Greetings internet! 'Tis I, Jack Cross and my good friend Avatar Conner bringing you the next chapter in our little multiverse of stories. This particular story has characters from Legend of the Spider Man and Chain Lightning in it. In order to keep from being totally lost, it is highly suggested that you go and read these two stories before this one.
We do not, in anyway, shape, or form own Spider Man or Legend of Korra.
United Forces Research and Containment Facility, somewhere outside of Republic City.
General Iroh marched down the bare concrete hallway with his arms clasped behind his back. He disliked visiting facilities like this, preferring to be in the field with his Division rather then the dreariness of this subterranean place. But his rank required that he visited places like this to insure that productivity remained high. After all, it was places like this that kept the United Republic the most advanced nation on the planet.
Ahead of him, two guards snapped their automatic crossbows to attention before they opened the double steel doors that they stood before. Iroh ignored them as he continued on, eager to get this visit over with and back to the field. This wasn't just a check up visit. Command had received a telegram from this facility, stating that a new development had been made in a research project here. Thus, here he was.
"Ah, General, it's a pleasure to see you," a skinny doctor in a lab coat greeted him.
"Let's get this over with, Doctor Tannan. Your telegram said there had been a development," Iroh replied.
"Yes, if you would please follow me." With that, the doctor turned and began to lead the General through the halls. They stepped into a small side lab, where two glass cylinders sat waiting. The one on the left contained a glowing yellow liquid, while the one on right contained an emerald green.
"We developed two formulas from the subject. RV-927 and RV-929," Tannan said, pointing to the yellow and the green respectively.
"I am assuming they do more then glow," Iroh deadpanned.
"Of course. RV-927 is able to cure any sort of mutation, including bending, while RV-929 enhances the mutation."
"So let me get this straight. You created a formula that removes a person's bending and one that empowers them?"
"Not just benders. If RV-929 is given to a non bender, a temporary mutation will occur, granting that person temporary abilities," he said.
"And the subject?" Iroh asked. Tannan motioned for him to follow again. He led the way through another set of steel doors to a room with a large set of windows overlooking a pit. Spotlights shone down into the hole, while the walls were made of solid platinum.
"At attention, Subject 1138," Tannan said into a microphone. The only thing in the pit was a bald man wearing white hospital scrubs. He was facing away from the pair, in a kneeling position like he was praying or meditating.
"Doctor Leon Tannan. And General Iroh, I must be really special to warrant a visit from a member of the Fire Nation Royal Family," the man said.
"I thought these windows were one way, how does he know I'm here?" Iroh asked. The frown on Tannan's face sent a chill up the General's spine.
"I've been growing more and more powerful, General," the man said as he stood, "would you care for a demonstration?" The screech of metal being torn from metal suddenly filled the room, causing both men to clasp their hands over their ears. Sections of the wall of the pit tore away and bent downward, like a lid on a tin can being pealed back.
Tannan slammed his fist down on a button, and instantly alarms were blaring throughout the facility. The Doctor looked up just in time to see the subject smash through the glass and tackle him to the floor. A pair of guards burst into the room, and upon seeing 1138 on top of Tannan, leveled their crossbows. They squeezed the trigger several times, intending on turning him into a pin cushion. But 1138 raised his hand, like he was telling them to stop.
Everyone in the room watched in amazement as all of the bolts froze in mid air, hovering just a few inches from the subject's outstretched hand.
"You see that, Tannan? I've added magnetism to the list of things I can do," 1138 grumbled downward at the man he was perched on top of. With a flick of his wrist, the bolts all flew back at the guards who had fired them, killing the two men in the process. Lowering his hand, 1138 gave an evil grin to Tannan as he placed it on the Doctor's forehead. Tannan began to struggle, trying in vain to push the man off of him. After a few moments, his body went rigid, and then relaxed as the last bits of bio energy left him.
Iroh watched in stunned horror as the man stood and rolled his head. He closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose before letting the breath out through his mouth.
"One more down. Now all I need is this Avatar I've heard so much about," he said before looking at Iroh, "It's the dawn of a new age, General. You should count yourself lucky you'll live to see it come." With that, 1138 walked into the lab, grabbed the two cylinders containing the formulas, and began his escape from the facility, killing anyone who got in his way.
Edge of the Si Wong Desert.
Alex Chambers leaned back as he looked out the window of the train, watching as the dunes of the desert rolled by. His arms were draped over the back of the bench like seat, while his legs were crossed as he stretched them out before him. He was wearing an olive drab United Forces patrol cap, a leather duster with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a pair of gray trousers, and a pair of faded and worn black combat boots.
A lit cigarillo hung from the corner of his mouth, a faint trail of blue smoke rolling upward from the glowing orange tip. It had been three months since he'd left Republic City. Alex's sister, Lucy, had left him a vague message, saying she needed his help and instructing her to find at a place called the Rock. Three months of wandering the Earth Kingdom, checking every place that he could think of that had the word rock in the name had left him empty handed. All this time of being on his own left him with two people constantly on his mind.
Asami Sato, and Avatar Korra.
Asami was his long time girlfriend, having been the first person he'd encountered when he'd first arrived in this world about a year ago. They had stayed by each others side all throughout the events of the Anti Bender Revolution. He had reluctantly left the wealthy heiress behind to come on this quest, as she needed to keep her family company afloat.
Then there was Korra. Alex's relationship with the Avatar was...complicated to say the least. They had almost been sworn enemies when they'd first met, and Korra had attempted to kill him on three separate occasions. Despite that, Alex had helped her several times, namely during the events of the Revelation and when she had challenged Amon to a duel. As a result, the Avatar had fallen in love with him, a fact she had confessed just before he'd left.
The truth was that Alex simply didn't know what he felt. He loved Asami without a doubt, but the situation with Korra complicated things considerably. Did he like Korra like that? Was it possible to love two people at once? These were the questions that were going through his mind as he watched the dunes roll past.
The door at the far end of the car suddenly burst open, and several people wearing sandbender grab and goggles stormed in. Each one of them was holding an autocross. Alex watched as they took control of the car, leveling their weapons at the passengers. After a moment, another figure walked in. It was tall, dressed in desert garb, and had a pair of tinted goggles over its eyes. It walked between the seats, studying the passengers as it went.
"Sir, car secure," one of the subordinates reported. The man continued to walk and study in silence. When he reached Alex, he paused. Alex couldn't see the eyes behind the goggles, but his posture didn't change. This wasn't the first masked man he'd faced.
"Military. Bring him," the man said, pointing at Alex before he turned and walking back in the direction he came. Two of the sandbenders leveled their weapons at Alex, motioning for him to stand and follow. Alex raised his hands and stood, following the man out the door and into the spot between cars.
"Sir, valuables recovered," a woman reported.
"Commence fall back," the commander ordered. With that, they jumped from the train. Alex glared at the commander before he was shoved off of the train. He landed in an unorthodox fashion, tumbling uncontrolled through the sand before coming to a halt in an ungraceful heap. With a groan, he sat up and watched as the train continued on its way, like he'd never even been aboard.
Looking down, he realized that the cigarillo he'd been smoking had been badly damaged in his fall. It was little more then a smashed stump now, hanging from the corner of his mouth. With an irritated sigh, he tossed the now useless thing away before getting to his feet.
"Graceful, Oru, real fuckin graceful," he said as he dusted himself off. The man who had been leading the sandbenders on the train came forward, raising the goggles and lowering the face wrap. He was young, not much older then Alex himself. His face was tanned from spending years under the desert sun, but his eyes were a striking blue color. He blinked against the sudden light from the sun and lowered the goggles again.
"We got you out, didn't we? Now the Queen's forces will think you're just another kidnapping victim," came the reply.
"No where in the plan did it say jump from a moving train, Jason," Alex said as he finished dusting himself off.
"We had to improvise. When our targets involve trains, they're usually the military transport type," Jason said. Alex sighed and looked around. Aside from the track, there was nothing but sand in all directions. Alex had met Jason about three months earlier, shortly after he'd left Republic City. He'd been passing through the Misty Palms Oasis when he'd saved a young teenage girl from being harassed by a group of Earth Kingdom soldiers.
The girl, it turned out, was Jason's young adopted sister. When Alex had met Jason, he was surprised to say the least. The other Jason Oru, an alternate version that was Spider-Man in an alternate Republic City, was so similar and yet so different to this version. This Jason was a leader amongst the sandbender tribes, where as the version that Alex had met before had only left Republic City on a few occasions.
Of course, Alex had heard stories revolving around the infamous 'Oru Gang', a band of marauders that had been attacking Earth Kingdom Military transports for months. The newspapers and other media outlets had described the group as little more then a desert gang. What Alex had found was something far more complicated and dangerous.
Jason, as it turns out, was a war chief. Several of the sandbender tribes had allied themselves and started waging a guerrilla war against the tyrannical government of Earth Queen Hou Ting, and they had elected Jason to lead them. The two young men had befriended each other, knowing that there were advantages to keeping each around. Alex's knowledge of technical things was useful to Jason when the tribes encountered a piece of tech they hadn't seen before, and Jason's resources were useful to Alex in his search for his sister.
And then, there were situations like today, where it was useful to both of them.
Jason had recently contacted Alex, asking for his help in an operation against the Earth Kingdom Military. Some kind of research and development was taking place at an instillation on the edge of the desert, and the raiders were going against it. But they had no idea what they would be up against, so Alex was being brought in to help.
"Fort Bosco is forty miles that way," Jason said, pointing out into the desert. Alex grabbed the bill of his hat and pulled it lower onto his head.
"Let's get moving."
Atop Kyoshi Bridge, Republic City.
Jason Oru sat with his legs dangling over the side of the bridge, his feet kicking lazily as he looked down over the piece of paper in his hand. He was on top of one of the support towers of the bridge, his mask lying on the green metal next to him as looked over the items listed on the paper.
"Eggs, check. Bacon, check. Milk, check. Chocolate chips, wait what?" he said to himself before rereading the list, confused. After a second, the young hero smiled to himself. His girlfriend, Akiko, had a massive addiction to chocolate, and this wasn't the first time she'd adjusted the shopping list behind his back.
Folding the piece of paper, Jason tucked it away in his suit before he looked out over the Republic City skyline. A lot had changed in the few weeks that had past since Harmonic Convergence. For one, a good portion of the city was overrun with vines. Not that it made much of a difference to the hero. Nighty nine percent of the time he could easily web swing over the areas that had officially been dubbed the Spirit Wilds.
But it had become a major problem for the rest of the city. Infrastructure of all kinds was interrupted. Public transportation had completely ground to a halt in some areas as trains and trollies couldn't get through. Hundreds, if not thousands of people were forced from their homes and business as the vines overran entire neighborhoods.
Jason wanted to help, but there was next to nothing that he could do. He was a crime fighter, not a spiritual guru or a plant specialist. The closest he'd come was his attempt to save a young United Forces trooper who'd gotten gutsy and taken a flamethrower to the vines. Needless to say, the vines reacted, badly. They'd snatched up the trooper and dragged him into the wilds like something out of an old Foggy Swamp horror story.
Jason had quickly found himself out of his element, and had wound up placing a call to Korra for help. Together, the two had ventured into the wilds and found the trooper, freeing him and returning him to safety. Korra had then issued a reminder to the city that the vines were, at least, somewhat sentient and they would fight back if attacked.
"Hey, Jason," Korra said as she landed on the bridge next to him, folding up her glider with a simple twirl of her hand.
"Hey, Korra. How'd you know I was here?" Jason asked, looking up at her.
"Did you forget? Since the whole thing with Venom I know like everything about you. This is one of the three spots were you do your hero posing," she replied. Jason cocked an eyebrow at her.
"Hero posing?"
"Yeah, you know 'I'm gonna save the city'," she said before striking a pose with her hands on her hips. At that moment a small gust of wind kicked up, billowing the Avatar's pony tails behind her. Jason blinked and sighed.
"Stupid airbending tricks...anyway what's up?" he asked.
"Did you see this?" Korra asked as she handed him a copy of the Republic City Times.
"What, you don't read the Marvel? Korra I'm offended."
"Focus," the Avatar said as she pointed to the front page, her tone making it clear she was serious. Jason began to look over the paper as instructed.
"Avatar and Presidential approval ratings plummet?"
"Below that."
"Twins to share power as Northern Chief?"
"To the right."
"Wanted, companion to go back in time, this is not a joke?" Korra glared at Jason.
"The classifieds aren't even on this page!" Jason shrugged as he looked over the page again. One set of headlines jumped out at him.
"Mysterious death toll climbs to six?" he asked before looking up at Korra with his eyebrow cocked. The Avatar made a rolling motion with her hand, silently telling him to read.
"Authorities remain baffled as another body has turned up under mysterious circumstances. The latest victim, who's identity has not been released, was discovered in the eastern district of Republic City last night. The cause of death appeared to be that the body was drained of energy. Authorities refuse to comment on if they believe this is the act of a serial killer, however they had stressed that this is not the work of Spirits," he read.
"You think it's that Morlun guy?" Korra asked. Jason shook his head as he thought back to the red eyed man that had tried to kill him.
"No. He and his siblings only fed on totems. This one appears to be random at best," he said.
"So what are you gonna do about it?" Jason shrugged as he folded the paper and handed it back to her.
"I don't know. A small newspaper article isn't much of anything to go on. Let me think on it and I'll get back to you," he said.
"Alright, stop by the Island when you got a moment and we'll hang out," Korra said before she dove over the side of the bridge and extended her glider wings. Jason watched her go for a moment as he looked out of the city skyline.
"I do not have a hero pose," he muttered to himself.
Fort Bosco, edge of Si Wong Desert, Earth Kingdom.
"What the hell am I looking at?" Alex asked as he looked through the pair of binoculars. Jason and him were lying prone on top of a sand dune looking down over the military instillation below. It was late dusk, with the sky to their left glowing a deep red and slowly fading into a purple as night settled in.
"From what we could make out it's some kind of transportation experiment," Jason said.
"That explains the airship with all the equipment hanging off of it, any idea on troop numbers?"
"Just the local garrison. The fort is an outpost and refueling station, so it dosn't get a lot of traffic," Jason said as he adjusted a few settings on his goggles, "guess that's why they brought the experiment out here." Alex scanned over the Fort again. It was a single adobe structure surrounded by a ditch with barbed wire and spotlights. An airship with the green colors of the Earth Kingdom military was moored in the side yard next to the facility. Several metal spires resembling Tesla coils spiked upward from the hull of the craft.
"So what's the plan, capture or destroy?" Alex asked.
"Capture would be preferred. I'd at least like to know what Hou-Ting's goons are working on before it gets torched, wouldn't you?" Alex didn't answer as he continued to sweep the compound. He couldn't explain it, but something just felt off. And he'd learned to trust his gut over the past year.
"Does the security seem a little low to you?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. They got a high tech, top secret military research project down there and the only ones guarding it is a maintenance and refueling crew? Doesn't that seem a little sketchy to you?"
"We've been monitoring this place for a few weeks now. The only one that concerns me is the guy next to the fuel tanks there," Jason said. Alex adjusted his binoculars so he could see where his companion was pointing. A large man was standing next to the fuel tanks, his arms folded over his chest as he watched the workers swarm over the airship. He was wearing a dark brown cloak, and metal helmet that enclosed his entire head except for a single slit where the eyes would be. A single metal staff was held at the ready by his side.
"What is that?"
"An Inquisitor. They're elite agents of the Dai Li, and they answer only to the Queen herself," Jason said.
"Bad, I'm guessing."
"I've seen a single Inquisitor wipe out an entire village singlehandedly."
"Yeah. Bad is what I thought. So what's his weakness?" Alex asked as he went back to studying the armored man.
"Come again?"
"Jason come on, you're not an idiot. You guys have to have figured out a way to take them down, otherwise you'd have been wiped off the map by now."
"They're basicly shock troops, they work best when surprise is on their side. Hit them with a surprise attack, force them on the defensive, and pound them everything you've got," Jason instructed. Alex took a deep breath and lowered his binoculars.
"Sounds simple enough. Let's do this before we think about it too much," he said. Jason nodded as he stood and raised a flare gun and pulled the trigger. A red flare shot skyward, bathing the dark area in a crimson light as it went. Instantly the night was filled with yells as men riding sand sailors poured over the ridge. The soldiers turned and ran at the sight, but the Inquisitor stood his ground. He raised his staff before bringing it down in a wood chopping motion. A pillar of sand erupted beneath one of the sand sailors, shattering the craft into a million pieces. He repeated the process again and again, rapidly decimating the attackers.
Alex and Jason charged down the dune, racing to help their companions. As they drew near, Alex thrust out his hand. A bolt of lightning shot outward, straight toward the Inquisitor. Just before it impacted, a strain of sand twisted through the air and intercepted the arc. Molten glass flew everywhere as the bolt dispersed, and the Inquisitor turned toward the charging duo.
Jason raised his autocross and began to squeeze the trigger, but the Inquisitor stood his ground, using the sand to deflect the bolts. Alex continued on, firing arcs as he went. The speed of the Inquisitor's movements increased as he continued to block the incoming attacks. Bits of molten metal and glass raining down on him did little to break his concentration.
Suddenly, he twisted his staff into an upward motion, and the sand beneath Alex's feet exploded. He was launched through the air before slamming into the hull of the airship. Despite his teeth vibrating from the force of the impact, Alex managed to grip a cable and keep from falling to the ground.
"Behind you!" came Jason's shout. Alex managed to swing and dodge as a spike of sand slammed into the hull where he'd been hanging just an instant earlier. The Inquisitor had given up standing his ground and was now solely focused on him.
"I got a terrible idea!" he shouted before kicking out one of the windows onto the bridge of the airship and swinging inside. He wasn't exactly sure how airships worked, but he knew enough to at least get one moving. Throwing levers and pulling on handles, Alex was quite pleased with himself when he saw that the airship was starting to lift off.
Until the sound of metal being torn from metal reached his ears.
Turning, Alex found that the Inquisitor had torn the hatchway onto the bridge from its hinges, and the armored man was now advancing on him at a steady pace. Seeing a big red button on the console, Alex slammed his fist down on it before turning and delivering a powerful blast of lightning from his hands. The Inquisitor cried out in pain as the electricity flowed into him, blinding him, weakening him.
After a moment, Alex released his torrent of lightning before charging forward. He leapt up, gripped a pipe that ran along the ceiling, and used the swinging momentum to plow both of his feet into the Inquisitor's chest. The armored man was forced backwards out the door, just as the area around the airship exploded with an emerald green light.
Kyoshi Bridge.
"Alright, time to actually make a difference," Jason said as he stood and pulled his mask on. Just as the wall crawler prepared to jump from his perch, what sounded like an explosion erupted from behind him. He turned, just in time to see an airship appear out of an emerald green flash in the sky. The airship itself was green, adorned with Earth Kingdom military insignias, and it was on fire with an oily black trail of smoke behind it.
As the airship passed over the bridge, just barely missing the suspension wires, Jason saw a figure leap from the craft and grab onto the cables. The airship continued on, splashing down into the bay. Jason watched this happen before he began to make his way out to the figure. It was wearing a brown duster and an olive drab patrol cap, and it was watching the sinking wreck of the airship rather then paying attention to its surroundings.
"Man, I hope you got some serious insurance," he said, getting the figure's attention. The figure's head snapped toward him, and Jason's eyes grew to the size of saucers under the mask. It was Alex Chambers, someone he'd thought he'd never see again. He'd changed a little since the last time Jason had seen him. Some facial hair had grown out on his cheeks and jawline, the result of not having touched a razor in a while. Overall he looked more dust covered and worn then before.
"Hey, Jason. Probably not something you hear everyday, but did you find your version of me yet?" Alex asked. Jason fought the urge to facepalm.
His life had just gotten even more complicated.
And done. Now, I have some announcements to make. Chain Lightning's sequel will be released sometime this month if everything goes smoothly. That story will contain references to this one as it takes place about three months down the road. However, you will not need to read this one to understand that one, although reading this one won't hurt.
But, other then that, please feel free to review or send a PM either to Conner or myself. Let us know what you liked or didn't like, even ask a question if you're confused on something. Till next time!
