AN: I'm not sure how many crossovers will end up being in this by the time it ends. So far it includes BtVS/AtS, HP, DC, Marvel, Indy, various pulp, Disney, and more. It keeps ballooning on me as I write it.
Chapter 1
Dawn of Heroes
Alexander Lavelle Harris hovered there watching the moon rise slowly around the glistening gem of the earth as memories were sorted through in his head.
He wanted powers of his own and now those dreams had become a reality.
The trollish principal had forced them into Halloween costumes, an act that had led to the current situation. And he remembered at least one fight with another metahuman, one that with the passing of the spell Xander recognized.
It gave him the distinction of being one of the few people to have managed a draw in a one on one fight with the Hulk.
And it was funny to think that the entire thing had started due to two far less heroic costumes.
A scientist and a mild mannered reporter, two choices that unleashed the power of the Hulk and Superman upon the world.
xXx
A green eyed boy sat as calmly as he could at the funeral of his mentor and adopted father.
He had now lost three families, one after another.
His first had died before he could really remember, and then his aunt, uncle, and cousin had died in a disaster before he even turned six.
Now the man who had taken him in had died, and left him heir to a fortune and a gift.
He had known of his heritage, Lamont had told him that much.
Now the fourteen year old son of a great legacy had been given the powers his mentor had once used when the old man died, a last rest for one who had spent nearly a century making up for the crimes of his youth.
His memories of that last laugh of his mentor right before death came upon him.
The aged man that had been a friend and ally to his adopted father had brought his own great-granddaughter. A young brunette who's mother had abused her enough that Cliff could rescue her when he found out.
The ruby flash of the signet ring on his finger had received a nod from Uncle Cliff Secord.
Perhaps it was time to make his own place in the world, though he would not take up the name Lamont had used. Combining the powers of the one who knew the evil in the hearts of men with his own magical power and the knowledge gained from that last touch of his mind by that wizened mentor.
He was Harold Cranston, born Harry Potter.
The world would soon see the birth of a new legend.
Jonathan Levinson groaned as he crawled out of the ditch before realizing that of his costume all he had left was a pair of shredded pants.
Frantically he tried to remove as much of the muck off of him before staggering for home.
It was the intervention of two monsters that forced him into action.
"Don't make me angry," he stated slowly the words he remembered almost as a dream from earlier in the night, "You won't like me when I'm angry."
He was running for his life, a bit faster than usual when the two supervillains both fired.
Then the pain began as two "unique" weapons mixed to create a tear in the fabric of being and Dash felt the void tear him apart.
An impact and he let out an unearthly scream of pain and terror before a flash of light.
She watched the burial of her great-grandfathers closest remaining friend after the death of his wife and daughter.
Her own life had been horrible, her mother had tried to pimp her out and her great-grandfather had brought the matter to the courts, leaving him with custody and her mother in prison.
The ancient man had given her a real chance at life, one her mother would never have considered.
It was funny, really, how it had worked out. Her grandmother had ended up married and died young while her grandfather shut down leaving his daughter to fend for herself which led to her own situation.
Her Great-grandfather had told her stories of the past, memories of events before the second World War, ones of heroes and villains. Ones she wondered if were true.
Faith nodded slowly as the rain began to fall, a seeming tribute to the dead man that had seemingly several hundred mourners, most wearing identical rings with the same red stone.
His guardian had just fallen and the demon kept coming.
It was truly an unholy terror that even he couldn't face with the abilities he'd been given because of the blood of the demons that had somehow brought a human into the world.
Holtz had fallen protecting him from this new abomination, the only father he knew died to save him.
Then was when the portal opened that they had been waiting for as the beast bull rushed him, both he and the monster entering as it unleashed a burst of hellfire that shattered the swirling path as they entered.
He dropped the cigar as the light show began.
Spending the past several months on the streets had changed him, and, while he knew smoking wasn't quite legal, it didn't really matter.
A group in the government was after him, and had almost since he was created as a clone.
And so he went on the run, making sure to cover his tracks as best he could.
Jonothan O'neill eyes widened as what looked like two kids and a two story tall monster came crashing out into downtown LA.
The funeral had ended and Harry watched the stars from the window of his office in the tower.
Lamont had many such places and had ensured his charges emancipation upon his death with only a few conditions as he'd already finished the required education through a multitude of private tutors only a few days more than a year ago.
Harry Cranston sighed slightly at the memory of his graduation with his mentor.
His adopted fathers closest friend and his charge were staying with him for the next few weeks to ensure that he was alright. That combined with the occasional mysterious letter from someone in Scotland trying to coerce him to return to the land of his birth, something he had no desire to do.
Then there was the feeling he'd had for the past several months, a feeling as if something was brewing. It was one that Lamont had told him to listen to and that it meant that something was coming, something dangerous.
"Cliff," he asked the friend of his adopted father, "There is something coming, I can feel it in my blood."
A dark expression flashed for an instant across the aged pilots face, "Like Lamonts?"
"Exactly," the young heir of the shadows responded, "A time for heroes has begun again it seems."
"How so?"
"It's a hard feeling to explain," the emerald eyed boy whispered as he collapsed into the seat at his desk, "A darkness on one horizon and a light on the opposite, old alliances reforged or shattered."
"Well," the man said slowly, "My gear is outdated at best."
"Not a problem," came a small laugh as he pressed a button to slowly open one of the walls to reveal a hallway that he then led his fathers comrade in arms through, "Lamont ordered the construction of some updated versions."
"Hey," came the shot, "I'm not even in shape anymore."
"No," the boy whispered sadly as they came to a room lined with costumes of past heroes, "But she is."
"Will the Shadow join her?"
"No," he responded, "The Shadow's time has passed, and in his place will rise something new."
A brief nod at the last costume, the manikin with the fedora, pistols, and the rest of the shadows gear. Others included the old leather and steel of Cliffs days as the Rocketeer and a purple costume with a black mask among dozens of others.
He flicked a switch to reveal the new costume his mentor had ordered to update the Rocketeer to more modern standards as well as fitting the teenage girl who would take up the mantle.
"It still looks like a hood ornament," the old man quipped with a chuckle.
Dash was back on his feet to watch the new monster smash a bus with one hand.
"Oh boy," he muttered while it ripped out a streetlight with another of its four limbs and take a swing at him, "This can't be good."
A quick glance around confirmed that his family was nowhere to be seen and he wasn't quite sure if a hulking, musclebound behemoth that seemed rather like the things described as living in the place bad boys were sent.
He moved, easily evading the seemingly wanton destruction the beast was causing around him.
Then it screamed in pain causing the speedster to glance behind him to see the dark haired boy hanging onto its arm with a sword driven a half-foot into the monsters flesh.
A moment later his momentary ally was shaken loose, flying at least two city blocks only to snag another streetlight and spin on it to a perfect stop on top it in a crouch.
A deafening roar as flames erupted from one of the limbs that rushed down the street and narrowly mis the boy as the speedster launched his own assault, thanking his uncle for the idea to take lessons in various martial arts.
Connor landed on the street and stomped on the edge of one of the sewer lids, sending it airborne to be snatched out of the air while the beast was distracted.
"Hey ugly," he called before spinning thrice and launching the steel disk down the street like most would a Frisbee to slam like a gong into the beasts head, deforming the metal on contact.
Dash stepped back after noticing that the impact only served to enrage the thing.
Four massive arms hefted a parked car over its head and prepared to heave it when dash struck again, putting all of his speed and strength into a blow to the wrist and the throw went wild into the sky.
Harry reacted instantly as alarms sounded.
He watched the cameras displaying a car, still tumbling down the street, after it had crashed.
"Time to go to work," the wizard muttered as he hit a few keys to reveal the costume he'd ordered for himself.
"Cliff," he yelled, "Get her ready, this looks bad."
A nod as the changing room sealed before the young hero continued, "Very bad."
He slid the snake skin suit over the armored plating, a gift from one of the few beings he knew well.
The shed skin of the serpent god, enough to wear and to wrap his staff.
The black leather, adorned with silver clasps and a chain belt carrying many pockets. The gray cloak that covered his head and swirled around him, almost as if it had a mind of its own.
The ash staff, wrapped with the same skin as his armor and topped with a fist sized stone, that seemed to have the wood grown around it, the same gem as in the rings that his adopted father had used.
It had amused his mentor that he could speak with snakes, and a trip to some of the ancient ruins of Central America had allowed him to understand it far more when he found a trapped creature that he had befriended. A link to a god, forged in friendship would aid him in what was to come.
The doors opened as he stepped back into the command center erected in the tower.
It was time to go to work.
Cliff grinned as he watched his charge realize that the tales he had told her when she was but a child were not fantastical accounts, but his own exploits.
The training he had given was beginning to make sense.
He hadn't been pushing her into learning to fight and fly for nothing, but in a way to ensure that there would be a successor to someone who would give his all.
She dropped the metal helmet into position and adjusted the straps.
"Head for the roof," Cliff Secord said slowly, "Rocketeer."
Jonathan O'niell had pulled the shotgun he'd managed to acquire from his bag and load it quickly.
As it was it seemed like there was only two kids, both younger than his current, physical age fighting the thing.
That was something he just couldn't stand for as a second vehicle was launched almost on a ballistic course out of the city.
He stepped out of the alley, leveling the shotgun and firing as he approached, aiming for the eyes.
Now he just needed a miracle to pull out a win.
Xander spotted the flying car and realized it was empty as he rocketed past.
His new powers as Superman let him move fast enough to leave at least one sonic boom behind. The crimson cape fluttering in the wind against the dark blue suit, the gold and ruby emblem visible clearly as he aimed for LA.
Whatever the hell was going on had to be outside of the means of any police, and it could end up being another escapee from the madness of Sunnydale.
Dust fell to the ground as the angry, green giant shuddered with an impact and the sound of shattering glass mixed with twisting steel.
"Who throw car at Hulk," it growled and leaped miles into the air in search of the idiot who had attacked it.
Connor noticed it first as the shadows began to pool in the streets before rising to leave a cloaked figure with only glowing eyes visible and a crimson tipped staff in hand.
Harry felt the arcane power surge through him as he exited the shadows, using the powers given by his adopted father and amplified by his bond with the feathered serpent.
Emerald light gathered around his free hand as a barrier of eldritch flame erupted to stop the demons attack on the gunman who had joined the fray but a moment earlier.
"Leave while you still can beast of darkened flame," he announced, voice magically amplified by a mere thought, "You face the heir of shadows now!"
"And what mortal son would claim to be a match for me little wizard," the demon taunted as it lunged slamming against the barrier, forcing Harry back a step.
"I am the Magus," the boy mage retorted pushing more power into it as the gem atop his staff glowed blood red, "And I will not fall to the likes of you!"
Dash blinked as he spotted something moving to fast for even him to directly track on an inbound path.
The demon spun towards the new threat it sensed and raised an arm.
Then the street shook violently as a visible shock wave blasted through the streets, shattering windows and toppling trashcans.
Jonathan O'neill blinked as his eyes identified the most recent addition to their fight.
The distinctive emblem shaped almost like an S within a shield and ruby cape.
It seemed that Superman had decided to step from the pages of a comic book to join the fight as the demon was launched backwards to smash into a fourth story window of an office building.
Debris rained down as the monster shook its head slowly as if to both clear it and check itself for injuries before it roared a challenge.
"Is everyone alright?" Xander asked as he glanced around.
The demon lunged from its position towards the one that had hurt it only to be driven into the ground by a massive form of emerald and purple.
"Hulk smash fire thing!"
A blast of ebony flame roared towards the Magus the instant his shield relaxed.
Harry grinned as he unleashed a spell he'd been working on since his arrival. Power flowing around him.
"Lord of rain and sky," he stated slowly while the tip of his staff seemed to almost catch alight with emerald flame that danced with ethereal light and calm power, "I call on your power, rise my ally of the skies and be resplendent once more as the feathered serpent lord of the skies!"
The instant before the demonic flame would touch the young master of magic, the emerald light surged outwards and upwards around him as a monolith of shining green that defeated the strike.
Connor turned as the scents of thousands of jungle blossoms washed down the street.
An odd noise almost like a the drawing of breath by a large creature mixed with the chirping of a songbird. The sky seemed to darken slightly as a light rain seemed to erupt as if by magic.
The the light seemed to explode outwards looking to all the world like an egg that exploded from the inside out with a louder cry that seemed to have the rumble of distant thunder added to the mix.
Wings of glistening emerald shone as gems in the street as the folded around the Magus with complete protection.
Then it changed as the rocketed outwards to reveal what had come to the boy-wizards aid.
The plumed serpent, a being seeming to be a trick of the light while also being formed of solid gemstones of emerald and with a ruby breast.
The eyes gleamed with the light of living flame and sheer power while in the distance, on the horizon, the distant light of Venus seemed to pulse as if it were a beating heart.
The demon dove aside from a lightning that erupted from the gaping maw of the plumed serpent, the sapphire electricity glinting harshly off the flaming beast before it arced through a series of streetlights and setting a mailbox ablaze.
Devilish eyes spun towards a howl as he watched the green, but not so jolly, giant heft an abandoned bus and swing it at him as a baseball player would a bat.
The demon tried to scream when the steel and glass vehicle collided head on with its face and sent it upwards to slam through a tower, plumes of debris raining from the exit points as the arc carried it towards downtown with frightening accuracy like a meteor dropped from the heavens to rain death and destruction upon the world below.
Xander launched his own assault at that point while the beast crashed between two fire trucks that skidded off the road when the monster skipped as a pebble thrown on a pond.
He pushed himself to the limit as the rocketed through the streets of LA as a blur while he was dimly aware of the shattering windows and chain of car alarms behind him.
He reached out as the abomination noticed his approach, both beings lashing out with a punch in eerie parallel.
Then the street exploded outwards as neo-kryptonian and demon were bodily thrown apart amidst a visible shock wave spreading from their point of contact.
Helena Blake blinked twice as she saw something moving across the skyline of the city.
The steady beat of the helicopters blades above her drowned out most of the sounds coming from the brawl other than a few that slipped by.
A flash of fire and brimstone grew closer and she screamed when the blast of hellfire slammed into the tail rotor of the aircraft with a roar.
The overhead blades cracked, two ripped clean off in the explosion and the other three rendered useless either by bending or by lesser fractures. With the corner of her eye, she saw one of the missing blades slice into an office far below just as the news chopper began its twisting descent towards the streets all to far below while now seeming so treacherously close.
As the chopper tumbled, she lost her grip, slipping from the seat and out of the interior.
The burning pieces of the city seemed to grow brighter as the wreck crashed into the corner of a skyscraper as she continued. A moment later her eyes caught the cement and steel of the building give and relinquish the helicopter to the clutches of gravity once more.
She felt her body jerk and change direction as another roar caught her attention.
Helena blinked as her direction changed, moving away from the tumbling hulk of the destroyed vehicle. Her attention changed to the leather and metal clad hands now around her waist.
The figure holding her seemed familiar somehow, a distant memory from long ago.
A loud crunching noise drew both her and her rescuers attention back to the sky above as a massive dragon grabbed hold of the chopper with talons that crushed the steel beneath their might.
"Who..." she managed to stammer as the female being dropped her off in the street, "...who are you?"
"Call me Rocketeer," the almost teasing voice responded as the being blasted back into the air.
"Demons and hellfire," Helena stammered before collapsing to the asphalt, "And a heroine wearing what looks like a hood ornament, this had better be worth some kind of prize..."
Connor wondered why the hell he'd joined one of his current allies in the vehicle. Kortoth had been bad, but this fight was just plain nuts.
The massive beast of steel and power roared as he clutched the seat with one hand while his other was clasped around the grip of his weapon.
Jon was grinning maniacally as he floored it.
The tanker truck had only been two blocks away along their path which had given him an idea. It was an reckless and insane plan that would have sent his other self into fits, but it was the only way he could think of for pulling off a victory against something that reminded him more of a monster from the Lord of the Rings than reality.
He swerved through the streets where cars had been left during people rushing madly away from the fight now engulfing the area ahead.
"Alright campers," he commented, "Let's follow the yellow brick road."
Dash paused at the end of his self imposed work at pulling people out of the buildings being destroyed by the clash of supers around him.
He'd decided to let those with more combat capable forms take the lead in fighting the monster while he played crowd control to keep the civilians out of harms way. His raw speed helped in that mission, but there were already several dead before he'd finished.
In the area, he'd found thirteen dead, four of which were caused by the stampede of people fleeing the area.
A brief pause to snatch up a bottle of water from a destroyed vending machine and down it left him time to think about other ways to fight the demon.
The second generation superhero paused as he saw a truck come barreling down the street and two of his allies bail out.
"Oh boy," he muttered an instant before the tanker slammed into the demon and detonated with a roar.
Remus Lupin watched the television.
The last several years had been hard on him with the chaos starting with Harry's disappearance followed by his surfacing after an adoption by an American that had been given untouchable status by the ICW after they had lost dozens of law enforcement agents trying to deal with the Shadow and his abilities.
Then there were the other factions in the city he had chosen to live in that prevented any attempts at regaining the kid he had promised to help protect.
He'd ended up in New York after they found out what country Harry was in and hadn't left remaining where he could theoretically provide help if it was needed.
When the show was interrupted by a live news cast, the werewolf's jaw fell wide open in shock.
The first thing that caught his eye was the green giant of seemingly solid muscle matching the strength of a flaming demonic being, and the strangely familiar looking giant seemed to be getting bigger.
A flash of blue and crimson when the monster staggered and took a hit that sent it staggering back before the second being continued the attack with a series of blows that shook the cars visible in the streets.
He recognized the symbol from one of the comics he'd read when he was younger.
It was impossible that the Man of Steel had stepped into reality.
A dragon seemed made of emerald crystal swooped in to strike, the image focusing on the being riding defiantly atop with cloak waving in the wind and staff held high.
He saw the face and paled.
"Harry?"
Harry blinked as a car came flying his way and paused long enough to raise a hand and channel his magic to do his will.
It had been a long time since he required a command or help of any kind for all but the most powerful or exotic of spells unless he wanted to do it instantaneously, and even then many spells could still be done on the fly.
The instant before the vehicle could impact, he snapped his fingers and the car was transformed into a flock of iridescent Quetzal birds that rushed past him and his summoned dragon.
"Show time," he chuckled with a bow as if to the crowd.
His eyes burned bright as if with an inner flame as he surveyed the destruction around them.
"Alright buddy," he whispered to his winged ally, "Let's show this fool just why they can't take us on."
A roar was the only response he needed as the dragon leaped skywards to soar towards their foe.
Xander grinned as he flowed between the blows the beast tried to rain upon him.
He was no longer a mere man, but Superman made manifest.
An opening gave him a chance to counter attack with a double handed blow to the back of the head after it overreached.
The creak followed by a roar was the warning he got as the ground collapsed, cement and asphalt dropping into the sewers below.
He went airborne, hovering for a moment as Hulk launched himself into the void below with a battle cry about being the strongest.
Diving in himself, cape flowing behind as he drove both fists into the abominations stomach at full speed only to be batted away once more, plowing through a dozen buildings.
Jonothan Levinson felt the rage leave as he gasped for air, the power draining as he struggled to move.
Unable to move, unable to fight after the four armed freak of nature drove Hulk into the muck beneath the streets like a carpenter would a nail into a board. It was cold and wet as the busted pipes above tried to submerge him
Fear had replaced the blinding rage.
"Get up you sorry excuse for a bastard," he heard a voice yell.
He reached towards it.
"Did you hear that hulk," it continued, almost mocking him, "He asked if you just bend over for anyone."
And then the endless pit of rage surged back through his being.
Jono grinned as he realized that it had worked, Hulk was back in the fight and madder than ever.
The not-so-jolly green giant was faster than it looked after crushing an abandoned school bus after leaping from the pit.
A fist the size of a SUV slammed into the knee of the demon causing an unholy scream and sounds like shattering glass when the knee was forced to reverse its direction.
Blood, caustic and black fluid that hissed violently while burning into what it splashed upon, sprayed out as the hand grabbed the same leg while the other grabbed an arm and pulled ripping the limb from the joint at the thigh.
The Hulk was loose and the Hulk was mightily pissed off.
Connor moved, running for what he hoped would be a safe distance as the Hulk body slammed the demon through one of the towers, bringing the structure down on top of the combatant, collapsing as each deck pancaked into each other one by one.
Even that didn't slow the rampaging mass of emerald muscles as he rose from the debris pile with the devil held firm between each pair of arms.
"Hulk crush puny flame thing," it roared before squeezing tight amidst the blasphemous screams of the demon.
A gasp and the invading monster fell slack before being tossed aside to slam into yet another building before passing through to slam into one more.
Hulk moved as the structures toppled like dominoes, ripping a streetlight from its moorings and driving it base first into the demons chest and into the earth with the enough force to break the sound barrier in motion.
And the barbarian roared in triumph over the demon that they had fought.
Faith watched with a grim detachment as the group of heroes waited.
Hulked had reverted into human form, passing out in the rubble strewn battleground while the gunman checked for injuries.
Harry's dragon had vanished into a shower of starlight that shot skywards almost as a reverse shooting star, leaving the cloaked wizard to walk amidst the rubble using his magic to do some quick repairs to the buildings in danger of collapse.
The speedster was nearly conked out on a chunk of the road while the dark kid was cleaning some blades she couldn't recognize.
Superman was clearing wreckage out of the street.
The communications link with the tower had cut out during the fight but war restored rather quickly.
"How was your first time being a hero?" Cliff asked with a grin that was all but audible in his tone.
"Interesting," she answered, "What happened to you that we lost contact."
"Looked like you and your friends had it covered," the previous Rocketeer answered, "So I took the time to contact a few old friends to see about getting you some backup in case something went wrong."
"Who's coming?"
"I managed to reach four people, two of which have begun dispatching someone to come."
A pause.
"Greystoke and Sullivan are both retired, though they may eventually be convinced to show up and help and if Greystoke comes he'll bring Gridley," Cliff stated, "I did manage to get Walker to agree to send his great grandson and we have a Jones coming as well."
The old man seemed to relax, "I wasn't sure if I could reach the fourth since the third Henry Jones vanished, but he's out of the business and sent his son."
"How long until they get to town?"
"Jones' will be in in two days and a few more with Walkers trip from Bengalla."
An older man reached up and closed the blinds before him, blocking out his view of the city as the wizard teleported the rest of the group clear.
A hint of amusement crossed his features as he walked through the office to take a seat at an ancient looking desk with an almost concerned sigh.
"No," he whispered in annoyance, "This will not do."
He slowly reached out and filled a glass from a half empty bottle.
"How could the precogs miss something like this?" he seemed to ask himself before downing the drink in a single gulp before reaching to refill.
A pause as his hand touched the bottle before he tossed the glass aside to shatter on the wall and he snatched the bottle itself.
Holland Manners would have to rethink his plans for the new scenario.