Conan The Barbarian Conan gazed out at the lands before him. Jungle as far as the eye could see. Warm, scented of sweet rot. On the cliff he stood on, he could see the whole of it. He closed his eyes and breathed in. He heard the stones behind him shift. Barely. Enough to tell him who was behind him. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Conan turned to look at the two men who joined him. Ka-Zar. Like Conan, he was a large and built man, wearing a loincloth, though his long hair was a sandy blonde rather than Conan¡¯s black locks. His massive cat followed in his shadow. The other man, Kraven, wore a vest made from the skin of a lion. He was muscular as well, but his own hair was more tightly cut, a trimmed beard about his face. Both men took a spot on either side of Conan. He looked behind them again. There, the beauty of the jungle was marred by this world''s modern technology. Large buildings, construction, the ¡®planes¡¯ of the modern age. Men carrying those ¡®guns¡¯ stood around guarding the mages and intelligent folk of this era. Along with them, were the species of this land. Folk made of stone. Men and women with wings. Saurian and reptilian folks. They joined the modern folk, aiding them in construction, discussing a variety of things. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Not quite a village or city. But Conan could see the bones of one being formed. He turned back to the jungle and nodded to himself. That man, Dial, had suggested he join this endeavor. After Conan discovered how far from home he was, Dial had recommended the Savage Land. Conan thought back to that moment.
¡°It¡¯s a place similar to your home, but BRIDGE will be there too. You can learn about the modern world while still living somewhere like your own world. Plus, they could use some good sword hands.¡± Conan and Dial stood inside a room within the building they called the ¡®Avengers Tower¡¯, looking upon a strange object that displayed images of the ¡®Savage Land¡¯. It reminded Conan of some of the sorcerous magics he¡¯d seen that displayed places, people, and impossible objects. Of course, speaking of sorcerers. ¡°To say it is similar is a misnomer,¡± Agatha Harkness walked around into Conan¡¯s view, her eyes on the screen as well. ¡°At best, it is only a superficial similarity.¡± ¡°Why is the witch here?¡± Conan growled. Agatha smirked at him. ¡°Because she¡¯s literally the only person we know who lived in your day and age,¡± Dial said. ¡°That''s why you can speak English now too.¡± ¡°I would have learned quickly,¡± Conan said with complete confidence. It was true. He had always been good with languages. Given time, he would master this era¡¯s languages as well. Even though ¡®English¡¯ was one of the most inefficient ones he¡¯d ever attempted to understand. Why did so many words sound different from how they were spelled? As the barbarian pondered that, Dial continued. ¡°You don¡¯t have to stay there. But I figured it was perfect for you. Place with plenty to hunt and/or fight, a BRIDGE unit in place to teach you anything you like, and people who won¡¯t freak out at the sight of a man carrying a sword.¡± Conan pointedly looked at Dial¡¯s left side, where a longsword of modern design hung. Dial grinned back and Conan scoffed. He looked back at the map longer. FInally he said what he had been thinking for some time. ¡°Will there be women?¡± Dial blinked. Agatha laughed, an old woman''s bitter laugh. ¡°I mean, yes? I guess?¡± ¡°If there are not, I will come back,¡± Conan said at last. ¡°I like women.¡± When Dial looked as though he had no clue how to respond to that and Agatha chuckled, Conan decided to ignore them. He was a barbarian. He had no care for the strangeness of warlocks and witches. ¡°So then. When do I leave?¡±
Back in the present, Conan focused once more on the moment. This world had changed. But in many, it was still the same savage desperate land it once had been. And Conan could see more proof of that in the distance. ¡°Seems the convoy is going to be ambushed again,¡± Ka-Zar said, kneeling down to look into the jungle. A line of wagons and modern vehicles were driving along a trail through the jungle. In front of it, they could see Saurian forces gathering, unseen by the drivers and guards of the convoy. ¡°Haven¡¯t they learned from the last time?¡± ¡°They are a different set of bandits,¡± Conan said. ¡°More well trained. Equipped. They will be a tougher fight than the last ones.¡± ¡°How wonderful,¡± Kraven said, the man pulling out a hunting knife and briefly testing the edge. ¡°There is no joy in a hunt that is too easy.¡± ¡°A man should always reach for greater heights,¡± Conan agreed. Ka-Zar scoffed. Ironically, the man who had spent the least amount of time among ¡®civilization¡¯ was the most civilized of the three. Conan glanced at Zabu, the saber-toothed tiger looking down at the incoming attack with a calm demeanor. Make that four. ¡°Should we move now?¡± Kraven asked. ¡°Wait until they are about to strike,¡± Conan said. ¡°No bandit is ready to be ambushed just when they launch one.¡± ¡°Experience talking?¡± ¡°I have been a bandit a time or two,¡± Conan said without repentance. Ka-Zar shook his head, but smiled anyway. ¡°Okay¡­ let¡¯s go be good guys.¡± The four leapt down into the jungle, ready to unleash hell. Moments later, screams echoed out into the air, and the Savage Land proved its reputation once more. 11: Res Ipsa Flint Marko, technically William Baker, aka the Sandman. Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture. Some of the first villains that Spider-Man had ever fought. In my world, Flint was a low-level criminal that BRIDGE was keeping an eye on. Adrian was up to something that had Coulson ready to pick him up, but was otherwise not a priority. Things had clearly taken a different path in this version of New York. ¡°Can I ask you something, squawk!?¡± I dived around a fist of sand, fired through a brick wall that tried to block me, then flew upside down to avoid a green blur. ¡°Do you get itchy? Because you were human, now you¡¯re sand. Did you have to get over the human impulse to feel itchy around sand?¡± ¡°Stand still!¡± Flint Marko roared. ¡°Why do I keep fighting smart mouths that keep moving around?!¡± ¡°Good question! Let¡¯s go over your life and find out where things went wrong! Squawk!¡± I blasted through a spiked mace of sand in a wave of blazing emerald light and came to a sliding stop on the asphalt. ¡°What was your relationship with your father like?¡± ¡°GRAAAAGH!¡± Hearing sand roar is an odd experience. Like a scene from The Mummy with Brendan Frasier, the sand formed a giant face and rushed towards me with bladed weapons. I rocketed upwards again to dodge the sawblade of sand, then twisted through the sky. In the streets below, I could see civilians escaping. Good. The last thing I wanted was to have someone get hurt. Despite what you would think, I tended to prioritize saving people over having grudge matches with idiots. Focusing more on the fight, I narrowed my saurian eyes at Vulture. He was swooping around pretty damn fast. Granted, not as fast as me, but he hit a sweet spot between my Astrodactyl fast and Big Chill controlled. His turns were quick and controlled, moving with a hell of a lot of agility for a septuagenarian. Like Sam in his more recent Falcon suits. Which was insanely impressive. Right. He had some kind of gravity harness. Probably explained a lot. ¡°Come here!¡± Vulture dive bombed me. I shut off my rocket, twisting around and firing it again to launch upwards. Before I could hit him with a blast from one of my gauntlets, he disappeared from my sight. A pair of booted feet smashed into my back. Vulture crowed. ¡°Ha! Take that you simpleton!¡± Simpleton, huh? What a classic insult. Better than people calling me an asshole or bitch all the time. Homophobic ones were popular too. I smashed down onto a rooftop, rolling briefly. Before I could get up, sand surrounded me, wrapping about my body. Tendrils of grainy stones grinded against the scales of my arms, legs, and neck, squeezing and pulling all at once. Surrounded in a cocoon of sand, I squawked weakly, lungs squeezing for air.. ¡°L-Let¡­ GOOO!¡± I fired off everything I had, blast after blast of emerald energy erupting from me as the sand was driven back. Briefly. ¡°Not going to work!¡± the sandstorm crowed, Flint Marko¡¯s face surrounding me in duplicate across the sand. ¡°Not for long! Die you-¡± The second I had enough air, I roared. ¡°GOOP!¡± Flint had enough time to be confused before I flashed with green light. Orange scales, hardened bones, and the power within stars all faded away for the simpler form of a man made of green fluid. Sand wrapped around me, then flowed uselessly through me. Flint made a motion that could only be described as the elemental equivalent of a stumble. ¡°What the-¡± I stared out at the sandstorm. The UFO part of me grabbed onto my body and I flowed out, flying in to merge with him. From the outside, it must have looked like a tornado on a building suddenly gained a glimmer of glowing green through it. In terms of sheer mass, I couldn¡¯t match Sandman. He must have been collecting sand for days before this fight. But I was just as fast, and even more untouchable. ¡°I can¡¯t touch him!¡± Sandman called out to Vulture in alarm. ¡°Annoying fighting someone who isn¡¯t solid, isn¡¯t it?¡± I teased in my slimy sounding voice. ¡°Little pest-¡± Vulture was crowing as he swooped past, only to be cut off by an unholy sound. A sandstorm screaming. ¡°RaaAAAarraGGGGGAAA!!!¡± the grinding sand squealed. ¡°Wha-wha-?!¡± ¡°Acid!¡± Was all I said, almost smug. That¡¯s right. Goop had a whole host of powers. But one of the best was the ability to go full acidic. The sand that had been fruitlessly trying to grind me away began to melt. Flint tried to run, to float away, but I dived into and out of him, a spot of green in an ocean of brown. I couldn¡¯t guarantee I could find and contain the single sand grain supposedly holding Flint¡¯s¡­ consciousness? Soul? Whatever. But I could melt three hundred pounds of it at a time. Sandman fought back, smashing into me with massive mace hands, blades, and walls. I was buffeted and battered, even briefly getting my UFO slammed into the roof by an errant hit to send me splashing across the sandy surface. But I¡¯d been hit harder. I reformed through him, over and over. Coming back no matter how many times he smashed and sliced me into paste, and each time I took a little bit out of him. ¡°S-Stoooop!¡± Flint screamed in pain as he desperately tried to fight me off, ironically only getting more and more of his sand melted every time he touched me. ¡°Marko you fool, let me help you!¡± Toomes shouted from outside our shrinking battle. Too late. I punched and flowed until Flint was backed up against a wall. He shrank down to his human form, one hand raised in terror. ¡°P-Please. Please, stop.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said, staring at him in my fluid form. ¡°I get the feeling you might try to attack me while my back is turned.¡± A¡­ feeling, some kind of instinct inside me, was reaching out to Flint. I felt like I knew him? Or like¡­ I knew more than I should have? What- Something swooped down out of the sky. A claw wrapped around my UFO and pulled it hard, leaving my gelatinous half to splash on the ground. ¡°Ha!¡± Toomes shouted, sliding to a stop on the rooftop in the birdman version of the Akira slide. ¡°You see, Marko! You should have realized the weakness of this disgusting creature sooner! It was practically advertising it! An anti-gravity device much like my own, yes, to control your gelatinous half? Simple enough to figure out.¡± ¡°Nice deduction,¡± my voice said from the UFO. ¡°Indeed! And an ingenious design, I must admit. I look forward to picking it apart and finding out how it works,¡± Vulture said smugly. ¡°But first, who are you? Why are you interfering in our work!?¡± ¡°Well to that, I have a strong response. Four Arms.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± A flash of green. The goo on the floor zipped back to the UFO and merged with it faster than light. My body shifted, ripping open Toomes¡¯ grip. He let out a gasp of sound. ¡°What-!?¡± He stopped and stared upwards. ¡°The¡­¡± I leaned down and smiled through teeth like pale-grey tombstones. ¡°Devil?¡± Toomes squeaked. He spun around, ready to run. I grabbed his foot in my lower right hand as he took off, preventing him from flying off, while the left ones raised up. BOOM! Toomes passed out from a relatively light tap with two alien fists, merely knocking him out rather than turning the old man¡¯s bones into dust. I grabbed his gravity harness and ripped it off in a shower of sparks, crushing it in my hands. ¡°Now, Flint-¡± I turned, only for there to be no sign of him. Gone. Just disappeared. A quick look around had me spotting the lingering remains of some sand diving into a nearby storm drain before totally disappearing from sight. ¡°Damn,¡± I muttered as I jumped down back onto the street with Toomes hanging limply from my arms. ¡°Well, you gotta respect the instinct to cut and run when you know you¡¯re outmatched, if nothing else.¡± ¡°You should have done the same!¡± Ozone. Yellow light. And sudden pain. ¡°GRAAAAAGH!¡± Lightning. It ran through me, hitting my nerves like knives through butter. I dropped Toomes and fell to my knees, screaming. ¡°Ha! Considering how big you are I was thinking I¡¯d need to hit you with even more juice, but you¡¯re a total lightweight!¡± A very whiny sounding voice said as a pair of yellow boots stepped in front of me, electricity dancing off of them. ¡°Yeah, well, at least I¡¯m not the one wearing stupid green and yellow PJs,¡± I said through gritted teeth, which just earned me even more of a shock. ¡°AHHHH!¡± ¡°Hahaha!!!¡± Electro (Come on, we all knew it was Max the second the electricity hit) gloated. ¡°Come on, Adrian, you let this punk beat you!?¡± I grit my teeth and whispered. Electro leaned in. ¡°What? I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t hear you over me cooking your ass!¡± I glared up at him. ¡°NRG.¡± Green. Two arms disappeared, with my body replaced with a massive metal suit. My height shrank, but not by much, while my bulk increased massively. More importantly, the lightning that had been cooking me instead flowed into my suit, hitting my true radioactive form instead. I didn¡¯t even flinch. In fact it felt weirdly nice. Like a warm bath. ¡°What the-?! The hell are you?!¡± Max panicked and fired most electricity at me, which did fuck all. As I stood up and stepped towards him, he kept shooting. ¡°And why aren¡¯t you going down?!¡± ¡°I am the Russian Nuclear Winter!¡± I said in NRG¡¯s accent. A single punch was thrown, Electro barely dodging it. He blasted me again, and backed off when it did nothing. ¡°Damnit!¡± Electro shouted. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this! Spider-Man-!¡± ¡°Is here!¡± A cheery voice. A flash of red and black. A spandex covered foot smashing into Electro¡¯s stupid yellow star faced mask. ¡°Heya, Maxie! Look at you, fighting someone else for once! Are you trying to make me jealous?¡± ¡°Spider-Man!¡± Electro roared as he recovered from the strike and electricity blasted out of his body in anger. ¡°I thought we established that already,¡± I replied, stepping forward to intercept the blast. ¡°Jeez, Spidey, how hard did you hit him?¡± ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know my own strength sometimes!¡± Spider-Man landed next to me. That¡¯s when I noticed how different he looked. Red and black, rather than the blue along the arms and legs I knew. I¡¯d said his foot was spandex covered out of habit, but the stuff actually looked similar to the BRIDGE gear Nat used. Tough, but still fairly flexible. More advanced. Maybe he was an Avenger already? If so, props to you Peter, you deserve more. ¡°And it''s nice to hear a Russian accent that doesn¡¯t belong to someone who¡¯s trying to kill me for once. How you liking the Big Apple so far, tourist? Enjoying our American energy system at work?¡± ¡°I am an American,¡± I deadpanned in my heavy Russian accent, which just made Spider-Man look at me with what I was sure was a raised eyebrow underneath his mask. Wait, his eyes moved somehow? Cool. ¡°Uh, you sure?¡± ¡°It is complicated, comrade!¡± ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake, there¡¯s two of them,¡± Max mumbled. ¡°Truly a dire situation,¡± another voice said. Spider-Man dodged a final lightning bolt and landed on my armored shoulder. I lifted my fists, facing Electro as more people joined him. The clanging of metal on concrete, tentacles crushing a car as they carried their passenger, a slightly overweight man with goggles over his eyes. Following him was another man, this one floating on jets of smoke, a purple cape fluttering behind him, the whole thing almost mystical. Except for the stupid fishbowl on his head, obscuring his face entirely. Another man landed on a car nearby, large in stature but also lean with muscle. A very familiar man. ¡°I was wondering what was distracting Flint and Toomes,¡± Dr Ock said in an annoyed tone of voice. ¡°It seems we have an unwelcome interruption to our personal business with the arachnid.¡± ¡°Ah, see! He is classy, knowing you are arachnid!¡± I commented. ¡°I always loved that about the Doc. Not afraid to get overly technical and scientific about things. I can respect that about him, which helps since I don¡¯t respect anything else he does,¡± Spider-Man added. ¡°Dear lord, there truly are two of them,¡± Mysterio grumbled beneath his fishbowl head. ¡°And while I¡¯m normally always up for an audience, this is an exclusive performance.¡± ¡°No performance worth a damn is exclusive,¡± I said. Mysterio seemed almost pleased by that response. ¡°I can¡¯t fry the big guy,¡± Electro said, looking frustrated. ¡°Then we shall simply trade opponents,¡± Kraven said, lifting a knife in a very familiar way. ¡°I¡¯ll take the Spider.¡± ¡°The arachnid is mine!¡± Doc Ock snapped, his bowl-cut vibrating. ¡°I have worked too long to simply-¡± ¡°We even waited till he was alone, damn it,¡± Mysterio grumbled again, still sounding more pleased than irritated. While they bickered over who got to fight Spidey, I eyed Electro. He was the most dangerous present in terms of sheer power. Even with my immunity, he could cause a lot of damage¡­ So he was first. I just wasn¡¯t fast enough to catch him. Spider-Man was fast enough, but he¡¯d have trouble not getting zapped. So mix things up. ¡°Hey Spidey,¡± I whispered to one of the greatest heroes in existence. ¡°You don¡¯t suppose Electro is weak to wrecking balls, do you?¡± Peter¡¯s bug-like eyes widened, then his face shifted under the mask. ¡°Give me a sec.¡± ¡°On it.¡± I raised my palms and blasted out beams of powerful energy. The radioactive power sliced through the air, forcing Electro and Kraven to dodge. The Russian hunter rolled to a stop by Doctor Octopus. Electro, on the other hand, stopped by a parked car. A web landed on my suit, followed by something tugging me up into the air as I fired another pair of blasts. One disappeared into a burst of smoke thrown by Mysterio, fading away without a trace. (Okay, how in the hell did special effects do that?) The other Electro intercepted with a lightning bolt, his faster projectile destroying mine and turning it into an explosion of fire, obscuring what Peter was doing to me. A tug, a twirl. Inside my armored form I felt the very strange sensation of over a ton of metal being treated like a paperweight on a string as Peter brought me around then back. The look on Electro¡¯s face when I came swinging out of the fire he¡¯d made, fist raised. Priceless. ¡°I came in like a-!¡± I sang in NRG¡¯s exotic accent. ¡°NOOO!¡± Lightning splashed across my armor, errant bolts destroying the electrical systems around us. ¡°WREEEECKING BALL!¡± My fist slammed gently into Electro¡¯s belly. Gently for NRG thrown by Spider-Man, anyways. There was an explosion of power around him, saliva erupting from his mouth. I threw him back about twenty feet, leaving him to crumple against the ground. ¡°Dillon!¡± Mysterio called out. ¡°Damn you!¡± Kraven snapped. ¡°Who are you!? We even waited until he was alone!¡± ¡°Well, sorry to ruin your attempt at group murder. I was going to say ¡®gangbang¡¯, but the internet has ruined the original meaning of that term-¡± ¡°The what?¡± Kraven easily dodged a blast of radiation with a confused look on his face while a car smashed into me, thrown by Doctor Octopus and his tentacles. ¡°Kraven, stop messing around! We need to kill the arachnid before the jammers shut off!¡± That explained the lack of cops then. The car that hit me crumpled. I ripped it off of me, thinking furiously. NRG had been fine to negate Electro, but I just wasn¡¯t fast enough to deal with the rest. I could shoot at them more, but that would be a lot of radiation I¡¯d have to clean up in the middle of a heavily populated area even with me holding back. These guys were too speedy. Almost like they¡¯d spent a lot of time fighting a speedy fucker. Spider-Man dived into the fray, briefly meeting Kraven in the center of the street. The two traded blows at insane speed, Spider-Man showing a lot more martial arts skill than I would have thought at this time. Still taking advantage of his natural flexibility and agility, but there was a polish there that Steve would have approved of. Thoughts for later. I needed to be faster. Easy enough. Fasttrack. I tapped the Omnitrix. It flashed green. My armor disappeared, replaced by blue fur stretched across a lean frame. I expected that. What I didn¡¯t expect was the extra arms, eyes, and the tail. In that busy street, mid-leap as I dodged through the two tentacles that tried to take my head off, I crowed out a new name. ¡°SPIDER-MONKEY!¡± Webs shot out of my tail and wrapped around a pole, swinging me in to join the fight Kraven and Spider-Man were having. Mysterio shot out gas canisters, surrounding the three of us in a circle of pink. Kraven, Spider-Man, and I started throwing fists. I bounced around a kick, Peter swinging around me to throw a punch. Kraven ducked that, only to block one of my punches, leaving him vulnerable to one of my lower fists. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Faster and faster, Spider-Man and Monkey moving in near synch, trading blows with Kraven. He kept slicing, kicking, dodging, but we kept at him. Every once in a while, a tentacle would shoot from the smoke, trying to help him. I got tagged a couple of times I leaped impossibly high to dodge a tentacle that shot out of the smoke around us, grabbing Peter¡¯s outstretched hand as he passed. With a heave, I swung Peter directly down at Kraven. He fired a web back at me as he flew down, one of my hands grabbing it. Peter slammed his fist into Kraven¡¯s face while pulling me in so I could follow up with two fists of my own. The two of us landed behind Kraven as he stumbled, spinning in unison. ¡°BAM!¡± Three fists landed at the same time on Kraven¡¯s solar plexus, sending him flying into the smoke. He left a path through the smoke and rolled to a stop. ¡°You know, I should really be threatening to sue you for copyright infringement right about now,¡± Spider-Man noted as he looked me over. ¡°It¡¯s cool, I¡¯m a distinct property. Monkey, not man.¡± ¡°But what is a man, if not a monkey with good hair?¡± ¡°A being who isn¡¯t afraid to show off their nice ass in public.¡± Our banter was cut off by a loud groaning. ¡°Oh dear lord, there truly are two of them!¡± ¡°A shapeshifter of some sort,¡± Doctor Octopus noted with interest as he walked into view. ¡°One with a variety of forms and abilities to match any given obstacle it faces. Quite impressive and annoying.¡± ¡°No matter,¡± Mysterio said, his New York accent fading into that over the top dramatic voice he seemed to favor. I kinda liked it. Very 1950s movie villain. ¡°For my formula will take effect soon enough.¡± ¡°What do you-¡± Vertigo hit. All of a sudden, I could barely stand. I winced, dropping to all six limbs while looking around. The hell? ¡°...Ah fuck.¡± The smoke. A hand grabbed my shoulder. I almost swung before the image of a spider calmed me. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him,¡± Peter said as he helped me up. ¡°His helmet does something to his voice, makes it hypnotic.¡± ¡°You have the weirdest villains,¡± I grumbled. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t ask these guys to-¡± A beam of heat came out of the smoke. Peter pulled me out of the way, the laser almost cutting me in half. A metal fist came swinging at us before I let a web out of my tail to zip us away. My web was sliced mid-flight, leaving us to tumble before Spider-Man barely dodged a trio of blades. When we came to a stop, I stared at the three who had attacked. ¡°Logan?¡± Wolverine snarled at me, his stance low. Behind him, Cyclops stepped forth, his red visor glowing lightly. He was different from the one I knew. Older, much more muscular, with more frown wrinkles. Behind the pair, a massive man of metal smashed his fist into his palm. Colossus. ¡°Oh no, he found out about his motorcycle,¡± Peter whispered in horror as Logan snarled at him. ¡°I doubt that-¡± before I could say anything, the three rushed us. I jumped out of the way of a laser blast the second I saw Cyclops charging a shot. And then I almost threw up webs. Whatever Mysterio had done sucked ass. I felt like the Earth was upside down. Like I was sparring with Agatha in those weird maze rooms she made Fantasma and Wanda train in. Colossus took the moment of confusion to hit me. Weakly. Well, not weakly, but weaker than I expected. Still, it was enough to make me stumble. A laser blast joined, tossing me back. Instead of smashing me through three buildings. Cyclops¡¯ blasts were not that weak. Still good enough while I was dealing with vertigo. Spider-Man was doing better against Wolverine. ¡°Wolverine, buddy, I swear, we put it back the way we found it! We just had to borrow the cycle for a day or two! The fate of the world was at stake!¡± Logan roared, slicing madly at Peter. The arachnid avenger slipped around the claws, yelping just a bit. ¡°Okay fine, it was to impress Firestar, but-¡± Logan punched at Peter claws first. Peter¡¯s eyes narrowed before he punched the shorter buffer man first, moving with blistering speed. He fired webs at Logan, wrapping him briefly in the fluid. The Wolverine sliced at the claws. And I noticed that it took him way too long. He ripped at them, trying to get loose, while Peter stepped back. ¡°It¡¯s not the real ones!¡± I yelled. ¡°I figured that out when Wolverine didn¡¯t turn me to mincemeat in two seconds!¡± Peter shouted back. Then he stumbled. Fucking vertigo. We had to deal with that. I thrust an off-balance punch at Colossus, denting his metal shell, then ran towards Peter. We needed a new edge. Peter was dealing with the vertigo better than I was. More used to it, or had some kind of answer to help him. So I had to have his back. And I had a damn perfect way to do it. I jumped towards him, almost throwing up at the sensation of my brain flipping through my head. Peter glanced at me, eyes wide. ¡°Uh, what are you?¡± ¡°BLIGHT!¡± Blue fur gone. And the black ooze appeared. In mid-air, I flowed outwards, slamming into Peter¡¯s chest. He yelped in shock. I entered through his suit. And we became one. Our eyes opened. We stared at the world. We felt our bodies as one. I flowed into Peter¡¯s cells, enhancing and strengthening him. It was easy. Very easy. ¡°What-?¡± Before Peter could finish, Not-Logan sliced his way out of the webs. Not-Colossus threw another punch. We grabbed the fist and crushed it in our hand like a plastic cup, gears and servers popping out around our black and green fist. Our other hand punched the solar plexus of the Not-Colossus, ripping through it in a wave of black tentacles that grabbed Not-Cyclops on the other side, wrapping around him. ¡°What the heck is going on!?¡± Peter crowed in my mind. He sounded both elated and confused. ¡°Why do I have goo tentacles!?¡± Oh shit, this Spider-Man hadn¡¯t met Venom yet? That was going to make things weird in the future. ¡°It¡¯s a power of this form. I can enhance biological beings by joining them in a symbiotic-¡± Before I could explain further. The Not-Cyclops tried to shoot through the black ooze, briefly separating it from his face. The rest of the tentacles tightened around the bot then lifted it up, pulling it into the Not-Colossus. Together, we smashed the bots into the ground, then expanded the tentacles into spikes that shredded the steel. Together, as the two robots crackled on the ground, we looked at Not-Logan. Poor bastard must have had horrible software, because he rushed us. ¡°I can make blades too,¡± I said through the mental link I had with Peter. ¡°Do you also make Julienne fries?¡± Peter said back through the same link. Not-Logan swung at us. Peter sent a signal through to me, and I responded in an instant. A single long blade erupted from our wrist, slicing through the metal claws of the robot, sending the trio of blades flying. Another swipe sliced the robot in half. ¡°I could get used to this!¡± Peter added. ¡°You say that now,¡± I replied ominously. ¡°This power doesn¡¯t come without drawbacks. Okay, you¡¯ve got the pilot seat. I¡¯ll support you.¡± ¡°Got it. Hold on tight.¡± I worked overtime, pumping the poison from the smoke around us out of Peter¡¯s body, keeping him at the top of his game. As one, we moved into the smoke. We could hear them. Sense them. Mysterio spoke, his voice echoing. ¡°So, you have defeated my meager replicas! Don¡¯t crow over your victory for long! Soon, my improved formula will intercept your mind, forcing you into a world of-¡± We dropped in front of him. Mysterio spun around, raising his hands up and blasting us with gas. We jumped up, avoiding the blasts. Peter had been hit by the stuff before. It interfered with his spider-sense. Landing behind Mysterio, we fired a web behind us, attaching to his fishbowl head. With a pull, we smashed his head into the ground, cracking the fishbowl. A single kick to his exposed face finished it. ¡°Five down!¡± Spider-Man shouted, Peter grinning in the mind we shared. ¡°Just one-¡± A single tentacle swept out of the sky, ripping up the ground when we dodged it. We glanced up. Doctor Otto Octavius stared down at us. The most dangerous member of the Sinister Six. Not the most powerful. The most dangerous. The distinction mattered. ¡°Well, Doc? You finally going to do your own work?¡± Peter said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look good for you to just watch your goons get taken out.¡± ¡°Goons isn¡¯t quite the word¡­ though I admit they have proven as effective as them,¡± Doc Ock snarled, his arms behind his back. ¡°I must say, your new ally was quite above my own. But I suppose that means I can enjoy your death for myself.¡± ¡°Try it, Doc, and I¡¯ll rip your arms off and beat you with them.¡± Peter said. Damnit. I tried to tone down the increased aggression, but there was only so much I could do while still increasing his overall ability. Doc Ock smirked. ¡°Come and try.¡± Two arms lashed out. So did ours. Black tentacles erupted from our back, hardening as they clashed with the bad doctor¡¯s tentacles. Octavius immediately dropped to the ground, adding two more tentacles. ¡°I¡¯ve got your back.¡± As one, Peter and I rushed in. Doctor Octavius rushed in as well. We met in the middle. His tentacles were fast. Immensely so. His control was impeccable as well, allowing him to match my own stronger symbiote flesh with applications of physics to counter them. A single tentacle speared at us. We dodged aside and threw a punch that he blocked on a tentacle, before he grabbed our ankle and tossed us back. We webbed the building behind him and came swinging back. The next tentacle he swiped at us like a whip. We jumped up, tapping our fingers on it to flip forwards and kick at him. Two arms crossed in front of him, taking the blow. He still got sent flying back, two arms grabbing the concrete to bring him to a screeching halt. We were already moving, webbed the arms he¡¯d blocked with together. He pulled his arms apart only for the webbing to snap them back together. In that moment of distraction, we rushed in. ¡°Are you holding back?¡± Peter asked me. ¡°Do you want to catch him or kill him?¡± I asked back just as pointedly. ¡°Trust me.¡± Well. If you couldn¡¯t trust Spider-Man¡­ I let go. Everything I had. I pushed him to his limits. The sudden burst of speed made Doctor Octavius¡¯ eyes widen behind his mask. One of the arms lashed out. We grabbed it and pulled, ripping him off his feet towards us. Another tentacle stabbed us, but we dodged with contemptuous ease while winding up the final blow. Our fist flew towards Doctor Octavius¡¯ face. For a moment, just one, I worried about his future. About a man who, in the future, would be so brain damaged he would see nothing wrong with destroying the world in revenge for the problems he himself caused. Thank god Peter was smarter than me. Rather than giving him his next concussion, our fist became a ball of goo that Doc Ock¡¯s face sank into. Controlling my form, I flowed down his chest and to his tentacles harness, removing the clasps there. Doc Ock screamed as we removed his tentacles, tossing them aside. Held in a black orb of goo, he screamed the last of his air out. The combination of our training let us choke him out. Something tried to hit us. I grabbed it in the air with a tentacle, leaving Spider-Man to continue choking out Doctor Octopus. The harness. It moved on its own. Three more arms lashed out, trying to smash us. I snapped out three more arms. On one side, Peter holding the doctor in a ball of goo. On the other, four tentacle arms with my Blight face poking out of Peter¡¯s back to hold the metal tentacles When he was finally limp in our arms, along with his harness, we let him go. ¡°...So who are you, anyways?¡± Oh boy. This was going to be a conversation and a half. Flowing away from Peter, I separated our minds and tapped the Omnitrix. Back in Spider-Monkey form, I sighed. ¡°That is a long story. How about we wrap these guys in enough webbing to lock down a nuke and we can talk?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Peter said, still eyeing me with just a bit of suspicion. Then he looked around at the passed out villains around us, noticing one was absent. ¡°Where¡¯s Sandman?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, about that¡­¡±
Wrapping up the Sinister¡­ Five in a combination of organic and synthetic webs until they looked like five heads poking out of a cotton ball, Spider-Man and I were hanging upside down from a water tower nearby roof while watching the cops finally approach to arrest the group. Of course I was still in Spider-Monkey form. Felt appropriate. Peter had grabbed two cups of coffee for us along with donuts, and the pair of us sipped from them upside ¡°That explains the song,¡± Peter said as I explained my arrival. ¡°¡®Came in like a wreeeeecking ball¡¯. I was wondering where you got it from.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a future Disney star gets weird kind of thing.¡± ¡°Should you be telling me this?¡± Peter asked me. ¡°I thought telling people about the future was generally a bad idea.¡± ¡°First of all, if the future depends on how a Disney child star gets screwed over by life, we are already doomed. Second, based on what I¡¯ve seen, I think this is a multiverse thing, not time travel. Kraven is a good-... a not evil¡­ He¡¯s nominally an ally. Doctor Octavius is a member of our version of SHIELD. Flint is just a basic thug. It¡¯s a version of a possible future. The multiverse is a big fucking place, and nothing exactly matches up with anything else¡± ¡°What about your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?¡± he asked with a grin. ¡°Do I lead the Avengers?¡± ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t exist in my home universe.¡± ¡°Aww man!¡± He slumped. I decided to stick with that technical truth. Peter was still a kid in my universe after all. ¡°Probably for the best,¡± Peter chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine dealing with alternate versions of me.¡± ¡°Or clones.¡± ¡°...That was way too specific of an example.¡± ¡°Was it? Just saying, clones are a bad cliche. Always give yourself a way to make sure you aren¡¯t the clone.¡± ¡°Do I get cloned?¡± ¡°We all do, that¡¯s the superhero life.¡± ¡°Okay, but do I-¡± Down below, a forklift was brought in, stopping the conversation for a bit. ¡°...Thanks.¡± I looked over at Spidey. He was staring down at the group of wrapped up supervillains. ¡°I usually have some friends to help me with big fights like this. I don¡¯t know how it would have gone down if I was alone.¡± ¡°...You would have had some trouble. Then somehow get up and beat the living shit out of them.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Hopefully.¡± ¡°Definitely. Spider-Man doesn¡¯t give up.¡± ¡°Thought you didn¡¯t have a version of me in your universe.¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± time travel was weird. ¡°But I¡¯ve seen others. You¡¯d have been fine.¡± He still seemed unsure, but I was just happy. The goddamn Spider-Man dude! Finally! I¡¯d wanted to meet him for so long! And I got to help him fight the Sinister Six! Once I got back home, this would be a fun story. ¡°Hm?¡± Peter looked around, his mask''s eyes narrowing. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°Just realizing that it''s gonna take a bit to figure out how to get back home. At least it won¡¯t be the first time I¡¯ve ended up someplace out of reach.¡± ¡°Well, I can help?¡± He said. ¡°I know some guys. I mean, it would take a bit, but I can-¡± He stopped, looking around. I knew what that meant. Spider-Sense. I dropped down to the roof, looking around as well. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? Feels-¡± Gas canisters landed on the roof. An older design. Or for this universe, a current one. They exploded, the gaseous substance filling the air. ¡°Move, move!¡± The door to the roof slammed open. Dozens of big guys in armor ran towards us. From the sky, a helicopter dropped in. I coughed, the taste on my tongue familiar. Tranquilizer gas. ¡°Run!¡± I shouted to Peter, grabbing him and throwing him before he could talk. ¡°Ru-¡± The sound of gas escaping again, followed by two bits of piercing pain. Then electricity zipped through my body. I felt webbing fire out of my tail along with the involuntary spasming. The last thing I saw before I passed out was the symbol on their armored chests. An eagle with stars. SHIELD. Well damn¡­
Author''s Note: Next chapter is being worked on with the help of the person I''m crossing over with. In the meantime, stay safe, and consider supporting me on Patreon to see the next one early. Next is Neon Webs tho. 12: Res Ipsa Part 2 Chapter 12 Res Ipsa Part 2 When I woke up, it was in a SHIELD interrogation room. I was in human form again, both of my arms handcuffed behind me, omnitrix still on. I took slow breaths, breathing calmly. This place looked familiar. I hadn''t been in it, but all of them looked the same after enough time. Metal walls in a honeycomb pattern, a plastic table, cuffs made to hold superhumans. Fun. The door opened. A man in an old SHIELD uniform from the comics came in and sat down across from me, holding a manilla folder. He looked very serious. I decided to give him a second before I''d counter. "Good afternoon. I''m Agent Todd Cleery of SHIELD. Do you know why you''re here?" Reaching. He wanted me to suggest why I was here. "Yes, I do," I said seriously. "You want my recipe for jalapeno poppers. However, that is privileged information. I''ll only give it with my lawyer present." He smirked. "Have you done something that requires a lawyer?" "I did share a chimichanga recipe with Deadpool once." He winced, glancing around like Wade was going to pop out of a wall, which to be fair had good odds of happening. Then he glared at me. "Son, you know the name of one of our newest headaches. That doesn''t bode well for you." "You realize being in handcuffs in a spy organization''s interrogation room usually means things already aren''t going well? What, I don''t get read my rights? Do secret organizations not follow the law of the land anymore?" He smirked once more. "Boy, you showed up in the middle of New York City and spiked every geiger counter in three miles while speaking with a Russian accent. Oh, or maybe you aren''t connected to the Soviets. Your human form looks Middle-Eastern to me. Iranian, maybe?" "Nah man, I''m a New Yorker. Fugedaboutit. How about you? Are you actually a SHIELD agent, or one of those asshole HYDRA infiltrators you always seem to have in abundance around here?" His face went very, very still. He opened up his folder, looking annoyed. "All right. Clearly you have no idea what sort of trouble you''re in." "For helping a known superhero arrest five supervillains destroying a few city blocks?" "Oh, is that how you''d put it?" Cleery smacked his folder. "Because first, Spider-Man is a vigilante, who you aided and abetted¡­" "I like to think of it as very proactive citizen''s arrests," I countered. "Left enough radiation to cook a Christmas roast from a hundred paces¡­" "I made sure none of it was more harmful than your average cell phone, thank you very much! And I cleaned it up afterwards, unlike some other radiation spewing people." The agent paused. "Son, do you have any idea how expensive a cellular telephone is?" "Too expensive," which was true no matter what century you were in. "Hmm. Then, to top it off, you have no identity we can find." He dropped the folder on the table. "We can''t find any information on you. Your face doesn''t match any one in any government database we''ve ever seen. Is that even your real face?" He leaned in, looking closely at me. "Shapeshifter, right? How far does that go? You a mutie? An alien?" "The second one. Sometimes. I usually stick to being human. Also, mutie is derogatory as fuck, what the hell dude?" "It''s accurate," he countered, leaning back. "Muties, aliens, those rampant tech idiots. Might be that big gauntlet we can''t get off of you is part of it. Point is? Guys like me keep guys like you from killing others. And unless you give me something I''ll have to consider you a threat to the American people." I thought about that. Then I leaned back. "Lawyer." He scowled, rising to his feet. "Fine. Have it your way. But this is SHIELD. We don''t have to give you a lawyer. I''m going to leave you in this room. And until you agree to cooperate, I''m going to make sure nobody remembers you''re in here." Adorable. The agent left the room, probably smug about how I was going to be freaking out in there. Hm¡­ Now. What would Natasha do? Probably sneak out and show up back home with no one even knowing she''d gone on an adventure. But me, I kind of wanted Cleery to pay for being a dick. A racist dick at that. Iranian, really? A SHIELD base, with old SHIELD protocols, security systems, and vending machines. I kept my eyes off where the camera was hidden. Okay. Let''s have some fun.
Agent Todd Cleery Ten hours later, Todd Cleery was walking through the base, grumbling under his breath. He was a little annoyed. His lunch, labeled and everything, had disappeared from the break room fridge. Of course. Hopefully he''d get clearance to access the cameras and find who had stolen it. "How goes the Arab Alien?" Todd said as he walked into the security room overlooking the prison block.. "Your new guy?" Another agent said, looking over at Todd before flickering the camera to the image of the newest prisoner of the SHIELD Staten Island black site. "Bored. He''s been sat still for the last ten hours." "That shows training at least," Todd mumbled, eyeing the camera. The bearded man with his hair pulled into a ponytail was staring forward unmoving. He didn''t seem too bothered. "What are you thinking, Russian?" the other agent asked. "Maybe. They do real well training their operatives to do the accent. But this guy is too brown. And the Iranians don''t have anything like him. He''s one of the other dune coon''s." Todd chuckled at the rhyme, ignoring a look of disgust from the other agent. While he was chuckling, the screen bounced. Todd blinked. "What the hell?" "You see something?" The other agent asked before Todd hushed him. He stared closer at the screen. For a long moment, things were normal. Then the image bounced again. Todd flinched. "It''s on a loop!" "What!?" The other agent shouted, horrified. "How!? This closed circuit thing is brand fucking new, and the tapes are in the other room!" "Quick, fix it now-" "I''m doing it, just give me a-" After a mere moment of pressing, almost too easy a set of button pressing, the live feed came up from one of the cameras. "...No fucking way," Todd said, horrified. He''d been worried the Arab Alien had escaped. It was worse. He was eating. Eating lasagna and sipping a coke. On the bag the food had been contained in, a single name rested. Todd Cleery. That was Todd''s leftover lasagna. He''d brought it from home and left it in the break room. He recognized the tupperware. "THE RAGHEAD STOLE MY LUNCH!" The prisoner was bobbing his head, a pair of orange earphones on his head and a matching CD player on the table. "And my Walkman!?"
Dial/Mahmoud Schahed Todd had good taste in music. Kinda. There was a sad lack of Queen or 90s hip hop. Though maybe that was cause it didn''t exist yet here. The hip hop, not Queen. It hadn''t been too hard to mess with the cameras. Upgrade let me do it with ease. Put it on loop to show the moments before I changed. From there, sneaking into the break room and stealing some food. It was going to just be something random, but I went for Cleery''s food the second I got the chance. I had a better handle on the date. The expiration dates on the soda and chips Cleery had let me find out it was 1991, before December. The same with the magazines I''d found. All of it was out of date though. As I finished up the lasagna, the door burst open. Todd stared at me, rage in his eyes. "Sup, Todd?" I raised his soda. "You want to finish this? Have the last sip?" He stepped in, grinning at me savagely. Then he slammed the door behind him. "Okay. I was going to be nice. But now?" He reached for his belt, unhooking the taser that rested there. "¡­I''m going to enjoy this part." Todd Cleery strode towards me, cruelty in his eyes. "Hm¡­ NRG." A flash. Cleery stopped. Stared. I stared back, unmoving in a full suit of metal. He hesitantly stabbed the taser at me. I didn''t move. Then he experimentally punched at me. Just a light nervous tap. Finally he turned and walked out. "You want your walkman back?" He flinched, but kept moving. "Ah well. Next time I guess." Now I was feeling like reading a bit more. There were some magazines in one of the rooms I''d passed.
Cleery tried. He really really tried. But I just kept at it. I''d sneak out, find something to do, then return to the interrogation room. I defaulted to Ethereal a lot. Made it harder for them to read my body language. And made it fun to read their minds. "Cleery, you''ve got to know. John, your friend? He''s not a fan of your homophobia." "Did you know that many agents in your organization spend stakeouts where nothing happens playing Galaga at the arcade?" "Jane and Samantha are in love, and neither will admit it. For the love of god, please tell them to shut up and ask each other out already." "The entire IT department is full of furries. I don''t know if that''s actually news to you, but I wanted it said." Also, making up conspiracies. Or in some cases, not making them up. "So yeah, there''s a hollow earth, with a king currently roaming around. He''s gonna end up causing trouble soon with the Mole Man. You should keep a lookout." "The aglet is the name of those tassels at the ends of shoelaces. Their true purpose is far more sinister." "Tony Stark is actually a genetically created superbaby created to stop the end of the world using his genius. He does have a brother as well, who is far better looking." "The Earth is flat. I know I said it was hollow like a day ago, but that was just a clever misdirection!" "There is a 32nd flavor of Baskin Robbins ice cream. Don''t let the elite find out you know of its horrific existence." "Doctor Doom sometimes travels back in time to booty call King Arthur''s sister and learn magic. He also sometimes is immortal, no clue how he pulls that shit off." "Everything from ancient Egypt is inevitably evil. Except Moon Knight. He is ok, if a bit crazy." Okay, look, I was three days in and Cleery looked so hopeless. They kept trying to take things back when I stole them, which ruined the Feng Shui of my cell. I''d put up nice posters, photos of their family, I''d rest their wallets across my table in interesting ways and geometric patterns, and then they''d ruin them. Sad. The security measures got more and more interesting, but I always had an alien on hand that could bypass them. They didn''t try to hit me or anything. The fact I didn''t try to hurt anyone or even attempt to leave the facility probably helped. But I kept escaping my cell. And they kept despairing. On day four, someone entered the room while I was playing cards with myself in Ethereal form (And losing, somehow). I glanced up at her, then really looked at her. "You aren''t SHIELD." "What was your first clue? That whichever asshole SHIELD had break into my apartment this time grabbed non-matching suit separates?" The woman dropped a briefcase on the table and pulled a folder out of it. "Here. Mostly standard boilerplate. You got the same nonstandard identity clauses I gave to Spider-Man." "Spider-Man?" I asked, my four arms coming forward. "He''s okay?" In my Ethereal form, I could have tried to dip into her mind. But I decided against it. Better to be nice now that I might have help on my side. Still, I wondered what she was thinking... And why I felt almost pulled in by her. The woman looked at me, and shuddered. "... I am so sorry to ask this, but, um." She fidgeted slightly. "According to what little that ass out front said, you''re a shapeshifter, and that form is just¡­ I don''t know, but I can''t help but feel really unsettled. Would you terribly mind¡­?" "Huh¡­ yeah, I guess I look weird." I got the sense it wasn''t that. But for the sake of being nice, I tapped the Omnitrix. In my human form, I looked her over again. Blonde. Short, very short. But she reminded me of some of the other badass ladies in my life. She had a toughness to her. Maybe not the same kind as Jen''s more boisterous toughness or Nat''s knife sharp kind, but I could still see it. "I guess if I''m signing this, you''ll need a name?" I picked up the folder and opened it. "I''m Mahmoud. Codename is Dial. You?" She looked up at me and gestured at the folder. "Shouldn''t have said that until you signed," she told me. "Especially that latter half. Read, decide if you want to sign. If you do, then we can talk freely." I decided to listen to the serious lady. I looked over the folder, doing it the way Jen taught me. Make sure not to skip over the legalese where it might confuse me. She couldn''t make me a legal expert, but she could make sure I wouldn''t get screwed over. Which I wouldn''t. I read it all the way through. Including the date. September 28th, 1991. "Waking up, to ash and dust, dada, dada," Humming to myself, I reached under the table and grabbed one of the drinks I''d taken. Then I looked over at her. "Oh, you want anything? I stole soda, tea, and coffee." "Eight hours of sleep and a bowl of chicken soup. But you don''t have that, so just a bottle of water," she said. Then blinked. "Huh. That song. What is it?" "Radioactive," I said. I grinned. "You might not be ready for it yet. Yer kids are gonna love it." "Hmm¡­" She held a hand up to just beneath her lips. "Back to the Future. I imagine you think you''re rather clever, don''t you? Mr. Schahed." "Not half as clever as I should be," I said with some small honesty. "Where''d that-" Wait. What the fucking hell. "How did you know my last name?" "The first thing you should have asked is, ''are the cameras off?''" The woman waved a hand up at the corner. "CCTV won''t be widespread for another few years, and they''re still trying to fix whatever you did to their system already. But you should absolutely have been more careful before giving your name." Fair. Natasha would have smacked me for doing it. But in my defense, Mahmoud was one of the most popular names for guys who looked like me¡­ Nah, Natasha would have smacked me again. "Yeah, I should have. But even then, how do you know my last name?" I didn''t add to that. Figured I wouldn''t have to. She seemed like the type to know when a guy was suddenly dangerous. "Hmm," she hummed. "How indeed?" She raised her other hand and snapped her fingers. The sound of shattering glass and static. Her form flickered, rainbow glass fluttering over her skin then drifting away. Like a magical girl transformation in fast forward. Actually, it kind of felt like magic. Barely. It was fast, and impressively beautiful. When it was over, a magical creature stood before me. She had horns, curling back from the sides of her face, another bit of cartilaginous material on the bridge of her nose and on the sides of her cheeks, trailing down her neck. A tail swung behind her, long and spiked at the ends. "Speaking as an expert on transforming, 7 out of 10," I said, feeling just a bit lost. "Points for subtlety, but needs more giant muscles." The woman frowned. Okay, tone it down. "Seriously. What is going on? You look familiar? Are you a-" Marvel character was what I wanted to ask. That seemed wrong somehow. Where had I seen someone like her from. Who- "Mm. You know, I''m a little disappointed. I would have thought a shapeshifter could tell when somebody else wasn''t." She sniffed. "It was an illusion. This is just how I normally look." "You''d be a pretty bad shapeshifter if I could tell... That was pretty good honestly." Seriously, the illusion had been subtle. A slight shifting of her hips with the weight of her tail, the way her hair floated just a bit oddly in small sections. It would have taken me a long time to figure it out. She was either good or used to hiding it. Maybe both. Agatha would have nodded in small approval. "True. Regardless, we''re losing the point." The dragon-woman pulled out a pen and set it on top of the contract. "Sign, and we can talk freely." I took a hold of the pen and signed it. Hopefully Jen''s lessons had helped. Didn''t want to accidentally sign my soul over. Agatha would have been pissed if she had to make a portal to hell again. Once signed, I handed her the contract. "So. We good?" She flipped open the folder to inspect the contract, then nodded at something and put it away. "Mm. So, Mahmoud. What''s the last year you can remember before things got weird?" "2014," I winced. "Kind of. Lady, you need to know, that is a loaded question." What, was I supposed to tell her I was from 2018, then got sent to 2014, and now was in the days of the Fresh Prince? "Mr. Schahed." Uh-oh, she was back to my last name. "If you want my help, I need honesty. If you lie to me again, I will walk out the door and leave you to face Mr. Fury''s tender mercies in another twenty minutes, alone." "Can''t have that. I don''t want to destroy a SHIELD facility again," I mumbled. "Okay, 2018. It was 2018 for me." "Hmm." The woman smiled. "Interesting. 2021." No. Fucking. Way. My eyes bugged out of my head. I''d seen some strange shit. But this¡­ You didn''t need to be Tony to connect the dots here. "How long!" I half-asked, half-yelled. "Were you here, I mean? Wait, I have way more-" I groaned, rubbing my head. "You know me? Don''t you? The real me." "I think I did once, a long time ago," she said. "It''s been¡­ God, it''s been that long already?" The woman shook her head. "Count yourself lucky my memory is as good as it is, Mr. Schahed. I''ve forgotten more than you could imagine." "You should write in a diary," I joked. Please let her know I was joking. I rubbed my head again. "Okay. You''re a visitor-" "No," she interrupted. "This is home for me." "Well I''m not going to say the other thing. Dimensional immigrant? We''re DIs, how about that?" Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. She shrugged. "Won''t hold up in court. But good enough, for now." Why is life so weird? "So uh¡­meet anyone cool-" I cut myself off. "Scratch that. How much do you need to know so that I can get back to my world and girlfriend? And how much cool shit can you share?" "How long ago the big names arrived on the scene, two or three major recent events, and if there''s anything or anyone noteworthy that''s missing," she said. Then she leaned forward, a scary grin on her face. "And ooh, a girlfriend, hmm? What''s her naaaaame?~" Oh god, this was going to sound like a lie. "Jennifer Walters." She blinked and fell back into her seat. Her mouth fell open slightly, then closed with a click. "... oh she is going to freak when I talk to her next." "Don''t tell her dad or cousin, I can''t take getting chased by the Hulk again," I sighed. "Okay. So let me start with¡­ the beginning, I guess? I was writing, late at night. Not something uncommon for me. I was working on a new story after a long day-" "Not helpful," she said with a wave of her hand. "First major, world-shaking event, and who was involved. That''s what I need." "Tony Stark built a suit in a cave with a box of scraps?" She raised an eyebrow. "You are singularly bad at this. Where and when?" "2008, in the middle of¡­ Afghanistan? He got kidnapped by the Ten Rings. Later fought a weird Russian dude named Whiplash. Then Thor came to Earth and boxed with the Destroyer- uh, do you know what is the-" "No, and I don''t need to know," she said. "Next?" "Cap came out of the ice," I continued, getting into my groove. "Then the Avengers came together to fight an alien race called the Chitauri with Loki leading them. Uh, 2012." I''d forgotten to mention the years of the other things. "... I see," she said. "That''s probably all the information the geniuses are going to need to work their magic, but¡­" She sighed. "It''s going to take some time, I''m afraid. And that''s all assuming you can even get Fury to not try and put a bullet through your forehead." "Don''t worry, I can survive it," I said helpfully. "Oh, uh, do you know about Ben 10?" Maybe I was being too free with information? I don''t know, I liked her. She was grumpy and fun. The woman frowned, tilting her head to the side slightly. "... what?" I tapped the Omnitrix. In a flash of green, I transformed again, this time into arguably the most iconic Ben 10 alien. "FOUR ARMS!" The woman flinched, hands coming up to the sides of her head. "Ow! Holy shit, why did you have to yell?" I looked at her, confused. I didn''t think it was that bad. "S-Sorry? But uh¡­ yeah. I''ll be fine. If I get shot." Thought only Matt acted like that when I did the yell¡­ She sighed, rubbing at her temples. "Fury had better just tell the government to smile and nod when I bill this¡­ I was on vacation, damn it!" She slapped the table in frustration. "Vacation! In Hawaii! With two beautiful women!... neither of who were¡ªanyway! Tropical! Vacation! And SHIELD ruined it!!" "...You want to vacation in my universe? I can offer all the things." Look, I was trying man. "I can''t," she replied, voice glum. "Even on vacation, I have to stay by the phone. Welcome to being an attorney, I guess." She sighed. "I miss ebooks." Oh right, Jen had the same thing going on. Sitting my sculpted red butt down, I crossed my arms. "Well. You''ve told me the score. So. What''s your name?" She looked up at me. And then, she gave me a small smile, and offered her hand. "Noa Schaefer, Esquire. At your service." I shook her hand gently in one of mine. "Nice to meet you, despite the circumstances. Next, can we get me out of this prison and into my universe without me needing to destroy a SHIELD facility and possibly starting a war with the superheroes here?" Noa looked at me. Her right eye was twitching. "Please never put that particular string of words together in that order ever again," she said. "But yes, I think I can get you out of this cell. As for getting you back to your own universe¡­ that''s going to take some calls and scheduling. Depends how busy Reed Richards and the good doctor are this week." "Cool," I said. Awesome. I wouldn''t have to start a fight with people¡­ maybe I could do it anyways. I kinda wanted to see what supervillains were around. Fighting the Six had been fun. "So. Wanna trade stories later?" "I have a feeling mine will be substantially less interesting than yours," she said (Probably lied. I got the feeling her life was more interesting than she wanted, even without my boxing Infinity Stone users). "But sure." Then she frowned, bringing a hand to her lower lip again. "Hm¡­ I''ll need to make sure SHIELD gets you a hotel room. You don''t exactly have a valid ID¡­ eh," she shrugged. "I''ll make it Fury''s problem." "Wow, you really hate Fury, don''t you?" She gave me the side-eye. "Oh, you have no idea." "You should meet mine." The door opened as I was speaking. "He looks like Sam Jackson." "Now that does sound interesting." That wasn''t Noa. Not without that baritone voice. I looked over at the speaker, a very white man with an eyepatch and hair shaved into a military cut. Who was also built like a brick shithouse, wearing a SHIELD command uniform. He smirked, eyeing me. "Fuck off, Fury," Noa interrupted. "It hasn''t been thirty minutes yet and you know it." He didn''t flinch, only smirking. "Yes, I know. Just seems our cameras might be broken. I wanted to make sure they''re working." I looked at Noa, who was shaking her head at me. Not gonna talk then. I watched Fury, Nick ''Howling Commando'' Fury, walk in, making a show of looking up at the camera. "Funny how someone we don''t know understood SHIELD protocols well enough to slip around our security. Even seemed to anticipate our answers to those holes in our net. I''m not interrogating, by the way, simply making conversation." Wow. I think he liked Noa. My Fury had the same weird smile on his face when he was messing with people he liked. "The ''just being friendly'' approach wasn''t appreciated when you broke into my home, and it isn''t appreciated now," Noa said with crossed arms. "Just slap a fitting label on his file and let me make some calls. Make it¡­ I don''t know." She took one hand and waved it airily. "Code Dorothy, or Code Oz." "Code Lyoko available?" "Oh for the love of - shut it," Noa snapped at me. "Lyoko," Fury mumbled, but let it go. Well, pretended to let it go. "Sure thing, Schaefer. Let me get right on that. And you," he glanced at me. "You don''t let her shut you up, you hear?" In response, I tapped the Omnitrix and silently changed to Goop. No body language to read anymore. Fury frowned, but walked out casually. "Let me know if you need me, Schaefer. You have the number." The door slammed shut. Noa slunk down into a seat, fingers massaging her temples, and let out a deep sigh. "I fucking hate that man." "...You wanna see the stuff he hides in his office?" I asked her. "He''s closer to the IT department than you''d think, if you know what I mean." "Fury''s real office is somewhere inside the Capitol Beltway around DC," Noa grumbled. "I think. If there''s an office for him here, he deliberately left it just to mess with and test his agents." Ah. She thought I was incompetent now. The Capitol Beltway wasn''t that far from here. Well, I''d tell her later. Okay. I''d trust that the random lady who knew who I was and where I was from would have my back. Just needed to let the law do its thing. I missed Jen. She''d have loved this shit. "Okay." Noa stood up from the chair. "I''m going to go pester the ass out front to get accommodations arranged for you. Then I''m taking you somewhere that SHIELD doesn''t have wired six ways to Sunday." "Sure thing," I said. "Where would that be though?" I mean, I had a mental list, but who know how viable those were. Did the Avengers Mansion exist? Or did Wanda break it? "Oh, that''s easy," Noa said. "My condo." "Mrs. Schaefer, why I never!" I said with a grin. "One, Ms.," she corrected. "Two, you''re not my type." "Ah. Gotcha. You want me to introduce you to people who are your type?" Because I got the sense she was Fantasma''s. "Thanks, but no," she said with a smirk. "I do have a girlfriend." That bit of banter aside, the meeting seemed to go well. Now to let the law do its work. ¡­ wait. "Hey, how do you know SHIELD doesn''t have your condo wired, anyway?" "Hm?" Noa paused, one hand on the door handle. "Oh, I had my godfather check." "Ah, I see we''re into vague answers that mean nothing out of context. I like it, very ominous."
Noa Schaefer''s condo was in Greenwich Village. We were on Staten Island. Bout a 40 minute drive or so, depending on exact location and traffic conditions. So plenty of time to get to know each other. Once out of all the security surrounding the prison block, (I made a note to send Fury a list of improvements he could make) we entered into a private garage and approached a Lincoln Town Car with a driver waiting. There was a partition in the car, affording us some privacy. Some. Just in case, I entered Fasttrack mode just before we entered. A quick run around. Three trackers, two of which were obvious, one of which Nat''s lessons marked for me. A very weak bug in the glove compartment, one more in the backseats hidden in a seatbelt. And three cameras, one hidden on the grill to see where we were going, and two inside the passenger lights inside the car. The driver was legit at least. Or as legit as my spy training could find after checking his wallet at super-speed then putting it back. I tossed all of those aside, then went Upgrade and melded with the car, ignoring the look on the driver''s face. This had to be done. Only one more tracker, this one hidden inside the rubber tire. I disabled that and separated from the vehicle after making some small repairs, reentering my human form. "Had to make sure," I explained to Noa, who shrugged. "I think they were a bit blatant with this one," she said. "When I got paid a visit, the man himself didn''t actually leave any bugs. The paranoia was more than enough, I guess." "I was thinking it was a test, honestly. Only one of them was really trying," I looked over at the driver. His mouth was open a bit too wide. "You okay, man?" "Uh," the professional driver in him came back quickly. He swallowed, nodding. "Y-Yes. Ma''am, sir. If you will?" He held the door open. We hopped in, the car starting up. As he rolled out, I looked Noa over while she slid shut the car''s privacy screen. I shouldn''t trust her. She was, technically, a lawyer brought in by Fury. Who knew my last name. And could turn into a dragon¡­scale¡­ person. That last part was the least relevant, really. At the least, she wasn''t a mind reader. I''d have sensed that as Ethereal. Actually she felt like the¡­ opposite of a mind reader? A mind book, of sorts? I''d almost felt pulled in. Point was, she was a mystery. "If you have questions, ask away," she said. "You''re not going to insult me." "I have a bunch of questions. But I need to figure out which ones are best," Come on, Dial. You''ve got a lawyer girlfriend, a spy teacher, and a businessman best friend. You know what to ask now that Fury isn''t listening in. Start small. "How do you know me?" Noa frowned. "We were friends¡­ I think. It''s been years, and I''ve forgotten a lot of specifics. But I didn''t know very many Muslims by name, and I still don''t, so¡­ well, you''re lucky you have a memorable name." "It''s one of the most common names in the world," I said, though I chuckled to let her know I got it. "In that case, I wish I knew who you were, in turn. I miss my old friends and family. I mean, I love my new life. But sometimes¡­" My mom would have hated Jen. She always wanted me to marry a good Muslim girl. But I''d still have wanted them to meet. "Don''t worry about it," Noa thankfully cut off that sad line of thought with a smile. "Not like you''d be able to recognize me anyways." "How about you? Miss anything?" I asked while thinking out the next more serious question. "The internet. Having to go through law school again, and without it this time? And don''t get me started on knowing precedent that isn''t precedent yet." She laughed. "Oh. Seafood. I''m allergic to it now. That, and most thai food uses shrimp stock or paste, so¡­ can''t have that." "Oh damn, that sucks," I said, shaking my head. "I kinda lucked out by comparison. Granted, I get punched in the face more, but at least I''ve got internet. Fair trade. How involved are you with the comic shit in this universe?" No subtlety. She was a lawyer, my lawyer. I wanted answers, not to win some weird spy conversation. I''m sure Nat would have had her bent over in a few conversations, but I was making friends. "In truth, I''ve tried to stay as far away from it as possible," she said with a frown. I held in a laugh. "Unfortunately, it''s had a way of, well, finding me." "Well yeah! That''s the best way to run into that stuff," I said with genuine humor. "Well, normally it doesn''t drop adoption papers at your doorstep," she countered. "Okay, see, now that you''ve said that, it''s going to happen to me," I joked. "Some young shapeshifter in need of guidance will show up at the door looking cute as a button." Noa laughed and shook her head, but she didn''t say anything more. "How long have you been practicing law?" "Oh, a decade now, I think?" she replied. "Time kind of blurs together when you''re working fifteen hour days¡­ glad I''m not anymore, now that I think about it." That was a comfortable amount of time. "So then, here''s a question you probably already predicted, but I gotta be somewhat suspicious or Natasha will be disappointed. Why did Fury go out of his way to get you? Instead of some other lawyer on his payroll? I mean, you''re either a great actor or you hate his guts." "I¡­ don''t really know," she said with a sigh. "Part of me thinks it''s purely Fury trying to rile me up, get something out of me. But then again, remember that godfather I mentioned?" "Yeah?" "Mossad," she replied. "Also, who''s this Natasha? I thought you were dating your world''s Jen." "I am. Natasha is one of my teachers. Black Widow¡­ is she still a baddie in this world? Cause she''s an Avenger in mine." Granted, Natasha had never been a ''baddie'' in my world. Just, you know, raised into an evil spy organization. Very different. "I¡­" Noa trailed off. "Who is that supposed to be?" "Superspy, Russian. I got trained by her, though Ares does most of the physical stuff now." "Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Our Avengers were Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Hulk to start. Then Rogers thawed out, and most recently we got Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and this Captain Marvel is a woman?" She paused. "Or was it Miss Marvel, but she happened to be a captain? I don''t remember, I''ll have to ask." "Ant-Man is retired in my world, he''s an older guy. Wasp disappeared. We still had Tony, Thor, Bruce, and Steve, but Nat and Clin-Er, Hawkeye, rounded out the team. Nowadays things got crazy. The six months I''ve been there have been a damn ROLLER COASTER." Noa turned and looked at me. Her eyes were haunted. "Be glad that things still weren''t too terrible," she said. "You probably didn''t lose a full percent of the world''s population in twelve hours." "...Which one?" I leaned forward, pressing my fingers together. "Who was responsible for that?" "G¡­" She cut herself off, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before trying again. "It was G¡­ g¡­ god damn it!" She smacked a fist on her thigh. "Why can''t I say it! It was G-G¡­ Ga¡­" "Stop." I put a hand on her shoulder. "I know." I remembered him. High above me. A presence that cut into my thoughts. Clouds appearing like birds against the backdrop of an impossible palm. The Ethereal form, in some ways, had protected me. In some, it made things worse. The memory would never leave. I wished I could have promised to help with that, somehow, to arrest Galactus or kill him. But you can''t get revenge on a supernova. "I almost died," she whispered. "All I did was look in h-His general direction. Pietro saved my life." I thought about that speedy kid, quick to smile and always showing up at the tower to say hi to his sister. He and Le Vent came over to have tea at super-speed sometimes with X, Jarvis, and me. Just to help Le Vent feel normal again. "Pietro is good folk." "Mhmm." She blinked. "Wait. Are we talking about the same Pietro? I-I mean, our respective worlds''?" Oh good, I got her out of her funk! "Speedy? Talkative? Sweet guy when he stops acting like a high school jock?" "Hm. Not the jock part, but yeah. He''s¡­ uh. Wait, how does this one work?" Noa murmured, one hand coming up to draw lines on an imaginary board in front of her. "His father is¡­ but his little sister is¡­ hm." "Noa-Uh, hopefully we''re on a first name basis now?" She waved a hand at me, so I''d take that as a yes! "Noa, we''re dealing with some straight up timey-wimey bullshit. Who knows where things are supposed to be. People who should be related-" "Oh, no, that''s not what I was getting at, not at all!" She laughed, light and airy, her precious funk all but forgotten, thank goodness. "It''s that his father is my godfather, but his youngest sister is my goddaughter, and it''s not like there''s a convenient in-between generation to just add a word in there, is it?" "I, er-" Godfather was Mossad. Quicksilver''s father. Youngest sister. "..." "Eh," Noa waved it off. "Don''t worry about it. It''s not a big deal." Like hell! "Okay, we''ve got what, 40 minutes? I have got to hear your story, because that sounds interesting as fuck!" I''d trust her, for now. She was fun. Serious, business-minded, a bit brisk, but in a good way. Reminded me of a younger more humorous Agatha in some ways. I wondered what she got out of all this. I''d have to offer her something in return for keeping me from having to break out of prison. We''d see. 13: Res Ipsa Part 3 "Well, here''s home." Noa unlocked the door and pushed it open, but not before tapping the little wood thing on her door frame. A mezuzah? Well, she was wearing a Star of David on her necklace, but it had been a while since I''d seen one. "You gonna stand there all day? Come on in." I followed her slowly, feeling a bit awkward. Entering a new house is always weird. You can''t help your curiosity, but you don''t want to be rude. So I wandered in, trying not to look around too closely. Couldn''t help it though. The condo was t-shaped, the entryway with some abstract art on the walls we walked past. Beyond that, the vertical part of the ''T'' had a dining room and kitchen, both of which looked well used. Not dirty, but there were scratches and dings in the countertop where someone was too enthusiastic cooking, with care and love put into where the cooking implements were placed. There were also two knife blocks on either side of the sink. Always notice potential weapons in a new environment. The head of the condo had the living room. To my left I could see another bedroom. When I glanced at it, I could see a poster on the wall. The periodic table of elements. Under that, on a dresser, was a photo of Spider-Man, signed. Huh. "Try not to spend too much time peeking in my goddaughter''s bedroom," Noa said. "She''s twelve." "Twelve?" I thought about that. Lorna Dane was the likely goddaughter. She was just a baby, man. She had so much ahead of her. "You know, Kamala and Pete are about that age in my universe," I mumbled, my stomach growling as I followed Noa, who sat on the couch. "I spend a lot of time worrying about them getting pulled into the craziness of my world." "Mhmm?" She hummed. "And was that your stomach?" She stood up from the couch. "Uh¡­" "Kitchen," she commanded. "Now." "Ah. Sure thing," I couldn''t help the grin on my face. There was something very momlike in the way she said that. "I don''t have much, I just got in from out of town, but we can order carry-out." I followed her into the kitchen, where she pulled out a collection of paper menus from a drawer. "Pick one, go nuts." "I don''t suppose the pandemic of places all calling themselves ''Famous Ray''s Pizzeria''s'' is universal, is it?" I asked while flipping. Mmmm. Chinese. "¡­ no." "Well, traditionally I''m supposed to go for shawarma, but Chinese sounds good. I''ll take your recommendation on that. Good thing we''re both kosher!" "Halal isn''t kosher," Noa said with a smirk as she took the menu I was eyeing. "You have fewer restrictions on food." "Sure, but it''s nice to share something similar. Anywho." As she made the order, I looked more closely. Newspaper clippings. Those had caught my eye from the start. Hung up on the walls were articles, like a hunter''s trophies. A lot of Daily Bugle ones actually. As Noa spoke to the Chinese place, I read one of them. Noa had defended Pyro? That was a major one too. Man, he was a kid accused of assault with superpowers? And Steve had spoken out against it when Allerdyce had been found guilty. Apparently it was pretty clear the trial had been a marsupial kind. And Magneto dropped out of the sky to pick him up. Erik, Max, Magnus, whatever name he was given or side he was on, he was always a prima-donna. A badass one, but still. Steve''s picture was there, facing Magneto, while one of Noa in the courtroom rested a bit lower. Heh. I couldn''t help smiling at the sight of him. He never changed. Kind of. "Steve is played by Chris Evans in my universe¡­ And no one knows what mutants are yet." I said softly, though I wasn''t sure if Noa could still hear it or not. Funny. This article was technically a loss. Yet she hung it up all the same. More articles with Noa. Some wins. Some small losses. Front page, or little mentions. And photos of friends and family. I kind of figured this was Noa showing trust in me. She didn''t have to bring me here. A home, a well-lived in and loved home, is in many ways, a key to a person. It reveals more of them than they could ever realize. Noa was proud of her judicial career. But she also was proud of her family and friends. Photos of her standing in front of the Stonewall Inn with someone I didn''t recognize, another of an older couple hugging her, a cute one of a green haired girl throwing up a peace sign from between a brunette woman and silver-haired man, an embarrassed looking redhead with a cane at a desk. I heard the phone getting put down and moved to sit at the couch in the living room again. Noa walked out of the kitchen and walked into another room next to her goddaughter''s room, coming back out with pens and paper enough for a small army. She laid them out, a thoughtfulness in her eyes. Law time, then. "So our first problem is that I''m not technically a citizen, right?" Noa shook her head and clicked a pen. "No, you''re skipping ahead a few steps. The biggie here is nobody knows who you are. If you weren''t a US citizen, but, say, Egypt or Jordan has records of you, that would be fine. The problem is that nobody has records of you, and the bigger issue is the why." "Can''t be the first time it''s happened though, right? Even disregarding tribal folk who don''t interact with the modern world, aliens, time travelers, alternate dimensions, that stuff has been happening for centur-" I cut myself off. "No, this will be one of the few times modern laws deal with the supernatural version I''m guessing." The Rio Timequake had led to dozens of cases like that. People from all across the timeline, who didn''t exist because they were either born in the distant past or the future. "I''m, like, ninety percent sure it has," Noa hedged. "But not publicly. Or at least, not to the extent that you were plainly visible. We''ve probably had dimensional fallers tumbling through in the middle of nowhere. But you?" She waved one hand at some of her framed Daily Bugle articles. "Odds are, Jameson is going to have a field day with this, and that''s before we worry about any cross-contamination between timelines from anything you brought along. Which raises the problem of, again, how we handle this." Noa pulled out a piece of paper and scrawled SHIELD up at the top, then drew two branching lines down. "See, I''m pretty sure now that Fury dragged me into this because he needs an outside perspective," she said as she wrote. "I guarantee SHIELD has procedures in place for this kind of scenario, but nothing that would stand up to the kind of media scrutiny you''re likely to get. Which is why he''s outsourcing all the hard work to somebody who won''t just tell him to do the exact same thing as usual, then just browbeat and suppress the media." Under one of those two lines, she''d just written a few question marks, and a line from that to a little text bubble she drew in, where she wrote ''business as usual''. Then she peeked at my Omnitrix, drew in its design under the other arrow, and went further from there. "Basically, he wants something he can write down on some forms, take it to the President or whoever has authority on him, and be able to say that yes, he knows who they are now, where they came from, and what they want. He wants me to give us a civilian bureaucracy approach to a superhuman issue." Noa sighed. "Wouldn''t be the first time I''ve done this, but that doesn''t make it any less annoying." I thought for a moment about Nick Fury''s twisty mind and how he would think things out. "He''s having you design a, what do you call it, a precedent for dimensional immigration and deportation?" That tracked. Nick Fury was a twisty mind. "Man. I wonder if Maria will ever get as bad. She usually just asks for this kind of thing." "By ''Maria'', you don''t happen to mean Maria Hill, do you?" Uh-oh. I knew that tone. She was pissed. "I mean¡­ yeah?" I said, chuckling nervously. "Why do you ask?" "Because that fucking bitch is the one who dragged me away from my vacation!" Noa yelled, an open hand pounding on the table in front of her. "Not even an apology, either! Just shows up, literally drags me off a pool chair, frog marches me to my room and watches me pack¡­ urgh! Oh, I hate her so much!" "I guess that''s one point for my universe?" I said, trying to keep from being slightly intimidated by the tiny woman. "My Maria is better than the other ones. Can''t see her trying to arrest Steve¡­ Speaking of being arrested?" "Hmm?" Noa asked. "What about? You''re not under arrest." "But I was, so now we have our current problem. Aka, letting me walk around your universe without needing to resort to turning into Godzilla when a helicarrier drops out of the sky," I focused. Enough wisecracking Dial, act like a goddamned professional. "I''m not super familiar with what the process is for normal folk? I mean, the equivalent version. Most of the law stuff I''ve focused on has been trying to stop a Civil War situation." That was not going well. People tended to ignore a lot of morals when they were scared. "As you well should. And the immigration issue is even worse, because¡­ hmm, wait, but¡­ ah. Hmm.. shit." Noa tapped her pen against the papers in front of her, and sighed. "Alright. Mahmoud, I''m going to apologize in advance, but I need to ask you a very uncomfortable question, with an equally uncomfortable answer. Please just give me the benefit of the doubt on this one?" "Uh¡­ sure? Hit me." Noa took a deep breath, then sighed. "I''m sorry about this, but¡­ I need you to describe the kind of, well, prejudice and profiling you and your family experienced post-9/11." "... Well holy shit," I rubbed my face as I tried to process the¡­ well, the everything that followed that question, the memories and emotions it brought out. "G-Give me a second. I was about¡­ Eleven? Yeah, eleven¡­ The FBI visited my house. We were living in Cali at the time. Some people came to our home. They asked for my dad. Just wanted to ask questions. I remember my mom being confused. But my dad was worried. They wanted to see what sort of ties he had to other Muslims. Asked if he had family from Afghanistan. Fucking hell, we were Moroccan, I don''t know why they-" I stopped myself. "Uh, other than that. My mom wore full hijab, the uh, headscarf. Same with my sister. So every once in a while someone would yell at us to go back to our country. Call us terrorists. I think it was like, three months that someone asked me if I hated America? Which, fuck that guy. I was born here, I''m more American than goddamn apple pie." I was speaking a lot faster. I stopped. "Sorry. I wasn''t-" I squeezed my fists, thinking. "I just remember that day, seeing the planes hit on the tv in my dad''s room. I wasn''t happy to see that shit. I was a kid, man. I was horrified. And then people I thought I knew treated my dad like shit. My dad wasn''t perfect. He had his issues. But he was no terrorist. My mom was everything, and she got treated like a threat because of her hijab. W-Why do you need to know this, Noa?" She didn''t answer immediately. I looked at her notes, and saw she''d stopped writing something about halfway through a word and left a blotch on the page where her pen stopped. "I¡­ I''m sorry about that." Noa set her pen down and reached a hand across the table, resting it atop mine. "I wish I didn''t have to ask about that. It''s just, I¡­ I may have learned about the Patriot Act, the backroom lawyering and flimsy justifications and wholesale fictions spun to let it happen, but it''s been decades without. Decades in a world that, despite all the superheroes and magic and craziness, has felt more sane than the one we left." Her breathing shook. I could tell she was just as rattled as I was. "I don''t remember what the Patriot Act said. But if¡­ if I know some of what it did, I can work backwards. Reverse engineer what utter bullshit got written to allow its trespasses. And then I can make sure that what we make here becomes a model. So that when ¨C no, if the time comes, they don''t get to pull that shit again." She looked up at me with a thin, almost watery smile. "With any luck, what happened to you and your family will never happen here." "... Thanks, Noa. That means a lot," I smiled, though I think it was just a bit more cracked than I expected. "We kinda worry about uh¡­ not the Patriot Act. But there''s some rumblings about a Superhuman Reg Act. And Jen, Matt, they brought up the Patriot Act. How enough fear and¡­ well, it made people give up their freedoms for some fake sense of safety. I don''t think I''ve ever told them how terrifying that is to me." "It''s probably worse for them," Noa said. "They understand the fine details of things. And given their education almost certainly included 9/11, then they can see just how bad things have gone." She tapped her pen against the pad. "They¡ª actually, hold on. This is a long shot, but¡­ you wouldn''t happen to have the actual text of whatever this act is on hand, would you?" Noa asked. I did. I tapped the Omnitrix. Long practice had long taught me how to manipulate the Omnitrix. Ben probably was better with it, but the Omnitrix was really just a mega computer at the end of the day, transformations aside. And one thing I held was a series of useful files. Including survival manuals. Never again. A hologram popped up, glowing with that slight green I couldn''t remove. I angled the hologram for her to see, flipping open the folder holding the proposed act. "Keep in mind¡­ Jen threw a couch out the window the first time she read this." Rather than say anything, Noa looked closer and leaned in over the table. She mouthed some of the words as she read, eyes growing wider and wider as they darted back and forth across the document. "Nope, not trying to hand-write this." She set down her pen, then motioned for me to get up and follow her. "I am going to transcribe this whole damn thing, because this is about as perfect a template of what utter bullshit not to do as I can get, and you''re just gonna have to sit there while I type it out." "...You have a lot in common with Matt and Foggy," Granted, they''d more just desperately asked for the file, but still. "Well I should hope so," she said with a sniff. "I did help teach those two, here. And paid them, because ''for course credit'' is bullshit." "Ha! Really? That''s awesome!" Matt in my universe wasn''t as lucky. If it wasn''t for me they''d be the poorest lawyers in NYC. Oh right. "Uh, here," I tapped the Omnitrix and opened up a second page. This one, with notations from a host of folks. Jen and Matt, sure, Foggy as well. But also a few others, people I didn''t know. "This should help." "That''ll help. Anyway, food should be here in half an hour, and that''s more than long enough to get most of this down." Guess I''d have to bear with this. "Fine. At least put on some music." "Of course. AC/DC okay with you?" Noa asked. "You would love my Tony Stark. Hell the fuck yeah."
There was a lot more to do than could be covered by a couple of hours of conversation. Noa typed damn quick, but it still took time to copy down everything I had on the SRA and its gross violation of human rights. She sat down in her den, an old CRT monitor shining on her face as she worked. I sat next to the desk, every once in a while manipulating the Omnitrix to display something else for her. I was glad I''d been so meticulous in downloading things. X helped, often sending me things he thought I might need. It was in the middle of that, me nodding my head to ''Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'', that Noa asked me a favor. She was done transcribing. So why not have me help her out while she figured things out. I agreed. She was helping me out, I was bored, why not? But then of course, she said the favor. Which was much heavier shit than I expected, even if she did tell me I could just say no. Still. Off I went.
Flying in Astrodactyl form is just so goddamn fun. Even as short as any flights were as my favorite orange pterodactyl, I loved it. The sheer acceleration, my jetpack exploding with fire, the air blowing past. Almost made me forget where I was headed. GPS on the Omnitrix got me there. Poland was a pretty country. From thousands of feet up, I zipped over picturesque cities, summer giving the countryside a bright green landscape. Any other time, I''d have loved to visit. I approached my destination. From high up, I could read the words on the gate leading in. Arbeit macht frei. Work sets you free. God, it took every scrap of discipline I had not to rip that fucking set of words apart out of spite. One blast would have done it. Auschwitz concentration camps. A complex of over 40 of the things ran in occupied Poland. Including extermination camps. Noa''s godfather, who she hadn''t admitted was Magneto but obviously fucking was, had apparently kept up with his Nazi hunting efforts. I think she implied he expanded it to include a few other horrific folks, sex traffickers and the like, but only sort of. Good. Point was, he had his suspicions about the place, but couldn''t bring himself to go back. Noa had some suspicions as well. There were some mysteries about the place. I''d never looked into it back home. I really should have, based on what Noa said. ''Herr SX'' was mentioned in a Hydra journal found by Magneto. He''d been involved in the camp. That was horrifying to hear. So here I was, flying over the quiet complex. People dotted the place here and there. Tourists, taking photos, speaking softly to each other, staring in horror. It was all very respectful. One day, there would be an epidemic of ''influencers'' taking selfies with a host of emojis in the captions, trying to farm tragedy for interaction. But for now at least, it was respectful. I dropped behind a building and shifted to human form. Noa''s Pietro had left some clothes behind, so I wore a jacket to hide the Omnitrix. It was easy enough to join a tour group. The only one, it looked like. There were tourists, sure, but this late in the day, only one guide, an old man in a button up shirt and jeans. He was bald, wrinkled, and had hair coming out his ears. He looked like a grandfather. "When I lived in the camp," he was saying as I joined. He had almost no accent. "The things they subjected us to, sometimes, seemed normal. You would be surprised, yes, very surprised at what you can get used to." He walked us into a building, leading us to a hallway. One with photos on a wall. "When the camps opened, they took photos of each of us. Our names, birthdays, yes." He tapped on one. "See? That is me. Erwin Mintz, political dissident. I am lucky. These men, here?" He tapped each photo. "Dead. Dead. Dead." With everyone else, I looked at the photos. One woman, shaking, turned away from the lines of photos, walking quickly away, the man who was with her chasing her. I shuddered. Those photos. Hundreds of them. Thousands. Men, women, children. This was- The Graveyard had something like this. In computer format. Photos of people who had been dragged in, experimented on, killed. The horror of it had left Fury himself quiet. Hydra could say otherwise. But they never really left their roots, did they? I glanced at the tour guide. He was smiling at his photo. He looked back at me, smile fading. Turning away, he waved. "Come, come. More to see. To understand." I wish I could say that my previous experience made it easier. That I was conditioned to horror. But it was harder than I expected. I''d seen a small taste of what these kinds of places were like. When I saw the stone beds where prisoners were forced to lie, I could easily picture those I''d saved in those beds. Then he led us to the ovens. The nail scratches on the walls inside them from the desperate people trying to escape. I left, heading out to a grassy hill just outside the camp. I needed a bit. This place was cursed. Not magically. I wish it had been. But this was worse. Soulless, mechanical evil. Efficient death made into an industry. And somehow, still continuing. The sun fell down in the distance as I waited there. Tourists streamed out of the camp slowly. I thought about calling Noa, but decided to leave it. I couldn''t help the shame I felt at just leaving that place. I was a superhero, right? I was supposed to be able to handle this. Except that Bucky and Steve had liberated camps like this. The looks in their eyes when they mentioned that stuff¡­ This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Guess it wasn''t shameful to want to leave at the thought. I felt numb for a good long while, watching the camp from the distance. When darkness fell and the camp had emptied out, I snuck back in. Easy enough to do even in human form. This place wasn''t exactly guarded by the elite. Why would it be? It''s reputation was enough. Then I walked around, retracing my steps. I hated it. The whole place just felt off. The darkness didn''t help. But I had a favor to fulfill. According to Noa, her godfather had a suspicion that a hidden laboratory was beneath a section of Auschwitz. Inside might be information that could lead him to one of the worst figures of the camp. I approached one of the buildings he''d pegged as a possible location. With a look around, I whispered under my breath. "Big Chill." The bright flash of green illuminated the camp before I floated forward, entering my intangible state. Even in this powerful form, I still felt unnerved. I fought through it. I imagine I made for quite a sight. A floating ghostly figure, stalking the halls of Auschwitz at night, moving through the walls and diving into the ground. Good thing no one was around. The first building was clear. Horrifying, but the publicly displayed kind. The second one was as well. I stopped briefly in a dark room filled with the dozens of items on display that had once belonged to prisoners. Shoes in one room. Briefcases in another. More horrifying, a room filled with hair, shaved from the prisoners. I moved on. It was as I was floating to reach the third location that I saw him. The tour guide? What was his name again, Erwin Mintz? He was alone, walking calmly through the camp, a set of keys in hand. He was¡­ whistling? How used to this place was he? He wasn''t skipping or anything, but he was very casual. I floated overhead, following him. His bald head shone in the moonlight, the old man twirling his keys. We passed the third building I was supposed to search. I hesitated¡­ then I followed. Something in my gut told me to. He headed into a different building. Building twelve out of the twenty that Magneto had marked. It was a former prison reception center, a L-shaped building with a red roof, ringed with a barbed wire fence. He locked the door behind him, never seeing me floating quietly above him. This was all too weird. A former camp survivor, walking around it at night and entering one of the buildings I was set to search? Was he looking for the same thing I was? I doubted he was Magneto. He didn''t have that kind of edge to him, and Noa would have told me. He walked through the hallway, ignoring the various signs documenting the history of the camp. Instead he headed to what looked like a kitchen, stepping into the back through a single wooden door. I waited a moment. The sound of something grinding filled the air. I hesitated, waiting for the sound to finish, then poked my head in. He was gone. I stepped in fully, looking around. It was a storage room of some kind, filled with cleaning items. I imagined that it had once been a pantry. The bricks were painted grey, the shelves new and metal. I probably could have studied the room, found the secret lever. Fuck that. Big Chill let me cheat. I walked through the wall on the other side of the room. It took a bit, but after floating around the perimeter I found a hatch in the floor with a ladder leading down into a tunnel. I followed it, entering another brick hallway. A whistling song echoed off the walls of that hall. I floated into the hall and prowled quietly forward. No plaques, signs, or photos in this hallway. It wasn''t meant for the public. There was a door set into the right wall, with a small barred window in the center. I looked in. A cell. The bed was occupied by a corpse. I stepped fully in, shuddering as I looked around. The cell didn''t smell very strongly. Musty, if I had to describe it. The corpse was too old. It looked almost mummified. I kneeled down, studying it with my wings folded around me. Small. Only about four feet tall, less. Prison clothes on it. I looked around. No other furniture inside, just the bed, and no belongings. I left that cell, floating into another one on the left. The corpse there was taller, but still wearing the same. I entered the hallway again, looking forward. Dozens of doors. Hundreds. And a set of stairs at the end. If only half of them had bodies inside¡­ I floated down the hall. On the floor at one point, I saw a set of long scratch marks on the floor. Someone had been dragged along by force. At the end of the hallway, beside the stairs, was a room, the door open. It was an office, not a cell. I entered and found cabinets, a desk, and a map of the camp on one wall. When I opened the cabinets there were dozens of folders with names on them in alphabetical order. I opened one. A photo of a girl stared at me. She''d been shaved, the photo in black and white. She was so¡­ so young. Younger than Ruby. It was written in German of course, but the Omnitrix translated it. Leah Abrams, 12. Physically weak, mentally deficient. Injected with a variant of the Erskine Formula. Developed advanced Alzheimer''s, arthritis, and cancerous bone growth. However, musculature shows promising advancement. Subject Destroyed, sibling brought in to attempt again. Ice exploded from my hand, freezing the papers in my hand then shattering them. I regretted it immediately. That loss of control might have cost a family closure. I focused, opening another folder. I almost hurled. An experiment with entirely removing blood from one subject and replacing it with blood from someone who had the¡­ the gene. They didn''t specify what gene, but they didn''t have to. The subject who got the blood survived unchanged. The other obviously died. More and more of that, getting worse and worse. Some of it was superpower related. Testing the Erskine Formula, trying to make mutants, testing of wonder drugs meant to increase lifespan. Then there were the worse ones. Injecting them with malaria, hepatitis, syphilis. In children, babies. Transplanting organs. Mutant to human, human to mutant. Just to see what would happen. It was all clinical. They would use words like inferior sometimes. Impure. But otherwise, they avoided anything that spoke like these were people. I placed the fifth folder down after reading how they had to dispose of a young boy who had responded¡­ badly to experiments in replacing his mind with a grown man''s. It was part of some greater project. If ''Herr SX'' was who I thought he was¡­ All of this horror was in the name of creating the perfect body. Even if they hadn''t been disposed of, these children never would have lived normal lives after. They died in pain, broken and mutilated. I wanted to destroy this place. To find the perpetrators and kill them. I''d only read five folders. There were 8 full cabinets in the office. And I hadn''t lived through the horrors. I left the office, going down the stairs. I heard a sound as I went down. On a hunch, I changed back to human before I got to the bottom. "Hello?" I asked, faking a scared hesitant voice. "Is anyone there?" "What!?" Erwin Mintz''s slightly accented voice returned. I reached the bottom and saw him there, in a long, wide room. Dozens of beds dotted the place, medical trays from yesteryear next to them. Erwin himself was wearing a labcoat, looking befuddled at me. I stopped, putting every bit of acting skill I had into the next bit. "Oh thank god!" I said in relief. "I''m so sorry, I was just looking around, and it got dark. I was trying to find the exit and I saw you go in here so I followed, but then I was in that hallway and- There were bodies! Old dead bodies! What is this place!? You''re the tour guide, you''ve got to help me!" "H-Help you?" Erwin stared at me, shocked. Then, for a flash, calculating. "Oh! Yes, you were in the tour group. American?" "Y-Yeah dude!" I played it up. "And you came alone?" "Uh, yeah. I uh, wanted to try dating Polish chicks." I could see his eyes narrow slightly as he roamed over, his legs shifting a bit stiffly. He tried to hide that he clearly thought I was a moron. "And you came to¡­ Auschwitz." "Well there was this girl in the tour group, the blonde? With the uh-" He stopped when I raised my hands towards my chest, looking both amused and calculating. "I understand. I was young myself," He licked his lips. "So then. You are alone?" "Yeah. Please man, you gotta get me out, is the exit around here?" "The exit¡­ yes," he looked me up and down. My skin crawled. "Well, right this way. I suppose I should continue the tour, yes?" "Uh, sure? I mean, I didn''t really come for a tour though-" "Nonsense! History is important, young man!" He placed a hand on my shoulder. A very bony hand, gripping tighter than needed. "Come, come." Walking forward, I made a show of looking around nervously. There were ovens at the edges of the room. Some old glass tanks with tubes coming out of them. And cages. Dotting the room, some beside the beds and medical trays, were some very small, rusted cages. "Yo man, what the hell? This place a torture dungeon?" Erwin chuckled. "Oh, yes, I am sure it was, to some. But where many saw horror, brilliant men saw innovation. Are you familiar, my dear American, with Unit 731?" My skin crawled. I pursed my lips, pretending to think. "Uh¡­ is that a math thing? No, that''s a movie right?" "... ah, to share your ignorance. Unit 731 was a Japanese research unit. The men there did terrible things. Horrific. And yet, their experiments led to innovations that to this day continue to save lives," Erwin waved a single hand outwards. As he did, he pulled me closer. At my back, I felt something metal brush my spine. "This room," Erwin monologued. "Was where even greater triumphs emerged. The men here weren''t simply curing diseases. We were attempting to make Gods." "Like Thor?" "Ha!" He led me to the back of the room, where a set of doors like. "A paltry Asgardian? No, my dear American. Far greater than that," Erwin sighed sadly. "Shamefully, they were forced to stop. Who knows, however, how many lives could have been saved had they continued?" "I mean¡­ wasn''t that good?" I asked dumbly. "They rescued you, didn''t they? You were on that wall." Erwin stopped. I turned, facing him fully. With stiff but calm movements, he reached under his lab coat. The gun he pointed at me was a Mauser C69. An older gun. Famously used by the Germans in World War 1. And 2. "Yes¡­ I was on that wall," Erwin seemed more amused than ever. "It wasn''t hard, you know? When we realized the Allies were on their way, my friends panicked. Tried to destroy what they could above, locking away our good work here. Only I was smart enough to hide in the city. After that, I only had to wait. I was a scientist, you see. No prisoner recognized me, because any that would, well, they came here!" Erwin, if that was really his name, laughed, gesturing for me to move. I raised my hands up, doing my best to seem scared. "Whoa, whoa, what the hell man!? What are you doing!?" "Taking advantage of an opportunity, my dear simpleton," Erwin forced me into a door in the back of the room. Another office. A clean, well-maintained, office, more cabinets on the back wall. More surprising was the modern fucking computer on a desk. And another bed, with much more up-to-date medical supplies. "Tie yourself down to that bed." I eyed his gun. He cocked it. "No. Do not be stupid, American. This is not your Hollywood movies. I will kill you before you can try the slightest thing." "Why are you doing this?" I don''t think he noticed I''d calmed down. Man was feeling himself. "For the future. I have been working for years, decades, scraping together what I could from our work," the gun shook with his excitement. "I am close. Immortality. Youth. But I need to test. And you are a very healthy specimen." "Never thought I would regret working out," I said, lowering my hands and sitting casually on the bed. He laughed. "Do not worry. If I succeed, you will be the first of a perfect race. If not, then I can promise you. The pain will not last. The ovens are still quite efficient." "... How many people?" "What?" "After the camp closed. Down here. How many did you test on?" He scoffed. "Really? Why care? Tie yourself down." "Listen, Erwin-" He fired the gun, a bullet flying past my ear. It was horrendously loud, in this small space. I made a show of rubbing my ear with a wince while he glared at me. "My name. Is Heinrich. Now tie yourself down. I won''t ask again. I can work with a corpse if need be." "Heinrich, really?" I mumbled. I hopped off the bed. "I said-" My hands flashed out. Grab the wrist, twist away so the barrel isn''t aimed at me, then rip the grip out of his hand, toss the weapon behind me. Just like Nat taught me. The gun was on the bed. He stared at me, mouth agape. I still had his wrist in hand as I sighed, cracking my neck. "So. A fake survivor. Still experimenting on people. After all these years. I know someone who is going to be very happy to meet you." "W-Who are y-" I pulled him into my arms and wrapped a hand around his throat. Knocking out an old man is tough. Without killing them I mean. Gotta be gentle. "Urgh! Ugh! Unnnn!" He struggled briefly, and even tried to bite me. But finally he was out, going limp. I moved quickly, tying him to the bed. Ignoring the old spot of blood under the pillow as much as I could. Then I moved over to the computer once he was secure. As I sat at it, I opened the Omnitrix comms, calling the latest number. Once it answered I spoke fast. "Noa. I''ve got something." "Oh god," I heard her say on the other end. "I, I almost don''t want to know¡­" "I wish I didn''t. But I think maybe I''ll be meeting your godfather faster than I thought," I opened up the computer. No password. Why would there be? "There''s a lot. And he''s gonna want to know about it- Huh?" Among the files I was flipping through was basically a dossier. Names and photos, scans of ID''s and other documents. All the same man, but at least a dozen different identities. "Looks like Heinrich had an obsession," I mumbled. "Noa, I think I''ve got your guy? Can you start writing down these names in case these files self-destruct? I''ve got uh, Nathaniel Essex, of course, Nate Xavier, ironically, Brian Banson, Dr. Nathan Wilbury, Dr. Michael Wilbury, Robert Windsor¡ª" "Stop, stop, wait, slow down, stop, stop, Mahmoud, stop, STOP!" Noa yelled through the Omnitrix''s phone line. "Mahmoud, s-slow down. Can, c-can you say t-that again? S-slower?" Ah¡­ Shit. She sounded real goddamn worried. "Okay. Uh. Robert Windsor was the last. Before that was Dr. Michael Wilbury, Dr. Nathan Wilbury¡ª" "That." I didn''t like the sound of her voice. "Oh, God. Oh, oh fuck. I, I, I-I¡­ oh, God, I''m¡ª" I heard the sound of her landline clattering to whatever surface she had it on, followed by the faint sound of retching. Then gagging. And minutes later, crying. I didn''t speak, just kept the phone line open. I grabbed the files as fast as I could, shifting them into the Omnitrix. No need to worry about viruses. Anything that could beat the Omnitrix''s protection deserved to hack it. Dozens of files. Some much too recent. "... h-he was i-i-in my, my¡ª" Noa said finally, a few minutes later. "I s-spoke with him. I, I, I shook his fucking hand! With a, a, a¡ª!" "Noa!" I cut in, finishing up. "Call your godfather. Now. Tell him to meet me here, or at least send someone he knows. Then call someone you love and trust. Talk to them. I''ll grab everything here. Essex isn''t the only name here. And I''ve got a prisoner who needs speaking to." I got up, looking around. "Please, call someone who you can speak to. Promise me you will?" "I¡­" She sniffled on the other end. "I-I''ll try, I¡­ s-sorry. I''ll t-tell him." The phone line clicked. I stood for a moment. Then I walked over to one of the file cabinets, opening it briefly. Had to wait around. Might as well get this shit upstairs. "Fasttrack." The second I was in my blue furred form, I got to work.
Considering my speed, it didn''t take long. I ran in and out of that secret lab, lifting cabinets and placing them outside, pulling out folders from desk drawers. I ''gently'' brought Heinrich out, still unconscious and tied up to the bed, and placed him out there. I left the bodies. There were a lot. And some were¡­ Heinrich had probably not experimented often. But he had been free for a long time. I did at least count them to give an accurate number to whoever showed up. And cover them with sheets. The dead deserved that much. They arrived not long after I was done. Which didn''t surprise me. To most they would have been a blur, but I saw one jog almost casually towards me while carrying another. They came to a stop and stared. "Whoa," the Pietro Maximoff of another universe said, staring at me as he put his ''passenger'' down from a fireman''s carry. "Fuzzy." "That I am," I said with a grin. Pietro was wearing jeans, running shoes, a Metallica t-shirt, and a leather jacket. He looked like a rocker boy, rather than the track athlete of my universe. His hair was a brighter shade of silver too. Still built as hell. Not as much as his passenger. He stood tall once Pietro put him down. He was dressed casually, much like Pietro, but his clothes were of a much older style. A simple brown suit with a button up shirt, no tie. And he had enough muscle to win Mr. Olympia without even trying. But his smile was the same. He looked me over curiously. "So you''re our visitor?" he asked. "The one Fury''s complaining about, I presume?" "I mean, probably. I got the impression Fury complains about a lot of things," I tapped the Omnitrix, returning to human form and stepping forward. I held out my hand. "This is funny, but back home, my Steve Rogers and I are pretty close. Hope we get along too." Same hand shake. Captain America smiled just a bit more. "Would that we had met under better circumstances." And at that, his smile faded. "What do you have for us?" My own smile fell as well. I turned, looking behind me. "A fake survivor. And files on people who were experimented on, both paper and digital. It''s a lot. He was continuing the experiments. Nowhere near at the level they once did, but you combine the amount of time he was free to work?" I glanced at Pietro. "Noa all right? I didn''t tell her everything, but¡­" "She is not alone." His tone was clipped, almost angry. I could tell it wasn''t with me, though. Not with where he was looking. "Good. Good. So," I waved a hand out. "I don''t know for sure who will deal with this. But it''s all yours, guys. And uh, Cap?" "Yes?" he asked, a look of expectation on his face." Something had occurred to me, while I''d been at work. And I had the perfect person to mention it to. "Back home, Steve, uh, my Steve, and Nat, we all found something similar to this." "In your Auschwitz?" Pietro asked. "No. Though I''ll have to check now. No, we found a Hydra base under Camp Lehigh." Best to rip the bandaid off. I saw the change come over Captain America''s face instantly. The way he set his jaw and squared his shoulders, how his chin lowered and his brow furrowed. "I see." His voice was tight. "You have my thanks." I sighed. "No problem¡­ Just, I really hope-" I stopped, not knowing what to say next. Finally I shrugged. "You know, in the comics, meeting alternate versions of friends is fun. I''d get to tell people who they''re dating. Or who their sister is dating." Pietro smirked, but didn''t take his eyes off Heinrich. Cap only flickered his eyes at the display before him, then finally turned to me. "I suppose we''ll need to leave that for another time. For now, it might be best for you to head back. We''ll call the right people to pick this all up." "Okay¡­ Okay, yeah." I mumbled. "Fasttrack." Back in my blue form, I glanced at Pietro. When I spoke again, it was in super-speed. "You ever need someone to talk to. I''ll be around for a bit, okay?" Then I sped off. Half a mile away, I shifted into Astrodactyl form, blasting towards the ocean. This had been a lot. I would have preferred monsters. Robots, some aliens. Something crazy, but silly. Instead, I''d found an old man and enough horror to fill my nightmares for days to come. It had been important. I felt good about ending it, if much too late. Still. Hopefully my next few days here would be more fun. 14: Res Ipsa 4 After my visit to Auschwitz, the next day was a lot less¡­ well, less like finding a secret Nazi continuing experiments. I got back to New York and stopped a mugging, a suicide, and some guy breaking into a car before heading to Noa¡¯s apartment. It was long enough that I hoped her visitors had gotten her through her very understandable horror at shaking hands and interacting with Essex. Fucking Mr. Sinister. Back home, he straddled the line between being a fun villain and being the kind of monster that made literal demons seem useless. It¡¯s the difference between being scared of monsters in the dark, and being scared of a government using its citizens for experimentation. The latter was all too real, which made the fear so much worse. And Noa had interacted with someone behind the worst version of that. So I was unsurprised when I got to her apartment and my knock at the door was answered by a woman I had never met before. She was decently tall, probably somewhere between five-eight and five-ten, and had short brown hair in a pixie cut. I glanced down and saw a badge on her hip. Huh, guess that was why she reminded me of Maria Hill. ¡°So you¡¯re her newest pet project, huh?¡± The woman looked me up and down before huffing a bit. ¡°You¡¯ve got ten seconds to tell me why my best friend can barely string a sentence together before I arrest you now and justify it later.¡± ¡°Ohhhh, I like you,¡± I said immediately. ¡°That¡¯s not my defense, just stating that I like you for being willing to go to bat for a friend on sight. I¡¯m Dial, I¡¯m a superhero from two universes away, Noa was called in by Fury for political reasons beyond my control, I promised to help her with a thing that ended in horrible Nazi things, and if you want to blame anyone for her current state, blame dickhead Nazi¡¯s,¡± Wait, I had two more seconds. ¡°Also, whatever your name is, you should invest in cryptocurrency, but only until it¡¯s popular.¡± ¡°In what?¡± She shook her head. ¡°You know what? No, I¡¯m not drunk enough for superhero shenanigans. Just¡­ ugh.¡± She turned and walked away from the door. I guess she was letting me in. ¡°I¡¯m Cate, by the way.¡± ¡°Nice to meetcha. You know, I¡¯ll be honest, you¡¯re in the wrong city if you don¡¯t want superhero shenanigans,¡± I joked before calming a bit as I followed her inside. ¡°How is she? Seriously?¡± The cop, fed, whatever she was, stopped before turning into the kitchen. ¡°Not sure. She¡¯ll probably be fine after a good cry and a full night¡¯s sleep, but, well? It¡¯s Nazis, and she¡¯s Jewish. How do you think she¡¯s doing?¡± Fair. Not like there weren¡¯t thousands of people who¡¯d had similar responses to that level of horror. The Graveyard still left me disquieted thinking about it. I, at least, had the benefit of knowing most of the monsters in human form I¡¯d run into had either fallen at my hands or at one of my friends¡¯. I¡¯d never had to shake their hands. ¡°Let me know if you need me to run out to get things for her. Even if you want me to fly her out to the Bahamas or something for a couple days off. And I can run interference for any shenanigans.¡± ¡°We just got back from a vacation cut short. Don¡¯t think that¡¯ll help,¡± Cate sighed. ¡°You know what? Just¡­ go get a couple pints of ice cream. Mint chip and Rocky Road. I¡¯ll give you some cash.¡± I glanced briefly inside. Noa was on her sofa, a cup of steaming liquid in her hand. Tea, presumably. Taking the cash, I turned and rushed out to do as ordered. I waited till I was out of sight to hit Fasttrack form and buzzed out. The store I usually shopped at in the neighborhood was still there, a bit newer and less advanced. Different person at the register of course. The small act of waiting in line behind a mom and her kid, waving at the shy little girl as she hid smiling behind her momma? It helped. Made me feel a bit better about the world. On days where I ran into horrors, simple bits of humanity really made the difference. With my two tubs of sugary icy happiness under my arms, I rushed back to the apartment, stopping a mugging on the way. New York City, man. Knocking again, I waited for a shorter period this time before the door opened. Probably got back faster than expected. Even with the mugging, Fasttrack lived up to his name. Noa¡¯s friend Cate was at the door again, this time looking utterly exhausted. ¡°Please tell me you have the ice cream.¡± I held up the frozen goodness, and she sagged in relief. ¡°Oh thank god. Come on, get that in the kitchen.¡± The door opened, and I heard a new voice talking that hadn¡¯t been there before. Funny enough, one that was actually familiar. As Cate led the way, I saw him. ¡°And then, the glue inside just exploded outwards. Apparently, Paste-Pot didn¡¯t account for what to do if webbing blocked the end, so the pressure blew it up and left him covered in the stuff!¡± Spider-Man sat in his classic resting pose on top of an armchair, relaxed as his mask shifted to show hints of a smile underneath. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how someone can call themselves that.¡± Thank goodness, Noa was smiling now. Her eyes were still puffy, I could see that from here, but at least this was better than morose. ¡°The best part was what he said after! He just looks at me, covered in sticky white stuff, and goes,¡± Spider-Man took on a very serious tone. ¡°¡®I swear, this usually never happens.¡¯¡± ¡°Oh, for the love of god,¡± she giggled. Then she looked over the back of the sofa at me, and her smile fell. ¡°Ah. Back already?¡± ¡°I come bearing gifts,¡± I held up the ice cream, having forgone a bag in the hope that actually seeing the mint and rocky road on the packages would help. And if the way her eyes went wide was any indication, it did. ¡°Give.¡± I handed her the rocky road. ¡°No, not this one, the other one.¡± I took the rocky road back and handed her the mint chip. Noa tore it open like a demon possessed, then paused when she saw that she didn¡¯t have a spoon. She grabbed the end of her tail in one hand, looked at the ice cream, looked back at her tail. ¡°I can grab a spoon!¡± I said, almost laughing as I rushed off after Cate, who was waiting for me with a spoon in hand and a knowing smile on her face. ¡°Oh hey, you¡¯re that guy!¡± Spidey said as I came back, handing Noa her weapon of choice. She stabbed that spoon deep into the ice cream, carved out her prize, took a bite, and made a happy noise. Oh, and her tail was tapping the couch. Cuuuuute. ¡°Man, you forgot my name,¡± I teased one of my childhood heroes. ¡°Usually the alien guy is more memorable.¡± ¡°In my defense, I meet a lot of weirdos in my life.¡± ¡°Fair and relatable,¡± I sat down on the sofa. ¡°Good to see you. Though it¡¯s funny, I thought Noa said she wasn¡¯t really involved with the hero thing. So far I¡¯ve met Cap, Quicksilver, you again¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s in denial,¡± Spidey sounded like he was highly amused. ¡°Some of the X-Men kids think she¡¯s secretly in charge of her own private hero team.¡± I looked over at Noa, who was still spoon deep in her pint of mint chip and oblivious to the rest of us. Even Cate, who was apparently her best friend, and who was very pointedly not looking at Spider-Man. ¡°I can see it. Truly, she is a threat beyond my comprehension,¡± I turned away from the tail-wagging, happily-humming blonde to focus up on Spider-Man. Who was looking at the gauntlet on my arm. ¡°So uh¡­ how does that work exactly?¡± Ah. There was the scientist within the heroic jokester. ¡°Shapeshifting on that level, I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. I mean, lots of people can shapeshift, but getting powers with each one is crazy!¡± ¡°Technically, the powers are¡­ okay, well,¡± I held out the watch/gauntlet, the Omnitrix glowing. ¡°This is the Omnitrix. And it was first made as a way to communicate with other species. A peacekeeping tool.¡± ¡°...Is this like how people keep building nukes in the name of peace?¡± Peter said in a world weary tone. ¡°Believe me, I get it. But it¡¯s true. The man who made this was an alien named Azmuth. He lived in a universe with hundreds of species, living in a whole host of different environments.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ wow. But, uh, jeeze. Your universe, this other guy¡¯s universe, probably a few more besides? Oof, yeah, you can keep this whole ¡®other universes¡¯ stuff. No thanks.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°...¡± ¡°You¡¯re being really quiet¡­¡± I could just tell there was a raised eyebrow under that mask. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°SO! Azmuth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really suspicious-¡± ¡°Azmuth made a sword that could rip apart planets with a swing!¡± I said as firmly as I could. ¡°If you two are gonna technobabble, take it outside!¡± Noa yelled at the two of us around her spoon, pointing at the door. Chuckling, I rose up and walked out, Peter hopping up to the ceiling to crawl easily at my pace. We headed to the roof to continue. Soon, Peter was stuck to a wall across from me as I sat on the floor across from him. ¡°So. He made a weapon that could destroy planets. Not because he was some kind of asshole. It was because he saw it was possible, and he did it.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ve met some people like that,¡± Peter said quietly. ¡°I mean, I tried to make explosive webbing once, just to see if I could, but¡­ man, there¡¯s gotta be some kind of limit, somewhere.¡± ¡°Azmuth would agree. When he saw what he ¡®wrought¡¯ as the poet guys say, he decided to make a tool of peace. The Omnitrix,¡± I lifted it up. ¡°His universe, like I said, had hundreds of species. And the Omnitrix has all those species. It can even absorb the DNA of species it hasn¡¯t encountered, long as they¡¯re sapient.¡± ¡°So¡­ wait, does that include dolphins?¡± Peter asked. ¡°Yeah, far as I know.¡± ¡°But how?¡± Peter asked. ¡°Like, is it just manipulating your DNA? Where does the mass come from for larger forms!?¡± ¡°The Omnitrix has an advanced form of energy production that it turns to mass in order to transform into larger forms.¡± ¡°When you change back, is it back to your original form, or a form the Omnitrix had saved?¡± ¡°Kid, you¡¯re lucky Tony ran me through how to explain this shit-¡± ¡°TONY STARK!?¡± The next fifteen minutes was like that. It was kinda fun, seeing Peter geek out over the explanation of alien technology. Course, just when it got interesting¡­ ¡°So how does it interact with more primitive-¡± Peter cut himself off as a light on the back of his hands suddenly shone. A blinking green one. It was pretty clever actually, set into his suit almost invisibly until it turned on. Suddenly he looked into the distance. ¡°I hear sirens,¡± he said. ¡°More than one. Sounds like¡­ ten, maybe fifteen blocks? Not an ambulance, maybe a firetruck and a squad car?¡± ¡°On it,¡± I snapped to my feet. ¡°Spidermonkey!¡± In my latest new form with a green flash, I spoke in the more squeaky voice. ¡°Lead the way!¡± ¡°I feel like yer making fun of me,¡± Spider-Man said as he leapt outwards, a familiar ¡®thwipp¡¯ sound filling the air. ¡°You kidding!? I¡¯ve wanted to webswing since your game was announced!¡± Ah man, I missed out playing that. ¡°My what!?¡± Spidey yelled. ¡°Like a Super Nintendo thing?¡± ¡°Buddy, you have no idea!¡±
After we finished, I went back to the apartment alone. Noa was asleep, while Cate let me in before heading home. Which I took as a sign of having some trust in me, if not too much. Sleeping in Goop form in the sink of the kitchen was more comfortable than the couch, so I did that. Scared Noa a bit when I stretched upwards yawning while she was cooking eggs though. Thankfully my Goop form was immune to the pan she threw at me. After that, things were boriiiiing. Look. I have great relationships with lawyers. Even ignoring that my insanely hot green gamma girlfriend was one, Matt and Foggy were awesome. But the actual nuances of the law, important as they were, were so goddamn dry. It had to be, though. Despite what TV taught me, most of law was very serious stuff with paperwork signing and reading heavy, hardback books, rather than a breeding ground for sexy people fighting over the moral fate of humanity with shouting matches. Still, answering questions while Noa read up on things like immigration procedure and talked to herself about asylum and citizenship? Yeah, wasn¡¯t my kinda thing. Much more exciting was when someone came over to help her.
¡°Holy shit!¡± I said in unison with the visitor once Noa walked her in. She walked over, all 8 feet of her. Jennifer Walters. Comic edition. Just as unfairly hot as mine. Do I even need to describe She-Hulk? ¡°No you do not,¡± the Jade Giantess said with a very nice smile. ¡°Uh, hey,¡± I said, looking up at her with that weird sense of familiar and new that Cap and Pietro had instilled in me. Combined with the weirdness of having had sex with her alternate, which, how do you even unpack that? ¡°You are buff,¡± Jen said, walking over to poke at me. ¡°Thanks! Working out with supersoldiers and gods, you know. I highly recommend. You?¡± ¡°Gamma baths and working out with The Thing,¡± she said, buffing her nails on her jacket. ¡°For the love of-ow!¡± Noa hissed from behind the door. She reached and grabbed her tail in one hand, gingerly rubbing at a spot partway up its length. Okay, that explained the ¡®ow¡¯. ¡°Jen, stop trying to eyefuck the visitor, he¡¯s seeing someone.¡± ¡°Oh, I know that! He¡¯s seeing another me!¡± Jen gave a wicked grin. ¡°Cmon, Noa. I know you know about the fourth wall. Me and other Jen had a chat, and she¡¯s all good if he¡¯s all good!¡± ¡°Are you seriously-¡° The smaller mutant cut herself off. ¡°You know what? Sure. Fine. Whatever. After you¡¯re done helping me.¡± The tiny mutant pointed her finger at me. ¡°You. Go¡­ I dunno. Go kill time somewhere. Solve crimes. Fight bad guys. I don¡¯t care. Just don¡¯t come back for a few hours or I won¡¯t be responsible for what Jen does to your spine and pelvis. Clear?¡± ¡°I never regret the things Jen does to my pelvis-¡± I immediately spun and jumped out of the window before whatever Noa was reaching for could be thrown, Jen¡¯s laughter following. In a flash of green I was back in Big Chill form, zipping off invisibly into the sky. Whole new world to explore huh? First things first. I called my newest friend through the Omnitrix. ¡°Hey Peter, you up?¡± I said in Big Chill¡¯s ghostly tone. ¡°...Excuse me? Who is this?¡± The voice that spoke was not Peter. It was older. And male. ¡­Oh. Oh shit. This was Uncle Ben. Somehow I¡¯d forgotten that when Peter handed me his number, it would be to his house, not to a cell. The things I took for granted about the modern day. ¡°I¡¯m a friend of Peter¡¯s. One of the high-flying ones? If that makes sense?¡± ¡°...Ah. One of those, huh?¡± He sounded like some combination of aggrieved and warm. ¡°He¡¯s in the middle of homework. You want me to tell him you called?¡± ¡°Sure. Just let him know Dial is down for any walkabouts if he wants. Thank you, Mr. Parker.¡± ¡°Please, call me Ben.¡± With that, we disconnected. Thinking to myself, I finally twisted around in the air to head into the streets. I was bored, and New York City was a treasure trove of trouble. Time to find my own fun!
New York City always seemed to increase its crime rate in relation to the number of heroes around. And this version of New York City was full of superheroes. Comparatively at least It was honestly incredible. Back home, while we all did patrol, the number of heroes was smaller than most comic universes I knew. Here? I ended up running into Iron Fist while he was walking on the streets below. Iron FUCKING Fist! He gave me an awkward wave which I returned in Spider-Monkey form, the two of us going our own way. I had to give him credit for not immediately attacking me. The number of superheroes who seem to just brawl on sight in the comics¡­ At one point I came across Darkhawk flying over one section of the city, heading in the direction I came from. ¡°Mugging!?¡± I called out to him. ¡°Uh, yeah!¡± the armor-clad (or was he an android? Couldn¡¯t remember.) hero shouted back. ¡°I stopped that! I¡¯m heading to a home invasion, wanna come?¡± ¡°S-Sure thing!¡± He shouted back. Twisting in the air, he joined me in flight. ¡°I-I¡¯m Darkhawk by the way!¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m Dial.¡± ¡°You know who I am!?¡± Ah¡­ shit. He¡¯d just gotten started, hadn¡¯t he? ¡°I heard it from some guy on the street.¡± ¡°Nice!¡± Darkhawk whispered, clearly underestimating how good Spider-Monkey¡¯s hearing was. We dropped in on a guy robbing an old couple in their apartment. After a funny moment where he shattered a baseball bat on Darkhawk¡¯s head, we tied him up in webbing, sped the old couple to the hospital, made sure the cops got the apartment, and separated ways. What, it was a home invasion. Not much room for excitement for those in superheroics. More interesting was when I decided to do something nice.
¡°Yeah, Blockbuster is across the street from me. What do you want me to pick up?¡± I asked Noa through the Omnitrix. ¡°I was gonna grab an action movie, but I figured you¡¯d want something more uh¡­ healing, I guess?¡± I entered into the past. I mean, I¡¯d already been there, but Blockbuster was nostalgic. The sight of VHS tapes resting on shelves all across the place, a bored redheaded female employee in the familiar blue. The place I¡¯d found was in the Upper West Side. In my world it had been replaced by a discount store. Here it was a thriving business. You know, until Netflix ripped it¡¯s heart out and ate it. Walking in, the bored employee gave me a glance, before I disappeared into the shelves. Still on the phone with Noa and Jen, I continued speaking. ¡°What do you think, Disney and Ahnald?¡± ¡°Yes to both, please!¡± Jen said through the omnitrix. The employee glanced up, surprised. Oh right. No cell phones. She must have thought I was crazy. I chuckled, waving at her before continuing to speak. ¡°All right. They have Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermai-¡± ¡°That one, absolutely. I was too busy to see it in theaters, and I need a copy for the archives!¡± Archives? ¡°Gotcha. Oh hey. The Great¡­ Mouse¡­ Detectiv-¡± I cut myself off. Someone else had entered the store. Not a normal customer. He was taller than me. But part of that might have been the giant green helmet. Seriously, it was HUGE, almost glowing green, with a pair of fins poking out the sides and three small slits for the eyes and mouth. He was also only wearing a big ass chest strap of the same neon green over his muscular torso. Combined with his pants of the same color¡­ Well. He looked like an idiot. Even with all that muscle, his outfit was so dumb that I couldn¡¯t even laugh. He glanced my way, then promptly ignored me, instead walking up to the cashier. Who stepped back in horror. ¡°Everything in the register, now!¡± he barked in as deep a voice as he could. ¡°Y-Yeah, okay!¡± She hurriedly began opening the register. ¡°...call you back,¡± I mumbled. ¡°Have fun!¡± Jen said cheerily through the Omnitrix. Walking up behind him, I tapped him on the shoulder. He looked at me, then scowled. ¡°So! Trying to be a hero are we-¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°Who are you? Seriously, I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°W-Whirlwind!¡± the redhead squeaked. ¡°He fought the Avengers!¡± ¡°Whirlwind¡­ wait, don¡¯t you have a creepy crush on Wasp?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not creepy!¡± his voice, previously trying to sound tough, rose a few octaves. ¡°She loves me, she just doesn¡¯t-¡± ¡°Know it?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Dude, that¡¯s creepy behavior! She clearly doesn¡¯t want anything to do with you. Can you believe this guy?¡± I asked the employee. ¡°Leave me out of this.¡± ¡°You son of a-¡± He reached out for me. I punched him in the gut before he could touch me. He let out a gasp of pain, stumbling back and spinning around before a burst of wind smashed into me, sending me flying back. I landed in a roll and grabbed a few VHS tapes off the wall, tossing them like ninja stars while running. ¡°You dare!?¡± Whirlwind spun in place again. This time, a full on tornado surrounded his legs, sending the copies of Pretty Lady I¡¯d thrown at him flying, followed by the shelf next to him lifting up and getting tossed away. I ducked under a packet of M&M¡¯s that tried to brain me and grabbed the door handle, rushing through it as he followed. ¡°Why do you guys always say, ¡®you dare!?¡¯ Like you¡¯re surprised someone tried to stop you?¡± ¡°I was stealing a mere pittance!¡± Whirlwind shouted, coming out proper into the street. ¡°You fool! I¡¯ve fought the Avengers! Giant Man himself has fallen before me!¡± ¡°What, from laughter?¡± I twisted the dial of the Omnitrix as I spun to face him. Damnit. I didn¡¯t remember anything about Whirlwind. Just that he was spinny. And based on how the tapes I¡¯d tossed just bounced off his wind, I¡¯d need a form that wouldn¡¯t just get thrown aside. Fasttrack then. Make an opposing tornado to his. Plan made, I pushed down very politely on the dial. And shrank down three feet. The flash of green was followed by me looking down at my hands, now a bright white in color. ¡°...HAHAHAHA!¡± Whirlwind laughed aloud, dropping down to face my now far smaller form. ¡°Is this what decides to challenge me! A tiny robot.¡± He continued to spin in place, a tornado blowing trash about the street around us. I don¡¯t think he noticed how happy I was. (Also, the guy who fought Ant-Man and the Wasp underestimating me for my size was kind of hilarious). ¡°Well that¡¯s just too cool.¡± My voice was autotuned now. Very reverby. Loved it. Whirlwind flew towards me, clearly planning on running me over. I ducked aside, my small body get lifted by his wake and smacking into a car. On instinct, I activated one of my powers. ¡°Come here you little¡­ uh¡­¡± Whirlwind stopped and looked at me. Then he looked at the other me. And the other. And the other. 12 of me stood around him in a full circle, all in white with green trimming. We smiled at him in unison. ¡°Echo¡­ ECHOOOO¨{¨{¨|¨|!" Waves of pure sound smashed into Whirlwind. Seeing what was coming, he spun faster in place, trying to fly away, before he got hit with everything I had. The sonic waves bounced off each other, shaking the air, turning the world around him into an echo chamber. Within that space, Whirlwind screamed, unheard by anyone. After a while, his eyes rolled into his head as he passed out, falling to the ground once the blasts holding him up stopped. In flashes of greens, the other me¡¯s flowed into my body, the sensation very weird. I¡¯d imagined it a few times, but feeling yourself join you is weird as hell. In another flash, I was human again. ¡°Is¡­ is it over?¡± I looked over to see the redhead employee walk over, wincing as she dug a finger into her ear. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s done. Sorry about the uh,¡± I gestured to my own ears. ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She looked at Whirlwind, stunned. ¡°Wow. You really beat him.¡± ¡°Yeah, guess he was a D-lister.¡± ¡°He fought the Avengers!¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Leap Frog has fought the Avengers. It¡¯s not the pedigree it sounds like. You call the cops.¡± ¡°They¡¯re on their way. Are you uh¡­ going to run away now?¡± ¡°Hell no. I still need to buy tapes.¡± ¡°...A supervillain just attacked my store, scaring the shit out of me, and now you want me to do my job?¡± ¡°Welcome to the wonderful world of retail. Seriously though, I¡¯m willing to wait until you can help me out.¡± As she sighed, pulling out a cigarette, I moved in to tie up whoever the hell Whirlwind was. All in all it was a great day. 15: Res Ipsa Part 5 Chapter 15 Res Ipsa Part 5 Later on, Noa, Jen, and I sat together watching the Little Mermaid. When we got to the scene where Ariel signed the contract, I could practically feel the distaste from the lawyers at my sides. "Bad?" "VERY bad," Jen agreed immediately. She''d changed into a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. Simple clothes, so of course she looked supermodel hot. Reminding myself not to look when I was dating a version of her was a test in willpower I barely passed. "I mean, she barely negotiated! She hasn''t had anyone look at the contract with any sort of experience. Hell, she already knows what happens to people who make deals with this witch! They turn into squidgy guys!" She waggled her fingers as she said ''squidgy'', mimicking their movements. "Seriously, I love this movie, but goddamn does this girl need help." "I didn''t get to see it in theaters," Noa mumbled, hugging a throw pillow to her chest. "Too busy?" I asked idly. "I know lawyers get into some long hours." "Way too busy," she groused. As I spoke, I looked at the omnitrix and brought up the holoscreen, the small light drawing Noaverse Jen''s eye. "What''s that?" "Warehouse I visited," I said simply, reading the report. "So, what kept you from watching one of the best Disney movies in theaters? Classes or work?" Jen read along with me while Noa explained how she wound up working a case that was big enough it shut down sports for months. "And when she says sports, she means even the Super Bowl got delayed," Jen added. "The SUPER BOWL!?" I asked, genuinely shocked. If you aren''t American, that''s the equivalent to shutting down the final game of the World Cup. "What sport were you involved in that shut down every other sport? Was Michael Jordan accused of being a mutant?" The police had arrived at the warehouse. I watched through a camera as they walked in, but was mostly paying attention to Noa. "Winner of the US Open got accused of being a mutant," she said. "¡­ the tennis one, not golf." "Thank god. I''d have rioted if I found out golf of all things shut down all other sports¡­ wait, what about hockey!?" "Stanley Cup playoffs were delayed. I got to see a playoff game on my birthday!" And now her tail was wagging. God, that was adorable. "Awesome sauce. Who was playi- Oh, sorry, hold on, I need to check in on this." "What is that, anyways?" Jen asked as I leaned forward. "Sex trafficking ring. I went in as Diamondhead and shut it down." Noa hopped off the couch and pressed pause on the VCR. "Do we need to call the FBI?" "Cops are called already. Officers are moving in to clear the scene, all the relevant authorities are being informed, and I''m gonna work on getting the girls and guys who were brought in¡­ um," I glanced up at the two lawyers sitting with me. "Oh my, it seems the people who were illegally brought into the country have mysteriously disappeared. Such a shame." Jen snorted, crossing her arms. "Yeah, you probably shouldn''t have said that next to a prosecutor." "Okay, but is any jury going to believe he did all that from here?" Noa interjected. "He has two lawyers as his eyewitnesses, saying he was sitting on a couch the whole time. And it''s not like either of us could explain how he did it." "¡­ fair." Jen leaned back on the sofa and crossed her legs. "Still don''t like it." On instinct, I went to pull her in for a hug, only to realize what I was doing and pulling back, getting a smirk. Goddamn it, I miss my hot girlfriend! Jen''s smirk just grew bigger, followed by a wink. God damn it, did she know?¡­ stupid fourth wall breakers. "Jen, stop eyefucking the other dimensional guest on my sofa," Noa said with a glare from over by the TV. "Fine, fine! I''ll just take him back to my hotel later." I coughed, trying to focus on the screen and not the temptation in gamma form next to me. The cameras I''d taken over thanks to Upgrade continued to stream footage. Crappy footage. Even with Upgrade improving the tech, it was all very primitive. The inside of the warehouse was almost destroyed. I''d removed the diamonds (Didn''t need another Blood Diamond situation) but holes still covered the place. So did bodies. I didn''t kill them in order to avoid complicating things for the cops even further. But fucking hell it was tempting. They were tied up in steel girders, pipes, and more. The leader of them had a bucket placed on his head, filth pouring down over his shirt. On the floor in the center was as much evidence as I could find, all useful for FBI, CIA, Interpol, all that good stuff, with enough opium to make 1839 Britain nervous. "All right, nice routine finish," I said at last, sighing. "Seriously, every time I shut one of these down it''s somehow both horrifying and oddly boring in the worst ways. You guys get days like that," I looked over at them. "Lawyer stuff that is important, but you''ve done it enough that it''s more boring than sad or scary?" "Yes," both women answered. Thank god, I''m not a heartless monster. Just jaded. "No, I''m jade, you''ve just been at this for a while," Jen quipped. "..." Fourth wall is very tattered nowadays. "Anywho," I put away the screen and waved at the VCR. "Let''s finish the movie. We all gotta sleep early for tomorrow''s meeting, right? Unless you''ve retracted the ''no'' on me flying you there at superspeed?" I asked Noa. "Not a chance," she said, voice flat. Then she pressed play on the VCR, hopped back into her armchair, and wrapped herself up in a blanket with just the end of her tail sticking out. "You''re adorable," Jen and I said in unison, grinning at her. "So my girlfriend tells me," she said. "Now shush, stop talking over the movie." All in all it was a quiet and cute night. Until, you know. The girls fell asleep.
Before I left Noa''s dimension, I had to deal with someone. I headed to the rooftop and stood for a moment, looking out over New York City. I pressed on the Omnitrix, shifting in a flash of light. "Sandrass," I mumbled quietly out of habit. I looked down at myself. Seriously, if Jen thought my normal form was buff, this version would give her a heart attack. With that humorous thought, I focused. I could feel it now. Sand. The connection wasn''t perfect. While I controlled sand, I was in truth the Asgardian of Change at heart. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Thankfully, I was in a city. If there was anywhere that was forever in motion, it was New York City, and I could pull power from that. Sand from across the city flew towards me, flowing like air to spin around me. Through that strange sense of awareness, I could feel my target. He was in a warehouse, at the edge of town. And as I felt him, he felt me. Rising up onto a cloud of sand, I zipped across the city, the lights of the city below me highlighting me as I flew, the sword Ares had gifted me bouncing at my hip. My target must have thought of running. But instead, he waited after a hesitant moment. The closer I got, the tighter the connection felt. I flowed down on the sands towards an open window on the rooftop, landing on a concrete floor below. "...Hello Flint." He stepped out of the shadows, a prominent scowl on his face, that familiar striped green shirt on his chest. One of his hands had shifted into a bowling ball sized mace of spikes, held at the ready. "Who¡­ what are you?" "Dial. I helped Spider-Man fight you guys," I tapped the Omnitrix on my hip meaningfully. He raised his fist more menacingly. Hesitated. I knew he could feel me. Through whatever mental link gave him control over all sand, he could sense me as well. "You¡­ aren''t here to fight." "Not unless you want to spar, I guess. Can I sit?" Without waiting for a response, I moved over to a set of pallets, kicking some away with the casual strength of an Asgadian before plopping myself down. "I just want to chat." "Why?" Flint snarled. He approached me, still scowling. "And what the hell is¡­ this?" "The connection between us?" "What kind of homo bullshit is that!?" He scowled further. "First, I know it''s the nineties, but tone down the homophobia man," the hardened fugitive from the law just glared at me, so I moved on. "Second, I''m an Asgardian in this form. Like Thor. And my domain includes the sands." "Thor. Like a God." "Well, little g." I said quickly. "And as a part of that, I can sort of¡­ link, with you. And because of that, I gotta say man. You are wasting your potential." He clearly hadn''t expected that. The man hesitantly sat across from me. "So what? You my parole officer? Gonna try and rehabilitate me? You know how often I''ve heard this speech?" "How often have you heard it since you got superpowers?" I leaned forward, meeting eyes with him. "Flint. You have a level of power that can make you an Avenger. You were robbing banks. You could be boxing with gods." "Like you?" He smirked, an ugly look on his blocklike face. I waved a hand and stopped the tendril of sand he had been sending towards my back. For a moment, our control of the sand struggled. A lot. I could control sand. But I was a very young Asgardian, and it wasn''t my true domain. It was Flint''s. Even with all my power, Flint Marko was a man who had the potential to survive the heat-death of the universe, to turn entire planets worth of sand into his domain. Seriously, what was it about Peter that all his villains were fucking ridiculous? I struggled to hold onto control, but kept my face from showing it. Bluff, bluff for your life, Dial. "Enough," I narrowed my eyes at Flint, who flinched. He looked shocked at feeling his control over his sand pulled away from him. Hopefully enough not to realize he had a stronger claim than I did. "I came to talk. And I''m serious." Flint relented, lowering the sand. I gave control back to him gratefully, returning to the conversation. "Even if you don''t want to be an Avenger, you could be making massive amounts of money with your powers. Screw going legit. You could turn this sand thing into a whole enterprise. One week of work would leave you on easy street, legally, without needing to fight Spider-Man." "I want to fight Spider-Man," He scowled. "What, to play Goliath to his David?" I grunted. "Flint, Spider-Man just wants to protect people. You really going to spend the rest of your life trying to beat up a man who would kill himself to protect innocent people? Children?" "He''s a punk!" I rested my head in my hand, staring at him. He seemed to realize on his own how petty that sounded, but he just glared back at me, crossing those massive arms of his. "Well¡­ I can''t force you to find a better path," I rose up. "You gonna take me in?" He asked, rising up as well. "No. Just think on what I said, man," I stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. For a moment, our minds were more connected than before. I tried my best to use that. To send him some semblance of how I felt, that I meant it, the hope I had for him. "Some of my best friends were thugs, bruisers, and killers. They found happiness in a better path. I found happiness that way." Flint shrugged off my arm, but I could still feel I was having an effect. I continued. "Look. William." He stiffened at the sound of his name. His real name, the one he pulled away from. He looked at me, eyes haunted. For a moment, just a moment, the Sandman seemed just a bit more flesh than he was before. "You''ve got the power to gain everything you ever wanted, without worrying about going to jail. There''s a hundred mercenary outfits, hero groups, that kind of thing, that''ll happily pay to have a powerhouse like you. So you can build a safe life for your daughters-" I cut myself off, realizing what I was saying to late. "Uh, I mean-" "Daughters?" Flint asked, shocked. "Spoilers," I snapped out. Goddamn me and my big ass mouth. "Just, think about it man. Hell, reach out to Silver Sable, she''ll take you on if you''re honest." I removed my hand from his shoulder and stepped back. "All right. I''m going to head out. Think it over, all right." "..." Flint''s skin faded into chunks of sand, then grains. Slowly, he drifted off on wind that didn''t exist, floating away. The last part of him to go was his eyes. They searched me for a moment. Then they drifted away. "...That was pretty fucking cool," I mumbled. I looked out into the city, thinking. I was still pretty awake. "Well. New York can always use more protectors." With that, I leapt up and out of the roof, flying out into the city to give heart attacks to its criminals, even as I felt Flint Marko disappear.
16: Res Ipsa Part 6 Chapter 16 Res Ipsa Part 6 The next day, Jen, Noa, and I headed out to meet the experts Noa had gotten together. Or, actually, that Fury had gotten together, Noa was just relaying the info. Which led to me finally meeting the first Marvel family! Well, two members. One of which was my favorite. The doors of the car Noa had hired out barely closed before I started speaking. "Look, I respect your choice, but I want it noted for the record that rap music is the voice of a rebellious generation, and your distaste for it is blasphemy." Jen let out a little ''snrk'' while looking at Noa, who just crossed her arms with a harrumph. We''d been ''arguing'' for a good while about musical taste. It wasn''t real arguing, more akin to general ribbing. I was mostly trying to distract myself from my nervousness. The fact is, I wasn''t sure that I would be able to find a way home. The last time I''d tried to find my previous universe, it had somehow been locked out. My first home, the one where all this was fictional, had been completely missing from the giant kaleidoscope of universes that was out there. What if my new home, with Jen, Creel, Tony, was also just¡­ missing? Tony had theories on why my home universe had been locked out, but nothing concrete. Even Agatha didn''t have answers, and she was powerful. Maybe if I unlocked Alien X or some similar powerhouse, I could easily get back home, but that wasn''t something I could rely on. Noa''s universe seemed nice. But I didn''t want to live in it forever. So¡­ yeah. Arguing with my lawyer about the benefits of rap music to distract myself. We didn''t drive too long before reaching the Baxter Building. The closer we got, the more confused I was, until I finally had to ask. "Is it just me being a man out of time, or do these streets seem emptier? A whole bunch of businesses seem to just be¡­ missing? Somehow?" "The rent in this area is dirt-cheap," Noa answered. "The problem is why they''re so cheap. And that''s because there''s a very real chance of some member of the Fantastic Four needing to use your business as an impromptu landing pad, courtesy of the villain du jour. Usually a rogue Doombot, as is often the case, but still." "Ah. Right. Man, I really hope the Avengers Tower doesn''t end up causing the same. Then again, the FF." The Fantastic Four was an amazingly unlucky family of badasses, no matter what verse. We came to a stop in front of the building. There, a single familiar person stood with a pair of SHIELD agents behind her. I grinned, hopping out of the car to face her. "Maria Hill, right? Nice to meet this version of you!" The version of the woman who, in my universe, was a good friend, leader of BRIDGE, and all-around dope individual, gave me a look. Like she''d stepped into something gross. I felt my smile freeze a bit as she turned that same look on Jen and Noa. "You have everything you need?" Okay, how in the fuck did she manage to make such a simple sentence sound like an insult? What? "Uh," I looked over at Noa and Jen, the alternate of my girlfriend giving a nod like ''I know right?'' "I should be asking the same," Noa remarked, one hand on her hip. "What more does SHIELD need before you start doing your own damn jobs?" "Your complaints have been noted," she said. "Now come on. We don''t have all day." I looked over to Noa, who was bristling. "I hate that woman," she said through gritted teeth. "I hate her so, so much¡­" "Least you don''t have to talk to her every other Tuesday," Jen mumbled. "My universe is looking better and better all the time," I added. Feeling just a bit deflated, I walked forward, nodding to the two SHIELD agents. "Dan, Storme. Doing well?" "Uh¡­ yes?" Dan asked, confused, following after us. "Don''t engage with him," Maria snapped. "Yeah, I might give you dimensional cooties," I waved my fingers teasingly. As we got into the elevator, Maria continued to glower. Noa and Jen both gave her dirty looks, and then proceeded to whisper between one another, even though Jen was a good three feet taller than Noa. I guess both of them having enhanced hearing made that possible, but it was definitely disconcerting to look at. After the longest elevator ride of all time, the doors opened. And I felt my smile return with a vengeance. "Morning," a man with a very cool ass voice said. He was made of orange rock from head to toe, a pair of familiar blue trunks on his waist and simple blue ''4'' at his hip. He smirked at us, a pair of beautiful blue eyes warmly looking across us. "Well, aintcha a cheery bunch. What happened, Jen told a bad joke?" "Shut up and give me a hug, you idiot!" Jen laughed, stepping past Maria with a shove and clenching Ben Grimm tightly. He chuckled, gently hugging her back. As she stepped aside, he gave me a smile. "How you doing? Benjamin Grimm." "Dude. You are one of my fucking heroes," I said, grasping his hand eagerly. Wow. More gentle than I expected. "He''s also why my condo building exists," Noa said under her voice. "Villain used him to wreck the old one." "Can we move on?" Maria snapped. "Do you get paid per ounce of bitching?" I snapped, not even looking at her. I focused on Ben again. "So, where to?" Ben''s grin stretched with the sound of stone grinding on stone, the big man waving a four-fingered hand for us to follow. "Come on. Reed''s bunch of eggheads are already working on theworking the problem." As we walked along, Ben continued speaking. "So, another universe, huh? You know any other me''s?" "God, I wish. Far as I know, you joined a project Reed was heading up and kinda disappeared? I''m trying to find you, but uh¡­" "Don''t worry about it," Ben chuckled. "I think I''ll be alright." I wasn''t sure how true that was. If he was maybe putting up a front of some kind. "We um¡­ We''re working on potential cures? Or at least, a way to control it as a transformation, using my Omnitrix. I don''t know how possible it is, but-" Ben patted my shoulder, a bit roughly. "Kid¡­ Let it go. Whatever you plan on doing, I don''t need to know about it here. Okay?" Before I could say more, Maria Hill interrupted. "If they''re ready for us, Mr. Grimm, bring us in. We''ve no time to lose." Ben grunted, leading us in. We reached a double set of metal doors that slid open as he approached. Inside was a bunch of blue ribbons stretched across a whole host of machinery. Ben walked in, looking around. "Reed! Yer newest project is here, egghead!" "Hm?" One of the blue ribbons vibrated briefly. "Just a moment, Ben, I''m speaking with Pym in the other room!" A door slid open, and one of the blue ribbons came out of those doors, followed by a head and a man. The blue ribbons all around us began to flow like water, zipping back and forth, putting down beakers, tapping buttons, turning on and off various screens, until they condensed into a singular man standing next to the other. Reed Richards and Hank Pym. Reed was how I''d pictured him, wearing the blue bodysuit, a single number four on his chest, a very sophisticated bit of white hair at his cheeks, and a slightly absentminded look. Hank, in his own red suit, looked a lot more¡­ intense. He had a more muscular build than Reed, but beyond that, he had lighter brown hair, a bit of a five o''clock shadow, and a look that reminded me of¡­ Fitz. He looked like an older, more intense Fitz. What did that say about my friend? I looked over at Noa, who seemed very tense all of a sudden. "You okay?" She didn''t offer a response, instead just furrowing her brow and crossing her arms. Reed came over, a smile on his face. "Jen, good to see you again. Miss Schaefer, I hear good things about you from certain colleagues, Dr. Strange in particular." Then he turned to me, and the polite smile on his face turned genuine. "And you would be the man of the hour!" "Is this the part where I suddenly reveal this was all a ruse to marry Sue?" I couldn''t help but joke. "Seems to happen a lot to you." "Please no," Noa cut in. "Namor did that in ''86, he flooded Manhattan for a week after." "Mole man tried a couple times," Ben added. "There was that alien dude, what was his name, with the hair?" Jen asked. "Oh, and then there was-" Hank was about to say before Reed coughed. "Anyways!" He continued. "So. You, Mr. Schahed, are what we have been calling a Faller. Someone who has dropped in from a different plane of existence. As much as we''ve wanted to learn more, we haven''t exactly had a Faller willing to come in for some scans, so¡ª" "Apologies for interrupting, but? Brief pause before you go further." Noa tapped her foot as she looked between Reed and Maria Hill. "A Faller willing to come in. Mr. Richards, how long has this phenomenon been going on?" Maria looked like she wanted to say something, but Jen''s hand on her shoulder shut her up. "It''s a little hard to say," Reed began, scratching at his chin. "I''d say¡­ somewhere between two and four Fallers a year for the last five years?" "I see." Noa turned her attention on Maria Hill, and walked up to the SHIELD agent. "Five years. SHIELD''s had five years to come up with protocol on this, and when you finally decide to have outside counsel come up with protocol, you wait until the one time in the last three years I''m on vacation to shanghai me into this!?" "..." I looked between Maria and Noa. Ben and Jen were grinning fit to burst while Reed and Hank had very awkward looks on their faces. The SHIELD guys tried to look invisible. "It¡­ I was ordered to-" Hank coughed, tapping me on the shoulder. "Mr. Schahed. If you could come this way?" I was chuckling as I got pulled aside, Reed quickly following. The two geniuses sat me down at a table. I looked around. "So just you two? I thought someone else was supposed to come?" Reed winced, grabbing a scanner off a nearby table and beginning to run it over my body.. "Um, yes, indeed. Stark was supposed to come, but he is¡­ indisposed." "He''s drunk," Hank snapped. "Hank¡­" "Reed, he''s a big boy, he doesn''t need you defending him," Hank said. "Tony Stark was supposed to be here. But he decided that getting both drunk and hungover was more productive." "..." I sighed sadly. "Maybe, cut him some slack." "Cut him some slack!? That man is one of the greatest geniuses I''ve ever seen, and he''s-" "Addicted," I snapped. I tried to breathe, pushing down memories of similar conversations. "He''s addicted. It''s a disease, not something he''s trying to do, Dr. Pym. Even ignoring the genetic component, he''s someone who needs help. I know what it''s like. To have something horrible take control of your own mind, forcing you to do things that you know are destroying you, but still not being able to stop it." Hank shut his mouth with a snap. He hesitated for a moment, then scowled. "How about we focus on the problem at hand?" "Indeed," Reed agreed just a bit too quickly. "Now, Mr. Schahed, you said that your universe has been having trouble with Fallers as well?" "More like one giant incident with them," I said. "Rio De Janeiro got hit by a Time Quake that ended up pulling people in from all across timeline and from space as well. And ever since then uh¡­" I tried to remember the science words for it, but it was tough without Jury Rigg''s genius intellect. "There''s been like, a thinning of the walls between dimensions?" Reed and Hank stared at me, then shared a significant look. "Oh no," I mumbled. "Don''t tell me-" "We''ve been seeing something similar," Reed said, sounding contemplative. "There have always been incidents that proved our universe was connected to others, but my analysis has been that the increase of these incidents in recent years is no coincidence." "The same thing is happening in the Microverse," Hank said, crossing his arms. "My contacts down there have been talking about intrusions from unknown people, even a portion of an army claiming to work for some kind of Warlord." "So both of our universes are starting to have thinner walls defending them?" Reed finished scanning me, and looked at the results. "Most likely from the same source. The energy clinging to you, once I separate it from that device," he gestured to the Omnitrix. "Is something we''ve been seeing for some time." "Dr. Strange mentioned it as well. Something about the outer planes losing cohesion?" Hank pointed out. Reed scowled. "I''m not entirely sure we can take that as evidence." "Why, because it''s magic?" Reed gave me a look. Sighed. Then looked back at his results. Pym chuckled, shaking his head before speaking. "Finding a way to send you back shouldn''t be too hard. The problem of thinning walls is our solution, in this case." "Can you find my dimension though?" I asked, finally saying what had made me nervous this whole time. "Last time this happened, we couldn''t find my last universe." Hank scratched his chin in thought. "Well if you''re doubly a Faller, then we''ve got no shot of finding your original original. But the one you came from to get here? That''s doable." That was a relief. "Okay. Well, if you guys don''t mind, I''ll jump in to help as well." "You will?" Reed asked, brow furrowing. "I mean no disrespect, I did not realize you had any expertise on this beyond your experience." "I don''t. But one of me does." I flipped on the Omnitrix, swapping through the holograms until I landed on my boy. With an immediate press down, my body shifted in blaze of green light. "JURY RIGG!" I brushed some imaginary dust off my AC/DC shirt and grinned up at them. "Well!? Let''s do some science!" "... Fascinating," Reed mumbled, that absentminded professor look replaced with something almost predatory. Like he wanted to grab the Omnitrix, and didn''t much care if I was still attached to it. "If I could get a moment to look at that-" "Focus, Reed, focus," Hank said, though he looked just as curious. "How smart is this form?" In answer, I said¡­ okay, I have no clue what I said. I could understand the science of dimensional stuff in the way that any comic nerd does. Jury Rigg, on the other hand, for all his prankster nature, was a scientist. So when I explained my own theories on the nature of the dimensional walls, it wasn''t with metaphor and anecdotal evidence that my human form used, it was with cold heart facts and numbers. Hank''s eyes lit up and he made an addendum to my calculations. Reed corrected him, reminding him of¡­ something? The experience of trying to remember my own genius words was hard enough without trying to remember everyone else''s, damnit! When I was little, I''d read Flowers for Algernon. That fit the situation perfectly. Going from normal, to insanely smart, to normal again. "Oh god, there''s three of ''em," Ben Grimm sighed when he realized what was happening. "Wake me from dis nightmare." "I think it''s kinda cute," Jen said, grinning. "Bruce would love this." "We don''t need your brute of a cousin coming here," Maria squeezed out between hostile lips. "How long will this take?" "As long as it needs to," Noa snapped. "Ms. Hill, if you have nothing else of value to add, remain quiet. More important people are talking." "You-" Maria was about to say. "Coffee!" I shouted, interrupting the argument. "I need coffee! Or energy drinks!" "Energy what?" Ben said. "Coffee then! We''ve got work to do!" I ran over to a pile of metal. "Reed, you using this?" "I was actually-" "Great!" I dived in. Within moments, I started pushing things together. Hank walked over. After looking over what I was doing, he shrank down to match me in height and joined in. Reed''s limbs soon stretched to join us. "I guess I''ll get coffee," Ben grumbled. "Noa, Jen, you wanna join me? We got a fresh pot." "May as well," the smaller mutant said with a shrug. "Ben apparently picks good coffee, every rabbi argues over who gets him for weekend services." "Are you sure it isn''t my winning charm and personality?" Ben said with a wink, walking the ladies off. Maria Hill scowled at them, then at us. Finally she just stood there, arms behind her back and watching closely while we all ignored her. I did note Noa walking off, and a thought came to me. I owed her, right? So¡­ "One sec," I hopped out of the twisted edifice of metal we were working on. "Gonna work on a side-project." "Is that the best use of our time?" Hank asked, growing to about ten feet in height to place a portion of our device a bit higher on the edifice. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "It''s important!"
Four hours. That''s how long we were at it. Reed, Hank, and I had a lot of work to do. While I wasn''t knowledgeable on the exact mathematics of it, I understood some of the basics of what we did. I explained it to Noa at some point while I drank my sixth cup of coffee. "First, while the energies surrounding me are unique, there is always the possibility that some other version of me went into the universe of a different version of this one. So we need to make sure the universe is exactly the same. Then, we need to make sure you don''t get pulled in. And I do mean you, specifically." "I''m not a Faller, Mahmoud," she said. "I didn''t get here the same way you did there, so I doubt it''s a risk." "Well, you did spend the most time with me. There''s a low chance that you and I are connected in some way, that the dimensional energy surrounding me latched onto you. So unless you want a vacation in my universe, we have to avoid that. Same with Peter and the others." "So¡­ in the other room then?" Noa asked. "At least when it opens. Just to make sure no one gets the succ." I ignored her wince as I chugged my coffee and poured another cup. "We also have to make sure we land on the right time period. Can''t send me back too far or forward in the timeline. Landing in the nineties of my universe would be uh¡­" "Bad." "The other thing to worry about. The planes surrounding my universe. That''s more your teacher''s wheelhouse, but it''s something to worry about," I rubbed my long red nose. "I don''t want to see Hell. Not again." "One of those days, huh?" Ben asked, walking over with his pot of coffee. "I''ve had those. Was it the one with lava, or nightmares of your failures?" "Lava presided over by Mephisto." "Oy vey. Yeah, that one sucks." "These conversations are why Noa doesn''t hang out with us," Jen whispered to me, coming up from behind to poke her friend in the side. "You," she pointed at Ben, "have been an acquaintance at best. And you," she turned to point at Jen, "for all that you''ve rocketed up my besties list, I''ve not even known you for a year!" "So you''ll come to my poker game if I invite you?" Ben asked, sounding sincere. "... that depends," Noa said noncommittally. I grinned at the way she said that. Big softie. Finishing off my cup, I grabbed another before speaking. "Honestly, that''s on the small side of the list of issues we''re dealing with. We need to keep people we don''t like from reaching back towards us." "Otherwise, Sue might end up with another suitor," Hank walked over and grabbed his own cup. "I wish we''d stop joking about that," Reed grumbled, his head and right hand stretching over to drink with us. "It''s a real problem! Plus, last time someone wanted to wed her, they nearly sunk all of Manhattan!" "Wait, wasn''t Namor six years ago?" Noa asked. "He tried again in August of last year," Reed revealed. "After¡­" Everybody trailed off, and the collective shudder was all the context I needed. "How much longer do you have?" Ben asked. "Not much," Reed said. He frowned. "We''re getting some sort of interference. I''m trying to-" "Holy shit!" I snapped to my feet, an idea flooding me. "The interference! I know what it is!" I chugged my coffee and hopped off the table, running my short ass over to the device we''d built. It had become a large white-blue ring about as tall as Ben, with a computer console on the left side of it. I began typing at it, Reed and Hank joining me moments later. "What is it?" Reed asked. "I assumed it was some other universe, possibly-" "Maybe it''s a different traveler?" Hank asked. "You''re both right!" I shouted excitedly. "We''re reaching out for my universe, right? Well, why wouldn''t my universe be reaching back?" "Your Avengers," Hank said, immediately understanding. "They''re doing what we are, but from the other side." "What, like two cars going opposite directions on the same road?" Ben asked. "Exactly!" I pointed at him while I continued to type. I hesitated briefly when I hit a more challenging equation. Reed stepped in, easily taking over. I ran to the portal and ripped out a section. After grinding it between my teeth to adjust it, I placed it back. Hank shrank down to about an inch, hopping into the machine. "Are you telling me another universe is attempting to make an incursion into ours?" Maria''s very annoying voice cut in. "Because if so, we''ll need to-" "It''s not an incursion, it''s a rescue attempt!" I shouted, running over to grab at Ben''s trunks. "Sorry, need this." "Need wha-" Ben then cut himself off when I ripped off a portion of his pants, the bottom inch or so. I did the same to Noa''s skirt before she could stop me, rushing back to the device. "I''ll pay you back!" "Wha- you- this was a two hundred dollar skirt, you jackass!" "It''s for a good cause, I swear! Universe things happening, can''t talk! Reed?" "There, and there," Reed pointed at the necessary sections. I placed Ben and Noa''s stolen fabric as needed. If it worked, the energy pulsing through the machine would get diverted by the cloth without needing to interfere with the wires. I spat on them for luck and hopped off. "What are you even doing?" Jen asked, befuddled. "They''re reaching for us. So instead of trying to reach back, we''re going to pull," I explained quickly. "If I''m right, they''ll figure out what we''re doing and go with the flow." "And if your folks try the same thing?" Ben asked. "..." Ben facepalmed, rubbing his cheeks with a sound of rock grinding. "Oy vey." We waited for a moment, Reed typing, Hank hopping out of the machine to grow to normal size and help him, while I kept an eye for any changes that needed to be done. It was a tense couple of minutes. I looked over at Maria Hill and noticed that her SHIELD guys had guns pointed at the portal. "...Hostility aside, if something comes out of there that can somehow take down Ben or Jen, what would be the point of that?" As the SHIELD guys tried not to feel ridiculous. Maria Hill ignored me. I chuckled. God, she really hated superhumans, huh? "Okay, they listened to us," Reed said. He stretched a single limb across the room, his left arm, and grabbed a bulky hunk of plastic that was probably the 90''s equivalent of a tablet, bringing it back to hook it up to the console. "I''m going to download the control program. Everyone else should head into the viewing room." "Unless you want to get sucked into another dimension," I quipped as I ran. "That''s more of a weekend thing for us," Ben said, opening the doors to the viewing room and waving us all in. Hank was the last one, joining us at the window. Moments later, Reed slipped in, holding that big ass tablet. "All good, stretch?" "I believe so!" Reed said, sounding exhilarated. "Ben, these readings confirm so many of our theories! I could solve so many problems, including energy consumption of-" "Focus, Reed," Hank said firmly. He kept his eyes on the portal. When a flash of green happened next to him, he looked over at me. Then up at me. In Four Arms form, I clenched tightly to the floor. I looked at him. "Look, last time I got pulled into another dimension on accident. I just want to make sure this time will be on purpose!" Ben noticeably shifted in front of Noa, Jen joining him. Maria looked around, then hesitantly stepped behind me. "This is so exciting!" Reed said, not noticing our nervousness. "Okay! Connection established! Portal opening! In three! Two! On-" Blue light tinged in red fire erupted from the ring structure. I clenched the floor harder, trying to keep my eyes on the light. From it, a single long tendril appeared. I almost panicked before I realized it was made of metal. A violet heel stepped out from the portal. She came out with a flip of her long hair, bright eyes landing on me. "Fantasma!" I shouted, relief filling me like water after a long day. "Weapons up!" Maria shouted. "Enemy combatants-" "Stop, stop, it''s my Fantasma, not yours," I shouted, moving towards the door. "She''s a Russian supervillain!" Maria sputtered. "Not for him," Hank followed after me. I ran up to Fantasma and wrapped her up in a hug, the tiny witch giggling as I lifted her up. "It''s good to see you too, Dial. We missed you." "Same for me," I placed her down, looking behind her. A long metal tentacle came forth. Then another. Then two more. At the end of them, Dr. Otto Octavius popped forth, a nervous look on his face. He looked around, then smiled when he noticed me. "Ah, young Dial! It''s good to see you again!" Otto¡­ had his arms. I mean, I''d expected it to happen eventually, but this was something else. I hid my surprise and just nodded amicably at him. The others joined us, various looks of surprise on their faces. "... I''m sorry," Noa asked. "But is, is that Dr. Octavius?" "Ah, yes, I am at that," he adjusted his glasses and stepped forward, holding a hand out to Noa. "And who might you be, young lady?" "Another witch?" Fantasma asked, eyeing Noa curiously. "I can sense-" "No, no!" Noa waved her hands placatingly. "I''m nobody important, honest. Just¡­ don''t mind me, really." "How funny," Fury stepped out of the portal, his single eye looking everyone over. "I''ve never met anyone who wasn''t important before. Dial." "Fury," I said with a nod. "FURY!?" Hank, Ben, and Maria said unison. "Problem?" Fury asked, smirking. "You''re¡­ well-" "Oh, that''s right!" Noa said, suddenly smirking. "Maria, you''ve never met Fury''s nephew, have you? Well, I guess he just doesn''t trust you enough for that, now does he?" "Nephew?" Fury looked over at me questioningly, even as Maria Hill gave a look like she''d bitten down on a rotten lemon. "Their Fury is white, and his adoptive nephew is, well." I waved in Fury''s general direction. "Huh. That would have been interesting to see," Fury looked over the group. "So. Looks like you''ve made some friends." "Sadly, we will have to make this meeting short," Dr. Octavius said sadly. "The portal isn''t stable. At most it will hold for-" "Ten minutes," Reed said, just as sadly. "What a shame. I would have loved to discuss your methodology." "As would I!" Otto said, moving over to him and Pym. "I''m afraid that BRIDGE isn''t allowing me to send data over this portal, but I did wonder-" "I''d also like to know-" Hank was about to say. "Stop!" Fury shut them down, raising a hand. "Cut it short before X comes running in-" "Already here, sir," X poked his head through the portal. He looked around briefly. "We''ll need to get moving. Good to see you again, pardner." "A¡­ cowboy robot?" Hank asked. "Fascinating!" "Just leave!" Maria shouted, losing her temper. "Now!" "...Our Maria is better, huh?" Fury noted. "Trust me, your Maria can''t possibly be as awful as she is," Noa snarked. "All right. We''ll get out your hair. Say your goodbye''s, Dial." I looked over the group. After a moment, I tapped the Omnitrix, shifting back to human form and walking over to Noa. "Hey. Thanks for taking me in. I know it was annoying, but¡­ I had fun. You''re pretty cool, Noa." "... oh, come here, you." The tiny lawyer swept in for a hug, my back stiffening briefly before I laughed and returned it. "You big softie," I rubbed her back, chuckling. Then I leaned into her¡­horn? Horn. No ears. That was still weird, even for a guy who turned into aliens. "That big box, in the corner? That''s yours. Just have Reed send it to you. Provides perfect restful 8 hour sleep in only ten minutes." "You magnificent bastard, if you were a woman I''d kiss you." "I''ll let you know if I unlock an Asari form," I pulled away, smiling. "Hopefully, if we do meet again, it''ll be easier on you¡­ Stay safe, Noa." "You too, Mahmoud. Best you can, anyway." "I''ll avoid dropping into other dimensions," I looked over at Jen. "See you on the other side?" "I will," she smirked. "Too bad you weren''t willing to-" "Don''t even start," Ben tapped her head, getting a good natured punch in the side in turn. "Reed, Hank, good working with you. Hill, kiss my ass." "Just. Leave." Maria hissed angrily. "It was lovely to meet you all!" Fantasma said, hopping back into the portal. "I hope one day we can have an exchange of sorts!" Otto said, shaking his fellow scientists'' hands. "As do I!" Reed said. "I''m afraid my universe''s version of you has been less than amicable, to say the least." "I suppose I am the nervous sort." "Not really the issue," Hank mumbled. "Last train out, people," X shouted, popping his head back in. Fury walked up to Hill. He looked over. Her back straightened. Finally he took a piece of paper out and handed it to her, turning and walking back into the portal. She put it away without looking at it. "... Really hope that doesn''t have unintended consequences." I walked up to the portal and looked back. Noa and I met eyes. I gave her a smile, she gave me a wave, then I fell backwards. Through a waterfall of colors and waves of energy, I fell backwards. When I came out the other side, a pair of green limbs, one feminine, the other masculine, grabbed a hold of me, yanking me out and onto familiar floor. I looked around, falling to my knees. "...Guys." All of them. Jen, Tony, Thor, Hulk, Sam, Creel, literally all of my friends, were standing around the room, Steve stepping forward with Sam as Jen and Hulk helped me up. Steve patted my shoulder, looking relieved. "Welcome home." "Good to be-URK!" Jen pulled me in, and suddenly I had an eight-foot Amazoness trying to pull my soul out through my mouth. Sam watched as I struggled. "Well, I ain''t gonna beat that hello." Thor laughed, patting me on the back, and the floodgates opened. I pulled back from Jen, smiling brightly at her, then looked around, unable to hold back the tears as the portal closed behind us.
July 23rd, 2014 "So wait, you didn''t even get to meet me?" Tony said later, sounding annoyed. "That''s bullshit! You met Steve!" "For like five seconds," I said. I was sitting on the couch next to Jen and Creel, who had Izzy in his lap. Everyone else was gathered around us to hear about what I''d gone through, and we''d gotten to the big part. What their counterparts were like. "Better than nothing!" Tony crossed his arms, sighing. "He was too drunk and hungover to meet? That''s just-" "Like the way you used to be?" Rhodey pointed out. When Tony glared at him, Rhodey shrugged. "Hey, you''re way better now, but I used to wait hours for your hungover ass to show up places." "Well I never skipped out on science," Tony grumbled. "You met me though?" Pietro asked, sounding excited. He''d rushed over the second Wanda told him about what happened, and was now sitting with his sister. "Yeah. During that whole¡­ Nazi scientist continuing his experiments, thing. Which-" "Already taken care of," Maria, arm in arm with Sam, said with a sad look on her face. "He''s arrested and his surviving subjects were taken in." "Jesus," Steve mumbled, sounding horrified. "I was hoping that was only in the other universe." "We have a lot more in common than I''d like," I mumbled. "I did manage to share about some of our own problems. Like the SRA¡­ Okay, what the fuck?" I looked around. There was a set of very uncomfortable looks on everyone''s faces. Jen rubbed the back of her head, her curly hair bouncing with the movement. She finally spoke. "We uh¡­ wanted to wait. To tell you. There''s been some developments." Maria rubbed her forehead. Tony and Steve had twin looks of exhaustion. And Hulk, with all his bulk taking up most of the space in the room, sipped at the blender cup he was drinking from. "Bad things," Hulk said wisely. I took a moment to consider the implications of that. "...Fuuuuuuuc-"
Author''s Note: I always like when the world continues to change even while the protag is away, and this is part of that. From here, things get a might bit political, but first, a small mission where Dial gets back into the groove of things. It''s MOSTLY done, but I want to make sure that chapter looks good. For now, have a good one folks. 17: My Name Is Jeff Canon Omake: My Name is Jeff July 20th, 2014 Samuel Sterns/The Leader "Dial has disappeared," The Leader said softly to the room. At a rectangular black metal table set inside a room ringed with comfortable red cushioned chairs, the Leader sat at the head of the table. He looked around at the others sitting there, his massive green cranium swiveling slowly. To his right, Klaue was chewing loudly on a piece of chicken. A less observant man would have thought he wasn''t paying attention, but the Leader easily noted the way his eyes narrowed at his comment. The silver disk replacing his arm glinted in the light, the emerald diamond in the center shining brightly. "How do you know?" A Russian accented voice said. Red Ghost was resting almost lazily in his chair, left hand on the head of his orangutan, Peotor. His gorilla, Miklho, stood behind him, while his baboon, Igor, sat on his right. Red Ghost stroked his chin. "You have eyes on BRIDGE, da?" "Not possible," Mr. Sinister spoke up. The clean cut man smiled devilishly, his fingers tapping idly on the table, dark eyes set into a pale white face flickering about the room. "We''ve tried. Tony Stark, X, Jarvis, Black Widow, and far far more, are all very competent at preventing subterfuge." "It''s impressive," Klaue swallowed his food and tossed some chicken bones into a waste bin next to him. "So, bighead, how''d you figure out they''ve lost the alien boy?" The Leader tapped the table. A holographic screen snapped into place, showing an image of the Avengers Tower. "While our ability to enter the actual tower has been stymied, I can easily observe the outside and extrapolate the ongoings." "You have cameras around the tower?" Mr. Sinister asked. "No, but it is a tourist landmark. I simply have a virus constantly sending me images, video, and sound bites from the dozens of people who film the tower on their trips," The Leader sighed sadly. "As convenient as it is, the sheer amount of information one can divine from these things is saddening. I can discover the location of a person simply by studying the reflection in their eyes." "Yeah, yeah, we all live in a self-surveilled hellscape," Klaue said, waving a hand. "Come on, what''s going on with the spandex folks?" The Leader scowled, but continued. "As I said, Dial has disappeared. Yesterday, I compiled footage that leads me to this belief. Jennifer Walters, Tony Stark, and Nicholas Fury left the building on a Quinjet at a pace that can only be called frantic. They later arrived with Doctors Otto Octavius and Jane Foster, as well as less notable experts in a variety of fields. Thor later arrived through the Bifrost. Since then, a series of shipments have been diverted to the tower. All of which can be used to create a device capable of dimensional travel." "And you''re sure this isn''t simply some sign that the Avengers plan to expand into other universes?" Mr. Sinister asked. The Leader smiled. "If that were the case, then Dial would have joined them. While he is not a true genius, that confounded Jury Rigg form of his makes him a cheat code to advanced technology. And yet, there have been no sightings of him around the tower. He isn''t a man of routine, but the lack of any sightings was enough to make me wonder." The Leader leaned back in his chair. "I noted the distraught on Jennifer Walters'' face as she left and arrived. Later, I noted that Carl Creel and Fantasma showed similar levels of distress on their patrols through the city. The same could be seen on Steve Roger''s face when he was filmed drinking coffee at his favored shop." "Do these people have no privacy?" Red Ghost sighed. "Bah, the youth and their obsession with fame." "Quite. As I said, Dial is missing. I don''t know for how long, but it leaves a notable gap in the Avengers'' operations. He will not be patrolling several key points of the East Coast, and any Avenger focused on bringing him back leaves us several opportunities to move." Mr. Sinister straightened. "Of course! We can obtain-" "I move that we begin immediately!" Red Ghost interrupted. "If we can steal what we need, then my projects-" "Blast your projects, Kragoff, my cloning vats are far more important!" "You self-obsessed twat, we don''t need more of you!" "Why you FOOL! I will-!" Klaue raised his hand, the silver disked one. A booming noise filled the room, Red Ghost''s apes falling to their knees and hooting in pain. "Let him talk, you idiots!" Red Ghost and Mr. Sinister''s mouths snapped shut. The Leader continued. "Indeed, I have a plan that will allow all of our projects to benefit. Klaue and Red Ghost, you will each lead a team, one to steal the needed materials, the other to purchase them from Kingpin''s empire." "Ugh, Fisk?" Klaue grumbled. "Please tell me I don''t-" "Klaue, you are the best at negotiating," The Leader said, unable to help his annoyance. Despite their genius, both Red Ghost and Mr. Sinister were far too arrogant to truly negotiate with others. They could do it, of course. But Klaue had decades of experience selling and purchasing from reprobates across the world. "I have a list of what we will be procuring. I believe it is complete, but amend it as you wish," The Leader sent the list to the groups comm units. It was a perfect list. So of course, all three men would add to it, if only to attempt to establish some petty form of dominance. It was fine. The Leader could deal with their idiotic displays for now. One day, his world would come to life in full. And there would be no need for the Intelligencia. Only The Leader would remai- "Oy, bighead, you''ve got that aroused look on your face again. It''s weirding us out," Klaue intruded into his thoughts. The Leader sighed. One day.
July 21st, 2014 The heist and buy both went off without a hitch. Items that they had believed wouldn''t be available for months were now sitting in the Intelligencia base ready to be worked on. Red Ghost had been forced to kill a few inconsequential men and women, but it had to be done. Now, Mr. Sinister and Red Ghost had disappeared into their labs and the sounds of work being done could be heard within. The same could be said for the Leader. In his case, it was a project he had received, rather than conceived. Just before Dial''s fortuitous disappearance, The Leader had received a package of information from a source he had yet to divine. It had come to a dummy inbox he had created under a false identity. He had been suspicious of it, of course, but found no virus that his brilliant mind could discover. Instead, it was blueprints. Incomplete ones, but ones that he immediately recognized as having been created by someone of genius nearly matching his own. The sender had called himself ''Alpha''. How arrogant. Once he discovered who the sender was, he might consider inviting him to the Intelligencia before destroying him. Yet, the information was incredible. He now had more insight into the Omnitrix than ever before. Enough to make a reduced copy. A very reduced one. His research into the Omnitrix had revealed it was an immensely over-engineered item. Based on public knowledge alone, it had an insane amount of abilities even when one ignored its variety of aliens. Put those into account and things became ridiculous. It likely had no limitations on the kinds of aliens it could add to it''s repertoire, and a majority were not on the files of the Confederacy. So yes. A much reduced version. But the Leader could make something quite worthwhile with the technology. First, a prototype. Amongst the blueprints was enough for the Leader to make that prototype, something of a Mark 0 version. The Omnitrix only had the forms of aliens that could be considered sapient. The Leader had trouble with that part, as well as a few others, so obviously the mark 0 was only capable of more animalistic forms. The Leader sat in his laboratory, carefully forming the pieces. Discarding what was unnecessary and replacing it where he could, forming a blueprint in his mind, a much more complete one than what Alpha had sent him. It would be a simple weapon, made to connect to a primal being and allow them to transform as Dial did. Perhaps he could even make a simple booster version. A knockoff, at best. But one day he would be able to make a true version and surpass it. With Gamma. Gamma radiation was the key to the perfection of the universe. The Omnitrix would be one more tool to aid in that. With a foolproof plan in place, he got to work.
July 23rd, 2014 Sadly, the Nemetrix phase 1 was a slow going project. In order to have the best chance of it working, the Leader decided to create an animal designed to wield the device. After all, how much more powerful would the Omnitrix have been if its owner was not an average idiot off the streets, if Captain America or better yet, Bruce Banner, held its power. So, working with Mr. Sinister and Red Ghost, the Leader took the DNA samples he''d stolen from the databases of the Confederacy along with Earth animals, and combined the best traits. The base form would be an animal called a Starshark, so eerily similar to Earth selachimorpha, and yet far more powerful, able to survive the depths of space despite all those harsh conditions, competing with other life forms there. However, Starsharks were far too vicious. So they added the DNA of more domesticated and intelligent animals. Mr. Sinister and Red Ghost''s experience was invaluable there, helping the Leader combine the best of his desired traits. Intelligent, but not too intelligent, much more docile, comfortably omnivorous, and extremely strong. The final touch was adding the gamma gene. With that, the animal was complete. What came out was¡­ well. A child. A mere baby. On seeing it, Klaue had taken a deep breath. "That. Is the most adorable fucking thing I''ve ever seen. You eggheads wanted to make a super-monster, and this is a fucking plushie. Can I have one?" "It''s one of the most formidable creatures on Earth!" Red Ghost had said, aghast. "Look at his cute little puppy legs! Tell me you don''t want to hug it!" Red Ghost''s silence had been¡­ unhelpful. Still, one day the creature would become a true powerhouse. For now, they would wait. Even if it took a full year or more.
July 24th, 2014 "..." The Leader stared out of the giant hole that had been created in his laboratory. It was about the size of an eighteen wheeler, with sparks coming out from ripped apart wires, some water dripping out of a pipe. The stone floor of the lab was covered in green fluid and glass, a single broken vat next to the Leader, along with the culprit of the fiasco. "...I''m so sor-" The Leader held a single finger up, turning to look at the speaker. He was an unimpressive man. Short, overweight, with a dirty brown bowl cut. As part of the Intelligencia''s efforts, they had to hire outside help. Not much, but The Leader had learned to value outside perspectives. Even Klaue, as much as he annoyed him, had proven to be invaluable. Until now, that policy had proven fruitful. Before one of the so-called geniuses that he had hired committed one of the most idiotic things he''d ever seen. "Dr. George Tarleton¡­ explain, in detail, what exactly you were thinking. Please." The man swallowed. Nervously, he began to speak. "I was trying to finish your experiment for you! I thought, you know, you were busy with that bomb thing, so I wanted to get the Nemetrix project out of the way for you!" "I see. How very¡­ forward-thinking," just when Dr. Tarleton seemed to breathe easier, he continued. "Except that the Nemetrix project was long-term. The child we created was to grow within the vats at accelerated speed. At the end of the year, we would test it, and release it. Long term." Other scientists in the laboratory were watching the conversation. "What you have done, is wasted materials we gained during a singular window that may never come again. Alien DNA alone will be the work of months if I do not simply go out into space to retrieve more. It may be the work of years to accumulate what I need to repeat this experiment." "I-" The Leader held out a hand, then swung it, palm down. A telekinetic envelope of power surrounded Dr. Tarleton, smashing him to his knees. He gasped in pain as he struggled against the Leader''s mental power. "Dr. Tarleton. You attached a weapon more valuable than your life onto an infant. That infant is now running wild. And it will cost you. Do you know," the Leader looked around at the scientists surrounding him. "What is more valuable than a life?" "N-No, please!" Tarleton sputtered, trying to breathe. "Freedom. And intelligence," the Leader lifted Tarleton into the air on psychic energy, walking slowly with the struggling man. "You deserve neither. I will take your intelligence, what little you have. And when you are no smarter than a simpleton, you will be put to work in something much more valuable." "PLEASE!" Tarleton cried tears of horror. "Somebody, somebody help!" "Shhhhhh. Do not worry," A door opened just before the Leader as he continued to walk calmly. "I''m sure once you are placed in AIM''s experimental programs, you will be treated humanely." Tarleton''s face paled. The employees of the Intelligencia had all seen what AIM was up to. There was talk of sending someone in, but that person would be subjected to horrific experiments. Ripped apart and turned into something¡­ else. As Tarleton began to scream, the door shut behind him, leaving his fellow scientists to clean up after him.
Mahmoud Schahed/Dial "I just wanted a day off," I grumbled, flying in a quinjet towards Florida. It had been a rough couple of days. After coming back from Noa''s dimension, I just want to sleep. Hang out with Jen, workout with Steve, really appreciate being home again. Except, Maria had called me in to deal with a monster. A shapeshifting monster that had suddenly come out of the waters of Miami Beach. On a screen next to me, Director Maria Hill sighed. "I know, Dial. But you are the shapeshifting alien, this is a shapeshifting monster. We have a team getting people evacuated, but you four were the first available Avengers." "Yeah, because we were playing DnD," Jen said from behind me, walking over to wrap her arms around my chair and give me a hug. As I took one hand off the controls to hold one of hers, she glared at the screen. "You can''t let me enjoy having him back?" "Tell you what, I''ll convince the next giant monster to take a rain check," Maria said dryly. "For now, it''s just roaming the beach, destroying property, eating-" "People?" Creel hopped into the co-pilots seat, Fantasma following to join us. "Thankfully, no. Mostly just discarded food, umbrellas, and a restaurant." "It ate the whole restaurant?" Fantasma asked, surprised. "Like I said. It''s a problem. ETA to dropsite?" "Thirty seconds," I set the quinjet to autopilot and got up, hugging Jen''s taller form as we walked. "Got it. Ground team set up a perimeter. Find out what this thing is and take it down." The back door of the Quinjet opened. The four of us stared down at the beach before we all hopped out towards the ground dozens of feet below us. Fantasma floated downwards, Creel slammed into the cement as a metal titan, and Jen simply held me as she hit the floor, letting me loose right after. Between us and the beach was a single street, behind which was a long strip of plants before the pale white sands with beautiful blue water. Speaking as a California boy, Florida had some really pretty beaches. "Okay, Avengers. Time to work for a living," I said, walking forward. I took a deep breath, taking in the air with a smile. It was so good to be home, man. We walked up to the perimeter that had been set up around the area, on the street. Big SUV''s created a makeshift barrier along with caution tape. Some cameramen with reporters filmed as we walked past, some people taking photos on their phones. It was loud, some people shouting our names and praises, a couple tossing insults that were easily ignored. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. A BRIDGE soldier ran over to us. "Sir!" She saluted, the tall blonde woman looking tired. "It''s been running this way. It stuck to the beach, but we can''t stop it." "It can shapeshift?" I asked. She nodded, looking nervous. "Just like you, sir." I nodded. "Okay. Well, we''ll go in and take care of-" "No, you don''t understand!" she shouted, surprising me. Swallowing, she looked back at the beach. "It''s just like you, it has a-" "SCREEEEE!" A roaring scream cut her off. I immediately spun the dial, pressing down the Omnitrix. I went for a form I didn''t use too often, but figured it would be fine for now. In moments, I exploded upwards in size. My skin was replaced by dark green scales, my limbs stretched outwards, my feet were replaced with elephant-like ones, and a large tail swung behind me, my long arms extending out. "Brontoroarus!" I ran forward in my Bronto-saur-lord form, towering over the crowd. "Hold on!" Jen landed on my shoulder. "Okay, let''s go!" When Creel landed on the opposite shoulder I held in a sigh. "I''m not a damn horse!" "Giddy-up already, man." Creel said, grinning at me. I grumbled but kept moving, rushing past the perimeter, over the SUV''s jumping over the strip of plantlife to land on the beach with a burst of sand exploding all around me. I slid across the sand, drifting until we faced the direction the roar had come from, with Fantasma flying over to land on my head. I heard her speak then. "§ß§å §ß§Ñ?§Õ§à §Ø§Ö¡­" "Tentacles!" Jen said, horrified. The creature rushing us was tall, almost as tall as Brontoroarus. It had a single gaping maw filled with dozens of teeth, two tiny eyes and uh¡­ well, as Jen said. Tentacles. LOTS of them all along a thickly built body. "What the fuck is tha-" A single pink tentacle lashed out, smashing into Creel mid-sentence and sending him flipping into a surf shop in a shower of broken wood and plastic. The creature rushed forward, maw open as it bit at Jen, who jumped upwards to get away. I wrapped my arms around it, pulling it back to the ground. "Why is it going after me!?" Jen shouted, horrified when a pair of long tentacles tried to wrap around her ankles. "X!" I shouted into the Omnitrix, my tail lashing out to grab one of the tentacles. "Howdy, sir." My favorite AI friend said. "How can I help?" "Look this thing up in the databanks, is it an alien?" The creature struggled further, trying to chomp down on my girlfriend. I wrapped my arms around its neck and pulled harder. Above, Fantasma started shooting purple energy at it, the bursts of power bouncing off it''s skin. "Just a moment¡­ It''s an Abilisk. A dimension traveling varmint. It''s an energy eater, able to see radiation." "And Jen''s a walking reactor, of cours-FUCK!" A single long tentacle smashed me in the eye, forcing me back. The weird multi-mouthed creature snapped its jaws at Jen, who caught the top of its mouth with her hands while her sneakered feet pushed down at his bottom jaw. "AAAAAAGH!" Jen shouted, screaming as the abilisk moved across the sand, trying to bite deep into her. A stream of green energy began flowing from her, entering the monster''s mouth. "Jen, get mad, keep your energy up!" I screamed. "What the fuck do you think I''m doing!?" Jen screamed, getting smashed through some umbrellas and chairs that had been left on the beach. "RAAAGH!" Creel came from the left, his vibranium fist smashing into the creature with crushing force. "GAH!" Jen struggled under the abilisk''s mouth. "Careful!" "Nothing is working!" Fantasma shouted above me, sending bursts of violet flame at the creature, scowling. When a tentacle lashed out at her, she dived into a portal, appearing further down the beach. Pulling hard, I began twisting the tentacles in my hands, my giant feet digging deep furrows in the sand. "Okay, okay!" An idea came. "We need to feed him!" I slapped the Omnitrix symbol. "NRG!" In a flash of light, I lost a massive amount of weight. And gained a shit-ton of radiation. The abilisk immediately spun around, facing me. It rushed my metal form, Jen still struggling with a single tentacle around her waist and it''s jaws in her grip. I blasted its mouth, sending a nuclear reactor''s worth of power into its mouth. The creature sucked in that energy. For a long moment, it stood still. That was when I saw what was on its neck. A collar. I hadn''t noticed it before, thanks to all the fighting, sand, and tentacles. My eyes widened at the sight of it. A giant red collar. And at the center of it, a hexagon with a symbol like a set of white teeth on either side of a red jagged line. "Blyat''..." I whispered. The abilisk roared. Within the red of the device on its collar, an unfamiliar silhouette appeared. And in moments, it began to change. Tentacles sank into its body. The pink skin faded away. Unlike me, there wasn''t an instantaneous flash of light and a transformation. Instead, it was a quick, if still slower than the Omnitrix, shifting of flesh, muscle, and bone. The abilisk disappeared. And in its place was a twenty foot long bug. Just¡­ a fucking GIANT bug. Spindly long legs, big wings, eyes like a praying mantis, and clenching mandibles. "Oh." "Mahmoud," Jen said, horrified. "It''s got an Omnitrix," I mumbled, my mind reeling at the thought. "SCREEE!" The giant insectoid screamed while rushing towards us, not giving us a chance to do anything but fight.
Intellectually, I''d always known that the Omnitrix couldn''t remain a unique technology forever. Azmuth, as far as I knew, was overpowered in terms of pure brains. The list of people who could match him were vanishingly small. But no one in this universe had ever shown the kind of mind that could come close to making one. Tony, Bruce, Octavius, Fitz, Foster. They could barely comprehend it. Hell, Tony was only able to figure out basic functions, such as how to send communications and data to and from it. We essentially had a starship engine, and were only able to use it as a flashlight. Except someone had managed to make their own engine. I twisted away from the insect as it rushed us, landing my armored body in a heap, then rolling over and blasting it with an NRG bolt. The insect got hit in the stomach and crashed into the beach, sand flying about, squealing as it rose up to face us. "X!" I shouted, rising to a knee and grabbing the giant praying mantis-esque head, heavy boots dragging across the sand. Even with all my mass, the thing was still pushing me back with relative ease. "The creature is called a Space-Lubber," X said in his southern twang. "Like the Abilisk, it eats energy." "What, does everything want to eat me today!?" Jen shouted, jumping over to smash her fists down into the things back. The creature''s mouth opened, streams of energy flowing from the gaps in my armor, from Jen''s skin, even small bits of energy from Fantasma as she floated overhead to start blasting its wings with fire. What little wounds that had been caused by us began to heal in an instant. High above, Creel dropped down, his body the sheen of osmium, the heaviest metal on Earth, crashing into the thorax of the creature. The Space-Lubber screamed in a chittering, scratching sound, the bottom of its belly hitting the sand. "I got it, I got it!" Creel roared, gripping the alien''s jaw as he shifted to vibranium, the things mandibles bouncing off his metal form. Portions of its exoskeleton popped open. And then, tiny versions of it came flying out, like bees out of a hive. "HOLY SHIT!" Creel yelped with a way higher pitch than I was used to. He reeled away from one of the tiny insects, waving his hands about. "AAAA!" "Creel?" "I hate bugs!" "You just tackled one!" "Yeah, a big one!" Seriously? Jen grabbed one bug and squashed it in her fist, face crinkling in disgust. "No, he''s right. Bugs are worse when they''re small." "Dial," X cut into the conversation. "Space-Lubbers can feed off sound waves." I punched the giant monster and grabbed one of the little ones, squishing it in my fist. The big one unleashed a beam of pink lightning, the waves of plasma hitting me harmlessly but turning the sand around us to glass, Fantasma blocking one errant bolt on a shield of violet power. "Okay? Why would I feed it!?" "Perhaps we can blow it up by overfeeding it?" Fantasma asked, dropping down next to me. "Feeding alone would make it bigger. You need ta calm it," X''s accent thickened just a touch. "If the varmint gets fed food similar to its current species original homeworld, we might be able to reign ''im in before it opens a black hole." "OPENS A BLACK HOLE!?" Fantasma shouted, horrified. "X, give me a song!" I shouted. I rolled out of the way of a set of random limbs, landing on my feet clumsily and slapping the Omnitrix symbol on NRG''s chest. "ECHO-ECHO!" In a flash of light, I shrank down into the familiar white figure of the Sonorosian alien. "Oh, zat one is new," Fantasma noted, blasting a blast of eldritch energy that destroyed a wave of tiny insects. Just before that same blast would hit the Space-Lubber, a giant construct of plasma in the shape of a wing blocked it. "Energy shields!?" "Babe, I love you, but I feel sorry for anyone who had to fight you," Jen grumbled, jumping to punch the alien in the face. It blasted her with a pink energy burst, forcing her into the sand, then tried to stab her with one of its legs. She backflipped away to land next to Creel, who jumped in to hit the alien as well. Time to calm the beast. "X, give me a beat!" I said with a green smile. "This song is the closest I have available to the Space-Lubber''s home world." I flashed into green bursts of light. And suddenly, I had a dozen perspectives surrounding the whole area. A whole host of Echo-Echo''s, all grinning at the alien monster. "...I can''t say what I''m thinking right now," Jen mumbled. I decided not to unpack that to instead focus on the song that X sent into the Omnitrix. It was some kind of beautiful soundtrack I couldn''t recognize, something right out of an anime. I then used one of Echo-Echo''s little known powers. I turned myself into a speaker. Dozens of speakers, all unleashing waves of sound. Not to attack, but to encompass. All around the creature, a wave of sound mimicking the song of it''s dead homeworld, shaking through its exoskeleton. The creature froze in place as the haunting synthetic sounds surrounded it. "Is it¡­ calm?" Jen asked, landing next to one of me. I stopped to create another clone to replace me, then backed up to speak with her. "I think so?" The creature shuddered. I watched as it slowly lowered it''s head down, swaying back and forth. It''s mouth opened, mandibles twitching. And it sang back. For a moment, the Space-Lubber and Echo-Echo were in harmony. The Space-Lubber''s tune slowly changed. I changed to match it, shifting the sounds until, eventually. "That''s it, partner," X said softly. "That''s the music of its homeworld." Slowly, the creature began to sink in on itself. Green exoskeleton became gray flesh. Six limbs shifted to four. Mandibles became razor sharp teeth. Soon, he was sitting on his haunches, leaning back and forth clumsily with his eyes closed, humming to the music. "...Oh my god. It''s adorable," Jen whispered, clutching her fists under her eyes. "...Jeff?" I said, befuddled. The baby land shark ignored us to keep humming, swaying to the beautiful music of another world.
Later, I had Jeff on my lap in one of the BRIDGE containment units, a large white room made to survive any and everything. I was sat on the couch with him, trying to keep him calm so he didn''t transform into¡­ whatever the hell he might transform into next. Jeff was purring while Jen, now in her human form, scratched a section just in front of his dorsal fin. Maria Hill was on a hologram screen in front of us, Tony, Steve, and Sam on others surrounding her. The leaders of every part of the superhero effort. "A baby land shark?" Maria asked, looking exhausted at the mere idea. "With a what, a bootleg Omnitrix?" "Nemetrix?" Sam suggested. "It doesn''t need a funny nickname, it needs explanation," Maria said, though she had a small smile. My Maria was best Maria. "Tony?" I asked, scratching Jeff under his chin, the little guy smiling happily and letting out a small ''raaaaaa'' as he enjoyed the pets. "First of all, I didn''t do this," Tony said firmly. "And I never thought about it either." "No¡­ no one said you did?" Steve said very suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at the screen. "Just making it clear." Tony smirked, then crossed his arms with a frown. "Whoever made this has a deep understanding of Dial''s Omnitrix, way beyond us." "How is that possible?" Jen asked, rubbing Jeff''s snout. "We''re the only ones who have access to it." "And not to compliment Tony too much, but if he can''t figure it out, how did someone else?" Sam asked. "They didn''t figure it out," Tony grumbled. "Look, I''ve had Fitz-Simmons look into it as well. They agree. That little guy was tailor-made for the Nemetrix-" "See what you did?" Maria mumbled at Sam, who winked at her. "From the ground-up," Tony continued. "And the watch isn''t a match for the Omnitrix. This really is a bootleg. But a bootleg tank in the middle ages is still impressive." "There''s a short list of guys who can make it," I noted. "The Leader is still out there." "But we don''t have evidence," Steve said. "Or any clue where he is if it is the Leader." "We''ll leave that on the table for now. I''ll have a team start tracking where it-" "Jeff," Jen said, cooing when said landshark hopped into her lap to nuzzle her. "Where Jeff came from. But we can''t just leave that thing on him." "We kind of have to," Tony said. "What?" "It''s attached. As in, completely. That thing is fused to his neck in the same way the Omnitrix attaches to Dial. The only way to take it off is if he decides to." "...I''m not sure he''s smart enough for that?" Sam said, rubbing the back of his head. "Don''t be mean!" Jen lifted Jeff up towards Sam''s screen. "Apologize to him!" "Uh¡­ my bad?" "Raaaaa," Jeff yawned before licking his lips. "So what''s our solution?" Maria asked, cutting off the comedy show. "We can''t allow a power of this magnitude to be running around." "...Maybe we keep him?" I asked, feeling a little ridiculous. "Keep him?" Maria asked dryly. "Well, we can''t kill him," I pointed out. "Not his fault a crazy person turned him into a bioweapon. So maybe we can take care of him? Keep him calm, train him?" "You want to turn a Nemetrix wielding land shark into a pet?" "A Pet Avenger?" I said hesitantly. "A what?" Sam asked. "Oh, that''s a good idea," Tony said sarcastically. "Maybe he can fight alongside Battle Cat and that freaky cat of Harkness''." "..." "Oh my god, you''re serious." Maria cut in, thoughtful. "The idea isn''t¡­ entirely crazy." "It''s completely wackoo!" "BRIDGE has been training superhuman animals since we found the Graveyard. We have entire teams of people who specialize in it now. And this guy, whatever his origins, seems fairly docile when he''s not getting shot at. Having a pet version of Dial could be useful." "Not sure I like the phrasing, but I''m happy to hear you''re in," I said. Lifting Jeff out of Jen''s arms, I turned him to face me. "What do you think boy? You wanna be a superhero!? Huh! Yes he does! Yes he does!" "Raaaaa!" Jeff licked my face with a dopey smile. "I''ll send someone to pick him up," Maria sighed. "In the meantime. Dial, Jen. Things have escalated." "...The SRA." Maria nodded. "The UN is going forward with it." I scratched Jeff just behind his dorsal fin, the little guy nibbling gently at Jen''s fingers. "A guy leaves for a few days and this bullshit goes off." "We can stop it," Maria said. "And even if we can''t, plan B is ready. Tony?" "Ready to piss off the world, milady," Tony said gleefully. "Steve?" "I have heard I''m at the age for it," Steve chuckled. "Dial." "Defiant is good to go." Maria nodded. Her eyes hardened as well. "Okay. We''re ready. Whatever happens." "...Raaa?" Jeff said questioningly. I scratched his chin and sighed. In a life of craziness, the baby transforming land shark was comforting. Then again, politics were a bitch in every world. 18: I wanted to help Chapter 18 I found out what happened a little after I arrived back home, before Jeff had his little party in Miami. We''d all know the SRA, the Superhuman Registration Act, was something that different parties were fighting to make a worldwide concept. Many countries were fighting back and forth. America was massively split on it. Canada was all for it. Russia was completely against it. Things had been on a tightrope for months. The rising number of heroes in such a rapid timeframe was a huge reason why. Since the Battle at the Triskelion and the rise of BRIDGE, dozens of heroes had risen up out of nowhere seemingly. Me, Luna Snow, Ares, The Winter Guard, and many many more. Everyone agreed something had to be done. But no one could agree on what. Then I disappeared. And while I was gone, everyone else had stepped up. Heroes across the world had gone on missions, fighting the good fight. Luna, Ami, and Dan had taken down a group of the Korean Mob, arresting some guy named Eric Hong. Ares had defeated a sect of demon worshippers in Russia alongside Chernobog, both gods killing an Elder Demon in a knockdown dragout fight. There were more. But in the time I''d left, one big event was on everyone''s lips. And it wasn''t good news. You see, Phil Grayfield had been hired to be a corporate sponsored hero.
June 18th, 2014 Phil Grayfield When Phil had smashed his right knee saving a little girl who had fallen out of a building, that had ended his football career. It was impossible to run, jump, to tackle, when your knee was constantly seconds from ripping out from under you. Worth it. It was strange. Paul had spent his entire life fighting to become a professional football player. He''d spent hours training while friends partied, broke his body in the gym and on the field perfecting his skills, then nearly as much time studying tactics, watching old footage. Mastering himself as best as he could, giving up everything. And then, when he had made it, he sacrificed it for a little girl''s life. But he hadn''t minded. She lived. She later gave him a gap-toothed shy smile and said ''thank you''. Phil lost everything, and gained more. So when the NFL reached out to him again with an offer to come work for them again, not as a player, but as a hero, he had agreed immediately. He knew that they just chose him because he''d ended up newsworthy. A cameraman hired to follow him around by the name of Ken Reid had laid it out. "They coulda picked anyone. But you made the news and you''ve got the hype, baby. NFL needs to jump on the hero train, bring in the views!" But¡­ it was worth it. Phil had saved someone. And he would do it again and again. The NFL gave him a codename that he honestly hated. SuperPro, really? The other things were nicer. A battle suit designed by Hammer Industries, created to rival the Iron Man armor. It wasn''t even close to being as good, but it was very durable, with a handy feature that let it absorb kinetic energy and let him unleash it back. Basically, he was immune to everything, and could dish it back just as goddamn hard. He also got injected by some sort of serum from AIM? Whatever it was, it had healed his knee and given him all his skills back and more. And then, on his first mission in New York, he got kicked through a building by a guy with robotic stilt-legs escaping a prison. That was¡­ embarrassing. Later ones were better. Stopping a robbery, taking down a drug dealer, saving a suicidal man from jumping off a bridge. Even with all the cameras, lights, and publicity, the new fame, saving those people was the best thing Phil had ever done. Today though, he was feeling out of his depth.
"A¡­ terrorist attack?" Phil asked, unable to keep the horror from his voice. "What the hell are you talking about?" "It''s just some idiots trying to make a statement," Ken, his cameraman, said, though he sounded a bit shaky in the throat. The two of them were in the back of the SuperProMobile, a red white and blue armored car the NFL had provided for them second-hand. The back was filled with computer screens, video monitors, and a radio set, all with the Stark Industries label stamped on the side. It was supposed to be his mobile headquarters. It was more like a very tough news van that Ken could edit in. But the radio was tuned to the police bandwidth, so that was useful. That was how they ended up outside the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with dozens of police officers, SWAT, and news vans and helicopters circling overhead. "A guy named Mallen, former SHIELD who left before the whole Hydra thing," Ken explained. "He''s leading a group of domestic terrorists he''s calling The Targeted, and they''re holding the stadium hostage in return for having their demands met." "What are the demands?" Phil asked, trying to emulate the sorts of questions he''d seen on TV. He''d tried his best to train and learn, but he''d been dropped into all this a bit suddenly. "The immediate release of some of his old buddies that turned out to be Hydra, 25 million dollars, a helicopter, and a lot more. The list is like, fifteen pages long," Ken spun to grin at Phil, a smarmy sort of grin. "Who cares though? Go in, kick some ass, then come out and I''ll make you look good!" Phil frowned. "That can''t be all. This stadium can hold, what, 80,000 people? How many guys does he have?" "Maybe 50, covering the exits? A lot of ex-merc guys." "Ex-mercs, ex-SHIELD!? Ken, I''ve fought gangbangers! Not trained soldiers. Why aren''t the Avengers here?" "Cause the bosses grabbed this first. Phil, baby, we can''t keep working small time jobs, not if you wanna get attention." "I don''t want attention, I just want to help people." Ken''s grin fell for just a moment before he forced it back. "Well this is how! Just go in, let that Hammertech suit protect you, and save everybody! SWAT and cops are going in at the same time you are, so they''ll have your back." That was a lot more comforting. What Ken said next was less so. "Besides, think of the ratings! We''re going to get such great press out of this!" "..." Phil silently rose up and opened the doors. Outside, a pair of cops were waiting for him. Phil joined them and walked towards where others were gathered, carrying weapons and wearing tough looking armor. "Best of luck, Philly!" Ken said cheerily, turning in his chair. Ken was a good guy. Just way too hungry for ratings. With the folks who were gathered together, a man was speaking. "While they did lock down the exits, the main guys are on the field, and they''ve forced the civilians to get as close to the field as possible. We''d snipe them, but we can''t get to the top of the building without being spotted. So we have teams covering each exit. Team 1 has Bud Light Gate, Team 2 has HCLTech, 3 has Verizon, and 4 will cover the MetLife Gate. Team 5, you and SuperPro will hit Moody''s Gate." The man pointed at Phil firmly. "You guys will take them down and rush towards the field. Team 2 and 3 will get up into the stands for positions. The rest of us will focus on getting the hostages out and emptying the stadium. SuperPro, you''ve got Mallen. He''s apparently got some kind of powers, but we don''t know what, so you''ll hit him." "SuperPro? Really?" A woman in SWAT gear asked. "I didn''t pick the name," Phil chuckled. "Stow it. We need to move." The lead man said. "All teams, you have your missions. SuperPro, your team moves on you. Head out." They all nodded and let out sounds of agreement. Phil swallowed nervously. This felt¡­ intense. He thought he''d understood being nervous. He''d felt it when he first joined the NFL, first played college games, hell, even felt it before high school games. But this was next level. Still. People needed help. Clenching his fists, Phil forced his heavy legs to move, forced himself to ignore the sweat on his brow, and followed his orders. They all separated, moving across the pavement quickly. Phil clenched and unclenched his fists as he jogged next to the law enforcement officers. They approached the gate in question. It had blue "The gates in view," Someone on the radio said into Phil''s headset. "We move as one. All teams in position?" "Team 5 in position," The SWAT woman next to Phil said as they took cover behind a van. Up ahead, there were six men guarding the gates to the arena, standing just behind the turnstiles that lead to an open space just before the opening into the place. There were also bodies. Several dead bodies. Some were dressed like security, but there were more dressed for the game. Some were very small. Phil swallowed, disgust and fear filling him before he forced it down. Once all the teams confirmed positions, the team lead barked. "All teams, move in!" "I''ll take point," Phil said with confidence he didn''t entirely feel. He swallowed. Then he spun out of cover and started running, full tilt. The six mercenaries sighted him immediately. They lifted their guns and started shooting, moving so fast that it shocked Phil even as he forced himself to keep running. The mercs were all dressed the same, in black tight armor with a blue ''X'' pattern of raised material across their chests. Bullets hit his body. Phil swallowed at the sensation of them bouncing off his armor. He''d been shot at before, but always by much smaller guns. These ones were louder and the bullets sounded different as they bounced off. But still, they bounced off. Phil got into the middle of the mercs, slamming into three of them in a tackle he''d practiced a million times. For just a moment, he was back on the field, smashing into a defensive line with all his might. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! With his new strength, instead of simply hitting them, the three mercs went flying backwards, one rolling on the ground, another slamming into the Moody''s Gate rooftop, and the last smashing into one of his friends. One guy approached Phil, aiming at his helmet with a big gun and firing a whole lot of bullets directly into his faceplate. Phil was blinded for a moment by the bullets bouncing off. Then a single shot rang, and his assailant was on the floor. The cops had arrived. SWAT moved with professionalism, using Phil''s distraction to get into position before gunning down the mercs. "Go, go, go!" The main SWAT leader shouted, rushing forward through the gate. Phil quickly caught up and overtook her. It was funny. He''d played in the MetLife Stadium before. Now he was back in the familiar halls again, for a very different purpose. At least he still remembered his way around. Leading the way for the group of SWAT, they sprinted through the halls. At one point, a discarded hot dog was destroyed under his boot before they found more opposition. More mercs, five of them. Phil didn''t stop sprinting, moving in towards them. It was why he wasn''t able to stop before the grenade rolled to his feet. The explosion sent him flying backwards, his ears screaming at him. He ended up on his back, staring at the ceiling. The actual explosion hadn''t hurt, his armor had done his job, but god his ears. Suddenly a merc was on top of him. He barely got a glimpse of the knife before he caught the guys by the wrist, stopping him from jamming the 12 inch blade under his helmet and into his throat. They struggled for a brief moment before Phil''s super-soldier strength won out, pushing the guy off long enough for a SWAT guy to shoot him in the face. Phil rolled to his feet, looking around to see the other mercs were dead. As were two SWAT members. He didn''t have time to let that devastate him. The SWAT leader grabbed his arm, pulling him along. "Come on! We need to move before they can stop us!" "I-I''m on it!" Phil stammered out, forcing himself to move. He ran his ass off, once again outpacing the SWAT team. They got to a hallway leading into the football field, passing several dead bodies that Phil forced himself to ignore. This was¡­ too much. He had seen death since becoming a sponsored hero. But not on this scale, not this indiscriminately. They reached the field. For a moment, just one¡­ Phil was back. His feet running across grass, his football gear across his body, a team by his side. The nostalgia filled him from head to toe. Then a gunshot rang out. And all the nostalgia was replaced by stress again. Across from them, the mercs had set up some kind of device, strapped up to blocks of C4. A bomb. A true blue bomb. The civilians in the stands had been forced to get as close to the field as possible, packed together like sardines, with bodies of dead people dotting the arena, presumably those who tried to fight back. All the civilians in the stands were screaming as SWAT ran into the stands to start shooting the terrorists. Phil focused on his own job. Moving with every bit of speed in him, he rushed across the field, slamming into the first merc he found with a fist to the chest powered with everything he had. The merc blocked with his arms. It had all the usefulness of a screen door on a submarine. He went flying back, crashing into one of his friends twenty feet behind him. "COME ON!" Phil roared at the top of his lungs. The former player was back on the field. He charged for the next person. Someone else sped to meet him instead. His fist met the other guy''s. And came to a halt. Phil froze in shock. Ever since getting his powers, his suit, nothing had stopped his fist. He knew, on some level, that he wasn''t the strongest hero out there. Even ignoring the pinnacle, Hulk, Iron Man, Dial, there were others who were strong enough to beat him, obviously. Always someone better out there. But that was different from actually facing it. "Jesus," the man who''d stopped him said with a smug grin. Phil stared at him. The man went from meeting Phil fist to fist, to grabbing his wrist and pulling him close. The man looked¡­ like a monster. Pale white skin. Bright red eyes. It was the smirk that made Phil realize who he was looking at. "I really wanted an Avenger. Who the fuck are you?" "Mallen," Phil hissed out. "Nah," Mallen grabbed Phil by his gaudy red, white, and blue costume and lifted him into the air. "That''s me, cupcake." Mallen smashed him into the ground with enough force to crater the ground. And Phil gasped in pain. Suit limiters adjusting for new power output. Those simple words filled him with dread. The suit, to preserve power, had limiters to make sure he was safe without wasting energy. The goddamn grenade hadn''t forced the limiter to increase. "Oh?" Mallen grinned down at Phil. "You didn''t break?" A series of blood spurts from his chest drew Mallen''s attention. The terrorist looked up at the SWAT leaders shooting him. Mallen smirked at them as the spots on his chest glowed red, healing in mere seconds while bullets fell from the holes to land on the dazed Phil. "Be right back. Got cops to kill," Mallen moved towards the SWAT men and women fighting his men. And Phil''s hand on his ankle stopped him. Mallen glanced at him like he was dirt on his boot. So it must have been a shock when Phil snapped to his feet and tossed Mallen twenty feet into the air. Mallen landed in a crumbled pile, the sounds of bones breaking filling the air. Phil gasped out a breath. "You aren''t touching them." Mallen glared at Phil. Rising up slowly, his broken bones flowed together in glowing streaks of red heat, the man healing in seconds. "Oh yeah? Who are you, anyways?" For a moment, just one, Phil almost said that dumb name. Instead¡­ "Phil Grayfield. Now come on." "...All right," Mallen moved, fast enough that Phil barely caught sight of him. Phil raised his arms to block a punch, Mallen sending him sliding back even as his suit absorbed the kinetic impact. Phil hurriedly threw his own punch, cracking Mallen''s jaw apart in a splash of blood and bone. Mallen laughed, returning the punch with one of his own as his jaw healed in a flash of heat. Then Mallen breathed fire. "Jesus Christ!" A SWAT member screamed. Phil would have agreed, but instead he uppercut Mallen, shutting his mouth. His suit now on fire, screaming warnings in his ear, Phil forced himself to punch again. The two superhumans began beating the hell out of each other, punching over and over. Phil''s suit kept him safe, but he wasn''t skilled enough to match Mallen''s SHIELD training. And while Phil''s was hurting Mallen, he kept healing in bursts of red heat. Finally, the words Phil had been waiting for came in. "The bombs disabled!" The SWAT leader shouted over the radio. Phil kicked out at Mallen, sending him flying back to roll on the grass. Phil grit his teeth, breathing hard. "It''s over!" "Eric Mallen!" the SWAT members gathered around them, aiming their guns at Mallen. "You''re under arrest! Lay down!" Mallen looked around. His fellow mercs were dead. The bombs he had set were disabled. Even with his healing, he couldn''t take on Phil and all the SWAT officers around him. Phil felt relief fill him. Until Mallen smiled. It was soft. Almost whimsical. "...I really hoped for an Avenger," Mallen met Phil''s eyes. Mallen''s eyes began to glow with a very familiar red heat. "But you''ll do." " Take him dow-" The SWAT woman began to shout before Phil tackled her, covering her up as best as he could. Mallen spread his arms wide. And became fire. The sound of it was insane. So far beyond anything Phil had ever experienced that he had nothing to compare it to. When the silence came in, it was a blessing, until Phil felt blood from his ears pouring across his cheeks. The force of it made his suit ring with alarms, the energy within it beginning to die out even as it was powered by that same kinetic force. The only scream before he lost his hearing was the woman he was protecting from the heat, force, and shockwaves. And then¡­ it was over. Phil gasped, then coughed when dust flooded his lungs. He stared at the SWAT woman he''d protected. She was safe. Defended by the same suit that protected him. Phil finished coughing, still unable to hear. Then he looked up. "...Oh god," Phil said. The MetLife Stadium was¡­ destroyed.. Along with everyone inside. Far above, helicopters circled, and the jumbotron fell into the stands in a pile of destroyed metal. The field was ashes. The stands were full of rubble, melted plastic, and dead bodies. And the bodies were¡­ Phil Grayfield, the NFL SuperPro, stared around himself, one of the only two survivors out of over 65,000 civilians and SWAT members, in the middle of the devastation. With news helicopters above to catch the whole thing. "Oh god," Phil went to his knees, tears mixing with the blood on his cheeks. "Wha-... I¡­I wanted to help."
Author''s Note: So yeah. I introduced NFL SuperPro, a famous gimmick sponsored comic character, then had him take on Mallen. Both characters will be back, but the important thing is that... I guess, I don''t really need to explain it further. Mallen, in truth, has a sponsor who will benefit from what happened. The rest of us have to deal with it. So now. The Avengers, and all other superheroes in the world, have to deal with the devastation that follows, and try to defend themselves. Next chapter will be on my pa tre on, but I might end up pushing the writing of it faster, considering what this event is. Let me know what you think. 19: Assembly Required Chapter 19 August 15th, 2014 Dial/Mahmoud Schahed The footage had been poured over for days. Phil Grayfield, standing in a field of the dead, then falling to his knees in horror. A single SWAT woman was next to him, just sitting there, unable to comprehend what had happened. There were some survivors. As days passed, some men and women came out of the rubble, some even intact. Tony provided the rescuers with advanced technology, with his personal company Damage Control moving in to help. The death toll was still over 50000. All the blame fell on Phil Grayfield. And by proxy, on superpowered beings as a whole. There were arguments otherwise. The internet was already at the level of toxicity that would embody it for the next decade, so the war had begun there. Some people saw him as a hero who had been trying his best and had failed because of something he couldn''t have planned for. Others called him a moron who had walked into something he shouldn''t have had anything to do with. Mallen got some blame. So did the NFL, for interfering with calls that should have brought in an Avenger. But the NFL wiped their hands of him, and their spin doctors blamed him for everything, even suing him. Phil Grayfield, a man who just wanted to help people, had to answer for the deaths of those people. It was so much worse than I could imagine. So many people. It was the worst terrorist attack on American soil by a massive margin. The last time I''d seen such horror had been the Rio incident. But where that one had no one to blame, this one did. The media called it what it was. The SRA. The Superhuman Registration Act. Political pundits called for it with intense fervor, claiming it would prevent an incident like the Metlife Bombing from ever happening again. I''d told my friends about the SRA. They''d never been prepared for how we got it in this universe. And soon, on August 18th, the UN would meet to ratify it, to turn it into law. Maybe. We still had a chance to fight it. To prevent it from being implemented worldwide. We just needed to try. And if we failed? We had a plan for that too.
Ares/God of War A katana clashed against a xiphos, the two blades only briefly meeting before they drew back to clash again and again, dozens of times in mere seconds. They dueled on an open field in view of a military base, but were alone, allowed to battle in peace. "Again, boy," Ares said with just a bit of softness behind his gruff demeanor. The massive man was wearing a simple shirt and jeans, though he went barefoot in the hot sun of Greece. The xiphos in his hand looked like a chef''s knife compared to his size, but he wielded it with supernatural grace and strength. "Yes sir!" Dwarfed by the God of War, yet undeterred, a small boy grinned up at Ares. He was dressed like his father, though he wore a pair of very expensive-looking sneakers instead of being barefoot. Swinging the katana in his hand with youthful speed, he aimed for his father''s upper arm, collarbone, windpipe, temple, diaphragm, ribs, testicles, and thighs, moving so fast that a mortal eye would have thought he had attacked all of them simultaneously. With smooth control, Ares diverted each of the deadly blows, smiling and nodding with each one he parried. After the final time, he kicked his son in the chest, sending him flying back thirty feet into a boulder that shattered apart. His son, rather than shattering into a bloody mess, only snapped to his feet with a grin. "Hm?" Ares and his son glanced out over the base. Ares smirked. "Ah. Alex, looks like we have a visitor. Take a run, son." "Yes sir!" The young man proudly saluted, then sprinted off, katana still in hand. Seconds later, the visitor arrived in a burst of speed, stopping to hover just before the God of War. His biological jetpack let him hover on emerald star power. Eyes of the same color glowed ominously. Astrodactyl met eyes with the god of war. "Dial," Ares smirked. "So. What''s the play?"
August 16th, 2014 Seol Hee/Luna Snow Luna Snow, White Fox, and Crescent, South Korea''s first superhero team, fought together in a warehouse in Seoul. "Duck!" Luna shouted in Korean towards Fox while creating a wall of darkforce-empowered ice to block the set of laser blasts that attacked them. Fox ducked under a katana slicing for her neck and kicked behind her, sending the ninja that had attacked her flying back to crash into a set of crates. "Ninja, in Korea!?" She asked, exasperated. "Hell yeah!" Crescent went past her in her spectral bear form, the massive white glowing fur monster roaring before slamming into three of the ninja carrying lasers. "We''re like the Ninja Turtles!" "I wish these guys were as easy to fight as the Foot," Luna grumbled, using a burst of lightforce ice to heal some of her wounds. "Clearly you never read the comics," Fox parried another katana, swept out the legs of the ninja, then smashed his head into the ground. "You have!?" Even as they joked, they continued to fight, surrounded within the crate-filled warehouse. Despite all jokes to the contrary, not every city on Earth had an abandoned warehouse district for superheroes to fight it out in. But this one was being used by criminals. When the Korean idols/superhero team started investigating the smuggling of illegal weaponry from Canada, through China and Korea, all the way to Japan, they had expected normal criminals. Luna had been speechless when the first shuriken got thrown. And now, here they were, in a warehouse, surrounded by god damned ninjas. She was feeling confident, however. Despite their skill, they were only dangerous on a human level. After hours of training, not just with their teammates and teachers, but with other heroes like Steve or the Black Panther she had befriended, Luna and her friends were powerful. Which was why it was slightly disappointing when the first diamond blade came singing out of the night. It impaled the shoulder of a ninja who had tried to climb one of her ice barriers, attaching him to a wall. Then another, and another flew. From the sky, a blue-green crystal figure dropped in to join them. Ice and diamonds flew. A fox''s claws danced next to blades of crystal. A glowing bear was reflected roaring across Diamondhead''s face. In an instant, the ninja were done. Just like that. A problem that they were prepared to deal with, gone in a pile of silent bodies (Seriously, even the impaled and wriggling ones refused to scream. These ninjas were weird.) Luna looked around to make sure they were done before looking towards the giant crystal man among them, who was listening to Crescent. "-we had it handled, why did you come!?" The teenager whined, punching Dial in the arm playfully. Luna looked at him. He looked at her. Something about him¡­ His demeanor. Just one look explained why he had arrived. "It''s happening. Isn''t it?" Diamondhead''s eyes flickered. Luna swallowed, while Ami and Crescent shared a look of confusion.
August 17th, 2014 La Vent In Paris, France, outside the Louvre, three men spoke. They sat for tea and scones and had a fruitful discussion, speaking of the current events, their ideas on it, sometimes going for a stroll around the museum. No one noticed. Not because they wouldn''t stand out. All three made for striking figures, one a furred catlike man of blue and black, one a tall muscular silver-haired pretty boy, the last wearing an impressive helmet and purple spandex. But all three moved at speed. In the moments between a heartbeat, they had full conversations, they sparred, they argued, and they contemplated the art of the world''s most famous gallery. Finally, two of them left. The last, La Vent, sat down, still trapped in a world of speed, now alone, and stared at a painting in the Louvre. A woman, proud and true, standing before a crowd of people, holding a flag up high. Liberty Leading the People What did it mean for him? What did it mean for the men who left him? As he sat there before that painting, La Vent thought to himself in the moment of stillness, the heartbeats that lasted a lifetime for him. An instant later he was gone.
And so it went. Across the world, for days, heroes were called. Black Panther and his family welcomed a godly guest into their home, and warm rain fell with his arrival. The Winter Guard welcomed back a beloved witch and drank and sang to celebrate her. A Savage Land welcomed back an hourglass king who fought alongside them to free a settlement. An ancient dragon knight of the Round Table and a modern knight of the Second World War drank together in a pub they both remembered well. A man of iron gathered his fellow minds for a discussion. And the Incredible Hulk prevented a train crash in New Jersey. Across the world, they spoke to each other. Only one of the meetings, however, was new. Dial went to the moon.
August 17th, 2014 Mahmoud Schahed/Dial After meeting with the Savage Avengers and helping them with a quick revolution, I flew towards the moon. I stood atop the moon and looked up at the Earth. That was¡­ I cannot explain how fucking insane that was. Looking at that beautiful planet from the moon was something I''d dreamed of for my entire life. Behind me, the Defiant rested on its landing gear. I was standing in Frankenstrike form in the open vacuum of the moon. I could have worn a space suit, the Defiant had plenty in case my crewmates or any civilians we had to take on needed them. But come on, man. If you get the chance to go into the vacuum and enjoy the moon without a suit, you take it. I turned from the sight of the moon and jumped. I went dozens of feet in the air. On Earth, Frankenstrike was strong enough to leap over houses. On the moon, I could clear small skyscrapers. I landed in an explosion of dust. I jumped again and again. I''d made sure to land about twenty miles from my destination. I had to make sure they had time to prepare. Soon, I reached a crater on the moon. Just a normal, several-mile-wide, city-sized crater. I stared at it. After a moment of staring at it, I sat down and created a core of green electricity around me, simply glowing on the moon. Not much. On Earth, I wouldn''t even be visible outside of the most powerful telescopes or eyes. But within the crater, I had to imagine that alarm bells were ringing. I didn''t do anything other than sit there. We''d tried to send messages. Drones. All simply asking to talk. No response. And we were out of time. So. The hard sell. Soon, he appeared. When Tony and Thor had given me advice on the whole thing, they figured this was the best approach. Tony advised me as someone familiar with how people worked. Thor advised me based on how royalty worked. And the man stepping out of thin air was royalty. He was taller than me by a full head, with just as much muscle. Unlike my bare-chested and scarred body, he was wearing a fully black uniform with a pair of white lightning bolts across the chest and a helmet on his head that had a simple metal pair of prongs on the forehead. Blackagar Boltagon, aka Black Bolt, in all his royal finery. And like everyone else on the superhero side of my life, he looked like a movie star, all chiseled jaw and muscle. Unlike before, I didn''t recognize the actor he must have mirrored. But I had long accepted that this world''s convention for making my old world''s actors and actresses into superheroes would eventually lead to them being unrecognizable to me. Behind him, a woman stepped out. A beautiful redhead who was more redhead than anyone I''d ever seen. Her hair was insanely long, stretching around her like a series of ominous tentacles than anything. Medusalith Amaquelin, aka Medusa. The King and Queen arrived. And no one else. I had to believe that was a good sign. On the one hand, it could have been a sign that they were here with good intentions. On the other¡­ Black Bolt was a weapon. One of the strongest beings in the universe. He was a threat. So him showing up with just his wife could have been good, or I might be moments from being sent flying by a whisper. Black Bolt and Medusa, standing in vacuum without a hint of worry, strode over to me. I wondered, for a moment, how they were doing that, but decided it wasn''t important what power or tech let them do it. Instead, I stood, facing the pair and letting go of the corona of energy I''d built up. Then I waved, smiling as friendly as a Frankenstrike could. "Hi!" Black Bolt faced me, sternly. His hands raised and began to flash a series of hand signs. Medusa watched his fingers move, ignoring how my own eyes widened in surprise, and spoke to translate. "Very well," she said, while her husband''s fingers moved nimbly in a form of sign language no one on Earth had ever used. "You''ve traveled a long distance, frightened my people, and stand before us in challenge. What do you want? But I didn''t need a translation. My hands moved without thinking, rather than my mouth, but the words were the same. ''I''m not here in challenge. I''ve come to talk, that''s all.'' I might as well have smacked both of them with a gamma-irradiated fish. "You understand him!?" Medusa asked, losing a bit of her regal attitude. Without thinking about it, I kept throwing hand signs. It was kind of cool, speaking sign language. She reminded me of my Naruto fanboy days. ''The Omnitrix understands him and helps me speak the same language. Black Bolt hesitated. Then he sighed silently (A real one probably would have sent me flying) and continued to speak. ''Very well. That does make this easier. We know who you are, Dial of Earth. We received your messages. You say you want peace, to build bridges between us. But on Earth, we''ve followed your news. The governments you follow are about to turn people like us into criminals for simply existing. What benefit does it do to build a bridge to a land that does not want us?'' ''None,'' I said, twisting my big grey fingers with more agility than I was used to. ''But I''m not here about the land. I''m here about the people¡ªyou, me, and the millions of Inhumans on Earth and those in your city. I want to protect them. From those who would harm them, who would exploit them. I don''t give a shit what the governments decide. I just wanted you and me to know each other. To know that we can trust each other.'' ''...That is a lot to ask. We left Earth centuries ago. The idea of trusting anyone from it, no matter who they are, is not something my people are ready for.'' ''Then we start small,'' I offered a smile as I signed. ''You, me, and our friends and family. Just get to know each other. No battles or anything. Just learning from each other. A cultural exchange.'' ''...What do you have in mind?'' ''We talk, like I said. Establish communication between individuals, get to know each other, that kind of thing. And hey, maybe we can even train together. The Pet Avengers could use more members.'' I was joking, mostly, but Black Bolt and Medusa still looked very serious. I got the sense they were usually like that around unfamiliar folks. ''Pet Avengers?'' I was going to sign more when something ''vworped'' into place next to Black Bolt and Medusa. I looked at it. And my heart melted. "PUPPY!" "Arf!" A gigantic adorable fucking dog barked happily, rushing over to lick at my face. I hugged him tight and laughed, rubbing his fur. "Oh man, look at you! You''re so big, and fluffy, and cute, and-" I scratched Lockjaw behind the ears as Black Bolt and his wife exchanged exasperated looks. It was a good day.
August 18th, 2014 The United Nations meeting was going badly. We all could tell. In New York, we had all gathered for the meeting of a lifetime. I don''t know how the UN meetings usually go. Hell, for all I knew they were entirely different from the ones in my world, molded by different nutso political bullshit. Every country was just a bit different from the ones I once knew Hell, in this world, Russia wasn''t crappy¡­ not entirely at least. If things had been perfect, I would never have had to meet them or learn how these things went down. But now I had to. It had been broken down simply. Countries pushing for the SRA would explain why it needed to happen, and countries against it would explain why not. They would try their best to make the nations, as a majority, agree with their side through a combination of evidence, passionate speeches, and behind-the-scenes bullying. Tony and Steve had spoken already. Our two big guns in that sort of thing. Politicians, as a rule, hated Tony. Why wouldn''t they? He was rich enough that he didn''t need to impress them or their ''sponsors'', charismatic enough that their constituents loved him, had more personal power than most armies¡­ and was, to put it simply, a ridiculously snarky asshole. On the other hand, their feelings for Steve were complicated. They should have disliked him. Except he was goddamn Captain America, and everyone loved Captain America. Well, not everyone, but most people did, and if not, they respected him. Steve, since coming back, had somehow risen to his legacy rather than tarnish it. By being himself, he''d drawn more people to him. As Tony once said. A living legend that kinda lives up to the legend. Now though, I had been chosen to step in. For a confrontation of sorts. Right then, I had two big opponents. Ross and Nadeer. As in the former General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross and Senator Ellen Nadeer. There were more folks of course, from all sorts of places, who favored the bane of my existence, aka the SRA. The main was, the way things were set up, I''d be ''conversing'' directly with them. AKA, arguing politely, with a moderator to keep things from getting heated. "You all right, mate?" "Hm?" I looked at the speaker, not recognizing him for a second before I realized who it was. "Oh. Pete, right?" "Pete Wisdom," he confirmed, the British man smirking. Just like Steve described him. A tall and athletic man, with swopping black hair, five o''clock shadow, and an attitude that could have been described as cocky without being mean about it. "Nice suit, mate," Pete chuckled. "Ah, thanks. Tony got it for me." A tailored suit. Tony was a true legend. Putting that aside, Pete walked over to join me, his stance casual and relaxed. "So, you''re the last stand between the Avengers and all this shite, huh?" "More like ''a'' stand. It won''t end here no matter how things go." I noted with a sigh. "Britain''s going to support it, aren''t they?" "Fraid so," Pete took out a vape pen and took a deep puff on it, before letting out a cinnamon-scented breath. "All the idiots will have their day, and I''m going to be told to help arrest some mighty blokes. Too bad I can''t find them." "What a shame," we shared a secretive chuckle. Yeah, that was one of the consensus things the super community had decided on. No hunting each other. Those of us who knew each other. Thank god this universe had sanity behind its heroes. The idea of having to do the shit from the comics. Fighting Iron Man and Reed Richards while they locked good men and women in the fucking Negative Zone. That still left the rest of the mess. "I''m supposed to spy on ye, by the by," Pete said confidently, taking another puff on his Roxxon-made vape pen. "Telling the shites in charge if you''re planning to lie down and listen." "They think there is a chance of that?" I asked with more heat than I expected. "A bit. The shrinky-dinks in charge think you''re one of the most likely to follow any laws they make than Stark or Rogers." "..." I was baffled at that idea. Pete, seeing that, laughed. "Sorry boyo. You''re too friendly. Everyone thinks you''re too nice to go all renegade on us. Perfect, ain''t it? If there is anyone who can help round up all the freaks, it''s the freak with all their powers." "...That''s ironic." "Too right, mate," Pete said with a small smile. The thought of that¡­ It made me seethe. They weren''t the only government that would be thinking that way. For all they hated me, they were convinced I was way too fucking nice to fight them on this. That I wasn''t willing to push back in any way, would follow the rules. They thought¡­ that because I was nice, I was also weak. Fuck you. "Eeeeey, there he is," Pete said grinning devilishly. "That''s a bloody rough look on your face. You look ready to brawl." "...Tell your superiors that they''ll get all the information they need on me," I stood, my hands hurting. When I looked down, my knuckles were white, tight fists shaking. I released them but still had to breathe. "After this speech, the whole world will." "I think I said something like that about me dad, once. I''d show the world I weren''t like ''em." Pete took another puff on his vape pen. "...What about your mom?" "Me mum? Oh, me mum," Pete sighed, smiling. "She''s brilliant. Absolutely brilliant." I couldn''t figure out if I hated or liked Pete. But at least he was nominally on our side. I walked away. Some guy in a suit came up to me and gave the rules as though I hadn''t heard them. I took a deep breath. Then I entered the General Assembly. The room was quiet. Tony and Steve were sitting next to each other near the front, Steve smiling at me, Tony smirking. They were the only heroes in the room other than me¡­ in tailored suits. All across the room, from all across the world, men and women in full costume sat next to men and women in suits. All of them with their eyes on me. Not every country. Notably, many of the ones I knew would support the SRA didn''t have heroes next to them. But enough. I walked down the steps, passing the group representing the Philippines, with Pearl Pangan giving me a soft smile, her golden crown shining in the light. Spain, with Esteban Coraz¨®n de Ablo giving me something between a smirk and a glower (Wasn''t he a supervillain in the comics? I needed to ask Steve about that, he''d recruited him). Russia, with Mikhail Ursus giving me a proud toothy grin. I gave the old bear a small smile, then continued. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Luna, T''Challa, Ares, La Vent, people I''d met and fought beside. And more people I''d never met, like Silver Sablinova of Symkaria, Shiro Yoshida of Japan, Sir Benedict of Britain (And Camelot), and more. In front of a crowd of politicians and costumed heroes, I walked, ending up at a podium near the front. I met eyes with the woman of the hour. Senator Ellen Nadeer looked like the chick from Bend It Like Beckham. Just much meaner. We eyed each other for a moment until a mediator began speaking. Breaking down the rules. I planned to follow them. So did she, I think. It felt like¡­ like the room shrank. All the fluff, the shining room around us, the wood panels behind her, the variety of heroes and politicians just faded away. Until it was just me and her, facing one another from across the small distance, ready to fight. And then, we started. "I do not disagree with the idea of laws and regulations being put in place to prevent the misuse and abuse of those superhuman abilities and technologies," I started immediately. "I need to make that clear, as Tony and Steve did. We aren''t arguing against the world evolving in response to the needs of our new era." "But what you have placed before us is nothing short of a travesty. Even if I ignore how horrifically these regulations go against most countries'' laws in the first place, they''re going to turn innocent people into prisoners of their governments. How can anyone abide by that?" "How can you say that, knowing what you know?" Nadeer said sternly back. "In the past six months, the number of enhanced individuals, criminals, has exploded. They have outnumbered you and the Avengers on nearly every occasion!" "Before they were eradicated, Hydra turned the super-soldier serum from a lost secret to a black market staple. People with powers are coming out of the woodwork. People who can destroy buildings, kill hundreds, and even steal our minds from us. You want to complain because we aren''t being nice to them?" "Yes, I do," I said firmly. "It isn''t being nice, it''s doing what''s right. I know people are scared. You seem to think I''ve always had my Omnitrix. I got it less than a year ago. I spent every year before that as a normal person. I''ve had to face things, see and fight horrors, that no one could ever imagine. Believe me, I understand why people are scared." "But decisions made purely on fear lead to this!" I tapped the copy of the Superhuman Registration Act that had been provided. Someone else spoke, but Nadeer and I ignored them, and focused on each other. Flipping open the stack of papers, I continued. "One of these regulations say, and I quote, ''Any enhanced individuals who use their powers to break the law (including those who take part in extralegal vigilante activities), or are otherwise deemed to be a threat to the safety of the general public, may be detained indefinitely without trial.'' Without trial?" I slammed the stack closed. "That is insanity! People are going to get sent to jail for their entire lives merely on suspicion of using their powers for crime? And even if they did do that, what about rehabilitation? Many current heroes are former criminals." Nadeer scoffed, flipping her hair. "And you think any of them aren''t still detained? Just because we put them to work doesn''t mean they aren''t still prisoners. If anything, that makes me feel more assured by the Act. We can pull in these criminals, and force them to work for society rather than against it." "We don''t force these people to do anything," I scowled. "The Grapplers came to us looking for something more. We gave them a chance and they''ve risen to the occasion. This Act, as it is now, wouldn''t give anyone a chance for that. So many things in here need to be pulled back on! It''s not just strict, it demonizes anyone who is the slightest bit exceptional." "And we can. When things are less volatile," Nadeer leaned over to glare at me. "You may think the recency of your powers means you understand us, but you people have so much power that many have begun to worship you. Of course, the Superhuman Registration Act seems demonic if we consider you all people. But you aren''t. You''re weapons." "Chernobog can steal souls. Thor can bring hurricanes down at will. Even people like Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov can kill the greatest soldiers we have in droves. Normal people need these restrictions to be so severe because we are dealing with a severe threat! A man with a machine gun can kill dozens, you can kill thousands." Someone spoke again. Tony, I think? The crowd laughed. I ignored them. "But we aren''t weapons. We live in a world of people who can do incredible and terrible things, but we''re still people. A huge majority of enhanced people just want to live normal lives, fall in love, work, and travel. Anyone has the potential to be a monster. The worst people we''ve ever fought were normal human beings. But we haven''t accused every baby born of being innocent until proven guilty." Nadeer and I glared at each other again before she spoke. "That''s a very cute bit of hyperbole, Dial. But facts do not care about your feelings. Human beings are not born with weapons. Except for many of you. Then there are those like you and Stark. Humans who''ve given themselves godlike abilities through technology. You people aren''t like the rest of us. A normal person can become a killer. You all are monsters." "And there it is," I spat at her. "We can''t have a conversation about this if we start from there. You simply can''t conceive of us as people worthy of basic rights." "And you can''t seem to see that enhanced individuals just can''t have basic rights without the rest of us sacrificing our safety," Nadeer sneered at me. "The rest of us have the benefit of a level playing field. We''re all capable of the same things, the same violence, and so we made laws and morals to control that. But none of our laws, none of our values, are made for sharing a world with you." "They are," I was beginning to feel frustrated. "Even ignoring that we are here, trying to find a compromise, someway for us to live together and fight together for a better world, most enhanced individuals are just that! Individuals. People who have wants and needs separate from having an ability others don''t. And we can''t forget those like the Graveyard Survivors, many of whom were tortured and experimented on for years. So many people get powers against their will, and oftentimes to their detriment. Do we punish them for being vulnerable to that?" "We wouldn''t be punishing them. We would make sure they, and anyone around them, are safe. Safety will always be our concern, even for you people." Nadeer said with more confidence than was warranted. "Safety without freedom is just prison without the barbed wire. Except you want the prisoners to bring each other in." Someone said something, another mediator speaking. Someone, Thunderbolt Ross maybe, spoke up in favor of Nadeer. Steve responded. And yet, all I could focus on was the tiny unassuming woman in front of me. I clenched a fist, unclenched it, then pushed forth. "The problem, as I stated, is that the Superhuman Registration Act isn''t a proper response to the world we now live in. The Avengers and I have been working on humanitarian efforts for months. We''ve fed starving people, helped home refugees, worked to protect those who need help." I flipped open the SRA and pointed at the relevant section. "This section, here, shutting down the Avengers and forcing them to operate under the supervision of the United Nations." "You have an issue with working with the UN to protect the world?" Nadeer asked innocently. "I have an issue with the dismantling of a private organization. You are preventing us from joining together as a group, and from participating. Hell, because of the wording, I wouldn''t be able to open a book club without the UN''s permission. You focused not just on the idea of a superhero team, but on the Avengers themselves. Who the hell wrote this?" "Language, Dial," Nadeer scowled. "I use language appropriate to the situation, and this is appropriate. Let me continue on this track because even if I ignore the part specifically aimed at the Avengers, you want to force those with powers to join the military. So if someone who just wants to use their powers for art, to fly among the clouds, or just doesn''t care enough to use their powers, is found to have them, they''ll be forced to fight and die?" "They''ll be brought in to make sure they don''t use their powers recklessly. Unlike Phil Grayfield." A silence fell over the crowd. I glared at the smug Nadeer. "Phil Grayfield¡­ didn''t do anything wrong other than trusting the wrong people." A murmur rose. Nadeer gave me a look of fake disapproval, but I could tell she was ecstatic. "How can you say something so horrific? Over 50000 people died because of him." "They died because a maniac attacked them, and the NFL decided to send in an untrained hero instead of the Avengers. An entire stadium was taken hostage by trained mercenaries. He shouldn''t have been forced into that position! He didn''t have the training. And even if someone does get trained, not everyone should or wants to be a soldier. You want to take in people who don''t want to be fighters, and force them to do it anyway?" "There are always support roles," Nadeer said unfeelingly. "Beyond that, we can''t forget the other side of the equation. Mallen. That man gained superhuman abilities, freely entered a stadium with an army of mercenaries, and committed the largest terrorist attack in human history. An enhanced person killed those people. An enhanced person botched the rescue. Even if you want to bring in the NFL, they were able to purchase the powers and equipment freely Grayfield had thanks to the lack of laws prohibiting it. Every part of the destruction of the MetLife stadium is because the Superhuman Registration Act didn''t exist." I scowled. "And once again, the issue the Avengers have isn''t with the idea of laws being written up or adjusted to prevent things like that from happening. Our issue is these laws." I tossed the stack of papers into the trash next to me. "Let us work together on something new. Something better, that can protect people''s rights while also saving lives. This document, as it has been presented, will not work. It is made in fear, and all you will do is cause more problems than you solve." "You''re wrong," Nadeer leaned back in her seat, glaring at me. "You all need to know this will be the status quo. Enhanced individuals are here to stay? Fine. Then they''ll have to follow the rules we set." How could anyone be so¡­ short-sighted? Cruel? Stupid? How could so many people around us agree with her? Magneto, Doom, the Leader¡­ they were going to tear the world apart before following her rules. I placed my hands down, swallowed, and kept going. Jen, Natasha, Steve, Fury, they''d walked me through this, what to say, how to say it, why I was saying it. So I pushed forward. "Let''s go ahead and look at yet another part of the act that just doesn''t hold up-"
We argued in circles further. Everyone pitched in. But my focus was still on her. We took a break. After two hours of deliberation and discussion (AKA arguing fiercely and coming to the point of blows), everyone needed it. I left the room to stare out at the horizon by myself. This¡­ we were going to fail. Maybe the Act would pass, maybe it wouldn''t. But a lot of countries would follow it anyway. I stared out at the horizon alone, just trying to breathe. I''d expected this. We all had. That was why we had a plan. I just hadn''t expected to be so damn frustrated. Nadeer was bad enough, but Ross was pissing me off, a smarmy asshole named Jim Jaspers from Britain kept opening his big fucking mouth. There were smarter folks though. People on our side. We weren''t outnumbered. But it wasn''t enough. America, my country, the place I''d been born and raised, was going to outlaw-powered folks. I could see it. I couldn''t stop it. But I could fight it. Finally, I went back inside. Went to the podium, again, taking center stage. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, waited for everyone to be seated, then nodded for me to continue. "I''m not going to mince words," I said immediately. "The Avengers, Winter Guard, all of those who call themselves ''heroes'', we''ve discussed this. We know that if a nation wants to follow this Act, no matter how horrific, they''ll do it no matter what happens here." I clenched a fist tight. "America will likely be one of them. Which disappoints me. Because I thought we''d learned. Executive Order 9066. The Patriot Act. These are but a few times when a nation I believe in turned its eyes on its people out of fear. Where innocent people were punished for the horrors others had committed." "And this will be worse. The people you are prosecuting. They''ll be normal people who gain fantastic abilities. Smart men and women who can create insanely advanced technology. Folks like Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton, are skilled athletes and warriors. All prosecuted and punished out of fear." I looked around. Some people were with me. Some not. It didn''t matter. "Well you won''t have us doing that for you," I said firmly. "As of today, we are retiring." "...Excuse me?" Nadeer asked surprise on her face. "Mr. Schahed," Ross spoke, leaning forward. "What exactly are you saying?" "We''re retiring," Tony spoke, leaning back casually in his seat. "All of us. Every hero connected to the Avengers agrees. We will no longer be the Avengers. No longer superheroes. And a whole lot of us are leaving any country that agrees with it." "Including the United States," Steve Rogers said that. He said it quietly, almost whispering, a solemn and sad look on his face. But he still said it. "You can''t do that!" Nadeer said, almost growling. "The Act-" "Is not the law of the land. And, I hope, never will be," I said firmly. "But we can''t abide by this. If this Act comes to pass, you will force the Avengers to become a task force hunting innocent people across the world. And we say no." I slapped my hand on the podium when a murmur began to explode across the room. "So, as of today, I enact a protocol I wish we never had. Avengers Disassembled." God help me, I''d named it that as a joke. "What will you do!?" An Israeli politician shouted from across the room. "Leave us to die?" "Nah, we''ll find other work," Tony said cheerily. "I''m gonna start working on my business. Shut down the suits and become Tony Stark full-time. Should be nice, competing with all the other big boys around." In the corner, a politician I knew had some ties to Roxxon paled significantly. On the surface, Tony''s statement sounded playful. But truthfully¡­ Tony''s work as a superhero had consequences. His technology had exploded in advancement, much of it far-outstripping what anyone else was capable of, and he had a whole host of super-scientists under him as well. If Tony put his mind to it, he could go from just the richest man on Earth (outside of Wakanda) to something far, far more. Tony Stark had effectively declared war on the entire business world. "The rest of us will work on humanitarian aid," Steve said, smiling just a bit. "Become nomads, helping those who need it. We''ve already made plans." "You made plans, Rogers?" Ross said, disgusted. "What you are talking about is betraying your home nations in favor of protecting criminals." "..." I don''t know how Steve did it. He just leaned forward a bit, one hand stretching out. And the whole room, which had been mumbling the entire time, just¡­ shut up. Captain America prepared to speak, and the representatives of the world shut up and listened. "I have traveled the world for the past weeks, months. Meeting heroes, soldiers, and people of every nation. Men, women, and more, people who want to do the right thing. You ask me why I''m betraying my home country?" Steve leaned back, and I heard someone take a shuddering breath in the crowd. "I believe in America. In the dream of her. In the people who call her home. I believe in the ideals that were written down not just when it was made, but as it grew and evolved. Recently, a good man asked me something." Steve looked at Tony. Tony looked startled as Steve continued. "How does a man who is the country react when the country turns against you? When it goes a different way?" He looked back. Looked at the audience. It felt like, somehow, Steve managed to meet every person''s eye. To see them down to their soul. Even Nadeer looked humbled by the look. "I knew the answer immediately. That my job is to represent the best of the nation. Much as it is for many of you. It is a solemn and weighty responsibility. But it''s something we have to do." Steve stood. Tony stood. I stepped back from the podium. "And as a part of that, when the country you love, when the government, the media, and the mobs all come together to say that something wrong is something right, it is our job to stand up for what we believe in. To quote Mark Twain. ''When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth and tell the whole world-- "No, you move."'' And that is what we will do." "If you do this," Nadeer spat out, having to practically shout as the other heroes began to stand as well. "You become criminals too." "Hard to feel bad about being a criminal when the law is wrong," Tony sneered. "Besides, we aren''t breaking the law. We''re retiring before our old broken bones shatter." "Ha!" Someone, Ares I think, laughed in the background. "We''re stepping off the world stage, senator," I said firmly. "Letting you all follow this unholy thing you''ve decided on. And when it''s done when you finally realize you''ve made a mistake? We''ll be here." We walked out. Camera flashes exploded behind us, and some people shouted. One guy, a black man I didn''t recognize, grabbed my arm gently, questioningly. "What will you do?" "...The world still needs defending from what''s out there," I said. Later I''d find out about the cameraman who was filming us. "So I''m going out to confront it. I''m headed to space." And with that, we left.
Later that day, the Act passed. It had just enough member nations agreeing to it. The US agreement helped massively with that. We thought it might go down that way. It still broke my heart. I sat in my room with Jen, both of us watching the news. "I can''t believe it," Jen said, horror in her eyes. She was in human form, laid against me. "They just¡­ agreed. To the worst goddamn document I''ve ever read." I nodded my head in my hands. "Whatever happens next is going to be a nightmare," Jen looked up at me. "What am I supposed to do?" "Maria will take you in," I said with a sigh. "A lot of us are staying in America or as a part of BRIDGE." "And when Maria tells me to hunt innocent people?" Jen scowled. "Maria Hill would never follow the Superhuman Registration Act," god, what an ironic sentence. "But she has to look like she is. And BRIDGE needs to seem powerful. So she needs enhanced people that she sometimes sends on missions. And if she does-" "It''ll be against real criminals," Jen finished for me. "It still sucks. And you''re going to be gone. Up in space with all those hot alien babes." "You think that''s something for you to be worried about?" I asked with a laugh. "You did date me while I had green skin." "I love you in both forms," I kissed the top of her head, getting some hair in my mouth. She giggled at my dramatically spitting it out, slapping my arm. "I love you in¡­ what, fourteen forms? Except for Frankenstrike. He smells weird." After that bit of levity, we stared at the screen, watching as pundits spoke and argued. A whole lot of people were calling the Avengers traitors, cowards, and criminals. Not unexpected. "This is going to go badly," Jen said. "A lot of villains are going to take advantage of this." "We''ll stop them," I said as firmly as I could. "No matter how many of them work from the shadows, we''ll be there to shut them down. X and Jarvis will see it, they''ll make sure we stay coordinated and shut down anything horrible." Jen still looked worried. So was I. Working from the shadows. Jeff the Shark was still in our custody, currently training alongside Battle-Cat and other animals, but he stood as a shining example of the problems we had. Someone had made a bootleg Omnitrix, someone we couldn''t find. And I''d be busy up in space while they would be on Earth. I had to trust that my friends would be able to handle it, even while restricted by the SRA. Worried and saddened by the day''s events, Jen and I just watched the news together until we fell asleep.
¦Álpha That night, while Dial and She-Hulk slept, across the world, heroic organizations made moves. Some enhanced people, heroes, or normal people, left their countries of origin using a fund set up by Stark Industries. Others took in those displaced. Greece, Korea, Wakanda, and France were among those who offered work and lodging for those who needed it. Some countries hunted down powered individuals ahead of the SRA, taking them into custody. Some had voted for the SRA, but even some who voted against it secretly had programs dedicated to taking in and experimenting on or recruiting them. And Alpha watched it all. All the humans killing each other, fighting and torturing one another. What a strange world. He had seen a portion of two dimensions. Never had he thought to find a world full of so many unique specimens. Forget nanites and aliens, there are super-soldiers, Gamma-mutates, Creel-brands, and far, far more. He''d been amazed enough by the Omnitrix. But this world was beyond diverse. And it was his for the taking. With AIM under his control and the US government now desperate to replace their powered humans, the production of EVO nanites had exploded massively. All a matter of time. A year, maybe a bit more. And he would become a power beyond any of the paltry gods of this universe. Then¡­ Dial. Deep within AIM''s systems, a demon of fire laughed joyfully within a body of iron. 20: Organizing: Part 1 Samuel Sterns/The Leader "This is possibly the best result we could have asked for," The Leader said, chuckling as he watched the news. "All this shit?" Klaue was staring at the screen declaring the Superhuman Registration Act with some trepidation. "Gonna make business a lot harder. The cheapo serum is a tough sell as it is, and Madripoor is gonna raise prices on letting us smuggle that through them." The other members of the Intelligencia, Red Ghost and Sinister, were sat around the same table, watching the screen. Red Ghost was scratching the top of his gorilla''s head idly, while Sinister played idly with a portion of his cape. "In some ways, you''re right. Our projects will require new shipping lines, new contracts, more smuggling. But we won''t be the only ones. The so-called ''heroes'' will be just as busy breaking the law to protect their fellow superhumans. The governments will be hunting innocent men and women. And other criminal enterprises will work to take advantage of the chaos." "Then I move that my own project takes some precedence," Sinister said, finally lowering his cape. "I have provided my technology and resources. In return, I want what you promised me." "What is your obsession with those two?" Klaue asked, sounding genuinely befuddled. "The Summer and Grey bloodlines are the key to a level of power that few of us can even imagine," Sinister said softly. "Sterns, you''ve seen my calculations. I don''t believe I need to say more to convince you otherwise." The Leader stroked his mustache slowly. Despite Sinister''s absolute obsession with the families in question, the Leader had seen the genetic data Sinister had collected. The strength of a child made from those bloodlines would be a powerhouse in any kind of combination¡­ "I will help. But in return, I would like a clone for myself," The Leader said with a soft smile. "Done," Sinister said without hesitation. A Summers/Grey child¡­ what sort of power would they have with gamma radiation in the equation? The Leader set that future project aside to look at Red Ghost. "And for you, my friend?" "Only the glory of Mother Russia is my goal," The Red Ghost sounded almost bored. "Beyond that, my research into cosmic rays is going well. The Red Ghost will continue as he has." "Making monkey robots," Klaue teased. "And I thought I had weird hobbies." "Ah yes, Klaue, how goes the recruitment drive?" Klaue grinned. "Oh, it''s going great. Found this crazy American with a line of vibranium. He''s a bit of an eager beaver. As long as we keep Wakanda away, we''ll be sitting quite pretty." "Wakanda¡­ that nation will be a problem," Sinister said. "Savages though they are, they''ve always been powerful, and will be more so once they begin harboring superhumans." "I thought they would only take in fellow Wakandans?" Red Ghost asked. "Previously. yes, but the King is pushing his people to be more¡­ lenient," The Leader chuckled. "I''m torn. I approve of them discarding their ridiculous nationalism, but they could have picked a better time. Still, we can ignore them for now." "At least the Avengers won''t be around as much," Klaue grumbled. "...The Hulk is apparently heading up a group to hunt me down," The Leader said. "What?" Sinister leaned forward, bewildered. "The Hulk? Not Bruce Banner?" "Both, in a sense," The Leader smiled. "I believe that while the Avengers as a team are disassembled, so to speak, the individual members are spreading out to continue in different ways." "So they will continue to be a problem¡­ Hopefully the governments working against them will slow them down," Red Ghost said, his gorilla letting out a small growl. "Our best bet is depending on government competence?" Klaue pointed out. The four men began to chuckle in unison, The Leader waving a hand dismissively. "No, no, I have plans in place. For now, when it comes to personal projects, I will place importance on Sinister''s wish for Scott Summer and Jean Grey''s DNA. Following that, Gammatown for myself-" "One moment, mate," Klaue interrupted. "What about me?" "You?" The Leader blinked, surprised. "I didn''t realize you had something in mind." "I do," Klaue grinned savagely. "Oh, I do." The Leader chuckled. The Superhuman Registration Act was idiotic, but like most stupid things they could work and take advantage of it. Oh yes, things would be going swimmingly. Now, for the awkward part. "In other news, we have been approached by someone hoping to join the Intelligencia," the Leader announced. "...Approached?" Sinister asked. The man once known as Nathaniel Essex leaned forward. "I was led to believe you had spent a considerable amount of time preventing our presence from being known?" "Is this because of that baby shark?" Red Ghost snarled. "We should have killed it in its crib! If you had given the Nemetrix to one of my apes-" "I will be making a more advanced model for exactly that purpose," The Leader said, cutting off the Red Ghost, who stared in surprise. The Leader took a moment to enjoy how fun it was to surprise the megalomaniac simply by extending a hand in kindness. Then he continued, "And the shark, who apparently has been adopted by the Avengers, did not lead anyone to us. Someone found us by other means. A mind as intelligent as our own." He flicked a hand out, and a hologram floated over the table. It showed a simple and professional email. It was written almost like a resume, with some brief explanations of how the sender could aid in the Intelligencia''s goals. "Intriguing," Sinister hummed, his head resting on steepled fingers. "How do we know this isn''t some sort of trick?" "We do not. But the work this man has promised us is enough for me to at least approach you all with the suggestion that we allow them a¡­ hmm. What would the word for it be, Klaue?" Klaue, ever the business minded one, chuckled. "Provisional membership, I guess." He scratched his chin with his robotic arm. "Dr. Salazar of AIM¡­ Those blokes really can''t stay down, eh?" The Leader brought up one of the images that had been sent in the email. It was the haunting image of Tonic, the army asset that had acted as a medic during the Hydra War. "Freaks and monsters," Red Ghost mumbled. "I approve."
''EVOs¡­ What an interesting concept.''
Matt Murdock/Daredevil When Dial had asked Matt, Foggy, and Jen to meet him at 890 Fifth Avenue, Matt had been a bit curious. In the aftermath of the Superhuman Registration Act, Matt had wondered about what to do. He still went out every night, fighting to protect people. Sometimes others joined him. Dial and Jen were the most common ones. He ran into Creel a couple of times, Luke and Jessica on other occasions. Some folks he wasn''t familiar with were doing the same job. New York City was the city of superheroes. So far, the folks in charge of it had been fighting tooth and nail against the SRA. But soon it would be the law, and Matt was going to have to fight it outside of his role as a lawyer. Human trafficking was practically non-existent in NYC since the Avengers started patrolling it in earnest, but he foresaw the problem exploding once superhumans started either trying to escape or got captured to become experimented on. Matt wasn''t worried for himself, Daredevil''s identity wasn''t on any BRIDGE server, but he worried for the future. With those heavy thoughts, it was nice to have Foggy and Jen with him. "So you aren''t going to tell us a thing?" Foggy asked Jen. "Nope," the Jade Giantess grinned down at him. "Attorney-Client privilege." "Your client is also your boyfriend! Ethically, you should tell us everything to balance out the karmic scales," Foggy pointed out. "I think the karmic scales aren''t a real thing," Matt said with a little smile. "I disagree. Karma is the only reason a guy as ugly as you gets so many hot women, it''s the universe making up for your blindness." Matt burst out a little laugh, while Jen slapped Foggy in the back of the head, getting an overdramatic yelp of pain from him. "That''s horrible Foggy! Also, Matt isn''t ugly." "Hey, he doesn''t know that! He''s got a big enough head as it is!" Foggy then stopped, Matt and Jen standing on either side of him. "Wow¡­ that''s a big house." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It was. Matt could feel the air flowing around the building, giving him a rough impression of it. It was also old, older than the ones next to it. He could tell from the smell of the brick and mortar. It was well maintained, the smell of new construction and taste of chemicals used to take care of it hung in the air. More importantly, there was an actual large strip of lawn and trees around it. In New York City. Which was insane.
"Holy crap," Foggy walked through the gates, looking around the place. "This is swanky!" "And it''s ours," Jen said proudly. "Ours?" Matt asked, befuddled. Rather than answer, Jen opened the front door and walked in. Matt smelled several people immediately, two of them familiar. One had just come from a barbershop, a woman who had the strong scent of alcohol on her breath, Dial''s familiar hodgepodge of various alien scents¡­ and a man who smelled of blood. There were more scents, but the blood surprised him. They walked into the living room. There, Dial''s clothes shifted as he looked over at them. Daredevil hid a smile when he heard Dial''s heartbeat speed up at the sight of Jen, who''s own superhuman heart did the same. It was cute how in tune they were without knowing it. "Awesome, you guys are right on time," Dial said with a smile. "Matt, Foggy, this is Luke, Jessica, Logan, and you''ve probably heard of Wanda." The last was the scent Matt had been distracted from, the smell of old books, paper and glue, mixed with¡­ something else? Candles? No, that was normal. She smelled¡­ purple? No, like flowers. Like being cheated on. Like his first kiss. It kept changing. Why didn''t her scent make sense? Oh right, Wanda was the Scarlet Witch. Chaos magic, they''d called it. Luke was the man from Harlem he sometimes met on patrols, who he had first met when they helped defend the Avengers Tower during the Hydra War. He felt ''dense'', like his body weighed more than it should have. Jessica was similar, but she reeked of old and new whiskey smells. Funny that he recognized them from the Avengers Tower, but they didn''t recognize him. Shame of a secret identity. The one Matt didn''t recognize was Logan. As he''d noted earlier, the man smelled of blood. There was more, smells Matt connected to people who worked around teenagers, forests, the crisp scent of snow. But blood was stuck to his hands, even under the gloves he wore. And something else. Some kind of metal? "Who the fuck are they?" Jessica asked. "Your lawyers," Dial said with a grin. "Matt, meet the Defenders." That immediately explained things. Foggy blinked, then gasped. "OH! This is a superhero team up! You guys are superheroes!" "You told him?" Dial asked Matt. Matt subtly nodded, but also waved his cane in a pattern Dial would recognize. The Arabian superhuman flickered a smile. "So, Matt and Foggy are normal lawyers helping you guys to operate legally," Dial explained. Foggy, to his credit, read the subtle hint that Matt''s identity was still secret, simply sitting down next to Matt on one of the very comfortable leather seats. "Tony Stark sold me this place to use, and now I''m giving it to you, the Defender''s Mansion." "The fuck are the Defenders?" Logan asked, pulling out a bottle of whiskey from a nearby cabinet. He tossed another bottle to Jessica, then a blade flicked out from his knuckle with a ''snikt'' sound, the smell of fresh blood filling the air before he cut the top off the bottle off. "Technically, the Avengers are now illegal," Jen explained, sitting down on Dial''s lap. It was funny, sensing the giant of a woman sitting atop the relatively normal in size Dial. To his credit, he didn''t seem troubled by it. Jen continued speaking. "So we needed to file you guys under a different name. If you guys want to keep operating with your powers, that''s part of the gig." "You want us to be a superhero team?" Jessica said, sounding a bit disbelieving. "I want you guys to keep doing what you''re doing, but with support, so that you don''t get kidnapped and torn apart," Dial sighed. "Wanda knows what I''m talking about." They all looked at her (Except for Matt, for obvious reasons). Wanda was typing on a smartphone, giggling to herself. "Wanda?" "Hmm?" She looked up. Then she flinched. "Oh. Uh, sorry, I uh¡­ Was texting someone." "Ooooo," Jennifer cooed, leaning over to give Wanda a teasing smile. "Is it that guy? The doctor?" Wanda blushed, based on how Matt could feel the air near her face warm up, the sound of blood flowing into her face. Before she could answer, Jessica clapped her hands. "Hey! Can we focus!?" Still blushing, Wanda put the phone away. "Um, yes. I was requested to join you all as a magical consultant. I will act to defend us from any magical threat and help you understand any arcane issues we encounter." "Magic. Seriously?" Jessica asked sarcastically. In answer, Wanda raised a hand. A wave of something that smelled like both a warm campfire and a burning human filled the air, before Matt''s senses went haywire. When it was over, some sort of creature stood in the center of the room. It was shaped like a miniature dragon, based on how sound bounced off of it. But it also felt like so much more. "Yes. Magic," Wanda said with a smug smile. "Fuck me," Jessica mumbled. "Wanda is just the start though," Dial said. "This place is fully set-up. First floor has a medical bay and fully stocked kitchen, second floor has a technology lab and library able to connect to BRIDGE and Avengers databases, while the third floor has an armory and a gym that can work for superhumans. The basement has a few vehicles for any purpose short of flying as well as a panic room and jail made of a poly-tectic adaptive material." "Fancy digs," Foggy mumbled. "You want us to live here?" Logan asked, the hairy man pulling out another bottle of whiskey. Jessica blinked, then looked at her own half drunk bottle. "If you want. But I wanted you guys to have a place that could hold off an army if need be. We don''t know what sort of threats might drop onto your heads." "So the plan is to give us a place where we can keep doing what we''ve been doing?" Luke asked. The large man frowned. "I was kind of expecting us to have to lay low." "That''s why you have us," Matt spoke, finally. "I don''t know why Jen was trying to surprise us with this-" "Cause the look on Foggy''s face when he saw the mansion was hilarious," Jen said with a grin, getting a shrug and a smile from Foggy. "-But Dial approached us some time ago about creating a group unaffiliated with the Avengers to defend New York City. Legally, the Superhuman Registration Act has a few loopholes that we can use to justify this group. So we can work in the background. keeping you guys free to operate." "And why us?" Logan asked. "I know Xavier asked me to be here. What do the rest of these guys bring to the table?" "All of you, like Matt said, aren''t Avengers. Jen and Wanda are more connected to BRIDGE than the Avengers. Luke, Jessica, and Daredevil are all vigilantes at best. Logan, you''re a teacher." Jessica spat out a sip of whiskey, started. "Someone lets this hairy asshole around children?" "What do you even teach?" Luke asked, just as surprised. "Art," Logan said. For a moment, Matt thought he was being sarcastic before Logan continued. "I have a Bachelor''s Degree in Japanese Art. Next week I''ll be teaching calligraphy." "Wow¡­ Talk about books and covers, huh?" Logan growled, Foggy swallowing nervously in response. "So what, are we actually doing this?" Jessica asked, shaking her head. "If you want to keep being a PI without people calling BRIDGE to complain about the superhuman woman following them around, yes," Dial said sarcastically. He stood up, Jen joining him. "Luke¡­ I want you to lead them." Luke looked up, startled. "Me?" "Yep. You''re the best man for the job." Dial looked around. "Besides, no one else wants to do it." "All right, twist my leg, why don''t you," Foggy joked. "I''ll be team leader, and I will rule with generosity and fear." Luke snorted, giving Foggy a grin, before turning back to Dial with a more serious look. Then he glanced at Jessica. She sighed. "This place better have more booze." "There''s a bar that gets restocked by a personal fund I set up. You''ll never run out of booze." "Awesome," Jessica, Foggy, Logan, Matt, and Luke said in unison. "...Did I join a team of alcoholics?" Wanda whispered to Jen. "Don''t worry, they''ll be fine," Jen whispered back. Matt grinned. This would be fun¡­ outside of having to deal with politicians. Every silver lining had a cloud. 21: Organizing Part 2 End August 17th, 2014 Dial, the Omnitrix Holder On the 17th of August, I brought the pieces into Agatha''s Forge. It wasn''t really a forge, not in the literal sense. It was a large room in the center of Stark Tower, a large white space with a single anvil in the center and runes on the floor. I was wearing blacksmithing gear made from leather. Something simple. My hair was pulled back, my beard oiled, and my heart steady. I''d taken a long ceremonial bath beforehand, cleaning myself of any impurities. I was finishing a project I had been working on for months. One Agatha told me I was finally ready for. The old witch met me in the center of the room. Unlike me, she was dressed to the nines in her usual violet dress. She didn''t look at the bag in my hand. Instead she looked at my eyes. "...You look ready, young man." "I am." She gave me an Agatha smile, one of those small and subtle ones. "Then we''ll begin. You will need this weapon once you enter space. Lay the pieces out, brat." I opened the bag. One by one, I set each one down atop the anvil. The pieces were symbolic as much as they were practical. "The weapon of an old cat soaked in guilt." A sharp claw of Vibranium gifted by Black Panther from one of his father''s old suits. I didn''t know why T''Chaka chose that claw. But I believed in him. "A god''s teachings to his sibling." A section of Adamantine, the metal of the gods, from the sword Ares had given my Asgardian form. "The soul of your children," when Agatha said that, I hesitated. Then I took out a small capsule. Within, X had written a copy of his own basic code on the hard drive. It also contained a portion of one of Laura''s diamonds. I placed it down. "Wood of yourself." Swampfire provided a section of simple oak made from my own body. "Mettle of man." Tony had given me the fingertip of his very first Iron Man suit. The first showing of his mettle. Pun intended. "Blood of the ancient, taken from history." That last one was easy. Conan''s blood samples were on file. I''d asked him for permission. He''d given it. "Fire and ice. Quench it. And find me when you''ve blooded yourself." The future king was a real drama queen. With those pieces laid out, Agatha looked at the door. "Are you three ready?" I looked back. Thor walked in, holding his hammer grimly, Mjolnir seeming to buzz. Fantasma followed, her own eyes glowing with violet power. And behind her, Bruce Banner slowly rose in stature, until the Hulk appeared. "The fire of three," Agatha pursed her lips. "You have chosen dangerous items, dangerous energies, for this, Dial." She said my codename with a very dark tone. Like it meant something more. In some ways, it did. "I choose what was appropriate," I looked back at them, then back at her. "I choose family." "Sentiment," Agatha shrugged. "It will do. Come." Hulk, Thor, and Fantasma stood at different corners around us. I took a deep breath, clearing my mind¡­ "Okay." Agatha didn''t hesitate. She formed a simple hammer of black in her hand and passed it to me. It was heavy. It seemed to suck at my being, at my memories, feelings. I lifted the infinite weight of that forging hammer. Hulk growled. Thor raised Mjolnir. Fantasma''s fists lit up with purple mandalas. "Remember," Agatha said in a voice that echoed in my mind. "Once the energy flows, you begin to forge. Not with technique. With your soul. Never hit the same spot twice. And make this count. Because I''m never going to help you with it again if you screw it up. Gamma radiation, divine lightning, and violet fire flowed, pouring through the runes in the floor, before entering the anvil. I forced my focus into the hammer, on the way it pulled portions of me into it. Like I was being sunk under the world, leaving a pinpoint focus. The Omnitrix on my wrist glittered.The pieces glowed just before I hit them. Vibranium claw, adamantine sliver, my children''s souls, the fingertip of Iron Man, a piece of my bark, and the blood of Conan the Barbarian. They flowed under emerald, blue-white, and violet fire, forming into a single ingot. Then I slammed down upon it. "CLANG!" I began to forge.
Canada "In the aftermath of the Superhuman Registration Act, the Canadian people finally have an answer to the horrors of supervillians!" Robert Hagon, a tall and chisel jawed man with a slight Canadian accent barked out at a crowd of news reporters, a proud scowl on his face. "No longer do we need to fear the horrors of inhuman superpower users doing as they wish, attacking our children, threatening our very minds and souls! Working together with our scientists, we have created a superhero team of our own!" He snapped a hand outwards. "If the Avengers refuse to defend the innocent, then Canada will be the heroes the world needs!" Beside him, a crash of lightning drew gasps from the audience. When it ended, the cameras began to flash. There were seven of them; a group of men and women in bright costumes, standing under the crimson and ivory maple leaf flag. In front was a man in the same colors, with the maple leaf prominent on his chest, the flag held in his hands, his powerful body seeming to explode through his clothes as he stood with a proud and grim look on his face. "Vindicator, the Canadian spirit manifest!" Behind him, a man and woman of Native American descent floated on invisible winds, the man in a meditative pose, the woman with her arms out as her eyes glowed. Both wore a militaristic version of Native American garb, with false feathers in their braided hair and armor across key points of their bodies. "Shaman and Snowbird, the twin prides of the Indigenous tribes!" The last three stood at the edges of the group. A woman in black leather who was called ''Aurora''. Another woman, this one in the form of a massive and powerful furred bipedal that looked lupine in nature, given the name ''Sasquatch''. The last man was the largest. He was covered in white fur. His claws were massive. His teeth flashed with cruelty. Jean-Pierre Beaubier, codenamed ''Werewolf''. BRIDGE knew the truth. The Wendigo curse had found a new home.
"CLANG!" Precision mattered during the striking. Not just power. I didn''t need to fold the metal. It was pure. I needed to shape it. I formed it bit by bit.
Maria Hill/Director of BRIDGE In a private room of the BRIDGE Enterprise Helicarrier, Maria Hill looked over a set of holograms in front of her. On it, the various Avengers were displayed, with their plans along with them. Dial would be going into space to establish relationships with the various powers out in the universe. Tony was ''retiring'' to focus on his business, which had already caused Stark Industries stock to rise while other companies dipped catastrophically. He had even taken over Tesla in a surprisingly smooth manner. Steve would become a ''mercenary'' alongside a few others; Bucky, Natasha, and Ruby most prominently. There were more, and some would even stay with BRIDGE. Maria flipped open one screen with her right hand. Then she grimaced. The Grapplers had been defeated by Ulik. The Rock Troll was still roaming the whole of Southern America, fighting anyone and anything he could. And he was still undefeated. The Grapplers had been sent on direct orders from the UN, against Maria''s advice. Thankfully, they weren''t dead. But still¡­ The Graveyard Survivors and other superhuman assets of BRIDGE were being retired as well. Many had chosen to leave America, some even leaving for Rio. The animals of the group, such as Battle Cat, were integrated fully into BRIDGE, but the humans were sent out. In accordance to the SRA, much of the advanced armor and weapons that could be classified as ''superhuman'' were destroyed or shelved. Which was stupid. Maria sighed, then brought up another screen. Sam Wilson''s face smiled at her from his picture. When she realized she was smiling back just a bit too happily she tried to force it away, but she couldn''t help it. Sam went into the leadership role. Then Rhodey, Jen, Izzy, and a few others. Enough of a ''team'' to satisfy the UN. Of course, they would be hamstrung by the SRA, but better to have an active team than not. Maria flipped over to another screen. There, Coulson''s report on him and his team shutting down a club with superhuman fighters in a place called the Golden Daggers Club, run by a nearly teenage young girl of all things. A girl who was a good enough fighter that May had some trouble with her. They were bringing her in. Coulson was talking about recruitment, and apparently the girl was getting along with Skye. Was he just adopting troublesome teens at this point? ¡­Then again. He wasn''t the only one.
"CLANG!" Thor''s lightning sparked across the room, flashing across my body harmlessly. The Omnitrix glowed as it shifted me between forms. On one strike, I became Diamondhead. On the next, Spidermonkey. Then Blitzwolfer. Form after form, feeling my strength and energy filling the hammer.
Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk "You hated me?" Jen couldn''t help her surprise. She sat down on a therapy couch with BRIDGE''s lead therapist, Doctor Andrew Garner at her side. Across from her, a young woman sat with her arms around her legs, staring at the floor. "Why?" "...Because you were freed," Laura, the girl known as Blood Diamond, spoke slowly in a heavily accented voice. While she had perfect knowledge of many languages, she had never been told to speak until BRIDGE saved her. Until Dial. "Hydra took you. And then you were let go. You never felt any pain." "Oh, sweetheart," Jen whispered, saddened. "It''s okay to feel that way," Andrew spoke softly, smiling just a bit at Laura, who still wouldn''t look at them. "Feeling anger because someone has something you don''t is natural." "...I wanted to kill her," Laura whispered. "That''s natural too," Andrew chuckled. "But do you still feel that way?" "It''s okay if you do," Jen rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "I mean¡­ I was lucky. Very lucky. I got a chance a lot of people didn''t. Mahmoud wanted me to check on you." "Dial?" The way she said it, with an almost childish tone, made Jen want to hug the former brainwashed assassin. "Yeah, but I can leave if you want." "No!" Laura let go of her legs, golden eyes finally meeting Jen''s. "No! I don''t want¡­ I''m sorry-" "Stop," Andrew cut her off, raising a hand. "Laura¡­ stop. Are you apologizing because you feel bad? Or because you think you''ll be abandoned if you don''t?" Laura hesitated. The agitation on her face was palpable. Jen smiled. "You don''t have to worry about that. I won''t take it personally. Just know that would never happen. We want to help you Laura. Whatever life you want. Even if you hate me, it''s fine." "I don''t!" She said it quickly enough that Jen could tell she had said it without thinking. Jen couldn''t help the little bit of warmth that filled her at that. Laura''s eyes were shaky, panning between Jen and Andrew. "But¡­ You said you had to approve me going," she said to Garner. "I want to. Please. I''m ready." "...Jen. I think she is," the warm smile the black man gave Laura had a fatherly tinge to it. "But you''ll need to keep up these sessions, understood?" Laura''s smile was blinding. Then she looked back at Jen. "I''m sorry. For hating you." "It''s fine. Saying things are complicated doesn''t begin to cover it," Jen said with a chuckle.
"CLANG!" Hulk let out a shuddering breath, the sound of his laugh filling the air. Gamma fire burned the steel, nearly overpowering the lightning and violet cursed fire before they grew to match it. I formed the bevels at the edge of the blade, forming the point.
Maria turned off the camera in Laura''s room, feeling just a bit more reassured. Still. While Laura was getting her therapy, one other person was still being worked on. Maria Hill turned on the camera to Steve''s personal gym.
Steve Rogers/Captain America A large fist hit a punching bag over and over with varying degrees of force. When it was over, the man throwing the fists turned to his audience. Creel, Steve, and Bucky shared a look, then looked back at the man. "Not bad?" Steve said hesitantly. "Steve''s being nice. Your form is shit," Bucky said firmly. "Steve, you had better form before you got the serum." "I hate to say it, but they aren''t wrong," Creel said with a chuckle, running a hand along his bald head. "But you can get better, man." Phil Grayfield, formerly SuperPro, the man who had been at the center of the attack that got the SRA signed, let out a small breath. Like the others, he was wearing workout gear. He stared down at his wrapped fists. "Sure¡­ I just don''t know if I should." "You should," Bucky snapped. "You have a lot to make up for." Steve slapped the back of Bucky''s head. "What Bucky means is, you have potential. You can become a great hero. But you need to be willing to put the work in." "I just¡­" Phil sat down on the mat of the gym. "I don''t know if I should. And if I do¡­ No one is going to trust me." "...I know what that''s like," Creel mumbled. "And Bucky knows it better." "At least for you, it wasn''t your fault," Bucky mumbled. "It wasn''t any of your faults," Steve said firmly. "You two were brainwashed. And Phil, you were forced into a situation you weren''t ready for." "Cap¡­ over fifty thousand people," Phil said, staring at Steve. "I can''t even¡­ how do I live with that?" "You just do. You carry that weight. And you stop it from happening again," Steve said firmly. "During the war, I saw what the Nazis did in their camps. I heard the numbers. I saved who I could, just like you did. The people I couldn''t save, because I wasn''t there, or wasn''t fast enough, or strong enough? I carry those deaths with me." "But you did save people, Phil," Bucky said some grim comfort. "And you can save more. Things went wrong. You can do better. We can make you better." "...Why are you guys helping me?" Phil asked, even as he rubbed at his eyes. "Because we''ve been where you are. In a way," Creel chuckled. "If these idiots didn''t give me a chance to do better, who knows where I would have ended up. Maybe killed by some asshole." "Now," Steve stepped forward. "Bucky was right. Your form is¡­ bad." "Shit, his form is shit." "Bad," Steve said evenly. "So what you need to remember is, even with superstrength, you can benefit from using your legs during a punch. Watch me." Phil Grayfield watched carefully. His fists clenched and unclenched as he did so, his breath soft.
CLUNK! The final blow of my hammer was soft, compared to earlier. I fell to my knees, gasping even as I grasped the handle. Agatha ripped off a section of her dress, and the ribbon flew through the air to wrap around that handle, somehow slipping under my hand, until the whole handle was covered in it. Hulk, Thor, and Fantasma powered down together. "...Dial done?" Hulk asked, walking forward to look down at me worriedly. "I believe he is," Thor looked down at the anvil. "After a full 18 hours, my friends." Had it been that long? Or that short? "Verily, though this place pales in comparison to Nidavellir, I cannot deny your results, fair Agatha." "I may not cheat with the light of a neutron star, but I do good work," Agatha scoffed. "And good ingredients help." "I did not think it would take so much out of me," Fantasma, though tired, helped me up to my feet, Thor then easily holding us both up. "But that is¡­ beautiful." "Yeah¡­ it really is," I said, awed. The blade was a simple double-edged one, long and wide enough to be a claymore for me, or a longsword for my larger forms. A knife for some of them. It had a blue-green sheen, and seemed to shimmer in the light. The symbol of the Omnitrix was set in the handle. Had I put it there? A series of carvings were inlaid across the center, runes, Greek symbols, and a small familiar stylized ''A''. They were tiny. Overall, the shape of the sword was simple. Nothing ostentatious was on it. The handle was long enough for Four-Arms to hold in two hands. I lifted the surprisingly light blade in both of my hands and looked it over. "Name?" Agatha asked pointedly. "...Fatiha," I decided at last. "My mom''s name. And the word for beginning." "How sentimental," Agatha scoffed, though she still smiled. With a snap of her fingers, the sacred feeling of the room disappeared. She walked over and looked over the Fatiha for a moment. "Hm¡­ as you hoped, it has the traits of its parts. Most importantly, it will remain with your forms as you change. Quite the enchantment." "Are you complimenting yourself, witch?" Thor asked, though he had a teasing tone rather than mocking. "Of course I am. I''m brilliant, and thus deserve praise," Agatha said without a hint of humor. "But my magics were only part of the equation. The mixture of energies was a part of it¡­ Though darker than I expected." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She looked over at¡­ Hulk? "That Gamma radiation you emit. Is it¡­ only radiation?" Hulk hesitated. "Hulk IS gamma." "That wasn''t an answer, young man." "Leave it, old lady," he snapped in turn. In a very different accent. I stared at him, surprised. That had sounded harsh, knowing, and very unHulklike. Hulk wasn''t dumb, but he didn''t talk like that. "Very well. Then Dial, I will send you a file explaining your new toy''s capabilities. Fantasma, your spellwork was too careless, come with me." The two witches left. After all the ceremony, the work, the exhaustion filling me, it felt a little¡­ anticlimactic? "So¡­ Drinks?" I asked Hulk and Thor. "It''s been eighteen hours, I could use a drink." "That is no fun. You don''t drink alcohol," Thor said firmly, Hulk nodding in agreement behind him. "Sure, but you two do," I hefted Fatiha high, looking the blade over with a smile. "We can go out to a bar. A very seedy one." "...Ahhhhh," Thor grinned. "Hehehe," Hulk punched one fist into another. "Let''s smash."
August 18th, 2014 "You spent your last night on Earth fighting gangsters with a giant sword?" In the hangar bay of Tony''s personal airfield, because of course he had one, Natasha gave me a look like I was crazy. I just shrugged, grinning. "Siiiiiigh," she rubbed her eyebrows, looking over at Ruby. "Don''t take cues from this idiot." "I won''t," Ruby said smugly. "Oh really? Hey, Natasha, did you know someone caught Hulk, Thor, and me leaving and decided to tag along?" Ruby looked betrayed, then guilty when Natasha glared at her. Jen walked over, wrapping me up in a hug. I placed my arms on hers and looked around. Creel and Izzy were making out heavily while Bobbi made a show of being disgusted at her friends'' affection for each other. Mikhail had come from Russia to visit Fantasma, and was handing her a bag full of goodies, while Wanda teased her playfully. There were more of us. A lot more. Tony, Shuri, Pepper, Fitz-Simmons, and a few others were going over the final planning stages of my journey, with X and Jarvis helping out. Steve was joking around with Bucky, Sam, Clint, and Rhodey, a few of our more military minded friends with them. Thor was looking up into the sky with Hulk, Mjolnir laying down next to them as the two strongest Avengers had a quiet moment together. Some people couldn''t make it. Coulson''s team was fighting some kind of unknown new superhuman threat? Something about Coulson having visions. The Grapplers were recovering from a battle with Ulik. My old construction buddies were off doing their own thing, and Ares had been summoned back to Olympus for some kind of crisis he couldn''t talk about. But otherwise, most everyone was there. Even Fury, who had brought our ''liaison''. "Hey!" From the hanger of the Defiant, said liaison poked her head out, which was covered in green hair. "We need to go! This little gathering is about to be illegal. Too many superfolk in one place." "Give them a minute, Abigail," Fury said from where he was leaning against his car. Abigail Brand, the liaison in question, gave us a look like we had personally offended her, then walked into my ship. "Cheery type, isn''t she?" Jen said sarcastically. "You''re going to be stuck on a ship for months with that chick?" "Better someone who takes her job seriously and is kinda mean, than the opposite," I turned to Nat. "How about you?" "She''s a good agent." "...That means she doesn''t like her," Ruby said helpfully. "Yeah, I figured." At that moment, a small barking sound drew my attention. Nezuko was cheerfully riding on her new friend as he roamed around, the two of them accepting pets from everyone. Tony and Pepper joined us. "That is still so strange," Pepper mumbled. "Don''t be mean, she''s a growing puppy," Tony''s little tease got an arched eyebrow from his fiancee. "You are taking a puppy and a mutant landshark into outer space," Pepper said to me disbelievingly. "And a material shapeshifter, a witch, and-" my attempt at humor was cut off at the arrival of the final vehicle. Everyone, absolutely everyone, looked over. The vehicle was a security van, the kind you transport prisoners on. Maria Hill stepped out of the van when it stopped. She gave us a look as she circled the vehicle, then opened the back. Laura stepped out. She looked nervous. Young. The young superhuman flinched when Maria held a hand out to her, but slowly walked with Maria''s guidance. Ruby stepped towards her. I went to stop her, but Nat held a hand up. The two teenagers, Ruby and Laura, faced each other. Laura looked nervous. Ruby seemed like she didn''t know what to make of her. Then Ruby spoke. "Next time we fight, I''ll win." Ruby then turned and walked away. "I¡­ okay?" Laura seemed genuinely befuddled. I realized then she had no idea she had a rival now. God, I had to introduce her to anime. Maria rolled her eyes and guided Laura forward. Everyone kept their distance. Not because she was dangerous, which she was, but because she was clearly nervous. Jen pushed me forward, sending me stumbling to a stop before Laura. "...Hey kid," I said hesitantly. "Want me to walk you around your new home?" Still nervous, Laura nodded. "Okay. Come on, Jeff, Nezuko!" "Bark!" the landshark said, cheerfully wandering over with Nezuko yipping happily atop his head. The two puppies of different species ran into the ship. X separated from Jarvis to join us. Just before I could join, Maria called out. "Dial, just a sec?" I looked back at her, then at X and Laura. "X, can you start the tour off?" "Of course, partner," X said, turning to look at Laura. "Come with me, little lady. ?Quieres que use espa?ol para explicarlo?" Laura was staring at Jeff with wide eyes, but still nodded. They all walked in, while I moved to join Maria, the others moving in. "What''s up?" I asked Maria. "You are taking two ticking time bombs into outer space," she said immediately. "Abigail isn''t that mean, is she?" Tony asked, Pepper and Rhodey elbowing him in the side. "I kinda don''t have a choice," I said with a shrug. "Laura needs space, uh, in the figurative sense, away from Earth and she wanted this. Jeff needs to be removed from Earth so we can help him with his Nemetrix and keep him away from whoever made it." "Yes, but you''re going to be working as much as an ambassador as anything," Maria said seriously. "If anyone, and I mean anyone, causes problems, you might end up dragging the Earth into a war that it currently isn''t prepared for." "I know that," I crossed my arms, scowling. "But it''s the only option I''ve got. You know that SRA assholes have been sniffing around for whoever they can turn into weapons. Laura and Jeff are way too tempting. Hell, they sent me emails with offers of employment immediately." "What''d you tell ''em?" Steve asked. "I told them I''m a multi-millionaire so they''d need to provide for that lifestyle." I''d lost billionaire status thanks to all the money getting funneled into various aid programs. Providing homes, jobs, education, things X knew I''d support, he put cash towards. "Nice," Tony grinned, while Jen chuckled behind me. "Listen, please," Maria snapped, forcing us to calm down. "I know this is the right choice, but I''m warning you to be careful. All of you. I want you to stay safe. This may be the last time I have you all here." That¡­ sobered things. We were being cheery about it, but that was true. The second I was gone, it was back to work. Everyone had their projects, the things they would be doing to keep the SRA from completely fucking the world up. And we''d need to be seperate for that. Even with quantum technology, communication would be difficult purely because we''d be busy. And if any of us died... Steve stepped forward and looked around. At Thor, Tony, Nat, Clint, and Hulk, then Bucky, before his eyes met mine, spinning onto the next person. As he spoke, I swallowed a bit to control my emotions. "I know I don''t have the right to make a demand of you all. In every mission we have fought together, every war, you all performed beyond what anyone could have asked. And in the moments between, where we spent time together, I could never have found better friends¡­ I love you all," Steve said with a very soft smile. "So my order is this. Come back alive. Stay in touch." "...Love ya, Cap," Tony said gruffly, though he sounded more emotional than normal. "You¡­ Hulk family," The big man said kindly, hugging Jen to himself and smiling around at us. "We''ll all come back," I promised. "If I have to fight the whole universe to make it happen, I will bring us all back." "Sir?" I looked over at X. "It''s time." I looked back at everyone. "...Well. Let''s go save the world?" "Verily," Thor said grimly, smirking just a bit. "Later babe," Izzy said playfully to Creel, kissing the tall man. He gave her a dopey grin, shared a nod with Bucky, then headed into the ship. In Russian, Mikhail spoke to Fantasma, the big russian part-time bear in near tears. "I will be here, my girl. Come back safe. And if you need me, call. I will tear apart the cosmos to find you." "I will," Fantasma hugged Mikhail close, crying as she did. "I love you. Stay safe, you silly bear." When she pulled back, Wanda gave her a hug as well, Jen wrapping the two up. "Keep up your training," Natasha said to me seriously. "And keep your head on a swivel. Earth politics are bad enough. You''re going to play on a larger field now." "Oh my god, she''s so worried!" Tony teased. "That''s adorable." "I can''t believe the Black Widow has gotten so soft," Clint joined in. In a move that I could barely track, both men were suddenly groaning on their knees while Thor and Steve laughed, Bucky smirking. Natasha kept her eyes on me. "Promise me, okay?" "I promise," I hugged her quickly, getting a quick pat on the back. When I pulled away, Thor stepped forward. "One week," he said simply. No need to say more. Nodding, I looked over at Jen. We met eyes for a long moment. In a smooth movement, she grabbed me and dipped me like I was a damsel in a romcom, kissing me softly. Pulling me back up, my emerald girlfriend grinned. "Just don''t forget me out there." "Not a chance. You''re the only woman in the multiverse for me," I said leaning up and kissing her again, holding myself close to her. With that, I stepped onto the Defiant and turned back to my friends, my family. Creel and Fantasma joined me in facing them as I spoke. "I love you all. We''ll see each other again. Promise." "Don''t do anything stupid," Creel teased. "How can we, you''re taking all the stupid with you," Bucky teased back, Steve barking out a laugh. "Goodbye, my friends," Fantasma said softly, getting some soft smiles. The hanger hatch of the Defiant began to rise up with a hiss, smoke coming off the hydraulics. The last faces I saw were Jen and Hulk, thanks to their height. Then the door closed. "...We''ll be back," Creel said, nudging my shoulder. "We will. I''m sure of it." Swallowing, I turned and walked through the ship, passing Nezuko napping on her little bed while Jeff''s tail could be seen swinging happily in the fridge. In the cockpit, X and Laura waited, X sat in his pod, Laura in her chair. She was sitting very robotically, staring out of the window, and turned almost creepily to stare at as as we took our seats. "Sorry that took so long. We had to say good bye. You''re lucky you get to stay with everyone X." "Wait, I thought he was coming with us?" Creel asked. "I will." Creel looked between us in befuddlement. "Quantum technology. I can be in multiple bodies. Currently I''m in the Savage Land, Avengers Tower, and here," X explained, his blue eyes blinking slowly as he spoke. "Benefits of AI, partner." "Where are we going first?" Fantasma asked while Creel seemed to take a second to process that. I began starting up the engines. The Defiant''s systems shone to light all across the cockpit. "Well, first we''ll buzz by the moon, send a quick message to the Attilans. Then from there, well¡­ we have a whole universe to explore." I looked back at everyone. Laura, Creel, Fantasma, X, Jeff, and Nezuko, the last of which toddled over to sit on a confused Laura''s lap. "So how about it guys? Let''s find out what kind of trouble we can get into." "Didn''t you promise to be safe?" Fantasma asked teasingly. "Eh," I held up one hand with my thumb and finger close. "Little bit of trouble." "I didn''t hear that!" Abigail Brand shouted from somewhere else in the ship. The Defiant lifted into the air. Pulling on the controls, I brought her forward. The feel of the ship vibrating under it''s power echoed through my body, not violently, but comfortingly. As we took off, an escort flew up with us. Tony in his Iron Man armor, Pepper in the Rescue suit, Rhodey in the War Machine, Thor, and Sam on his wings. We rocketed upwards at insane speeds as a group. The first to let us go was Sam as we started to leave oxygen behind. Then Pepper. Rhodey fell back next. Tony, stubborn badass that he was, hung on, but was forced to stay with Earth. Thor kept with us as we passed the moon. He gave us a wide smile and a wave. Then, in a burst of lightning, he disappeared. With a flip of some key controls, I took a breath. "Okay¡­ hold on." The Defiant''s FLT drive snapped on. The stars lengthened around us. And in a sudden feeling of G-forces, we left our planet behind. And hopefully when we came back, it would be for clean-up. As long as nothing happened that I had to deal with while I was gone.
Across the Earth, life continued. Men, women, and children fought, scrapped, and worked to survive. Various factions, good, evil, and neutral, shaped the lives of millions. But of all of them. Magneto, Doom, the Leader, Lord Pump, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers. Of all those big names. The one that was the cause of the biggest change was still making problems. AIM. And as a consequence of their actions, a problem from another world would arrive.
Flash Forward October 31, 2014 Rio De Janeiro Rio had been through hell. Everyone in the world knew it. Less talked about was how the city had recovered. In the wake of the Timequake, with the help of BRIDGE and other groups, Rio had stood on its own two feet and worked tirelessly on rebuilding. Still, the scars of the aftermath remained. BioPark of Rio, the zoo, now had exhibits for dinosaurs, demons, and alien life that had fallen out of the timequake. The police force, hardened by the literal war that had been fought, was armed and trained to handle situations that no one short of a BRIDGE soldier would be prepared for. The buildings that survived were stronger, while the new ones had the look of being super advanced thanks to Tony Stark''s generosity. The city had become better in the wake of the disaster. The thing that had changed most was the people. Not just because they had survived madness, but because they had new citizens. BRIDGE had returned as many people as they could to their own times, but they couldn''t do it for everyone. More than ever, Rio De Janeiro was a melting pot. Men, women, and children from across time and space, making a home in the city, trying to integrate. In a reversal of what one might expect, the people of the city had been relatively kind to their temporal immigrants. There were some issues, some politics involved. In the wake of the SRA, some newer immigrants, those with powers looking for a new home, appeared. The Graveyard Survivors were among them, a hodgepodge of supersoldiers, Creel enhanced, Gamma mutates, and animal hybrids. There were others, people who had awakened to powers for reasons they had yet to learn. Some of them knew what they were. Some had never had a name for themselves. They all looked for home. They found it. Rio De Janeiro perseveres. That was the motto. They stood together, stronger than ever. In the center, a graveyard to the departed stood. And around it, the training grounds for those willing to fight the world to prevent another such. Rio De Janeiro perseveres. It was also the epicenter of a weakness in the metaphysical realm. The Multiverse had taken damage recently, but the Rio of this Earth had been particularly beaten. And that Halloween night, the damage led to another incursion. A light shone in the sky on a spectrum unable to be seen by the human eye. Some of the citizens, those with the right genetics or powers, could see it. For a brief moment, a mere flash that filled the air with the light of a distant galaxy. Others could feel it echo across their skin, prompting confused looks around. A sensation. Of the first time you put something together correctly, of building something new, of turning yourself into a better version of who you were. A sensation known to all, even if they never had a name for it. Consequently, the amount of new art of various kinds that would be created that night would explode. But none of that was consequential. Not as much as the two figures that exploded out from the light at the same time. One of them was sent rocketing into the ocean, disappearing beneath the waves in a large splash. Those it flew over felt an unknown sense of dread, a perfect accompaniment to the Halloween festivities. Had they experienced it for more than a flash, their terror would not have been so joyful. The other figure crashed into the top of a building. The figure rolled across the roof, large divots digging into the ground across her bipedal form. When she came to a stop, it was at the edge of the building, her head poking over just enough to let exhausted eyes stared down at the ground dozens of stories below. Eyes well used to looking across distances far beyond human comprehension took in the small beings below. After a moment, she spoke in a voice worn from recent combat. "Prysmosians?" She stared at them. At the humans, but also those who were clearly inhuman, dotting the crowds below. Then she turned to her back and stared upwards. A moon¡­ Just a regular moon. The most unusual thing was that there was only one moon. And yet... why did it seem so fami- Memories of another flooded her. Catalysis Prime, stared up at the moon of a world that had been and no longer was her own.