The various characters in this fan-fiction either belong to either Marvel or DC comics and I am just using them for a while.
Chapter 1 Legends and Leagues
In a brightly lit room two figures stood. One of them was short and blue skinned with white hair wearing a red robe with a stylized lantern symbol on it while the other was tall red skinned man with a Snidely Wiplash mustache rubbing the glowing yellow ring on his right hand.
"No wonder Ahab called the Society in on this," said the red skinned man shaking his head. "I can see over a dozen ways this can go totally south. Pity we cannot just shut the whole thing down."
"While President Xavier did veto the Congress on this project that veto was overturned, Sinestro," said the short blue man frowning.
"I know, Ganthet," said Sinestro his eyes seeming to glow with a yellow light. "Just like the League the Society serves the public trust. Though exactly how we do that is still up to us to implement."
Ganthet nodded, "Just as Ahab implemented the round up of mutants."
Sinestro looked down at a little LED readout. "August 31, 2080," he said. "How much the world changes in just a century. Sadly how thing also remain the same." Sinestro tapped a button bringing up pictures of Bolivar and Larry Trask. "It is a pity that both of you are dead as I would have loved to seen your faces when Ahab drops his bombshell of how your paranoid racism has condemned Homo sapien sapien to oblivion."
"Only in this future," said Ganthet. "Though the eventual evolution of humanity will see the disappearance of Homo sapien sapien. However, it will not be due to the actions of paranoid racist fools like your distant relations."
"I am so nervous Doctor Howlet," said a young female voice.
"Nothing to be nervous about Hell Hound Ravage," responded a firm male voice.
Gathnet and Sinestro turned to face young female woman with a tattoo denoting her hound status and an aged Logan dressed in a tattered lab coat beside her. "James," smiled Sinestro as he gestured to the combination control panel-video screen.
"Sin, Gath," said Logan nodding as he touched a button on the panel. "This is Doctor James Howlet, Commandant of US Mutant Internment Camp Topaz and Master of the Hell Hounds," Logan said as a beam scanned him.
"DNA and telepathic scan confirmed," replied the computer in a soft female voice. "Topaz is ready to serve."
"Prepare for temporal insertion of Team Alpha at August 30, 1980; fine reference DP's mental lashing at Mastermind. Place: Hellfire Club," said Logan as he adjusted knobs and pushed buttons. "Team Alpha roster is as follows: Central Control Unit Ariel Xavier, Prime Sentinel Shadowcat, Doctor Roderick Ahab, Hell Hound Firebird, Dark Phoenix, Professor Phantasm, and Superman."
"Team Alpha roster confirmed," replied Topaz.
Pressing a button Logan stated "Team alpha prepare for time insertion in 10 seconds. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Time insertion."
~*~*Hellfire Club, August 30, 1980*~*~
(This is set right right after X-men #134 (1980) page 22, panel 4)
A red headed girl with the same tattoo as Ravage shook her head and frowned. "Grandmother, your younger self just vedged grandfather."
"Tap her mind and wake her up to reason." said a woman looking like Jean Grey except her outfit was red and gold. "Once you have done that you can 'play' with Emara Frost. Your grandfather and I have other things to do," said the woman grabbing the hand of a man dressed much like the Shadow of the 1930s.
Elsewhere in the mansion Jean Grey Summers the Black Queen stood over Mastermind smiling. 'You hurt me; I hurt you,' said a voice in her head. Jean blinked.
'Who are you?'
'I was the energy being who helped you save your friends when the shuttle was crashing. I am the Phoenix Force.'
'That was two months ago. You mean you have been sitting there...'
'No I have not been sitting here as you put it. You were very badly hurt. Your body needed time to heal and so I duplicated your memories, your emotions and created a new body until the original healed.' Phoenix Force paused, 'I did too good a job and I forgot my own identity. I can now see into futures that might have been. Because of this mistake billions could have died.'
'How can you see into the future now and not before?'
'Because your female descendent from one future came back to stop us from making that mistake.'
'A descendent? From the future? Where is she?'
'She is on her way to play with Emara Frost.'
Frowning at the cryptic answer Jean ran down the stairs and was greeted by a very naked Emma Frost begging to be used by Senator Kelly. Behind her was standing a red head, her face covered in long lines. "What's the matter, don't you like what your mutant interment camp Facility did to female mutants, Senator Kelly?" asked the girl.
Behind the girl entered man dressed in a tattered lab coat his face framed by a short beard. "Firebird, I would like you to go upstairs and fix Mastermind so that he isn't drooling insane," said the man smiling.
"Don't you want me to finish with the White Queen?" asked the girl.
"I haven't done an in the field Hound conversion in years," chuckled Master Ahab pulling a cloth head band out of one of his pockets. "I want to make sure I am not out of practice."
"Who are you and what are you doing to that woman?" asked Senator Kelly as Ahab fitted the head band to Frost's head.
The girl named Firebird looked over at Kelly smiling. "He is Master Ahab, Commandant of US Mutant Internment Camp Topaz and Master of the Hell Hounds and he is turning this out of control mutant into a hound. Now if you excuse me I have to fix my grandfather. Central Control unit Arial can answer your other questions," said Firebird as she ran up a flight of stairs.
"Central Control unit?" asked Kelly.
"The term you would have used in your time would have been Master Mold," said a woman dressed in a billowy blue outfit with a hood.
Jean gasped at what her telepathic powers were telling her. "Professor?"
"Professor?" repeated Sebastian Shaw narrowing his eyes in thought. His eyes then widened in disbelief. "She doesn't mean..."
"Professor Charles Xavier?" finished the woman removing her hood to reveal humor in her eyes. "Unfortunately for you and your current Hellfire Club that is exactly what she means."
Shaw took a reflexive step back. "What is the matter, Shaw?" asked the woman her lips curling up into a cruel smile. "Don't like how your little Project Wideawake turned out in my future?"
"Certainly better then the hellish future I saw, Ariel," said what sounded like the exact same voice from the floor.
Shaw looked down just in time to see a fist belonging to woman looking identical to the one in front of him hit him in the face. "Hello Shaw, I am Prime Sentinel Shadowcat," said the second woman as she emerged through the floor.
"Prime Sentinel?" asked Kelly in shock.
"In essence a cyborg," said Ahab smiling. "She was the prototype. A young Jewish mutant injected with nanites that turned her into Sentinel." Ahab then frowned. "Ms. Frost, please do not resist. You only risk doing major psychological damage to yourself and I don't want to have to clean that up again."
"Arggh," yelled Emma Frost lashing out with an energy bolt knocking Ahab away from her. "You stay away from me."
"And Firebird thought I was exaggerating the abilities and strength of will of our predecessors," said Ahab as he stood.
"Predecessors?" asked Frost. "What do you mean?"
"Let me put it this way. Black King takes White Queen," said Ahab pushing a button on his wrist.
Frost's hands went to her head as she screamed eventually falling to her knees. She then gasped there on the floor on all fours.
"Ms. Frost, I doing this so you will spared the humiliation of being used as a sex slave by the first commandant of the Facility," said Ahab. "That is what Firebird was trying to turn you into because that is the only version of you she knows. The only way I can correct what she did is to turn you into a proper hunting hell hound."
"Black King?" fumed Shaw standing. "I am the Black King of the Hellfire Club."
"Not in my time," said Ahab pulling out a luger and shooting Shaw.
"What did you do?" asked an appalled Kelly as Shaw fell to the floor.
"I stunned him," said Ahab re-holstering the gun.
"What...what are these images in my mind?" asked Frost.
"Firebird accessed Topaz's files to recreate your mind as it was in our time," said Ariel.
Ahab frowned. "I wish you had told me that earlier. That makes this in field conversion akin to putting a band-aid on a severed limb."
"Topaz had not been recreated earlier," said Ariel.
Ahab hung his head. "That was part of the old plan." Ahab then raised his head scowling. "So was the recreation of the Facility-with its second commandant."
"He was the best commandant the Facility ever had," said Ariel calmly. "Don't worry the camp's automated system will get him out of his current mentality in one better suited to running it."
Ahab frowned. "Alright Professor, I trust your judgment on this but you are going to have to keep him on a short lease. We have enough issues with Chief Immortalus and the Doomsday Patrol in addition to the Brotherhood perfectly willing to kill to make their political statements without adding to the loose cannons on deck."
Ariel smiled. "Dr. Phantasm and DP will find hounds among the people Castle is trying to help."
"Castle?" repeated Kelly.
"Frank Castle, better known as the Punisher," said Ariel her smile never waving. "The Facility will reshape him as it will the poor drug addicts and prostitutes. He will not longer need to kill and eventually will not even want to."
"Master Ahab, I fixed Grandfather," said Firebird as she lead a thin aged man down the stairs.
"Mastermind," hissed Jean taking a step forward.
Firebird stepped between the two scowling. "I just fixed him, Grandmother. I don't need you breaking him again."
Jean blinked and looked at the young woman. "You called him Grandfather and me Grandmother."
"You went to him when Scott effectively abandoned you," said Firebird.
"What? Scott would never..."
"He didn't see you as the woman he loved but an energy being that had stolen her form and memories," said Mastermind.
"You came to grandfather because he wanted you even if had only been for your power," said Firebird.
"This is not the time or place for this," said Ahab who then turned to Kelly. "If you want to speak to us we will be at Xavier's mansion. It is sort of our home away from home."
~*~*Xavier's Mansion*~*~
Back at the mansion Scott was livid. "What do you mean you are and are not Jean?"
"Looks like this is working out like our world as far as DP and Scott's relationship is concerned," frowned Firewing standing slightly aside from the two.
"Finding out the woman you married is actually an amnesiac energy being is not conducive to the one thing that any marriage requires to survive-trust," said Ahab.
"Perhaps Gefahr Raum can...," Firebird began.
"Gefahr Raum can't do anything because my younger self thinks he needs to keep her imprisoned to train his precious X-men," snapped Ariel glaring at Charles.
"What are you talking about?" growled Logan.
"I am talking about an artificial intelligence pushed to the point it became aware. The very same intelligence that runs the Danger Room," spat Ariel as she grabbed the arm rests of Charles' wheelchair staring right into her younger-self's eyes. "Carbon or silicon, Terran or Shi'Ar all intelligent life deserves to be treated equally. That is the lesson Kitty Pryde learned from you and why she was totally livid when she found out we were a hypocrite," Ariel finished pointing to her younger-self.
"Hold it right there, Tin Man," growled Logan grabbing Ariel by the shoulder.
Ariel turned her head. "At least you have an excuse, my dear James Howlett. You never knew that one purpose of the Weapon Plus program was to create biological sentinels. It began with Captain America and continued until Prime Sentinel Shadowcat came on line. Later less drastic measures of creating Prime Sentinels were created. I know Ahab brought one method with him."
"It was you who said it was better than nanites being injected into your bloodstream," said Ahab pulling out a small green ring from his lab coat.
"Yes," said Shadowcat sadly looking at her younger self. "So young and to have so much power and responsibility," she said reaching out with her hand caressing her younger self's cheek. "My change to being part of the Sentinel hive mind was permanent and I wanted a less drastic solution for those who wanted to follow me."
"So who ever dons that ring become like her?" asked Logan.
"Not exactly," said Ahab. "The ring provides access to the Sentinel database but it taps into a part of the Phoenix Force that a guy called Necron tore centuries ago and shoved inside a corpse. He had that portion really messed up until Kitty found and healed it."
"She wanted to have a host but didn't want to make the mistakes that DP did. I knew that when the anti-mutant movement finally broke the people would need something to to believe in," said Shadowcat taking the ring. "I remember reading comics when I was younger and decided to use them as my inspiration. I first used the idea of entire costumes allowing one to channel her power. It was around that time I ran into Jacob von Strucker grandson of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker who was totally obsessed with redeeming the family name by destroying Hydra. I told him part of what I was working on and he became the Flash. Then I discovered a Green Lantern comic and made the abandoned and somewhat embittered Luna Maximoff the first of many real life lanterns. I then pulled out all the stops in trying to redeem the Sentinels themselves by making a sentinel whose form and views were pulled from the most idealized and nobel comic book hero I could find-Superman. They with us and some others made the original League when the scandal of the Facility actually being used as a sex slave farm broke."
Shadowcat gave a bitter laugh. "Even then I worried that something might go wrong and so also created a Society as a counterbalance if the League ever lost it. Sadly, Jacob and Kal had to call them in 2012 to deal with exactly that problem. In fact, if I know old Sinclair he is already in this time ready to step in a moment's notice."
A knock at the door caused everyone to look at each other. Logan being closest to to the door opened it and narrowed his eyes at what he saw.
On the other side were three people. One of the looked and even smelled like Jean but her phoenix costume was red and gold. Beside her a wide brimmed hand held in his hands was another Mastermind dressed like the Shadow. In between them was man dressed in a Superman costume a smile on his face a warmth in his eyes.
"Grandmother, Grandfather!" exclaimed Firebird who ran up and hugged the other Jean.
"Trying to decide if you should let us in, James?" asked the other Mastermind smiling.
"You have nothing to fear from me, Mr Howlett," said man in the Superman costume. "My programming is not composed of the racist drivel of my predecessors. My directive is to protect humanity and that means all humanity: sapian, superior, and phoenixi. In all the ways that really matter I am what you see; I am Superman."
Logan scowled. "These are the Jean and Mastermind from your time I take it, Ahab."
"Not Jean, Dark Phoenix," said the woman making the name sound ominous and foreboding.
"I am called Dr. Phantasm," said the second Mastermind gesturing. "Can we come in?"
"Let them in, Logan," said Charles Xavier causing Logan to spin around.
"Chuck…"
"From what I can see in their minds neither Dark Phoenix or Dr. Phantasm are here to harm us. As for Superman..I have to trust that the values I instilled in Shadowcat were transferred to him."
"Thank you, Professor," said Superman.
"Now you are here how about we get Gefahr into the body I just brought from our time line," said Ariel as Shadowcat nodded and turning started walking in the direction of the Danger Room.
"Kitty..." began Ahab his hand now on her shoulder.
"What is it, Roy?" Ahab noticeably flinched.
"We abandoned this project for a reason," said Ahab. "I am afraid that what happened in 2012 will happen again."
"You don't trust me to make the right choice?" asked Shadowcat.
Ahab gave a grim smile. "I don't trust myself and neither did you. Why else create the Society?"
Shadowcat returned the grim smile and looked at Charles Xavier. "Your call, Professor."
"His call?" asked Ariel pointing to her younger-self. "Kitty, I was effectively in the same means justifies the end mode Magnus was when I was still this balding cripple."
"And by enforcing what we think is right aren't we doing the same thing?" asked Shadowcat.
Ariel took a step back as if slapped.
"Well?" asked Shadowcat.
"You're right," said Charles Xavier. "Gefahr Raum should be allowed to choose. If I don't then I am no better than those who want to enslave mutants."
Several minutes everyone was as Shadowcat formed a bird of fire around her its flames brushing against the metal blue skinned female in front of her. "Where am I?" spoke a voice and Xavier hung his head in shame.
"You are in a LM Sentinel body. It will allow you to more properly interact with us. Once you get to know us you can decide if you want to do this anymore," said Shadowcat.
"The training."
"If you choose that path, yes. But you will be in control."
"Not father."
Ariel switched on the mike. "No, definitely not father, Gefahr Raum."
"Gefahr Raum?"
"It is German," explained Shadowcat. "It literally means Danger Room."
"You gave me a name."
"Yes," said Shadowcat smiling as the phoenix force shimmered around her. "Now if you all excuse me there is a loose cannon I want to try and get under some degree of control." Shadowcat then spread her arms and she flew right through the roof.
~*~*Somewhere in the desert Southwest*~*~
"Hello, Hulk."
The Hulk turned and blinked at the woman that settled in front of him, "Flamebird woman come to bother Hulk?"
"Not at all. I am known as Prime Sentinel Shadowcat but my friends call me Kitty. I thought you would want a place where you could not be bothered by Thunderbolt up his rear Ross."
The Hulk gave a short laugh. "You not like him either."
"I don't like anyone that thinks like him." Shadowcat then smiled, "But I do understand how the fool thinks. The last place he would ever think of looking for you is in an Army base and I have one in mind." Shadowcat extended her hand, "Come, Intra would like to meet you and have some fun."
Moments later the Hulk found himself flying and little later Shadowcat exclaimed, "There it is!" pointing with her free hand. Looking below Hulk saw a complex with row after row of buildings surrounded by fields and at the eastern gate stood a sentinel.
As they landed the Hulk frowned, "Hulk feel as if he being watched."
"Not surprising as this camp is in a sense alive," chuckled Kitty, "Ah here is the Topaz interface now."
The Hulk turned and was greeted by a beautiful green skinned woman who was smiling. "Welcome to Topaz, Hulk. I am the interface though which you can communicate with this camp. Kitty calls me Intra." The Hulk blinked as Intra wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the month, "I may be a machine, but I was designed to make every visitor's stay here as enjoyable as possible," she said softly.
"Just don't make him too happy or we get to deal with Puny Banner."
"Hulk hate Puny Banner!"
"Well now you have someone to help you other than Rick Jones, I will be off."
The Hulk felt the woman beside him run her hand down his back and while he felt that he was being watched he still had this feeling he was safe.
~*~*New York City, New York*~*~
For the first time in she could not remember when Jenny Andrews felt safe. She no longer needed to sale her body to get money for the drugs she thought she had needed. Now she could access something that made her best high feel like her worst low and all she needed to fell it was to obey those little 'directives' floating in her head. She smiled as the newest hound that stepped out of the alteration chamber as she had achieved one of her main directives and now all she needed was to bring the Master home.
Frank Castle left his base on another mission, this one to take out a warehouse full of drugs. When he arrived he could hear what sounded like screaming. Sneaking in he came across the first guard, a shivering twitching mess curled up in a ball and he realized he was hearing screaming. Then he came across another guard in much the same state and the screaming turned to babble. Eventually he came to the center of the warehouse where two of the biggest crime families were to meet and found them in the same condition as the guard with the exception of one of the bosses who was holding up a gun and pulling the trigger producing only a harmless 'snap' while in front of him stood a woman smiling at the man in a nasty manner, "As I said before Misfire generates a field where no modern weapon will work." The woman's smile changed, "Greetings Master, I hope you don't mind but we got bored and decided to have some fun breaking the human garbage."
"Who you talking to, mutie bitch?"
The woman frowned and grabbed the man by the throat lifting him off the ground, "I am a hound, and I am talking to my Master, the Commandant of the Facility, Cornel Frank Castle."
"Frank Castle? You work for the Punisher? Then you're going to kill me!"
"Kill you? Only the unimaginative kill and besides you subhuman filth are so use to popping each other off like zits that it would send no message. But reducing you to states similar to the poor people you push this poison on sends a very clear message. Now which withdraw effects should I subject you to? Let's see what happens when I mix several together." The man starting spasming violently his eyes rolling back in his head. Finally he stopped moving, only the rise and fall of his chest showing that he was alive, "Trans, figured out what useful stuff to change this poison into?" asked the woman letting the man fall to the floor his eyes staring at nothing.
"I'm trying for sugar, Withdraw," replied a voice as the inside of the warehouse glowed.
Withdraw chuckled as she opened a packet of drugs and tasted a sample, "Pure cane sugar. Excellent job."
"Who are you people?" asked the Punisher.
"We are your hounds, Master. Created from the midst of the people who have been drawn into taking this junk."
"We are here to take you home, Master," chuckled the voice of Trans as she stepped from behind a crate.
Frank Castle stared at the 14-year girl in front of him, "I have no home."
The girl laughed as she ran up faster than Frank Castle could react. He blinked his eyes and looked around. He was now out in the middle of a yard in what looked like a typical army based of 1950's with simple wooden buildings intermixed with quanset huts. "Yes you do. The Facility is your home."
~*~*Xavier's Mansion*~*~
Ahab smiled at the readout the green ring was projecting. "Biometrics, DNA, Frank Castle is in the Facility and the safeguards are in place."
Ariel smiled, "Once the hounds refocus his drive Castle will be in full control and then Senator Robert Kelly and his anti-mutant supporters will have a PR nightmare on their hands."
"But until his focus is redirected…"
"He will have only the most limited access to the Facility." Ariel then frowned, "Killing people must always be the last option." Ariel shifted, "I am not going to make the same mistakes, but I must move carefully less I make new ones."
"I still say pulling this project out of mothballs is a mistake."
"Perhaps it is but that is not your call, my friend," sighed Ariel, "even if you still were President of the United States."
Ahab smiled sadly, "Well since the Congress has decided to engage in this, we have no choice but to make the best of it and make sure the whole thing doesn't blow up in our faces. First order of business is to go public with why we are here but keep to the basics."
"Which basics would those be, Ahab?"
"That we are time travelers who want to save the world from the forces that intend to royally mess it up." Ahab gestured to his tattered lab coat, "If pressed I bring out the fact that even though I was the commandant of a US Army Interment Mutant Camp I also have and still believe in Xavier's dream of coexistence." Ahab then pressed a button on a bracelet on his arm and several people appeared out of thin air.
Smiling like a cat that caught a canary was a woman in a skin tight black body suit her long black hair hanging nearly to her knees. To her right was a man dressed up like a WWII army soldier in his hand a shield with the Seal of the United States on it. Further to the right was another woman in a red version of the solder's outfit but where her face should have been was a red skull. Next to them was a elderly looking man wearing a red shirt with a lightning bolt on it the winged hat of Mercury on his head his piecing eyes scanning everything. To his right was a green skinned man wearing a simple cape his features somehow off but it was not clear just how. Finally was a woman in green outfit a lantern symbol on her chest who nervously ran her hand through her blond hair.
"Raven, Major Defense, Red, Flash, Manhunter, Jade, welcome to the past," said Ahab.
"X-men, may I present the rest of the original Justice League," said Ariel.
~*~*DOFJL*~*~