Unstoppable!
Chapter Ten
"Bastion, thanks for coming," Spider-man said. They were on the roof of the building where they had first met. Harry had to use a trick with levitation he had been practicing. He cast the charm on a steel rod and lifted it into the air. As long as he hung on to the rod, he would float with it. It was slow and it took a fair bit of power. He figured that if Ron could levitate a hundred pound troll's club at age eleven, Harry could lift his own weight now. Luckily, he did not tire, even when constantly casting. He was able to levitate himself up to the roof. It was not flying, but it was better than nothing. He started keeping the rod in his bottomless pouch.
"You said you needed my help?"
"I've got a magical problem and Doc is AWOL. I know of a few other magical folk, but I think this may be up your alley."
"What is it?"
"There's this witch, Calypso. She was the girlfriend of an old enemy of mine. He died and she blames me. She's tried to kill me before. This time she has gathered three really bad guys and they've kidnapped the publisher of the Daily Bugle. They say that if I don't fight them, to the death, in Times Square tomorrow at noon, they'll kill him on live TV. Now I am not a big fan of J. Jonah. And I am really not a fan of dying. So I need to do something about this."
"How can I help?"
"She is calling them the Fatal Four, which really has to be chapping Ben Grimm's rocky butt. Her three bad guys are Rhino – Hulk class strongman with the brains of a can of split pea soup … Demogoblin – demonic version of my old pal the Hobgoblin … and Vermin – nasty wererat with the manners of a rabid badger. I can take any one or probably two of these guys pretty easily. But all of them, with Calypso casting her whammy at the same time, is more than I want to risk. I want you to either stop her magic, and maybe Demogoblin's. Or you can try to go head to head with Rhino and/or Vermin. Rhino may be stronger than you, and Vermin is a nasty fast fighter, though I am not sure he can actually damage you."
Harry and Spider-man took some time to strategize. Harry mentioned some of his magical abilities of which Spider-man was unaware. "Hitting them with a spell when they see it coming is going to be difficult. I know you have good reflexes, but two of these guys have super speed." The web-slinger even swung Harry over to a roof overlooking Times Square so they could get a better lay of the land. The swinging session was more exciting than the mine carts in Gringotts. "You get any heavier and you're gonna snap my web. So stop growing, kid."
As they were getting ready to split up at the end of the evening, Spider-man gave Harry a radio. "Use this to tell me when you're in positon. You'll need to be there by 11:30 at the latest. If something goes wrong, let me know and I'll wing it. If that happens, just jump in where you can. If you can get Jameson out of there, that should be your top priority. Got it?"
"Yeah."
"Nervous?"
"A bit. I've been in a lot of fights but this is the first time I've ever planned to deliberately start a battle. It takes some getting used to."
"We are not starting this. They did when they took Jameson. Our job's to protect people, and if we can, to catch bad guys. I'd be more than happy if no one throws a punch tomorrow, as long as innocents stay safe."
"Right," Harry agreed. It was still unsettling. I guess this is part of the whole costume thing.
Harry let his boss know he would not be at work the next morning. He left word with Wong for Doctor Strange as to what he was doing, in case anything went wrong. With that, he took the subway to Times Square. He got there at 9am and settled in to a local café to have a nice cup of tea and wait for the clock to tick by. At 10:30 police started to clear the area, blocking off the streets and closing the subway station. Harry slipped into a secluded spot behind a dumpster and threw on his invisibility cloak. He switched in to his costume and made his way to the location he and Spider-man had agreed he would hide, on top of the TKTS ticket booth, partially hidden by the white and red banners. It gave him a somewhat elevated view, yet allowed him to be close to the Father Duffy statue. Spider-man thought the symbolism of that statue would be too much for a religiously fixated madwoman like Calypso to pass up. Harry radioed two clicks followed by two more to let his partner know he was in place.
It turned out Spider-man was right. Just before noon, a portal opened just in front of the statue. Five figures came out. Calypso was a beautiful dark Afro-Caribbean woman wearing wisps of leather, fur, and silk that emphasized rather than concealed her figure. She carried a bag over one shoulder and fetish in her hand. She was followed by Rhino, a huge man in a grey rhino suit, complete with twin horns on his forehead. An older man in trousers and a waistcoat came next. His eyes seemed blank and he shambled rather than walked. Harry recognized him as J. Jonah Jameson, the publisher and Spider-man's harshest public critic. The newspaperman was followed by a flaming demon, crouched on a flying platform, also made of flames - Demogoblin. Harry could feel the heat from yards away, which was odd as he did not feel the heat of the burning building he had been in the month before. Hellfire the wall-crawler had called it. Harry had no idea how much damage it could do him. Vermin was the last out of the portal. He was a dirty creature that looked like a cross between Professor Lupin in his werewolf form and Peter Pettigrew in his human(ish) form – a hairy humanoid in dirty green trousers.
"Bind him to the cross," the dark witch ordered, pulling a long chain out of her bag. Rhino pulled the statue off its pedestal, tossing it across the street. Harry winced at the wanton destruction. Jameson climbed onto the stone plinth on his own then Vermin twined the chain around the older man as he stood passively against the Celtic cross.
Police surrounded the square and started closing in once the bad guys made their appearance. Demogoblin took a quick turn around the square, casting fire that burned on the concrete, defining an arena for the upcoming battle. The police stopped at the line of fire and started yelling on their bull horns. Calypso, standing on the stone platform in front of the cross like it was a stage, rattled her fetish in all four directions and silence descended on the square. "Cease your prattling. I'm not here for you. I'm here for the cowardly spider. Come out little insect. Prepare to be crushed by the Fatal Four."
Harry shook his invisible head. Who writes their lines?
With a Thwip a strand of webbing shot overhead, attaching to a building, and Spider-man swung in the square. "You know, of course, that spiders aren't insects. More bad guys make that mistake than almost any other. I blame it on the rotten bad guy training schools you all go to."
"You came!" Demogoblin cried. "I never thought you'd be so stupid. We are gonna roast you alive!"
"Tear you apart!"
"Smash you flat!"
"Consume your very soul!" Calypso finished. Zombie Jameson had nothing to add.
"Ooohhh … scary!" the wall-crawler quipped. "So I'm here. Why don't you let Bugle Boy toddle of to the old editor's home and we can work this out like the reasonable … beings? ... I know we all are?"
"No. We're going to kill him in front of all these people, just to show the world that you can't stop us." Calypso taunted.
"But we're gonna kill you first." Vermin sneered.
"And it's gonna be a fair fight. We're not gonna make you lie down and take it. We want you to try and stop us." Rhino added. Harry thought he might be reminding the others of that.
"If you want the old man, all you have to do is stop all four of us in the next five minutes." The venom in the flying fiend's voice was palpable. "Tick tock Spidey. You wanna talk or you wanna fight. Tick Tock!" Demogoblin tossed a spread of three flaming pumpkin grenades, bracketing Spider-man. The fight was on.
Spidey dodged in the only open direction, flipping away from the explosions. Vermin had anticipated this and pounced on him, claws out to rend flesh. Almost impossibly the webbed wonder twisted to avoid the blow, knocking the were-rodent back in the process.
Rhino lined up for a charge. Spider-man dodged at the last second, letting the pernicious pachyderm slam in the platform on which Calypso was standing. The stone cracked and the witch was thrown from her feet. Looks like my cue, Harry thought.
While Spider-man kept the Feckless Four busy Harry banished his cloak into his pouch and jumped to the back of the cross. He enlarged the chains so they fell off rather than risk injuring Jameson while using his strength to snap them. The newspaperman started attacking Harry. A quick "Petrificus Totalus!" stopped him. Harry pulled the paralyzed publisher away from the platform.
Calypso cast a coral colored spell which hit Harry. The young wizard felt the witch's mental tendrils trying to crack the shields provided by Doctor Strange's amulet. Harry pushed to get her out of his head. He could feel her break through the amulets protection. Come, my pretty. Listen to my voice. Calypso laid her delicate hand on his chest. Give me the old man. This is not your fight. Just walk away. Harry thought that sounded reasonable. This wasn't his fight. He didn't need to be here. He started to step away from Jameson. Then he heard another voice in his head. It sounded a bit like his bushy haired best friend. What are you thinking? This is your fight because you chose to stand with your friend. You can't let him down like this. Now wake up!
Harry snapped out of Calypso's control and lashed out with a quick Stunning Spell. She batted it out of the way with the fetish in her hand. "No, you can't take me so easily boy. I know your magic. Latin charms and hexes are no match for my power."
She hefted her fetish and cast a purple spell at Harry. He cast a quick "Protego!" blocking it. She followed with three more spells. Harry's shield held through two then shattered. The sickly yellow spell splashed acid against his chest, eating away at his costume but leaving his skin untouched. Harry stepped towards her and she produced a crystalline dagger. It glinted red in the noon sun. Harry cast a Disarming Charm which caught her hand, sending the dagger flying towards him and her summersaulting back.
Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Demogoblin flying towards Jameson, who lay paralyzed on the ground. Harry stepped between them and cast a shield. "Get the old man!" the demon cried and ripped off a burst of hellfire which shattered the shield and washed against Harry. It hurt, a lot. Harry reached out and grabbed the chain he had enlarged earlier. He whipped it towards the flying fiend, catching him as he moved past, sending him crashing into the ticket booth.
Vermin screeched, "Kill them to hurt the spider." The ratman sprang for the publisher, but webs snagged him out of the air and pulled him away. Harry saw Rhino charging towards the paralyzed man. The young wizard grabbed Jameson and, knowing a simple Shield Charm had no chance against the charging powerhouse, called forth the Scarlet Shield of Cyttorak. The more powerful shield stopped the Rhino, but shattered in the process.
Harry saw Calypso recovering and Demogoblin rising out of the ruin of the ticket office. He invoked another ruby shield and hunkered down with Jameson, trying to protect the publisher. Exploding pumpkins and multicolored spells crashed against the barrier. Rhino and Vermin pounded on it. It was holding, but barely. Spider-man took the opportunity to go on the offensive. He cocooned Calypso and knocked Demogoblin off his flyer. This caught the other villains' attention and they all turned to attack the web-singer. Harry tried to carry Jameson away, but he could not get him past the wall of flames. He was not willing to assume that a Flame Freezing Charm would work against Hellfire.
Having just freed the witch, Vermin bounded across the square towards Harry. The wizard snapped off a lighting quick Tripping Jinx, the fastest spell he knew. It caught the rodent in midstride causing him to stumble. The nimble creature turned his fall into a roll across the concrete. Harry saw Rhino coming and tried the same spell. It washed across the grey skin with no effect. Harry dodged out of the way of the Rhino's charge. "Spidey, this isn't working. It's a stalemate as long as we have to protect Jameson."
Spider-man dodged a fireball and a flying snake. "I can get him out of here if you can tie up Demogoblin for a few seconds."
"Right, swap." Harry threw the paralyzed fellow to Spider-man who caught him while in mid-swing. As the web-slinger tried to get away, the wizard grabbed the chain again and swung it at the demon as it reformed its flying sled. Harry managed to entangle the Demogoblin, who proved much stronger than anticipated. He tried to wrench free from Harry's grasp. The chain snapped.
The sudden release of tension caused Harry to stumble off balance. That is when Rhino caught him with a roundhouse punch. Pain blossomed across Harry's jaw. The young wizard went flying backwards, smashing into a van parked at the side of the square, though still inside the will of flame. The metal crumpled around him, trapping him momentarily. Ow! I thought I was invulnerable? Harry mused. When he managed to unpeel the van from his body he saw Vermin crouching over him. The were-rat lashed out, raking Harry with his claws. More of the wizard's colorful costume was ripped away. But Harry felt nothing. He tried batting the nuisance away, but the rat was too fast. Harry ignored him and started casting curses at the Demogoblin, who either batted them away or absorbed them with no noticeable damage.
Finally, Harry called on the Crimson bands of Cyttorak to bind his foe. These conjurations the demon could not ignore. The bands wrapped around the burning being and caused him to crash into the unforgiving concrete pavement. Harry saw the Rhino moving into another charge. Knowing that as Cyttorak's Avatar he was unstoppable as long as he was moving, Harry started running full power towards the charging villain.
The collision was epic. The shockwave knocked over every vehicle and person in the square. Windows for blocks around shattered and the Hellfire barrier was snuffed out. Of the two gargantua that collided, only the unstoppable one continued forward. The Rhino was sent flying backwards. He crashed through three buildings before landing in a donut shop. Harry continued moving, though much more slowly. His costume was in tatters, even his Unbreakable Charms having been overcome. A quick "Reparo!" on his mask maintained his identity at least.
Harry moved towards Demogoblin, the next most dangerous of the foursome. On the way he saw Calypso was down for the moment, stunned by the shockwave. The demon was still bound by the Crimson Bands. After a quick check Vermin was nowhere to be seen. Harry quickly stunned the dark witch. Before he could figure out how to deal with the bound demon, Spider-man returned to direct the NYPD's special task force officers to take the two villains into custody.
"Teach your grandmother to suck eggs, web-head," was the nice squad leader's pithy reply. It turned out that both Vermin and Rhino had gotten away, the later with two dozen crullers.
"Bastion, all this destruction looks like a job for Damage Control, don't you think?" Harry did not appreciate the web-slinger's joke. He hoped that no one in the damaged buildings had gotten hurt. He also had no idea who would pay for the repairs.
"I've got to get out of here," Harry said. "I'm not sure how much longer these rags will hold up."
"Ok, I'll meet you back at your place," Spider-man replied. "And thanks for this. You did great."
That was the last of Bastion's superheroic exploits that summer. Spider-man had debriefed him after the battle. Jameson was unharmed; though the whole misadventure had given him new ammunition in his ongoing crusade against the Spider Menace. People all over the country had seen Bastion on live television as several news crews had managed to set up in time to capture the whole battle. Not many super brawls were fought in such a public venue and with a known time schedule. The Fatal Four had wanted lots of publicity for their defeat of Spider-man. They got the publicity, just not quite the way they wanted it. "Now that you've had your television debut, reporters all over the city are wondering who Bastion is. They want a story and if you're not going to give them one, they'll likely make up their own."
"No, publicity is not really something I'm looking for. I'm not sure this costumed crimefighter thing is going to work for me. It may be best if I quietly exit the country, for a while at least. Maybe I'll be back next summer."
"Your choice. I won't try to talk you into staying. I know you have things to do back home. But you're always welcome here. Don't forget there are supers in Britain too. Here is a card for Excalibur. They're active over there and might want your help. Or you can call on them if you need their help. Just tell them Spidey sent you."
"I might have one favor to ask you."
"What's that?"
"Doctor Strange is still out of the dimension or some such so he can't teleport me back to Britain. Do you know of anyone that can arrange a way for me to get home? I'm too heavy to fly commercial and I can't afford a charter. I could go surface ship, but don't know how to arrange that. Any suggestions?"
That was how, two weeks later Harry found himself in an X-Men Blackbird, once more dressed in his Bastion attire to preserve his identity, roaring across the Atlantic. A blue furred man who went by the name Beast sat at the controls. A beautiful British Asian woman called Psylocke kept Harry company in the passenger seats.
"I have stabilized the platform to compensate for your mass. I can understand your reticence to use commercial travel options," said Beast. His voice was cultured and his vocabulary both lyrical and polysyllabic. It reminded Harry of Hermione when she forgot she was speaking with pre-teens. "May I inquire as to how you came to find yourself on our fair shores?"
"Doctor Strange did me a favor and brought me to the U.S. magically. Unfortunately he's not available and I need to return for some pressing engagements," Harry equivocated. By mentioning the Sorcerer Supreme, he hoped to establish some much-needed credibility with these known heroes. Beast had been both and X-man and an Avenger over the years. He was probably the most respected member of the mutant team.
"Would these engagements be of the costumed variety?"
"If so, you may want to look up my brother if you need help." Psylocke's voice was soft and her accent posh. Harry wondered where she was from originally and how she ended up with the X-Men.
"Your brother?" Harry asked.
"Captain Britain," she replied. "He mostly works with Excalibur these days. They're the premier UK based super team."
"Spider-man gave me a contact for them." Harry pulled the card out of his pouch and showed it to her. She took it and wrote another number on it.
"That's the Captain's direct number and my code. He will know I gave it to you. If you'd like I'll be meeting with him tomorrow. I can arrange an introduction."
Harry thought for a moment. "I don't plan on getting involved in any super doings while in Britain. It's more of something I fell into in New York. Sort of a 'when in Rome' kind of thing. I want to keep a much lower profile at home."
She gazed at Harry. The silence stretched then she replied, "Not everyone has that option. However, if that's your desire and you can pull it off, good for you. If not, don't be afraid to ask for help. Too many people in this business feel that have to save the world by themselves. That's the strength of being on a team, or at least having friends. There are fewer of us than there are of them so we have to help each other when we can."
"So what do you enjoy doing when out of costume, Bastion?" Beast changed the topic. They spent the rest of the flight trading simple stories and amusing anecdotes.
Harry deplaned in a field outside Bath. It was the evening of August 18th. He walked into town and took a room at a bed and breakfast. He wandered the old Roman city for two days, enjoying the architecture and the history. He phoned Hermione to let her know he was back in the country and they arranged to meet at the Burrow the next day. That morning, he traveled by Britrail to Ottery St. Catchpole in the Blackdown Hills of Devon. Harry knew Hermione would be travelling by the Knight Bus, but he enjoyed the slower pace of the more mundane train. Hermione met him at the village's small station. They hugged.
"Oh Harry. It feels like it's been so long."
"I called you weekly."
"I know but it's not the same. I finally saw the footage from your battle in Times Square." She started to pound on his shoulder. "Don't do that. You could really have been hurt. Rhino and Demogoblin are really dangerous."
"The big guy sure packed a wallop. Still, it was good for me to learn that there are people out there stronger and tougher than I am. I think I was getting cocky." They talked as they walked towards the Burrow. Harry carried Hermione's bag. "Where's Hedwig?"
"I sent her to Ron with the message we'd be there today and asked him to watch her overnight. It's funny, even with Hedwig I've not corresponded with Ron as much this summer as I have in the past."
"He did invite us to the World Cup. That should be very interesting."
"I am looking forward to it. Not so much for the sport," Harry smiled. Hermione blushed. "But the opportunity to see and interact with people from all over the world is too valuable to miss. Just think of the different sorts of magic we might see. That Calypso woman you fought is probably just a regular witch who studied under an Afro-Caribbean tradition rather than a Latinate tradition like Hogwarts. Her magic was different, but not as different as the sorcery you have shown me."
"Whatever she was, she knows a lot more magic than I do."
"She's older than you and has probably been studying much longer. Despite your individual achievements, you're still only a fourth year, and not really that for another two weeks."
"I can always count on you to bring me back to Earth."
"Harry…"
The Burrow was less than a mile out of the village. Harry was shocked at the house. It looked like an old farmhouse that had been added onto and upfrom almost at random. It was obviously held together by magic. Harry was surprised it was even allowed in a mixed magical/mundane environment. It was at least six stories tall. In the back, Harry spotted the tips of a set of Quidditch hoops. Slowly Harry started to grin. "This is the best house I've ever seen."
Ron opened the door and raced out to see his friends. "Harry! Hermione. You got here. You didn't take the floo. Did you use the Knight Bus? I hate that thing. I always end up queasy after riding it."
"Nah, we walked." Harry deadpanned.
"What!" Ron reacted. Hermione giggled.
"Ron, we walked from the train station in the village. I took the Knight Bus, and you are right about the queasy feelings. Harry took the train."
"Why'd you travel muggle, mate?"
"How is the West of England Main Line any more 'muggle' than the Hogwarts Express?"
"Well…I don't know. It's not magical, is it?"
Hermione dragged the boys into the house. Mrs. Weasley wrapped both newcomers in warm hugs. "Harry, the Headmaster was looking for you again. He was upset you were not with your relatives." Rather than argue. Harry pulled his permission note from his pouch.
To whom it may concern,
Harry Potter has our permission to be away from our home for as long as he wants. It is alright if he never comes back.
Signed,
His Guardians,
Vernon & Petunia Dursley
Mrs. Weasley read it with a rapidly darkening pallor to her face. "Well I never …"
"They don't like me. They don't want me there. And I don't want to be there, Mrs. Weasley." She grabbed him and hugged him tightly.
"It's alright Harry. We want you." She crooned.
"What I don't understand is why the Headmaster wants me to go back. He said something about protective magics, but they're gone."
"I'm sure he's just thinking of what's best for you, Harry," Mrs. Weasley reassured him. Harry said nothing. He was not so certain anymore, but had no proof. He honestly hoped she was right. Fred and George came clattering down the stairs and the morning turned chaotic.
The twins offered the three friends some special sweets. Upon eating them Hermione turned in to a human sized canary. Ron's tongue grew to ten times its normal length, flopping down in front of his chest. Both started protesting unintelligibly. After a few seconds, Hermione molted and turned back into herself. Ron had to get his tongue fixed by his oldest brother Bill.
"Still working on that change back timing," Twin One said.
"The question is why didn't Harry's hair catch on fire," Twin Two remarked.
"Hair catch on fire? That is much too dangerous to be messing about with. Upstairs the both of you. You'll be de-gnoming the garden until after your NEWTS!" Mrs. Weasley ranted. After that, Harry and Hermione were introduced to Ron's two oldest brothers, Bill and Charlie. They all, even the twins, spent the day outdoors, catching up with each other, playing Quidditch, and generally enjoying a warm summer day.
The next day they got up early to catch a portkey to the Quidditch World Cup.