Disclaimer: All recognisable media, TV, Comics and their characters belong to their rightful owners, which isn't Me, also I make no money from this venture it's freely shared entertainment only. This applies to the entire story, I didn't put this up before, and I should've.
Harry's Apartment
Two Weeks Later, Evening
It was too damned quiet, Harry felt. Not his place, he was pleased to say he had many visitors, Julia was there whenever James wasn't at her place, Marina more often than not when not teaching at the safe house. Something she was miles better at now she had nearly a full classical education, Kady came up and sometimes brought Penny, and obviously Kenzi was basically living in sin with him, he enjoyed that a LOT. But outside of Penny having a misadventure that basically got him trapped in some sort of extra dimensional nexus for a week, nothing was happening. Of course one good thing that came out of that was thanks to Harry they found a traveller, got a spell to set up a beacon for Penny who'd contacted Q in a blue dream, to find his way home. Only snag, it was tantric, but it was good in that it got Alice and Q to take that final step towards being an actual couple. Mind you Alice had done it quite easily, so it had to be in her head already, or they had managed to hook up without their friends knowing...pretty unlikely given who their friends were.
Penny was now home, Kady was doting on him having missed him like crazy. There was literally nothing in their way and if anything looked like it would be, Harry went out of his way to annihilate it. He liked that couple, both personally individually and AS a pairing. So he protected it, jealously.
He and Kenzi were, well...it was pretty damned wonderful. She was absolutely fabulous as a person and quite frankly amazing in bed, so he wasn't hating their 'ARRANGEMENT' currently. But that's all it was, as much as they hung out and laughed and joked Kenzi was very clear, they were NOT a couple. Still that's not to say they weren't good friends, and as noted the sex was great.
So it was all going well, Tony nearly had the tower to code, but these things took time. He and Janet had launched Adventus to critical acclaim, their first product was flying off the shelves as fast as the could produce them and boy they were making a lot of money. He and the red-headed CEO had a good working relationship and thanks to HOW they met, Janet trusted him implicitly, and would do anything for him. Thought for shame, not what she'd originally offered. Sometimes he caught her with a speculative look in her eye, but her professionalism kicked in. His...his had no problem and she was a very attractive woman, so he wouldn't be saying no if she did offer. But this didn't suck, they worked well together and she was VERY good at what she did. Her original now trashed in a literal sense company had been her start up, and had worked very well under her control, it wasn't until she installed a board to take off some pressure it had gone horrible wrong.
He'd actually made it a part of her contract that he and she would ALWAYS be the final word, board or no damned board and frankly he didn't want one, or to go public either. He knew financially it was a sound move and created a flush of cash upon floating the stock but he'd learned it was also losing a lot of control to people who sometimes were in it for a quick buck and didn't CARE.
He and Janet did, and after what had happened to her once successful Manhattan based company. She had learned a few hard lessons too. She'd said this was just another way he'd saved her, but Harry felt she was earning it.
Julia continued to prove herself the single best student in the his history of teaching absolutely ANYTHING, she was intuitive, inventive and very bloody good. He adored her something terrible in truth, perhaps his favourite person in his life. When you considered who had been in his life, this was some accolade.
He and Marina continued to Spar, vernally and occasionally magically. She was an accomplished Battle Magic Mage and he enjoyed sparing with her that way. Of course he'd had to make a magically sealed room in the basement where they could do that, which he also used with both Julia and Kady, Marina took Kady for 'advanced classes' and Harry taught Julia the advantage of a LOT of time fighting the goo fight against occasionally laughable poor odds.
And that night he had a full house, Penny had come up, still being fussed over close to a week later and absolutely loving it by Kady. Kady had wanted to see her friends, which increasingly included Marina to the blue eyed mages pleasure, but no way in hell was she letting Penny out of her sight, but that was easily sorted since Penny and Harry were pretty close.
Harry's house was warded to hell and back, but all those there had a free pass through them.
So Penny, Kady, Marina, Jules, and Kenzi where all sat around drinking, snacking and throwing pop corn at a cheesy monster flick, and Harry couldn't remember a time he'd been this happy, after all he'd been without ANY human contact for an unaccountable number of years, once he'd lost his friend. He'd really been alone, the last actual human being left. As much as we war and argue, simple fact of life he had learned well...Humans needed Humans.
Suddenly with a flash of light that was in no way muted and besides Jules was already with them the gaping maw of what looked like a Vortex tunnel appeared in his living room off towards the open plan kitchen. Then a form tumbled out. Harry waved his friends back, marshalling his energies, all the varied ways he had on hand so to speak and investigated. Then the form stood up flipping very long brunette hair out of the face and his heart stopped. "I was just thinking about you" he blurted.
Blur... WHAM, WHAM, KICK.
Harry was rubbing his cheek and hopping suddenly as the furious eyes of his oldest and longest surviving friend were glaring at him, "You BASTARD" she nearly screeched, "Leave, without me, leave me on my bloody own in that place will you!" she castigated him, slapping him HARD, and glaring lethally at him.
"You're...You're ALIVE!" he said suddenly all smiles despite two stinging cheeks and a sore leg, he lofted her into his arms and swung her around, "You're ALIVE!"
She slapped ineffectually at his good sized guns, glaring at him, "Put me down this INSTANT you, you...ingrate!"
"Oh my GOD, Ash...I thought you were dead! I Saw the Vid, I saw it happen, no way even with your healing you survive THAT I thought. I should've known better, this is you we're talking about, but they found trace evidence and everything."
"Novarium Corp?" she asked calming suddenly.
"Yep, I was passing through, looking for you and I knew you were heading that way, and I… I got the news they showed me the evidence, because obviously I didn't' really think you were, but...the fucking ship was atomised how the hell, you're healing is off the charts darling but that?"
She smirked, now content to be held up high and smirking down at him. "I faked it you bloody idiot, did they tell you everything. Like why they smoked my ship?"
"I might've not heard that through the roaring in my ears" he said seriously.
She smiled a little, "They wanted em for a little misunderstanding about some missing credits."
Harry looked up at her suspiciously where he was still easily holding her up in the air above him, "How many credits" he said slowly.
"Oh...about a trillion."
"A TRILLION….CREDS?!"
She smirked, "Give or take a billion."
"That'd tank their economy." HE said now amused.
"That was rather the point. It was all coming to an end at those silly bastards were still squabbling about baubles. They needed to do research, find a way to survive the collapse, I hoped if I … refocused their energies, they'd do that. IT was all so bloody frustrating. They stuck their heads in the sand and refused to see what was coming."
Harry lowered her down, not before laying one on her on the way past, "Silly bitch and you call me a bleeding heart."
"It does explain why you left me alone." she said after a deep breath. "Should've known better, at my age I'm VERY hard to kill, not to your level, but still…" she shook her head, her very long hair escaping the 'do' it had been set in finally.
"God DAMN, it's good to be wrong" Harry said, "I would've COURSE brought you with me had I known, hell I might not have left had I known. After you went...I didn't' see a point to staying."
Julia watched silently, and worrying her lip while Kenzi had a half smile on her face. This...this wasn't THE ONE, but she was a lynch pin.
"I may sound really selfish...glad you did Harry" Julia said seriously.
"Oh...intro's all round, that's Jules, you're going to just ADORE her. Kady there with her man Penny, Kenzi with the eyes, Marina I've mentioned also of the eyes and that's it right now, but I've made a few friends I'll introduce you to..you ARE staying...right?"
"Obviously, I didn't just burn out my vortex manipulator for nothing."
"You did?" Harry said sounding shocked, "That's like your most prized thing."
"No...idiot, not half s important to me as you are! Anyway, I was going to spend a couple of centuries slapping you silly for leaving me behind, turns out you perhaps had a good excuse after all." she smirked.
"Everyone…" Harry said, swallowing a moment, "This is Ash. Oldest living friend, and one of my favourite people" he said then winked at Julia. This was NOT missed by Ash, especially the new classification. Since it HAD been THE favourite person.
"Well now...a room full of beauty, at least there is a handsome man too" Ash said, "He yours dear?" she said to Kady.
"I think we're each others" Kady remarked, making Penny hold her tighter.
"Oh my they are in love aren't they...eww"
'"Soulless monster" Harry said fondly.
"Oh yes, I murder puppies for kicks me."Ash said with a serene smile, then looked at Harry, a really adoring look on her face, then slipped a hand into his arm and held tightly.
He looks at her, lifting a brow.
"Shut up, I had bad thoughts, it's good to be proven wrong." she looked around, "It's not a bad place, but you were always skilled at providing for yourself. And me at times."
"You're better at stealing it, I'm better and making money" Harry said with a fond smile.
"So...which one ARE you fucking, obviously not Kady...was it?"
Kady grinned, "No not me, these days I'm a one man woman. Even if he is delicious"
"Oh I know you pain" Ash chuckled, "So...one of you must be"
"I'll have you know I went through a long dry patch," Harry said with a smirk.
"Well no shit, there wasn't anyone to fuck" Ash said laughing, "The Novariums weren't compatible and didn't' have sex like that."
"Boring bastards" Penny said with fake horror.
"Handsome and funny, well done dear" Ash congratulated Kady again. "It IS odd for Harry to let a man be around this close to him."
"Oh me and Penny are good mates. I have several male friends, I don't think are quite such big shit heads here. I've not had one dick measuring contest since I arrived, it's nice actually to be able to connect to a bloke" he said giving Penny a big smile.
"They'd loose" Kenzi said sounding VERY sure.
"Oh...so it's you" Ash smiled, "Well, I hope you are open"
"actually we're casual" Kenzi said, "SO...go right ahead."
"Hey now...is someone you know...gonna ask me?"
Ash smirked, "And you are honestly refusing sex with me … since when?"
Harry grinned, "Never, but still a man likes dinner first."
"If I remember correctly when we met that's actually true. Cheese burger and you didn't finish your fries."
"I was … intent"
"Oh yeah you were" Ash grinned, "All raw talent, but the skill...that came later."
"In that case...thanks Ash!" Kenzi smiled widely.
"But for shame, that's for later, if he thinks he's getting between these legs any time soon after stranding me there he's got another thing coming."
"Oh well I won't let him between mine either" Kenzi said, coming out in support then ruined it, "He rather loves my mouth anyway."
Ash looked at him with a grin, "When did you get orally fixated, or is she just really good"
"Well, yes she is, but you try going without for about a million years. Then finally it happens and they just happen to be..well, good, yes I'm a little fixated now...so sue me" Harry smirkingly said.
"So she was better than me?" Kenzi asked innocently.
"Now I know you think I'm an idiot" Harry said, and said no more.
Kenzi chuckled.
"She might not be, but I am" Ash grinned wickedly at Kenzi a challenge in her eyes.
"You just assume that?"
"Darling practice makes perfect, I can honestly state I'm the best fuck in this entire city, maybe the planet, without doing any form of research." she looked at Harry with her head tilted.
"Oh no...you leave me OUT of this, you're France, she's Germany and I'm switlzerland, get it."
"Wuss." Penny remarked.
"Like I want to get cut off Pen." Harry rolled his eyes
"I'm sure Kenzi is awesome, she looks like she would be, and she's killer beautiful and not to be too shallow it's not like that hurts, but hell Ash is at least as old as you are, right."
"Older" Harry said nodding.
"Then OBVIOUSLY she's damned good"
"I do like this man" Ash said with a smile.
"someone IS cut off" Kady remarked.
Penny smirked at her.
"Well...maybe" Kady said her eyes turning dirty.
"Well they have a good sex life" Ash remarked with a smirk.
"Are you like Harry" Marina asked, "A what did you call it, mentalist."
"Oh my dear, Harry is a rank amateur, he only learned that to piss people off, I learned that to survive as a woman in an age that saw women as cattle" Ash told her.
Marina smiled, "I like her"
"And if you want to explore that liking, you let me know. You have the bluest eyes I think I've seen in my life, and considering my life I think that's saying something."
Marina was actually blushing, "I get it...really, thank you Harry has said similar and while I don't ACTUALLY know how old he is as he refuses to tell us, I get it's VERY old."
"Ahh he learned not to dear," Ash said, "Three potential wives heard his age and well, disparaged, ran, went crazy. So he didn't do it again, he felt they would've been good relationships had he not been truthful, personal I think they were weak ass bitches who never had a chance of handling a man like him." Ash said with a dainty sniff.
"I think I Like you" Julia said with a small smile.
"Ahh, I hope to say the same, but you and I...well, Harry I need a room."
"Help yourself, but don't pick on Jules, she… is special"
"And that's exactly why I'm talking to her," Ash said, leading Julia away by the hand.
Kenzi grinned, "If it makes you feel better, Julia has done similar herself. You're special people think you're special too."
Harry smiled, "That's great and I love hearing it, but Ash is...old, and mercurial, so I am genuinely concerned here."
"So check on them." Penny said.
"He can't do that without making either of them think he thinks they need it" Kady explained.
"I wasn't talking about going in there"
"Ohh I could kiss you mate"
"Please...don't" Penny said dryly.
Harry's Place
Much Later
Ash joined Harry on this balcony and smiled softly as she looked out at the bustling city. "Look at all that LIFE" she smiled her eyes bright.
"Where's Jules"
"Home, she is thinking about something, and no...I didn't hurt her. She is...far too precious to you for me to do that. I felt you, you're aware, checking I wasn't hurting her."
"I didn't REALLY think you would, but you can be...mercurial"
"Oh yes, proudly so"Ash said, "But I've never hurt any of the women you've loved."
"Tell that to Annika"
"That bitch fucked any passing swinging cock, she wasn't worthy of your love." Ash snarled.
Harry put an arm around her, "WE never did find the body."
"You can't search a black hole" Ash remarked dryly.
"Figured" Harry snorted. "I was about to divorce her you're aware."
"She hurt you, she paid the ultimate price. Luckily it seems I have found someone that agrees with my ethos entirely she actually threatened me. I LIKE her."
"I told you"
"So wife number...three thousand odd?"
"No. I think we're both aware of the potential but we like our relationship as it stands. I do love that girl, and very quickly but we're amazing friends, she's my student for however long that'll last and given how much talent and ability she keeps showing me that will be some time, since I intend to not hold back."
Ash hissed, "Is that wise?"
"Perhaps not, but I do trust her, I've already shown her some stuff that would make you hiss again, and she proved worthy of that knowledge, she's actually capable of backing her threat for instance."
"Yes, I saw that certainty in her eyes, but I made my own assurances. We have a...understanding, as I said I REALLY like her."
"She is honestly amazing" Harry said.
"Sounds like you going gooey to me" Ash said with a smirk.
"Nope...not that, not with her, not risking what we already have for what could potentially ruin that, honestly if we worked it'd be… epic" he said shadowing her words to Kenzi, "But I would die a little to lose what I already have if I fucked it up, like I often do."
"You never fucked up in anything but your choice in women, they couldn't handle you, that's what that was." Ash said, snuggling in tight.
HE turned and smiled down at her, then titled her chin slowly kissing her pouring the emotion and relief he felt into the kiss. She was glassy eyed and flushed when he pulled back and slowly came back to herself and smiled slightly, "I told you not to kiss me like that." she said softly.
"I know, I know you don't like the mushy stuff. But Ash...I thought I LOST you. Never has a death hit me like that, they all hurt, even with Hermione installed attitude I still felt loss, but you...that HURT damned it. I...didn't know How to go on, you've been a stable in my life or longer than some planets have been in existence, it...it bloody hurt."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she said holding him and burying her head in his chest she was quite small and fitted perfectly. "And anyway, she said looking up at him finally with a grin, "It's not so much it IS mushy that it's that you turn me to bloody goo when you do it. Several thousand years older and you undo me when you do that."
"I know" He smirked at her. "But sometimes I have to express myself. I was talking about you with my friends just the other week, tried to explain our relationship and realised they'd never understand, eventually had to tell them that." Harry smiled softly. "We're an immortal friendship, soul mate, love affair and damned fine fuck. But that's not entirely the whole of it now is it?"
"Soppy bastard" she said holding him tighter. "Kenzi looked pretty nervous when I said I was going to fuck you with or without her permission. At least that's what I said in woman talk."
Harry chuckled, "I very much doubt that, for one she is remarkably self assured and believe you me she had to be with a Fae Succubus as her BFF. And for another we're JUST casual. Not even open, we have a great time and I REALLY like her, you will too, she's got a little wicked in her that we like in people, and to be totally frank the sex is GOOD. When we're not fucking we have a good laugh, but she's really not interested in more. Outside of the fact she seemed to be somehow destined to be my personal seer."
Ash hissed gain, "And how is she not dead, you really don't like seers."
"I've never met a seer that hot?" he shrugged, with a grin.
"Pig" Ash said fondly, "Julia though...I LIKE that girl, she's VERY intelligent too."
"Oh for sure a genius, I pointed Tony at her recently, I'm hoping he'll help nurture that. I'm not exactly thick but he is super bright, and she might even be more so."
"Tony, another man?"
Harry pointed to where the ex-stark tower we being rebuilt and renovated, "That...was his building, he's SUPER rich, super clever and super brave. Not so long ago, as you see if you look around, New York was ground zero for a real furball of a fight."
Ash looked around, "Yeah I missed it when all I saw was all the lights and the sense of other humans! God it's been so long since I sensed another human, let alone this many. You and me...we barely qualify and you've always been...more anyway, and I don't think that's due to your 'title'."
"Actually the Fae here are convinced I'm one of them and I mean totally."
"There are Fae here, like ours"
"Very much like, like exactly alike, only they are organised much earlier and basically out in the open, hiding in plain sight, they have local government and everything. A new friend o mine is the Dark Fae leader."
"Oh yeah, hot, great legs?" Ash teased.
"Now that you mention it..." Harry smirked. "Pretty much jumped me, seems to think I'm an Incubus actually, and VERY sure I'm Fae. I did mention my potential theory about Mum, but she shot it down, apparently half and half kids are ALWAYS human."
"I think that's a bit of mummy's boy pride, has it occurred to you she was MERELY just a very good looking and talented woman," Ash asked.
"Of course it has Ash, honestly." he said rolling his eyes, "But somehow she managed to stop a curse that I've studied a whole lot in later times. It truly is virtually unstoppable and it's not like the cot would protect me, any shield even ritual it goes right through. Yet somehow she got it to deflect off my baby dome and bounce back on Voldemort, that perhaps shows MORE than human ability."
"You adorable idiot" Ash said rolling her eyes, "You absolutely refuse the notion that she didn't actually do anything but die a heroic death trying to save you, that YOU are what stopped the curse."
"Nothing special about me, not then, I was eighteen months old what the hell was I supposed to do."
"Well, one...destiny. The prophesy which I don't think was THAT powerful, or FAR more likely your destiny with the Hallows refused to let you die before YOU and ONLY you united them."
Harry nodded, "I see where you're going an I'll admit I hadn't thought of that."
"You're enormous at BIRTH core, perhaps the resulting death is the curse, power and intent of the caster over loading the victim and it works because lets face it to even cast that spell you HAVE to be damned powerful. But it met you're unusually large core and bounced off."
"That's one I never entertained, weird at birth" he chuckled.
"No, you dick! Not weird...special, unique, pretty wonderful, not WEIRD" Ash chastised him. "You managed to open my heart, and when we met I was SURE I'd never let myself love again."
"You didn't want to lose them...you never lost me"
"I did, I lost you for over a month" she said sounding small. "For a moment I thought you dead in your own trap."
"Oh Ash, an imploding solar system wouldn't' kill ME"
"I know, I know, I was...irrational and I should've known you had to think I was dead, you have NEVER let me down, I should've trusted that, but excuse me when the only other human being in the ENTIRE universe disappears after trapping the stalker form hell in a system collapse. You got her by the way, obliterated and probably being streamed through the black hole you made that's throwing out nav-coms the sector over"
"Worth it" he said with a chuckle. "I m sorry I scared you Ash. Honestly it seemed so conclusive, you did just a bit too good of a job faking your evidence. Believe me I checked, looking for any sign you survived, I worked for YEAR on the data, mind you you were always better with tech than me, but the DNA evidence?"
"Spent a few months draining myself dry, then set the barrels of blood in the cockpit"
"Sneaky bitch, and forward thinking too." h smiled, "You're here now, we're together again and let me tell you this is turning out to be a very interesting place. Like I said it was invaded, by alien life even at this stage. And me and some others, including Jules saved the city and potentially the world."
"Of course you did" Ash rolled her eyes.
"Hey I did it mostly as my dragon form" Harry said, "You know I can't show magic unless I absolutely have to." Harry told her with a grin.
"And Jules, honestly I see her inner strength and sense her power, but a fight, that size?"
"Oh she was bloody goddess, good enough hat we were BOTH invited to join the team that was created and came together to stop that called the avengers, see the work on that tower, that's Tony and the first stage o his plan to make the world a better place, apparently mostly off an offhand comment I made about that building now being more a symbol of hope."
"It IS the only one standing nearby" Ash noted, "It's at the least lucky."
"Actually luck had nothing to do with it, the beam opening their wormhole was being emitted from its roof, they'd have to be thundering idiots to attack it, but it is the foothill of the entire battle, and remarkably unscathed and its where the Hulk took out the big bad."
"Bloody Buffy again."
"What...I loved that show, but they don't have it here."
"So many years later and you let popular fiction lead your ethos when dealing with bad guys."
"Hell. It works Ash!"
"You are VERY good at pissing them off"
"All thanks to a tiny blonde in tight outfits and fighting heels." Harry smirked, "I have it achieved as soon as I make a system compatible I'm showing it to my friends, and I KNOW Penny's sense of humour will get a kick out of it, and honestly Kady will like it too because its the girl being the bad ass. Which she kinda is. Not seen her Fight yet, but Marina raves about her and thanks to the usual maladministration edicts they don't teach battle magic in the classical education only the Hedges really know and practice it any more, and Kady...well she had the BEST teacher she could've."
"You admire that Marina."
"Oh I seriously fancy Marina, but sadly I gave that a little push but she wasn't interested."
Ash chuckled, "Didn't' look that way to me," she remarked.
"She would actually prefer you to follow through on your offer I think. Marina trusts women more after I think some bad experiences. At the time I was flirting for real I don't think she trusted me. She does now and therein lies my crux."
"You are such a noble bastard" Ash shook her head, still resting it on his chest.
Central Park,
Three Days Later, Early Evening
Harry dropped, laughing as he got up having narrowly missed being hit by a flying body. "Jules watch where your' chucking the bad guys" he called out humour in his voice. Julia actually paused long enough to give him a damn right adorable apologetic hug, then her next sweeping hand movement sent three heavies into a tumble like ten pins.
"Yeah...okay" Harry said, then side stepped as a flying body passed him again, this time it was more of an intentional tackle than a Jules aided missile, so they tucked into a clean roll then sprang to their feet and shifted to a practised looking upright martial stance.
Harry grinned wickedly, beckoning with his hand, then shifted forms himself. After reaching a certain power level and a hooky religious cult later he'd realised he needed to change how he fought, and from there had started a life long love affair with anything martial related, he was pro rated with everything from a pistol to a tank, and had more belts and dans that anyone would believe, mostly because he barely looked twenty four, which was good he didn't look his age, moving piles of dust aren't that attractive.
The combatant slicking kicked a front kick towards Harry who blocked it and redirected it to the side making the guys weight have to shift and leaving him wrong footed a moment. Harry retaliated with a simple punch to the bride of his enemies nose eliciting a crack and a flow of blood shortly there after. Breaking a nose and making it bleed copiously was a pretty effective way to put a fighter off their game, depending on their personal level of discipline, this one seemed to be pretty good. He merely wiped his arm over his face, so he didn't taste his own blood and shot Harry a feral grin. "You will pay for that you human scum." he said, then before Harry's eyes he bulked up considerable his muscle mass increasing to an alarming size leaving a thick set muscle bound giant in the place of the slender man he had been moments before.
Harry smiled, "The bigger they are"he said, a cocky smile on his face. "Tell me, with all those steroids can you still find your dick even. Or I know, it fell off."
"This isn't from steroids you simple human, I am the next stage of human evolution, know true fear as you face giganto."
"I'm sorry, what?" Harry actually stood, "You gave yourself a name? Clearly your Mom and dad didn't call you THAT. Only a micro dick would name himself something like that!"
The man saw red, charging with a wild roar. Harry smiled wickedly, side stepping and sticking out his foot. Honestly a martial artist as obviously trained as this guy was should've seen it coming a mile away. But the muscle bound idiot was so hopped up on his own importance and rage at Harry's words he fell for the slapstick move and tumbled to the floor. To his credit he went into a roll to control it, but Harry simple followed him and as he moved with deceptive agile ability for a being that big Harry clocked him so hard his eyes crossed and he dropped like a rock.
"Next stage my beautiful British arse" Harry said, looking around. This seemed to be some sort of rogue cell of what Tony had named Mutants. These in particular seemed to think as old giganto had that they were there to supersede humanity and were looking to step up natures time line if such were the plan.
Tony had already disabled the nuclear device they had been looking to set off right in the heart of the city and now they were really just clearing up.
A man in lurid yellow Lycra stepped up to Harry, "You are clearly not like those...humans" he spat, "None of you are merely human this is clear" he said a thick eastern block accent colouring his tone almost attractively. If not for the words intent Harry would like listening to the guy. "You must know you are fighting a losing battle, it is not humanities time to shine, it is OURS, the next evolution!"
"Grand speech, but all I really hurt was Yak, Yak, I want to kill people because I'm a psycho arse wipe" Harry remarked calmly. "There's millions on the island alone, that bomb would've effected the entire state. For why? Tell me that, if you are truly the next evolution of the human form...you just need to WAIT, but no...you would rather cause a lot of instant carnage and then a horrible death by radiation poisoning. You make me sick that we're basically the same species, you're no different from fucking Hitler, or any other low life that thinks they are better because of some accident of genetics. I'm very powerful kid, maybe one day I'll decide you don't deserve to share my planet. What then? What happens when your are superseded?"
"That will never happen, we are the ultimate end of evolution!" the main the rather ridiculous Lycra said proudly.
Harry laughed, "Oh I've SEEN that, the ultimate form of humanity. You aren't worthy of wiping off their BOOTS." he paused, "Not that they wore boots, since they were non-corporael." he added.
"Enough, surrender it is the only logical choice."
Harry laughed nastily, "Loo around you yellow fool. While I kept you busy my friends have wiped up the slime, you're the last man standing pal."
"That is no matter" the yellow man snarled, then his eyes started to glow, "You will witness the TRUE power of...GURK"
Harry re holstered his side arm, "I HATE it when they pontificate."
His team mates just stared at him, "WHAT?"
"You just...shot him."
"Good job he did" Tony said surprising Bruce who had transformed back and spoken, also thanks to Julia wore a tight fitting outfit that transformed with him when he shifted too and from The Other Guy. Someone he was getting on with much better of late.
"Why, I mean I don't really have much problem I'm just shocked is all"Bruce said.
"Antimatter" Julia said. "He seemed to be generating it."
"Oh...I didn't catch that, it falls out when I shift."
"What...what falls out and Antimatter how do you know that Jules." Harry asked.
"God DAMN it Harry wear your damn comms, Tony told us, his suit can record all sorts of exotic things, including that. Once that met with the matter...BIG BOOM, and you've known that if you wore you damned comms!" Julia threw up her hands.
"Alright, alright, no need to get shirty" Harry said with a grin, "I will remember from now on, I was in a bit of a rush to get here."
"Oh I bet you were" Julia said in a sexy tone and amused way.
Harry smirked, "I was rather busy, I'll admit a little...distracted."
"Seems that dry spell is over" Nat said with a sexy smile. "Shame...was thinking about bringing the rain for you."
"Oh I'm always open for a shower from Russia with love Nat" Harry smiled a slaying smile at her.
"Alright, well...thanks to Harry despite not realising he saved the city, saving the city, we're basically...is that a jet?" Cap broke off.
"Form up" he snapped to them in command tones and they fell in like the well oiled team they truly were becoming an VERY quickly.
The large black bird looking craft settled softly to the ground, then the rear opened and a group of uniformed people came out.
Tony relaxed, "Relax, they're friendlies. You're a day late and a dollar short guys. Team met the X-Men, they've been fighting Mutant threats for quite a while now, their team changed, their edict never has. What's the haps guys, not like you to be late?"
"Mr Stark" a tall man with a red visor stepped forward, "What can I say...bad intel" he said with a sort of semi apologetic shrug.
"Ohhh daddy like" Harry said his eyes lighting up at a rather spectacular red head standing confidently and swirling with power.
Julia smirked, then spoke up, "I know this is a rude question what's the world like through those things"
"Red" the leader said stiffly.
"Ahh, that must suck handsome, but don't you have other colours."
"It has to be red I think...you know I don't think I ever asked about that."
"Mind you they don't so much detract from your looks though," she smiled, "That's a jaw you could crack rocks on."
"Oh urh...thanks" he stammered a little.
"You don't wear the visor all the time I'm guessing"
Harry tuned out the rest, eh took the opening and appeared next to the goddess of a redhead who was glaring at Julia currently. "I wouldn't worry"
She started sidewise and looked at him "I didn't sense you...I still don't"
"Ahh, you're a mental arts kind of girl huh. I can see that being useful in a fight, I've used it occasionally, everything has a brain, sometimes it takes some tuning in, but if the fight is proving fruitless at the end of the day, you reach on in, flip a few levers and down they go."
"I don't do that, we don't do that."
"I'm not talking about killing, put to sleep, paralyse momentarily there is zero reason why you shouldn't do that, right?"
"It's against my code to go into peoples minds without invite."
"Then I guess, since you just neutered yourself you have more tricks. I've noticed truly powerful telepaths can turn their hand to telekinesis, even other things usually ascribed to other arts." Harry said, "So...what can you do with TK?"
"Well...quite a bit, push, pull, squish, throw, hold, lift. SO on."
Harry looked at her, then slowly smiled, "I know you think I'm your enemy and you're hiding your true ability."
"Urh...you're an Avenger, so...no" she said.
"Urh...okay, well I'm Harry by the way…"
"Jean...Jean grey." she said casting a look where Julia was actually managing to chat up a guy in a relationship.
"Oh that...don't worry about that. She's just playing" Harry said, "She's actually got a boyfriend and she doesn't cheat."
"Then why is she flirting with my boyfriend"
"Knowing her she's learning a lot right now." Harry said, "She's VERY intelligent, and while she isn't a true mentalist, or remotely psychic she is very good at learning things with VERY few clues."
"Is that what you're doing?"
"Oh no...I'm just talking to one of the most beautiful women I've seen in my entire life. It''s okay, I know you've got a boyfriend. I'm just enjoying the opportunity."
"I don' think you lack for company" she remarked with amusement.
"Oh...you think so...why?"
"You're gorgeous" she replied then flushed.
"Why thank you, it's nice that it's at least superficially mutual, but I am a little concerned about what you said, you're not hiding anything, that's what you use TK for?"
"Yes..." she drew out.
"That's ALL you use it for, because its' capable of a fair nit more, you can shape and mould, even stretch and change dimensions, really your imagination and the properties of the source materials are the only limits. You can even do a form of martial arts at a distance by using focused TK strikes to pressure points to at times silently but deadly take out opponents before they ever know you're coming. I mean you can also kill, you can reach IN to their bodies you know affect things inside, a little imagination and a lot of visualisation goes a long way, you know what I mean. If you're really good you can work with actual atoms, but that, that's a skill I'll admit, and took a while to even realise let alone learn how to do. You can effect big or small and I sense you have plenty of power, you could rip down Tony's penis from here, and by that I mean his tower stop looking so shocked, though he did proudly fire that back at me and inform me it was now the Avenger Penis, which lordy Cap did blush so."
Jean laughed, but focused in on him, "Look. I want to know more, but...we're are about to be recalled, got an email, cell something?"
Harry handed her a card, "That's my personal cell, call any time I love talking the mental arts, got a friend who is becoming quite the De Vinci with telepathy he might have a few ideas for you. I have to say you're view, not your ability, is what's holding you back. And you know from a moral stand point I think ending a threat quick and clean is much better despite the so called invasion of their privacy then countless civvie deaths because you were so affixed to a rather unyielding code my dear Jean."
Jean looked thoughtful. "Thank you this has been...thought provoking, Could you ask your team mate to let my boyfriend go now."
"Don't be too harsh on him Jean, Julia is unaccountable even more attractive than her looks allow for, I think it's her personal power, it's alluring"
"Yes, I see where that might be true" she said shooting Harry a rather more inviting look than a woman with a boyfriend perhaps SHOULD.
"So long beautiful, look forward to hearing from you" he said, reappearing next to Julia and just touching her shoulder, which is when she realised without uttering a word he'd set that up to talk to HER. Especially when the girl he called Julia smiled, bid a farewell and just...stopped being that damned compelling all of a sudden.