"Listen Terry, I don't have time to explain it all, but Williams in trouble. Proteus got to him."

"I know, me and Max just watched it."

"Well then you know why I'm here, we need to save him before it's too late."

"Before what's too late?"

Jay gave Terry a knowing look, the kind of look that said it all in a nutshell.

Terry's heart skipped a beat. "Is he going to…"

"It's a possibility, if we don't do something fast." Jay had been seeing possible futures for days now, and his options were growing smaller and smaller as time passed, and not for the better. "Terry listen; I know where to find William but I need help."

Terry's face took on the batman trademark expression. "Count me in."

"Good, now well need some muscle, does Bruce have something in this bat cave that can give us the edge."

Terry was shocked that Jay knew about Bruce, not shocked enough to ask how while Will's life was on the line, but enough to note it as a topic of conversation to get back too.

"Bruce always has something to give him the edge, but if these people are as powerful as Bruce led me to believe then we're going to need a lot more than the latest toy."

"I take it you got an idea." Jay said knowing full well that Terry had something in mind.

Terry pulled out his vid-phone. "Hey Match I need your help."

"Sure anything." Match paused as he saw the lump hunched over on his vid-phone. "Umm… Is that max's I see slumped over in the background?"

"No" said Jay knowing that Terry wouldn't be able to say it with confidence.

"I can magnify my vision." Match said as a matter of fact. "Terry?"

Terry sighed. "Yes, but…"

"Why is my girlfriend passed out in the bat cave?"

"Its a long story and one I'll tell you in full detail, but first I need you to get over here as fast as you can and… hello, hello, match."

A gust of wind zipped past Jay and Terry. Followed by a voice and a blond that hovered over max. "So explain." Match gave Max a slight nudge to wake her, but nothing.

"She'll be out for a while." Explained Jay. "But right now we have to go, believe me she's ok."

"Wake her up!" Match gave Jay a stern expression.

"Fine, but she doesn't get to come with us." Stated Jay.

Prim stood in the shadows and watched his minions assemble, but he was waiting for one person in particular. It would be a few hours before all was ready, the akashic circles still needed to be drawn, Stark was still assembling the main component to the reality converter and his ultimate weapon was not quite done.

"Sir."

Prim waved Stark forward. "What?"

"The nanites are ready and the test subject is…" Stark smiled "in place." He never really like fish boy anyway. "Now just to go over the process. The nanites are from the time traveling killing machine, Fury of the parallel earth 238, they have been upgraded and modified as per your specifications, using the Brainiac technology and the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak is set in place. So the DNA machine is; as I said, ready."

"Good then lets begin." Grind Prim. All was falling into place. There had been a few setbacks but for the most part things were going well.

"Let me pass you fool." Proteus shoved the man aside with his mind. "I swear that man's an idiot."

Prim looked down from his spot in the shadows, eyeing the commotion. "Have you got it." this was the last piece he needed.

"Yes" I got it. Thought Proteus. All the powers of the mind gem under my control.

"Good" chimed in Stark who was walking alongside Prim. "Give it to me, I'll hand it to Strange on the way."

"You and him might have to modify that toy of yours, because the boy is the gem. Now I'll do what ever you need me to do…"

"You're not going to like what I have in mind." Said Stark just before hitting Proteus with a stun gun. "Some Psion." Smirked Stark as he watched Proteus sank to the ground.

"You." Prim pointed to one of the many lackeys. "Bring him to strange and tell him that he's the gem."

"Son of a bitch!" gasped Proteus as darkness obscured his sight. He wasn't use to being the one forced into a blackout.

Willie could see his captor taking form and looking around. "It's not all it's cracked up to be is it."

Proteus turned to see Willie standing in the middle of a dark room. Proteus sighed and clenched his fist, well there wasn't much he could do from in here, and he'd have to wait until he woke up. "well you still have some spunk left in you, Good; cause I have some time too kill and I remember making you a Promus." Proteus liked his lips and took a step forward.

With a wave of his hand he changed the scene of the room and everything in it. Where it was dark and empty it was now filled with red candles and wight orchids. Willie was in a lavishing hotel room some sixty odd floors off the ground, and nothing but green rolling hills and star filled sky's could be seen out the window. Proteus took another step closer and Michael Buble's feeling good begun to fill the air. He was now standing in the light; his green eyes a contrast to his semi dark red hair, a tight red and black sleeveless shirt with loose matching pajama pants, materialized on him. Even Willie couldn't deny that the psycho had good taste, the cut fit Proteus lean frame all too well. "So, about that spunk." Proteus bridged the gap between himself and Willie, crushing Will to the wall with his chest.

And that was the last straw for a one Mr. William S Watts. "Oh yeah, I still have some spunk." Willie was tired of getting kicked around, bullied and berated. He got enough of that in the real world, he'd be damned if he was about to let it happen to him in his own head.

Without further thought he raised his knee. In one swift action, Knee connected with groin, groin protested in pain, followed by a fettle position, hands cupping balls and a god awful roar filled the room. Willie hated to do it and he knew as a man he'd committed some cardinal sin via the man rule, but he was done being the punching bag. For once he was going to do the punching are in his case the kicking.

"Ahhhgggg… You're so dead." Proteus pounded the ground with his fist, making it quake. The beautiful orchid and candle visage crumbled away, leaving a maze of doors steps and fire pits. It was a cross between M.C. Escher relativity painting and something out of Dante's inferno, and as Proteus started to get up fist balled and waves of lord knows what pulsing from his body –Willie thought to himself- running wasn't quite a bad idea. Will turned and ran. Jay if you're out there and you can hear me, please get me out of here.

Bruce tried to contact Terry again and still got no answer. "Something's wrong. Emma do you think you can…"

"I can try." She smiled at the turn of events. Emma sat in the back of Bruce's tricked out Limo, while Hank was at the keypad calling in back up. She cleared her mind and let her power rise to the surface, then she begun to focus that power on Terry. Her vision started to clear and she could see, Terry, Joshua and another boy who's named she picked up to be Corbin. "They're going after William."

"They?" both Bruce and Hank replied.

"Terry, Joshua and some boy named Corbin."

Bruce grunted, as much as he wanted to go after Terry, there were other things that needed to be done. His intel from Phantom said that Prim was going to make his move tonight and Haden vaguely remembered images of a landing strip. There were only fourteen landing strips in Gotham and seven of them were for commercial traffic. He was willing to bet that Prim was hiding his operation in plain sight. "Hank look over all the shipment logs, see if you find anything. Emma, talk to the staff find out what you can. I have an Airport to buy."

"Now's not really the best time to go shopping."

Piotr had been his usual quiet self, and Bruce had almost forgot the big man was even in the limo. "Now's the perfect time to go shopping…" Bruce lamented.

"I know, they let prospective buyers explore the place. I was joking with you Mr. Wayne."

The big guy was smarter then he looked thought Bruce as the car pulled up to the airport.

"You have no idea." Sais Emma as she walked pass. Leaving Bruce to wonder if she read his mind and how was she capable of doing so.

Tony had just finished strapping an unconscious Namor into the chair. The bans where mad of adamantium silk, so Tony was confident that Namor wasn't going anywhere.

"ok, do it." Tony waved a hand to one of the techs in the room and soon after the machine started up.

Namor begun to wake up and tugged at his bands. "What's going on?"

"You betrayed us." Tony said flatly. "So were using you as the test subject, if it works's you won't remember a thing you'll be obedient and perfect, and if it doesn't…" he smiled.

Prim looked at Namor. "From what I gather this is going to be painful. First all the realities of yourself will come crashing into you, then the nanites will get rid of all the junk DNA and amplify your new powers, and the gem will give you the body to house such raw power, of cores I added a mind altering agent into your nanites, just as a precaution."

The machine fired up and Namor screamed. "Aaagggg" after a few seconds it was all over.

"That it?" said Prim.

"What, you were looking for something more flashy?"

"I just thought there would be more of a light show, what's happening to him"

Stark turned to look at Namor, who was growing younger by the moment. "What a fortunate side effect."

"He looks so young."

Tony checked the reading. "His brain patterns have changed, that's not our Namor, but the process seemed to work, I think I know what went wrong but I'll have to double check. But first." Tony walked over to the computer and punched in a few codes. "Now listen to me, you are Amron Stark my loving and obedient son."

Amron took in the room before speaking. "Am I sick."

Tony could see why he would come to that conclusion; this did look somewhat like a medical facility. Tony watched in amazement as Amron teleported out of his confinements.

"I don't feel sick."

"You're cured son.' said Stark with a satisfied smile.

"Enough of this." Prime stalked forward and grabbed Stark by the neckline, but before he could hall him into the air a strong grip clasped over his wrist, the sounds of cracking bones could be heard and just as swiftly as Amron had moved he had tossed Prim into the adjacent wall.

"Don't you dear touch my father."

"It seems I have the upper hand now, wouldn't you say Prim."

"You're making a mistake boy and so are you Mr. Stark"

Prim stood to his feet and pushed one of the many buttons on his belt. The building begun to fill with yellow light and a voice was heard over the intercom. "We're ready to begin."

"Go on and start" Smiled prim. "I'll be there soon and Mr. Stark won't be joining us." The static like voice of an almost comprehendible yes sir was mingled with an order of kill him. Prim smiled.

Emma, Bruce, Hank and Piotr went about their prospective duties. Emma's mental scans uncovered some names and even a few people who might even work for prim but for the most part their minds were shielded, she hoped Hank had better luck.

Hank was getting nowhere, the airports firewalls were more complexes then they should be. If he was going to get anywhere with this he'd have to do it from one of central computer and that meant getting inside. Not that anyone would question a big blue beast fingering away on a keyboard. Hank sighed and got out of the limo.

"I thought you were working on hacking into the system."

Hank was slightly startled by the Russians deep voice. "I can't hack my way in from here." He stated after a short moment. "I'll have to do it from the inside."

Ha! Chuckled the big man as he looked hank over.

"I know, I thought the same thing but it can't be helped." Frowned Hank

Piotr sighed. "So what's the plan."

"Honestly; I was hoping you'd come up with something." admitted hank.

Piotr wasn't surprised, hank had always made it clear that he respected his insight and out of the box thinking. Now they could use some of that out of the box thinking to get thing rolling.

"I think I have an idea, c'mon." and with that the two were off.

Jay could feel will calling out to him in panic. It had been several hours and he hadn't had any of the medicine Hank had made for him. He was growing weaker not mentally but physically, however where his physical weakened his mental powers strengthened. "I'm coming Will and with help; just hold on I'll be with you soon."

"Can you feel him, is he near!"

"Calm down Terry and give the guy a chance to speak."

Terry glared at Match who only looked amused and slightly sympathetic before turning his attention back to Jay.

With labored breath Jay responded. "He's scared…and…" Jay's breathing was becoming shallower.

"And!"

"And he's exhausted Terry, look at him. The guy was half dead when he looked healthy."

"And… We're… too late."

For the first time Terry allowed himself a good look at Jay, the guy was handsome even while knocking on deaths door, and there was something about him that reminded him of Willie at the moment. I could have been how jay was trying to consul him while he was in obvious pain.

"It's ok Match… Terry's…scared too." Jay looked at Terry with a fading smile. "We'll… get… Him back Terry… it's not… too late for… that."

Terry noted the blood pooling at Jays back. "What's…"

No time to explain

Both Terry and Corbin heard Jays voice, even though his mouth didn't move.

I can feel him now, he needs us they all need us.

One landscape faded to another, like that of water over glass and they were no longer outdoors where they had once been but inside a hanger bay.

Terry I'll find Willie, where he is you can't help. Match see if you can reverse what the Dark Illuminati has started but don't engage Prim, and Terry pleas stay with my body I'll be near death when I come too and I don't want to die alone.

"You're not going to Die Jay. Not alone." The alarm signifying that there were intruders had went off a split second later, and all hell broke loss.

Corbin AKA Match had known right where to go and the fastest what to get there, thanks to Jay and a little mental guidance. What he wasn't prepared for was the sight before him. There were men standing before him. Most of them should have been dead and some just shouldn't have been there at all. Match was shocked these where all the faces of good men and woman. Professor Charles Xavier, Reed Richards, Doctor Strange, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, Hal Jordan and more. So many faces, so many heroes.

"What's going on?" Match couldn't believe what he was seeing. They were all chanting; flashes of light filled the room and with each flash things faded or came into being.

Mentally Jay followed Match showing him where to go and what to do, he knew that Willies body would be at the center of all this chaos and he had been right. Willie was in the middle of the ritual symbol surrounded by six gems.

Jays ethereal body raced forward he could feel Wills anguish thicker now, then ever before. Jay jumped into Will's glowing body, for the first time truly becoming one.

Terry watched as Jays eyes snapped open.

"We are one."

Terry could her two voice both Joshua's and Williams. But he hadn't much time to question it before the door behind him opened to show a few guards.

Willie was Just out of places to run, he had gone through door after door trying to mislead and out run Proteus and somehow the very door he was trying to keep Proteus from he'd managed to find.

"No don't!" Willie lunged forward, doing his best to get to the door in time to shut it, but that was not the case. Willie sunk to his knees as the door flew open.

A bright light spilled out of the doorway, followed by a pulse of energy that knocked Proteus back, and Willie knew in that moment that he wasn't alone.

We are one now. Thought Willie to himself as he saw Jays outlined figure in the doorway.

We've been one for sometime now.

Proteus got to his feet and dusted off. His face was contorted with anger and he was non too happy about being punched around.

"What did I tell you William, you're not strong enough to stop me."

"But we are."

Proteus's head snapped back to the door he was thrown from. "Who are you?" he bellowed. "Show yourself!"

There was a command to his voice that under other circumstances would have been enticing.

Jay stepped forward and shut the door behind him.

"Joshua." The voice was lighthearted now. "You think you can stop me. I've repaired myself, your no match for me."

"Yeah well, we'll see, that and I'm not alone."

Jay lashed out with a mental blast and watched as Proteus was hammered with the force of it. Still Proteus brushed off most of the blow. "I've been doing this longer then you have Jay. Give up now and I'll be nice. I can be nice."

Proteus slapped away another of the energy balls. And this time returned one of his own. The blow was devastating, it tore through everything Jay through in its path; even the last minute shield Joshua put up and still the force knocked Joshua back and shredded his clothing.

"William, if you haven't noticed I'm getting my ass kick and could use some help." Jay couldn't figure out how David got so powerful, was he always this strong.

"ah, right."

Willie jumped on Proteus's back and applied a strangle holds on him, one that he'd learned firsthand. Shit Jay thought; he couldn't blast at Proteus now, not with Will in the way.

Proteus shifted beneath Will's grip, turning so that they were face to face. He laughed at the attempt and cupped a hand along Will's butt. "If you want me that bad then I should oblige." He grinned. "See Jay, ask Will, I can be really nice."

Jay saw his chance and blasted Proteus in the back, it was a blast hard enough to knock someone out or so Jay had thought. The blast dissipated Davids clothing and had Proteus not felt the energy coming and deflected it he would have been out.

"You're really starting to piss me off." Yelled Proteus.

"Good" Jay shouted back. As he materialized himself a war hammer. Energy blast were getting him nowhere, Proteus could somehow feel energy manipulate it, so that meant time for a new tactic. A good old ass kicking.

Proteus tossed Willie to the ground. "Stay!" he commanded. "I have to go brake-in my new toy."

Willie had tried to move but he just couldn't, his feet wouldn't move. He wished there was something he could do to help. All he could do was watch. The fight went on for some time but Willie could tell that Jay wasn't use to fighting on the ground. But he did manage to land a few good hits, that pissed Proteus off more then anything.

"Are you finished." said Proteus as he pinned Jay to a wall and stole a kiss.

"Not at all." Jay murmured deepening the kiss. Jay knew that if what he was planning was going to work then David would have to be caught off guard, and surprisingly the psychopath was a really good kisser. My god Jay thought, what's that thing he was doing with his tongue was. Focus Jay focus. Jay pooled all the energy he had and shot it out from his body.

The blow sent Proteus flying back and yelling in pain, Jay must have done something right thought Will because he was now able to move. The blast however didn't keep David down, though now he looked worst off. one of his arms was charred so was half his face and a good part of his torso.

Proteus staggered to his feet and sent a blast that nearly took off Jays head. Jay had to jump out of the way. There was nothing left in him, and death was pulling him back into his own body. A wight light opened up behind him and tried to suck him in but he couldn't leave Jay, not yet.

Proteus staggered forward, his good hand out stretch using his power to pull Jay to him. "Even your own body thinks it's time for you to die." David stalked forward, paying no mind to Will. The focus of his anger was all on Jay, for disfiguring his psyche. Wound here damaged the mind as well as the body.

David tossed Jay into the light and with a last ditch effort, Jay snaked out a thin tendril around Proteus. "Push him in with me Will."

Proteus laughed as he prepared to cut himself free. "He can't even move, he's mine." David turned to look at Will who was closer then he should have been, readying to knock him into the void but with a swift movement of his burnt hand David grabbed Will by the neckline and hulled him, feet dangling into the air. Proteus marred fist spurted puss and blood and some of the skin cracked, fell off in scabs and crunched. David hissed but ultimately his anger outweighed his pain.

"I Would have been nice but you don't deserve nice. Still I'll let you beg for your life."

"I'd rather die." Shouted William.

"So be it." Proteus turned Will so that he was now facing the void and will did the only thing he could think of, he kicked out hitting Proteus dead aim in the balls. The result was just as effective as it was before and Will wasted no time; he push Proteus into the light as Jay instructed.

"You first."

Proteus pitched forward, losing his footing. By both Jay's tugging and Willies surprise attack he fell into the void. As Proteus went to his death there was no screaming, no slurs of revenge, just a tear and a smile. Not a sadistic smile but one of release. David Pushed Jay back out off the void as he was consumed. "Next time maybe I'll get it right."

Jay looked on as he was being shunted back into his. That was the David he knew, the one he was proud to call a friend.

Hank didn't know what the Russian said to the woman or even promised to do and he really didn't want to know but she stepped aside and let them pass. Hank tapped at the keyboard for another five minutes before stating that he found what they were looking for.

Hank tapped the transmitter and spoke. "there's an oceanic base in the Atlantic some hundred miles out. food and stuff is air drop to this location."

"That's the new government facility" said Piotr. "It's going to be the prison for the worst of the worst."

"He's right I donated a small sum to that place not too long ago. It's mostly being funded by a young man name M'Prie Surpanem."

Emma felt a mental kick. "I found Jay and the boys and guess where there at."

"Shit, how I could be so stupid, M'Prie Surpanem is a play on words, a puzzle if you will, he told us how he was this whole time, Prim short for Prime, M'Prie Surpanem un-puzzled is…"

"Superman Prime!" announced Piotr.

"We should hurry; the boys will need our help." Said Hank as he headed for the car.

"I have a Jet near bye we can take that."

Tony watched as Prim fought the genetically altered Namor who now believes he's Amron Stark, Tony's loving son. "Careful!" he yelled. "Some of this stuff is still active and volatile." It didn't look like Amron was going to win this fight. He was still undergoing some changes and not everything was functional yet. But he was giving it one hell of a go.

The first pulse of the spell shook the facility and Tony new it was too late now. His only hope was the machine. He started it up, praying that he'd have enough time, he climbed into the chair and hit the button just as a large body came crashing into the machine.

"No!" yelled Stark as the mechanism put on a light show. Two beams shot out one hit stark the other Prim and then the thing exploded.

Amron was catapulted through four walls, eight doors and shit loads of furnishings before coming to a stop next to Jay.

"Stay away from him." Bellowed Terry as he sent a body to go crashing into Amron. The body bounced off of him. Amron bent to get a better look at the boy. He couldn't recall ever seeing hair that shade of red before or eyes that went from the color of violet to a pale green. The boy was so still that he could have been dead, but he had blinked so Amron could tell that he was still alive. "He's still alive, what should I do?" Amron was afraid to touch him lest he brake him.

"Unless you know first aid take care of these thugs." Panted Terry.

Another one of those strange waves ripped through the room and for a split second everything changed and came back. Terry did his best to stabilize Jay and had managed to keep him alive but for how long was the question.

"Terry, Terry come in."

" am I glad to hear your grumpy old voice. Jay needs a doctor."

"Dad!" Amron spotted Tony from across the hall. He was half naked with the exception of his torn pants and one sorry looking sock.

Terry turned to see who the guy was calling. "Iron mans your dad!" Terry said while semi listening as Bruce filled him in.

"No! He's my dad." Amron pointed to Tony. "Dad we're going to be ok, help is hear lots of them."

Prim stopped in shock and looked at the young man who called him, and then he remembered. He was in Tonys body now. It was too late to finish his plans or stop whatever it was he just set in motion, the best thing he could do for now was play along.

"Amron are you ok?"

Just then the docking bay doors opened and in came Hank with a vile of something, I'll take over from here Terry.

Terry stepped aside but not before Jay grabbed him and said. "He's alive… I just wish."

"Jay stop talking save your strength." chided Hank.

Terry gave one more look just to assure himself that Jay was ok, then he ran off in search of William. Terry found Willie and Match out cold. There were bodies scattered all over the place, some alive some dead. Match was starting to come to.

"What happen?"

Match shook his head free of any cobwebs "the guy that looks like Mr. fantastic packs one hell of a punch, but I think I stopped them be for they were done."

Terry scooped up Will an gave him a deep long claiming kiss. "How do you manage to get into so much trouble."

"Terry." Willie sighed.

"hump"

"Shut up." And with that William gave him another mind blowing kiss. "Thanks for saving me, again."

"If you really want to thank me let me know when we can have sex."

The End

Look for the Epilogue.