Infinity Crisis: The Inhumans
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners. This is just for fun.
Author's Note: Hey there, folks! This is a sidefic to Michael Weyer's Infinity Crisis. In the fic, he said that he did not have the Inhumans appear because he felt they would not have gotten involved in the war against Thanos. It made a light bulb go off in my head: What if they couldn't help? What if they got caught in a crisis of their own? So, I asked the author if I could do this, and he gave the okay. So, here we are! Enjoy! So, a bit of clarification. You may be wondering why some things in this chapter may not exactly line up with the TV show. Well, look at the TV show as an adaptation of the "real" events. Also, you don't need to read Infinity Crisis to enjoy this, but you should anyway, as it's good. Enjoy the show!
Chapter 1: Meet the Inhumans!
Space, Universe-A. Several months before the events of Infinity Crisis
In the vast reaches of space, one could find many wonders. Worlds that contained lifeforms that would astound the imagination, nebulae that resembled beautiful explosions of color as they formed new stars. One such wonder, a small object, was floating around in the great void.
The object was in actuality, a gem. The gem was heptagonal in shape, the seven outer facets each seemingly shimmering in one color: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The center facet of the gem matched the heptagonal shape of the gem itself, and it shimmered white. One side of the gem was completely flat.
The gem continued its journey through space, going wherever fate and the cosmic winds would take it. Eventually, it found itself caught in the gravity field of a small planet. The planet itself was blue-and-green, with white clouds. The gem almost became a small shooting star as it burned its way through the atmosphere. Despite the heat and friction, the gem was seemingly undamaged. It was almost like it was completely impervious to anything that could harm any other crystal. The gem then impacted into the sand of a beach.
Foof!
The gem kicked up a small amount of sand as it hit. A figure approached the smoking crystal.
The figure was a tall, thin man. He wore what looked like a mixture of rags made of leaves and animal hides and a tattered black uniform. His dark hair and beard were long and scraggly, like he was never able to get them properly trimmed. He cocked his head and frowned at the small crystal.
"Agon's Genes..." The man muttered to himself as he recognized it. "The Power Prism..." The ancient gem! The figure's mind raced as it recalled learning of the legend of the Prism. An ancient artifact that could allow its user to create energy constructs. The only limits were the user's will and imagination! It was said the Prism allowed the user to do anything. Even...fly in space unaided... The man grinned insanely. He then started to laugh. "Looks like fate was kind to me today." He patiently waited for the gem to cool off, then picked it up.
The man smiled as he examined the small gem. Hard to believe that such a small little jewel could grant such incredible power. "My exile has ended today!" He grinned as he looked up at the sky.
"You hear me, Blackagar?! I WILL RETURN! I WILL TAKE MY RIGHTFUL WORLD! THIS MAXIMUS SWEARS!" Maximus Boltagon, aka Maximus the Mad, cackled loudly.
Earth-A. Honolulu, Hawaii.
Honolulu has long been known as the Crossroads of the Pacific. It also had recently gained a new name: Inhuman Central. A couple hundred miles off the coast of the city sat another city: this one mighty and futuristic, the central buildings (being the tallest in this city) having a golden sheen. The city's shining spires seemed to attempt to punch holes in the sky, only stopped by the dome covering it. The dome almost resembled a soap bubble. The metropolis was a perfect circle in shape, the circumference of Manhattan Island.
This was Attilan, the ancient city and home of the Inhumans and their Royal Family. An advanced paradise by the time that humanity was emerging from the caves, Attilan had moved several times over its long existence. Before becoming Honolulu's new neighbor, it was previously located in a part of the Moon known as the Blue Area.
The Blue Area of the Moon was an artificial Earth-like environment created by a race of aliens known as the Skrulls. They used it as a testing area for two other races: The Kree and a plant-like race called the Cotati. A group of each of the two Hala-born races were left there for one Skrull solar revolution to see what they could accomplish on this barren satellite. The Kree built the Blue City within the area, while the Cotati gave the area an ecosystem. The Skrulls were more impressed by the Cotati's ecosystem, infuriating the Kree. The Kree killed the Skrulls and Cotati and abandoned the Blue City. This incident was believed to be one of the triggering events of the Kree-Skrull War.
The Inhumans brought their ancient city of Attilan to the Blue Area out of fear that they would be discovered by humanity, after witnessing it growing more and more advanced. The Inhumans had concerns about humans' exploring the moon in the 1960s. After Apollo 17 in 1972, humanity seemed to abandon its desire to explore the universe in manned craft...much to the Inhumans' relief.
In more recent years, humanity would finally meet their genetic cousins. The mad royal Maximus, using his power to control minds, tried to usurp his brother Blackagar by posing as a freedom fighter wanting to end the Inhumans' caste system. As part of his plan, he exiled the rest of his family to Earth. The Royals would end up separated and lost in Honolulu, Hawaii.
However, the Royal Family were able to make some human friends. With their help, Maximus's true plan to use the Inhuman people as an army to conquer Earth was exposed. Maximus had brought Attilan to Hawaii as a staging ground for his invasion. As a result of his treachery, Maximus was exiled to a world with no intelligent life. In the process of saving Attilan, the city's ability to transport itself was damaged. Thankfully, the engines were not completely unrepairable. For the meantime though, Attilan was stuck being Honolulu's neighbor.
The arrival of the city caused quite a tizzy in the Big Pineapple. It spawned a variety of reactions in the populace, from curiosity to fear. Attilan had dominated the news in the city, and it was an indirect subject in an event in a television studio in Honolulu.
"Welcome to another episode of Moon Over Honolulu!" The hostess cheered into the camera, the live audience cheering and clapping. The woman bowed dramatically at her audience, eliciting some chuckles.
She was Native Hawaiian, with long straight black hair and bangs in a line. She was dressed in a light green jacket and skirt with a black blouse and white tie. The woman moved to a chair behind a desk that was decorated with a mug that had a funny picture of a cat on it and took a seat. A former reporter, Tana Moon was a bit of a local celebrity, as Moon Over Honolulu was one of the most popular talk shows in the area. In her short time hosting the series, the former news anchor has managed to use the show to interview local celebrities and public figures. And two such public figures were at the show today.
A smile was on the woman's face as she looked at her cheering and clapping crowd. Oh, she so loved this job... "I'm Tana Moon, and we have a very special episode of the show today! As you all know, recently this fine city has gotten itself some...exotic new neighbors. They've caused quite a bit of stir here in the Big Pineapple, and my two guests have been the center of a recent controversy thanks to these Attilanians."
Tana gestured to one of the men, who was sitting in a comfortable soft chair that was next to her desk. He had dark curly hair, and was dressed in a cream suit with a blue shirt. He had a smile on his face and his posture in the chair was relaxed, like he was sitting comfortably at home. "Everyone, say hello to Mr. Joey Tallarico." Joey waved at the crowd. They responded with polite clapping. There was a couple of quiet boos, but Joey was shown to not be bothered by it much. "You may all know him as the writer of the Nebula Force novel series. The latest book in the series, Starlight Starnight, was released last week. He also had announced on his blog that he is diving into non-fiction for the first time, as he is working on a book about his encounter with the King of Attilan, Blackagar Boltagon."
"Thanks, Miss Moon." Joey smiled warmly at her. "And as for my 'encounter', I wouldn't describe it as just that. It wasn't like I just casually passed the man by as I was walking down the street. I rescued him from some cops. And from there, I helped him take back his rightful throne from his psycho brother."
"And from what I understand, you became close with the Inhuman king."
"I can't deny that." Joey nodded in confirmation. "I ended up being friends with the guy. I'm still amazed by it myself, ha ha."
"Just out of personal curiosity, I have to wonder. What is he like in person?" Tana asked.
"Pretty decent dude, actually. Guy has a singing voice that can really bring down the house." The audience chuckled a bit, making Joey smile. Tana chortled a bit herself.
"I bet I'll have to wear a hard hat whenever he performs."
"That would be strongly recommended." Joey winked.
"I can imagine." Tana said. "Tell us a little bit about yourself for the audience."
"Well, Miss Moon. As you said earlier, I am the author of the Nebula Force novel series. My new book in that series, Starlight Starnight, was just released last week, and I'm quite excited about it. Thanks to my meeting the Attilanians, I've been really able to get back into my writing groove. Have you read it, Miss Moon?" The Nebula Force novels were Joey's most famous books, telling tales of a group of intergalactic investigators that battled crime all over the spaceways. The new book was about the group finding a special artifact that is believed to bring great power to its wielder.
He had started writing the first novel during his time stationed in Afghanistan as part of the US Army. The profits he made from the books allowed him to take up a full-time career as a writer, which had been his dream since he was a boy devouring science fiction with his parents. The profits also allowed him to move to Hawaii.
"I've started on it. I've enjoyed it so far." Tana smiled. "I had to admit, the back teaser was fascinating. The Nebula Force going trying to prevent their old enemies from getting their hands on a powerful artifact. It got my attention, alright."
"I appreciate that, Miss Moon." Joey smiled. "I'm thrilled a lovely lady like you enjoys my humble efforts."
Tana smirked in amusement. "...are you flirting with me, Mr. Tallarico?"
"Not the intention...unless you wanted it to be." Joey answered, smirking back at her.
"Careful, Mr. Tallarico." Tana warned, not completely seriously. "Why don't you tell us about your next upcoming project?"
"Sure, Tana. As you also said earlier, I've decided to dip my toe into non-fiction for the first time, as I am also working on a book chronicling my little adventure helping Black Bolt get back the throne of Attilan from his crazy-ass psycho brother."
"The brother who caused an invasion of Honolulu." Tana recalled.
"Bingo." Joey confirmed with a nod. "Maximus the Mad. I wanted to write this book as I am aware that quite a few people are understandably skittish about our new Attilanian neighbors. As such, I wanted to show that they really aren't these scary alien monsters. They're more like the Avengers than the Cthulhu Mythos."
"I see." Tana looked at her note cards. "There has been some who remarked that the Inhumans practice a caste system that has been criticized by some observers of their culture."
"Practiced. The current Royal Family abolished it. There was a reason for it, in the past." Joey explained. "Black Bolt told me about it. When the Attilanians started using the Terrigen Mists millenia ago, it produced some real horrors. You think modern Inhumans can look crazy? Trust me, Miss Moon. In the past, there were some...pretty monstrous mutations produced. The kind that would have made Stephen King and Wes Craven wet themselves in fear."
"I see..." Tana blinked.
"Hell, I would not be surprised if Cthulhu was real and was just an ancient Inhuman." Joey joked.
Considering people like the Avengers exist, I would not be surprised if that ugly octopus-faced monster is real. Tana thought. "So, we can assume that we don't have to worry about Inhumans driving you insane just by looking at them or having tentacles."
"Well, I never encountered any Inhumans or Attilanians with that ability." Joey chuckled. "As for tentacles...no comment. Anyway, to prevent the really horrible mutations, the Inhumans created a selective breeding program. That was what led to their caste system. And as you all know, Maximus took advantage of this to get power for himself, posing as a freedom fighter for the lower castes. But in reality..." The dark-haired author shook his head and scowled. "Psycho didn't care about anyone's freedom. When Black Bolt took back the throne and Attilan ended up here, the caste system was abolished. After all, it had its time, but it was not needed anymore."
"From what I understand, several Inhumans did willingly aid Maximus in his conquest of Attilan." Tana pointed out.
"They were pardoned." Joey explained. "They didn't realize Maximus was lying to them. They just wanted the chance to make their lives better. Maximus took advantage of that. We all saw the monster he truly was about a year ago. And we all saw his well-deserved exile." I hope we never see that mind-controlling jackass again...
"Well, let me introduce my next guest." The Native Hawaiian woman gestured to another man sitting at a chair, this one on the other side of Tana's desk. This man was in his early-to-mid 50s with a full head of gray hair that was neatly combed. He wore a glittery pink suit with a white ruffled shirt, and had a smile on his face. His fingers were decorated with several gold rings. Almost like he wanted to contrast himself with Joey, this man sat in a more straight and formal manner. "Everyone, say hello to Pastor William Roberts."
Like with Joey, he was met with polite clapping. Roberts smiled at the crowd, and gave them a warm wave. Joey shot him a scowl. "Pastor Roberts has recently gotten himself some notoriety with a recent guest column he has written in The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, known as 'The Inhuman Question'."
The scowl on Joey's face deepened at the mention of the column. He had read every word of it, and immediately got to work writing a column of his own to answer it. He managed to complete it...after five drafts. He had to do a lot of editing to it to remove the threats to do anatomically impossible things to the preacher...and the curse words. Lots of curse words.
"The column has caused major debate on whether the city of Attilan and its inhabitants should be considered a potential threat to this city, if not the world." Tana continued. She looked over at Joey. "Mr. Tallarico?"
"I'm fine." Joey still scowled at Roberts.
"Call me Billy, Miss Moon." Roberts insisted, his voice showing his Tennessee upbringing, the serene smile still on his face.
Friggin' smooth-talking conman...Joey mentally grumbled. I'd like to punch you right in that likely plastic-surgery enhanced jaw.
"And yes, I would like to remind our fine audience, both here and watching on television (and on their fancy phones, no doubt) as well as this man..." He gestured at Joey, making the dark-haired man glare at him. Roberts ignored it, continuing on. "That less than a year ago, their fancy city appeared here, and they tried to invade us."
"Because the vast majority of them were mind-controlled by a rogue member of their Royal Family!" Joey reminded, having trouble keeping the anger out of his voice. "Maximus was a psycho! He posed as a freedom fighter so he could steal the throne from Black Bolt, then planned to conquer the Earth because the nutjob believed he was the Earth's rightful owner! I just explained this!"
"You know, he does have a point, Pastor." Tana agreed. "Is it really fair to look at all the Attilanians suspiciously simply because of the actions of one of them?"
"I don't think it's fair." Joey answered. "I don't think it's fair at all."
"Well, Mr. Tallarico...can you really blame people for being a little nervous?" Roberts pointed out. "I mean, a city full of superhumans? And one of their leaders wanted to take over the world? It wasn't like that Maximus fellow was even trying to hide his desire to dominate our little blue planet. Even you have to admit, Mr. Tellarico. Something like that...will send some chills down a man's spine." Joey fought down the urge to growl. Tana noticed this.
Man, he's really taking this personally. The Polynesian woman noted. But then again, I can't blame him. He has been one of the Attilianians' fiercest defenders ever since they arrived here.
...Dammit, that old SOB may have a point. The dark-haired author admitted, his hands tightening on the arms of the chair he sat in. Maximus was not the first so-called 'bad' Inhuman...and sadly, he may not be the last...wait...I can use that... He straightened himself up a bit in his chair, and shot the pastor a look.
"Mr. Tallarico, are you okay?" Tana asked.
"Yeah, yeah." Joey waved her off. He glared at Roberts. "You...do have a point, Roberts. I'll give you that. Maximus was not the first Inhuman to be a megalomaniac. And I do doubt he'll be the last. But as Tana here said..." He pointed at her. "...is it really fair to judge all the Attilanians simply because of the actions of one? I personally don't think so. That kind of thinking is dangerous, and leads to some very, very bad things. We've seen what happens in the past when we start assuming that all members of a particular group of people are evil." He kept his eyes on the preacher. "The Royal Family has worked hard to show that they're not the enemy. They allowed the people of Honolulu to view the royals exiling Maximus's as a sign of trust. And I will admit, this is me speaking from personal experience, but I got to meet the rest of the family. Black Bolt is the opposite of his mad brother."
"Still, a big city filled with people full of superpowers? You can understand why that would be cause for concern."
"It's why Attilan has been opening itself up to the world." Joey countered. "They want to build trust. They want to show that they're not monsters. They're people...in their own way."
"How many people can do the things they do?" Roberts asked. "Can a man truly be considered human if he has a voice than can destroy a building?"
Joey leaped up from his chair. "Black Bolt is more human than you, you bigot!" Joey snapped. Tana leapt up from her own seat quickly moved towards the author.
"Sit down, Mr. Tallarico." Tana told him sternly. The Hawaiian woman's eyes showed no fear. Joey just smiled and obeyed her order. Tana nodded in satisfaction and went back to her desk. A chill overcame the room. The author shuddered slightly. It felt strange.
"Hey, did someone turn up the AC..."
"I feel it, too..." Tana frowned in concern, rubbing her arms slightly. "Is someone screwing with the heat?"
"As do I..." Billy noted as he rubbed his own arms slightly. I moved here because I liked the weather! I hate the cold! A murmur arose from the audience, and then it happened. Tana looked around, and saw one of her cameramen turn to dust.
"Oh my God! Eric!" The Polynesian woman gasped as she, Joey, and Roberts got to their feet. "Did you see that?!"
"Cut to commercial! Cut to commercial!" The director working in a booth nearby ordered quickly.
"You weren't hallucinating, Moony!" Joey confirmed. The audience gasped in horror. Then, some of the audience members turned to dust, making the audience murmur in fear.
"What in Heaven's name...?!" Roberts yelped as he saw the audience panicking.
"Everyone stay calm!" Joey exclaimed as he walked up to the audience and made calming gestures. "Just stay calm!"
"What's going on?!" One man yelled in confusion.
"Is this the aliens?! Is it those aliens the Avengers fought?!" Another yelped.
"I don't think it's the Chitauri!" Joey yelled. "Let's just all calm down..." Tana rolled her eyes as she watched the author try in seeming vain to calm down the remaining audience members. She pulled out a megaphone from under her desk and turned it on.
"QUIET!" She roared into the megaphone. The panic immediately stopped. "That's better! Panicking is not going to help anyone out here! Now everyone is going to leave here in a nice orderly manner. Security will help you out."
Joey smirked at Tana. "Been through this before?"
"I was doing a show when the Battle of New York hit." Tana explained. "It caused a panic, too. Which is funny, considering Hawaii's reputation for being relaxing." Roberts scowled at the black-haired author.
"This never happened before those Inhumans showed up!"
"You don't know they're responsible for this!" Joey yelled.
"We've never seen anything like this before they came by!"
"Oh come on! It's not like Hawaii never saw wacky stuff like this before! You heard of that bug guy that protected this city back in the 80s?! What was his name, Scarlet Scarab?"
"Blue Beetle." Tana supplied helpfully. "My dad kept a scrapbook of his exploits way back in the day. He was a big ol' fanboy."
"How do you know those Inhumans aren't behind this?!" Roberts argued.
"You're the one assuming they caused this with no evidence!"
"BOYS!" Tana got their attention. "Don't you think the priority here is to...well...stop the panic?"
"Moony's right." Joey agreed. "I got a bad feeling about this..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small gray device.
"What is that?" Tana blinked in confusion.
"It's a communicator." Joey explained. "I was given it as a gift by the Attilanian Royal Family."
"Of course you would defend them!" Roberts rolled his eyes. "You have them on speed-dial."
"Kiss my ass, Roberts." Joey spat. "You're a man of God. Ain't there somethin' in the Bible not judging lest ye be judged?"
"I'm just saying, you do realize they could be the cause of this, right?" Roberts reminded. "Who knows what they're capable of?"
"They're not all like Maximus, jerkoff." Joey grunted. "In fact, they may be the heroes we need right now..." He activated his communicator.
Callisto Aerospace
Callisto Aerospace was a Honolulu-based firm dedicated to research and development of new technology used in various aerospace fields. One notable employee was a glasses-wearing blonde woman with her hair in a ponytail, dressed in a blue blouse, slacks, comfy shoes, and a white lab coat. She was Dr. Louise Fisher. Since she was a girl, Fisher was obsessed with the moon, and dreamed of being the first woman to walk on its surface.
Shortly before the arrival of the Inhuman Royal Family to Earth, Fisher was working on a project that involved unmanned probes to the Moon, hopefully leading towards man re-stepping on it. Her probes kept getting destroyed, and she was convinced there was someone, or something on the moon keeping something hidden. Her superiors weren't completely skeptical (After all, the formation of the Avengers did prove to the general public that extraterrestrial life existed), but Fisher's reputation for being eccentric didn't help things much.
Fisher would become one of the Royal Family's first human friends and allies when Maximus exiled the them to Hawaii, befriending Medusa. Her reputation among her co-workers soared when she helped stop Maximus and Attilan ended up neighboring Honolulu. Vindication was a wonderful feeling.
Fisher was right now in one of her favorite places: her lab. Her lab was known as a bit of a messy place, but she insisted she had a "system". It was also full of models and memorabilia of spacecraft from throughout history, from Vostok 1 (The craft Yuri Gagarin used to become the first man in space) to the Space Shuttle. It was a testament to her love of space.
Fisher was observing some slides in a microscope. She was only listening to the TV going in the lab. She did pay more attention to the TV when she heard Joey speak. A smile crossed the bespectacled blonde's face as she heard him tear into the pink-clad pastor.
You tell him, Tellarico. She mentally encouraged. The blonde then turned and saw a young green-haired woman, likely in her late-teens/early twenties, bopping to some music, turning around in a swivel chair.
"It's gonna be a hooooot niiight! We're gonna have a hot night! Tonight! It's gonna be a hoooot night! We won't get to sleep tonight! Too hot is too hot!" The young woman sang along to the Laura Brannigan song "Hot Night". The song was playing in some earbuds in her ears, connected to an iPod in her hand. The woman was wearing a dark purple tank top that bared her midriff. She also wore a matching pair of leather pants, a pair of white Converse, and a pink sash was tied around her waist.
Fisher couldn't help but roll her eyes in amusement a bit, recognizing the song from the Ghostbusters soundtrack. I should never have introduced Ozel to my film collection. Ozel Ozlazur was an Inhuman gifted by the Terrigen Mists with the power of superspeed. She was one of the Inhumans who was tricked into willingly working with Maximus, believing he was out to end the Inhumans' ancient caste system. However, when she discovered that Maximus had no intention of living up to his promises, she helped the rest of the Inhuman Royal Family and their human allies stop his plan to retake Earth.
Since then, Ozel stuck to the blonde scientist like glue. The young speedster felt tremendous guilt about her actions, and despite being pardoned by the Royals, the green-haired girl decided to exile herself to Hawaii. Fisher took her in, as she knew Ozel knew very little about the human world. She didn't mind very much, as she found Ozel rather pleasant. Happy that the young emerald-haired Inhuman had found a way to amuse herself in the meantime, Fisher turned back to the microscope she was fiddling with. To her amusement, she found herself humming along to the song.
"Hey, Doc! Hey, Doc!" Ozel called out.
"What is it, Ozel?"
"I'm boooored!" The green-haired and matching-eyed woman faux-whined, spinning around in her swivel chair. "Are you done with your science yet?"
"Science isn't about being quick, Ozel." The bespectacled blonde woman told her. "It's about being thorough." Hmm...she thought as she looked at the DNA in the microscope. I've managed to learn so much about the Inhumans lately. Maybe I should make like Joey and write a book. I'm sure he could give some tips. Sure, he specializes in fiction, but I'm sure he'd love to help...
Ozel huffed in frustration. "Is everything you science humans do so boring, Dr. Fisher?"
Fisher smirked at her Inhuman friend. "You certainly enjoyed my film collection when I introduced you to it."
"Well, yeah!" Ozel nodded. "Human films are really neat! You know, I should show you some Attilanian films sometime!"
Fisher looked up from her microscope and blinked in disbelief. "...Attilan has a film industry?"
"Uh huh!" Ozel nodded. "I oughta show you some of the best films Attilan has ever produced. The Romance of the Three Trees is a classic!"
"I'll...have to look into it." Fisher noted. "...you said that you were bored?"
"Yeah!" Ozel nodded. "I am bored. I get bored a lot."
"You do?"
"Yeah. Everyone has always told me that I could be impulsive and impatient, and that was even before I underwent Terrigenesis."
"...have you ever considered that maybe your powers are the reason for your antsiness?" Fisher asked. "I mean, it's not just your body that is quick. I imagine your brain must work quicker than the average human or Inhuman. Would makes sense, as with moving at super speed, you would have to take in much more information much faster."
Ozel put a finger on her chin in thought. "Maybe...now that I think about it...sometimes, the world to me feels like I'm trapped in...what do you call it?" She waved her hand around as she tried to recall the word she was looking for. "...Molersees? Mollisus?"
"Molasses. Molasses, right?" Fisher deduced.
"Right. Mo-lass-es." Ozel repeated slowly, making sure she pronounced it correctly. "...what exactly are molasses, anyway?
"Molasses is the result of refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. It's used for sweetening foods." Fisher smiled. "It's known for being a thick, viscous substance."
"That explains that phrase." Ozel nodded. "Hey, speaking of sweet foods, you think the cafeteria has anymore of those delicious frosted muffins?"
"I would be surprised if they did, considering your eating habits." Fisher smirked. Makes sense. With her super-speed, comes super-metabolism. She needs to consume a lot more calories than the average human...or Inhuman. I will admit, I envy that a bit. She can scarf down dozens of candy bars and not worry about it going to her hips...Uhhh, I should never have introduced her to chocolate... She heard a ZOOM, and realized the green-haired Inhuman had zipped away. In a second, she came back, holding a pink box.
"Still got them, thank the genetic code!" Ozel grinned, opening up the box. Inside were chocolate muffins with colorful frosting on them. "Want one?"
"Uh, no thanks." Fisher shook her head. "Those are a bit...too rich for me." Ugh, I fear I might end up diabetic just by looking at them!
Ozel shrugged. "Okay. Your loss." She started tearing into the cupcakes. Louise quietly stared at the young green-haired Inhuman as she ate. When she was done, Ozel happily licked her fingers.
"Mmmm, you Earthers make such delicious treats!"
"Ozel, have considered what we talked about last week?"
Ozel blinked more a moment in confusion, then it came to her. "Oh yeah, that college thing." Louise nodded in confirmation.
"Yes. Looking into that might help you decide what to do with yourself here."
"I have, yeah. I'm thinking of going to that university in Manoa."
Louise smiled in amusement. "University of Hawaii in Manoa. That was my old alma mater. I studied astronomy there."
"Yeah. I've been looking over the courses. It's kind of funny."
"What is?"
"...you remember why I helped Maximus overthrow the other Royals back in Attilan, right?"
"Yes, you wanted to have the freedom to decide what to do with your life."
"The old caste system didn't allow that." Ozel recalled. "True, there were reforms, and things were better for my old caste now than back when my grandfather was my age, but I still got stuck with a miserable courier job. I hated it. But now, with the caste system completely abolished, and my making Hawaii my home..." She shook her head. "I finally have the freedom I wanted to decide my own destiny...and I have no idea what I want to do with myself."
"Some would call that irony, Ozel."
"Is that the Earther term for it?"
"Yes." The blonde scientist ruffled the Inhuman's emerald locks affectionately. "You'll figure it out, Ozel. You're smarter than you think. Brrr..." Louise rubbed her arms. "You feel that chill?"
"Yeah, that's weird." The Inhuman girl nodded, imitating Louise. "The building is not normally this cool inside, is it?"
"No, not normally." Louise shook her head. "And Hawaii is not normally this cold this time of year..." The two then heard a scream from outside the lab. "What the-?!" The two ran out and saw a stammering man in front of a pile of dust.
"Yves?! What's going on?!" Fisher asked.
"It's Gerry!" The man yelped. "He and I were talking, and he just crumbled to dust." The blonde scientist and Inhuman blinked at each other.
"You mean he..."
"No, he did not spontaneously combust! He just...he just...crumbled. Crumbled into dust in front of my eyes." He felt a chill in the hall. "You feel that?"
"We did earlier." Louise nodded, rubbing her arms. Is the cooling system acting screwy? "Ozel, check around the building! See if this happened anywhere else!" Fisher ordered.
"Right!" The green-haired Inhuman nodded, then zipped off.
I got a bad feeling about this... Fisher frowned. Ozel came back a second later.
"It's bad, Doc!" She yelped. "Some of the people here just collapsed into dust! They're not sure what's going on..." She looked down and saw herself doing the same. "...Doc?!" She whimpered.
"Ozel!" Fisher gasped.
"Doc, help me!" Ozel yelped as she collapsed into a pile of dust. A horrified Fisher knelt down before the dust pile.
"Oh, Ozel..."
"Louise...what the hell is going on here?!" Yves said. Louise slowly got up, and stared at her co-worker.
"I have no idea..."
A beach in Honolulu
Medusalith Amaquelin was a woman who was fully enjoying the rare bit of downtime she got to have. The last near-year had been a very busy one for her as Queen of Attilan. Even busier than usual. In the past, she only ever had to worry about helping run a city full of superpowered people. But now, she had even more put on top of it. Since Attilan was brought to Earth, the superhuman woman people nicknamed "Medusa" for her prehensile super-strong hair's life became a tizzy that at times made her dizzy. Meeting with dignitaries, and having to be one of the faces of the Inhumans...she may have been trained her whole life for this, but even she needed a break.
Luckily for her, Hawaii seemed to provide such a break. Dressed in a purple bikini, the redhead was, for the first time in her life, enjoying the human activity of sunbathing. She lied on a chair, her eyes covered by purple sunglasses, and a book in her hands.
Hmmm... Medusa mentally noted as she used a tendril of hair to turn a page. Joseph's new book is quite entertaining. I'll have to thank him for the dedication in it, it was rather touching. A whooping noise made her look up. She noted a younger woman with reddish-blonde hair, clad in a yellow-and-black one-piece swimsuit, surfing on a yellow surfboard. Surfing with her was a young man wearing a pair of red trunks, surfing on a blue surfboard.
"Nice one, Crystal!" David "Dave" Dawson cheered in approval. "You're getting better at this!"
"Having the power to manipulate the elements helps!" The blonde elemental manipulator grinned back at him. She used said power to calm the wave they were riding on, allowing them to swim to shore. The two approached Medusa.
"Having fun, Crystalia?" Medusa asked with a smile.
"Oh yeah, big sis!" A laughing Crystal nodded. "You ought to try surfing sometime. It's so much fun!"
"She's right, Medusa." Dave chuckled as he walked to the large brown sleeping bulldog lying next to Medusa. A red Hawaiian shirt decorated with Japanese kanji in black and white was spread on his back. "Thanks for guarding my shirt, Lockjaw." He gave the dog a scratch behind his ear.
"Rrf." Lockjaw mumbled, still asleep. The surfer then noticed something.
"Shouldn't you guys have, like, bodyguards out here or something?" Dave noted as he pulled his shirt on. "I mean, you two are royals, and..."
"We are protected!" Crystal pointed at Lockjaw with a smile. "Nobody messes with him." Dave looked at the snoozing Lockjaw.
"Wurf." Lockjaw sleep-mumbled.
"Oh yeah, nobody ever messes with him." He jerked his thumb at the snoozing Inhuman dog. "So fearsome, he is."
"We do have protection here." Medusa said simply. Dave wanted to ask what she meant, but the redheaded queen just smirked and went back to her book. The surfer shook his head.
Yeah, I'm not going to get any information out of her about that. He realized. She likely has some hidden guards around. A shadow went over them, and the three looked up. A tall, broad muscular man floated down towards them, wearing a pair of black and silver trunks. His black hair was neatly combed back. Around his head was a silver headband with what looked like a small tuning fork on the front. The fork had a corona of blue energy with black dots in it. And around his neck was a silver collar with a pair of lights on the sides.
Blackagar Boltagon, aka Black Bolt, was the king of the Attilanians. And like Medusa, he was enjoying some rare rest and relaxation. The king had a pair of colorful drinks in his hands.
"I have obtained drinks, my queen." The king said...but his mouth did not move, instead staying in a smile. The lights on the collar glowed as he 'spoke'. "The bartender referred to them as 'Mai Tai's." The collar allowed Black Bolt to speak without harming anyone. Black Bolt could arguably be considered the strongest of the Inhumans, thanks to his great strength, toughness, and raw power. However, his main power was in his brain. His brain could produce a strange particle that interacted with electrons in the air to produce certain effects, mainly flight and a super-powerful "quasi-sonic scream". However, this was linked to his brain's speech center, so even the slightest whisper could cause a lot of damage.
"Why thank you, my love." Medusa's hair wrapped around one of the drinks and brought it to her. I always wanted to try one of these...
"They are quite good, my love." Black Bolt agreed. A strange chill was felt in the air. "Does anyone else feel that?"
"Yeah, big guy. It's spooky." Dave shuddered, buttoning his shirt. "It's supposed to be 83 degrees today!" The group then saw Dave collapse into dust.
"Dave!" Crystal yelped as Medusa leapt to her feet. "Agon's Genes! What in the name of the genetic code is going on?!" They then heard murmuring and screaming. The three Inhumans looked around and saw random people on the beach suffering the same fate as Dave Dawson.
"My baby!" A woman screeched in horror as she saw her child turn to dust. The beach seemed to turn into chaos as people freaked out and panicked.
"What on Earth-?!" Medusa gasped.
"We have to calm everyone down." Black Bolt said. A man noticed the three Inhuman Royals.
"You did this!" The man angrily yelled, pointing at Medusa. "Roberts was right about you!"
Roberts? That religious leader? Medusa frowned as she noticed a crowd forming around them.
"Roberts?!" Crystal blinked for a moment, but then the name clicked. "Oh. Him." She scowled. Sadly, it wasn't hard for someone to convince them the Inhumans may be responsible for this sudden tragedy. People were still understandably slightly antsy considering Maximus's actions about a year earlier.The crowd angrily gathered towards the three Inhumans and Lockjaw, who was still sleeping through all of this. "Medusa, where are the guards?"
"They must have been taken by the same phenomenon that killed David." Medusa realized. Blast! Who in the universe could cause this?! Medusa snarled. The redhead was dragged out of her thoughts when she saw a column of wind suddenly kick up around herself...caused by Crystal. The sudden brief blast of wind seemed to cause the angry crowd to step back a bit...and make Lockjaw wake up.
"Hurr?!" The dog looked around in confusion.
"This is your fault!" A man in the gathering crowd yelled.
"We did not cause this!" Crystal snapped, her eyes glowing white. "We had nothing to do with this!"
"She's right." Medusa added. She turned her head, and her eyes widened in shock. "...Black Bolt?" Medusa gasped as she saw her husband collapse into dust.
"Medusa..." The King of the Inhumans spoke his final word.
"No!" The prehensile-haired woman yelled. "Blackagar!"
"You see?!" Crystal yelled at the crowd. "Look what happened to Black Bolt!" She looked at her older sister. "Medusa...we need to get home. Whatever happened here might be hitting Attilan, too."
"Yes..." Medusa nodded. "Yes, we should. And we should find our human friends. Hopefully this strange phenomenon has not taken them..." Would explain what happened to our hidden bodyguards...maybe they were turned to dust as well...Gorgon and Triton will not be happy...
"Okay Red, if you didn't do this, then who did?!" The man yelled. Medusa gave the man a steely look.
"I do not know. But I will find out. And when I do..." She clenched her fist and her hair shuddered with anger. "They will pay for what they have done."
Attilan
Another member of the Royal Family was standing in a room in the palace, the home of the Royal Family. This member was a green-scaled man, his head bald except for a green fin on top like a mohawk. His ears were pointed, and he wore a dark purple outfit with light purple armored pieces. Over his mouth and nose was a special mask with hoses connected to a pack on his back.
The aquatic Triton Mander-Azur stared intently at the wall of screens.
"Working as always, I see." A voice teased. Triton turned around and saw a dark-skinned man walking towards him. He had curly black hair as well as a wild mustache and beard. He wore a brown and tan outfit, and a matching headband with a silver decoration on it. His feet were cloven hooves. Gorgon Petragon had a smile on his face. He was often the one who helped train young Inhumans in the usage of their powers. He was super-strong and durable, and could generate seismic waves by stomping his hooves.
Accompanying him was a woman with yellow skin and hair. She had large ears, and wore a black outfit. Like Ozel, Auran was one of the Inhumans who worked for Maximus willingly, and turned on him when she discovered his lies. After her pardon, Gorgon made her his assistant in training Inhumans with their abilities. Auran's ears granted her superhuman hearing, and she also had a healing factor.
"Not surprising." Auran teased.
Triton shrugged. "Someone has to do it." He then noticed someone was missing. "Where's Karnak?"
"He's out on a date with that human girl." Auran explained. Gorgon laughed.
"Ha ha! I knew it!"
"I don't understand." Triton blinked in confusion. "I thought he ended that with her."
"I convinced him otherwise." Gorgon said. "With my wisdom."
"Sure you did." Auran smirked. "He basically told Karnak to date her anyway. Better having tried than none at all."
"That is wisdom!" Gorgon countered. The three Inhumans felt a chill. "Anyone else feel a little cold?"
"Yes, I feel it too." Triton agreed. "Which is strange. Since I underwent Terrigenesis, I don't really feel cold much anymore."
"Uh, guys..." Auran piped up. A look of fear was on her face...as her body crumbled to dust. "Help me..."
"Auran!" Gorgon and Triton ran to her, but she completely crumbled before they could reach her. The bull-footed Inhuman turned to his fish-like relative. "What happened to her?!"
"I don't know!" Triton answered. An alarm klaxon erupted. He quickly ran to the console in front of the screens and started typing. "Gorgon, look!" He obeyed and gasped.
"By the genetic code..." The seismic wavemaker's eyes took in the horror of what he saw. He saw random citizens of Attilan vanish. No rhyme, no reason. "What...what is happening?"
"I...have no idea." Triton shook his head. A light on the console blinked. "It's one of our communicators!"
"Which one?!"
Triton fiddled with some controls. "It's Joseph."
"The author." Gorgon recalled, crossing his arms. "Didn't he dedicate his new book to us?"
"Yes, it was very nice of him." Triton opened the communication line. "I'll have to read it sometime. This is Triton."
"Triton! Thank God!" Joey's voice was heard. "Have you heard? Random people had been turning into dust! I'm not sure what is going on!"
Triton and Gorgon looked at each other. The green-scaled Inhuman frowned.
"Joseph, you're in Hawaii, right?" He asked. Joey confirmed it. "It's happening here in Attilan as well." Gorgon noticed another screen, playing a news report from France. He had no knowledge of the language, but the footage of people turning to dust was clear.
"Triton..." He piped up. "I think it's happening everywhere. We need to find the others."
Earth 51
Out in the reaches of space, a member of the Green Lantern Corps was observing a rift in space.
"Hmmm..." Galick Groton, Green Lantern of Sector 6534, thought out loud as his ring scanned the rift. He scratched his purple chin, and some of his gray hair fell over his face. "Results, ring?"
"Rift is possible gateway to another dimension." The ring announced.
"Aren't they always?" Groton chuckled.
"Advise increased distance." The ring warned. "The rift has an extremely strong gravity well."
"Alright." Groton nodded. "Prepare a report on this rift. It may have potential to interfere with space lanes-" He turned to dust.
"Lantern 6534 deceased." The ring intoned. "Searching for replacement." The ring zipped off, but got caught in a white-gloved hand, owned by a mysterious man wearing what looked like a blue suit and white collared sweater with the coat flowing like a cape. His blue hat seemed to keep half his face cloaked in shadow. Around his neck was a chained gold medallion.
"Your replacement will be found in the other end of the rift." The Phantom Stranger walked towards the rift like he was on an invisible bridge. "She will prove herself worthy." He released the ring, letting it fall into the rift. The Stranger stared at the rift, then walked away. He may not have been allowed to end a crisis directly, but he still could guide others to do what is needed. And that ring would be needed on that other world...
Author's Note: Ozel is from the comics. She is rather obscure, but that's because she only appeared in one comic: Marvel Fanfare #14 (May 1984). She showed no powers in the comic. Heck, her story didn't reveal if she had any. As such, I gave her superspeed. The story she was in focused on Quicksilver, so I thought giving her superspeed would be a nice nod.
See you next chapter! Hope you enjoyed this! Would love a review, please!
