(Tuesday, May 3, 2016)
(10:00 PM)
. . .
"Mal..."
. . .
"Mal...?"
. . .
"Mal...!"
. . .
"How could you do this, Mal...?"
. . .
"Why did you do it, Mal...?"
. . .
"What will you do now, Mal...?"
. . .
"Mal..."
. . .
"Mal...?"
. . .
"Mal...!"
Mal's eyes shot open as a harsh gust of wind hit her face. As she processed her surroundings, it took her a moment to she was in free-fall. Gasping in fright, her mindset immediately went to her powers and attempted to transform into a dragon. For some inexplicable reason, her magic failed to function and she was a few feet away from landing in a large lake. With no other options, she didn't scream or accept her impending death.
She uttered profanity of misfortune...or tried to, anyway.
"Oh..."
SPLASH!
Talk about a soft landing.
As Mal sunk to the bottom of the lake, she tried to swim her way up but was too disoriented from the free-fall and wore a lot of thick clothing. Thus, she was condemned to a watery grave...until she wasn't. Suddenly, her eyes focused on a mysterious woman who dove in after her before they fluttered shut and she began to lose consciousness. The woman reached out for her before noticing her unconscious state, prompting her to swim deeper and grab her in her arms. She then pulled her up as they ascended back to the surface.
The woman dragged Mal to the shore and laid her down, taking a breather and examining her from head to toe. She had wavy dark purple hair with light purple highlights, a purple leather jacket with green-and-magenta patches, matching jeans, black boots, and leather fingerless gloves, all of which were the victims of tears or slashes. Chuckling at her overall appearance, it gave the woman the impression that this particular young girl was attempting a poor man's substitute of either punk rocker or badass rebel clothing. She would gave her an A- for effort and detail, though.
Recuperating after a moment, the woman picked herself up and carried a still unconscious Mal in her arms. Judging by the way she curled up into a ball, she could tell the girl was happy to be alive.
Meeting up with her group who boarded off a specialized jet, the woman sped up her walking while smirking, "I told you I saw something."
"Is she alive?" A man with light brown hair, blue-green eyes, and an armored uniform of red, white, and blue color approached her first and checked the girl's vitals.
"Just barely. There's a pulse, but it's faint."
"Where the hell did she even come from?" An African American man with black hair, black eyes, and a jetpack with wings landed a few feet from them.
"From what I saw, she fell from a portal from the sky and then into the lake," The woman explained, "Why she was transported here of all places I don't know."
"A portal?" The blonde man's eyebrows knitted together in doubt and confusion, "So she's an alien?"
"I don't know, Cap," The black-haired man chuckled in amusement, "She looks pretty human to me."
"Plus," The red-haired woman snarked at "Cap", "You've seen aliens before; you should know what they look like."
"I'm just trying to get an idea of who and what we're dealing with," The man now known as "Cap" clarified.
"What do you think, Wanda?"
A young brunette-haired woman with a red leather coat above a black leather suit and red corset, red leather fingerless gloves, and flare-heeled boots examined the girl for herself. The woman stopped herself before she could speak, her mind linking to hers. A flurry of emotions overwhelmed her, not unlike when she discovered Ultron's plans to destroy the world in place of saving it.
"Wanda?"
The young woman named Wanda shook her head, "Not here. Inside."
Exchanging looks and glances, the four of them nodded and walked toward a nearby building, one of many which actually served as their primary base of operations. The color palette was a careful blend of white, grey, and black, a clear contrast to the green grass and blue water surrounding them. Among the many places of interests, there were 20 thus far. Six of those were personal bedrooms for the six main occupants; the rest of the list included the conference room, living area, workshop, lounge, kitchen, foyer, bathroom, gymnasium, shooting range, natatorium, screening room, hangar, storage, and the rehabilitation room, where the quartet was heading to visit an old friend.
Inside the room of rehabilitation, a South Korean woman with black hair, brown hair, a white lab coat above her dark blue medical scrubs, and a black long-sleeve shirt above her short-sleeve medical shirt was teaching a group of night school students when the quartet burst in.
"Doctor Cho!"
Surprised at the amount of visitors during her night class plus the presumed corpse of a teenage girl with poor fashion sense, the doctor in question yelped in fright and dropped an expletive in her foreign language.
"도대체?!"
"Oh My Gosh, it's the Avengers!"
"Yes, Zoe, we know."
"Geez, Eduardo. You're good at being a sourpuss."
"I can't help it, Emma. Every time Zoe sees the Avengers in action on TV or in real life, she fangirls over them every single time."
"Well, who wouldn't? It's the Avengers."
"Class, please! Let's calm down!" Doctor Cho raised her hands as a calming gesture, turning to the "Avengers" once the class quieted down.
"What are you doing here? And...who is this?"
"Doctor, we live here," The black-haired man glanced around in confusion.
Doctor Cho backtracked and clarified, "Yes, I know that. I mean, why did you find the gall to interrupt my night class?"
"We're sorry, Doctor Cho," The blonde-haired man apologized on behalf of his group, "but we need your help."
"We found a girl who literally just fell out of the sky," The red-haired woman displayed a still unconscious Mal in her arms, "and she needs your assistance."
Doctor Cho examined Mal for herself before nodding and walking to her work table. Pressing a red button on the side, the work table converted into an operating table right before their very eyes.
"Put her down here," Doctor Cho commanded and the red-haired woman complied.
"Strip her down to her underwear."
This time, the young woman named Wanda assisted in removing the clothes of the injured patient. Meanwhile, Doctor Cho removed and hung her lab coat in favor of a black surgical gown and mask. As her class watched on with equal parts nasuea and intrigue, one student in particular didn't seem focused on the impending surgery to begin with...at first. She was a young African American girl with black hair, black eyes, purple glasses, a black T-shirt with the yellow Moon, a pair of khaki shorts, white knee-high socks with two black stripes, and red/blue/white sneakers. Her mind was simultaneously up in the sky and down in her notebook as she thought of a new invention to invent.
For a good two hours, the surgery lasted. Thankfully, the procedure didn't last any longer because the wounds were non-fatal, a bunch of scratches and lacerations scattered all over. Where she acquired said scratches and lacerations no one knew, but the kids in the room assumed that she partook in a street fight and she put up a pretty good one at that. The adults had a different theory entirely, specifically one that involved torture and interrogation.
Doctor Cho finished cleaning and stitching Mal's wounds before turning away to discard her gloves and wash her hands.
"I did what I could, but she'll live. She'll need plenty of rest and hydration. Miss Romanoff...you said she fell from the sky?"
"Yes, Doctor," Miss Romanoff confirmed, "Specifically, from a portal in the sky. She then fell into the lake, which is why she was cold and wet."
"It's clear, then, that the clothes she wore got damp and added more weight, preventing her from swimming back to the surface."
"What is she supposed to be, a punk rocker?" One of the students, Sasha, observed with amusement and slight derision.
"I think she's supposed to be a goth rebel," Her best friend, Lily, added her own opinion.
"No, her clothes aren't all black as they should be," Another student, Gabriel, shook his head in disagreement, "Plus, she isn't wearing any heavy makeup, but that probably washed off in the lake."
"Yikes, that was a stereotype strike for you, Gabe," His best friend, Jacob, chuckled, "and that was proof of your profiling."
"Jake, for the last time, I don't..."
"Class, please settle down," Doctor Cho checked her vitals one more time, "The only truth that comes out all of this is the one from our patient."
The group all turned their gazes on the unconscious Mal, who showed no signs of coming to...yet.
(Wednesday, May 4, 2016)
(12:00 N)
Mal's eyes shot open and fluttered before she sat up and rubbed them. Regaining her vision and taking in her surroundings, her eyebrows arched in confusion. The color palette of blue, white, and grey made her think that she was in the clinic section of Auradon Prep or one of its many hospitals at least. However, the arrangement of the required equipment seem too sophiscated even for them; it was also too simple to discern it from the Isle of the Lost if they had any hospitals whatsoever. As such, it was caught in the in-between stage. An IV machine was set up to her right with the tubes leading into her right arm, while her leather clothing was stripped off her and replaced with a light blue patient's gown. Through it, she could see the wounds and scars sprinkled throughout her practically naked body. Fear and anxiety soon substituted her land of confusion in short succession, leaving a heavily breathing teenage girl on her bed.
No powers, no weapons. Where... Where am I?
The door suddenly opened and Mal became defensive, albeit unable to properly defend herself from whoever entered the room. However, she visibly relaxed upon taking a very good look at the man who set foot inside. Standing before her with a look of concern as the primary facial expression...was the most buff, most muscular man that Mal had ever seen. Had it not been for the white bandages wrapped around his left arm and torso, she would be forgiven for believing that he was the doctor or nurse checking up on her. In a similar manner to how she could saw her injuries through her patient's gown, Mal could see the man's abs through his waist bandages: he was absolutely ripped. Complemented by his blue-green eyes and light brown (almost platinum blonish) hair swept to the side, he was perfect... A pure paragon.
Oh, wait. What am I saying? You're still technically Ben's girlfriend.
"How are you, Miss?"
Goodness. His voice...
"I-I'm fine. Thank you, Mister..."
"Rogers. Steve Rogers."
"Mr. Rogers. I am Mal...the daughter of Maleficent."
. . .
"Uh... Who?"
"Maleficent, the most vile villain around. The Mistress of Evil, the sinners to destroy all sinners... No?"
"No, ma'am. I don't believe I have ever heard of your mother."
"Oh. I guess you're one of the lucky ones." Ignoring Steve's confused look, Mal looked around again before asking, "I don't mean to ask you, but...where am I?"
"No problem, Miss. You're in the New Avengers Facility."
"New Avengers? You mean there were old Avengers?" Mal's eyebrows shot up in intrigue, "Plus... The Avengers?"
"Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The original team consisted of me, Iron Man, Black Widow, The Hulk, Thor, and Hawkeye. The new team consists of War Machine, The Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and Vision."
"Well, if they're Earth's Mightiest Heroes, then why haven't I heard of them?"
"I... I don't really know."
"Because this isn't your Earth."
Mal and Steve turned to find a woman around the latter's age enter the room. She had deep auburn hair that was curled and reached to her shoulders, complementing her green eyes. She wore a sleek black uniform with leather boots and an utility belt with a red hourglass as its symbol.
"You're from another dimension," The woman opened a folder, all eyes on the files inside and not sparing a glance at Mal and Steve, "Well... Another-another dimension."
"What do you mean?" Mal tilted her head.
"No name outside of Mal, no knowledge of the Avengers besides the two you're talking to now, and no familial relation to anyone other than your mother...who is a well-known Disney villain at that." The woman flipped the folder shut and shot an almost motherly smile towards Mal, "I'm almost tempted to write you off as delusional."
"Believe me, I wish I was lying," Mal chuckled lightly before coughing. "My name is Mal, and I'm the daughter of Maleficent, and I'll tell you everything you need to know so you know I'm telling the truth."
"That's fine with us, as long as every word you give us isn't a lie."
"Nat..." Steve shot a gentle look of criticism towards "Nat", "Go easy on Mal. She's clearly disoriented from being underwater for so long."
"Wait, underwater? When was I underwater?"
"Cap here found you on a beach in Lagos, accompanied by a purple aura," Nat gestured to "Cap" sitting in a chair near Mal's bedside, "which stands to reason that not only that you prevented yourself from drowning into a watery grave, but you also have superhuman abilities. I take it you can turn into a dragon?"
"How did you know?"
"Wild guess," Nat shrugged, "If Maleficent can turn into a dragon in the movie, her daughter would've inherited the same aptness. Otherwise, the gene skipped a generation."
"Hold up," Mal raised a finger up in confusion, "My mom has a movie based on her?"
"Two movies, actually. One is the classic villain archetype, the other is the closest thing to a hero."
"My mom? A hero?"
"Yeah, it's a long story, about 100 minutes to be exact." Nat stood up, "We'll watch it when you get better."
"Assuming I do get better," Mal attempted a mild joke, which successfully earned the amusement of both Steve and Natasha.
"All joking aside, we do need to set up an interrogation for you when you do," The latter pulled out a tablet and began typing, presumably acquiring her facial features and measurements, "If you really are the daughter of Maleficent, you need to be put in check. You don't mind, right?"
"Not at all," Mal gave out a thumbs up, her mind saying otherwise.
"We'll run a diagnostic in two hours and decide if you're better. Until then..." Steve stood up and exited the room, Natasha following him soon after. "Get some rest, okay, Mal?"
"Okay..."
As she watched the both of them leave, Mal leaned back in her bed and her mind trailed back to figuring exactly where she was. For all she know, she was being held in a place called the New Avengers Facility, an area located in an entirely different dimension from hers.
Another Earth...? Did this mean there are other universes out there? How will I ever get back to mine? Would I ever want to go back to mine?
. . .
Whoa, easy there, Mal. You're overthinking the situation here. Don't get too accustomed to a place you are a foreigner to. Even so, taking into consideration what happened in both Auradon and the Isle...would either of them take me back?
That got Mal thinking. What would she do if neither Auradon nor the Isle would take her back? Where would she go? Sure, these...Avengers are providing her with shelter, but for how long? Once she was better, they'll probably find a way to open up a new portal and send her back to her world. But what if they didn't? What if they took their time to find the portal that travelled to Auradon and the Isle? What if...during that time...she would grow to love this place and never want to return?
Case in point, Auradon and the Isle both harbor grudges against her for entirely different reasons: the former for acquiring a chance to leave the hellhole in the first place, the latter for basically being villain-bred material despite making a switch and for the occurring events weeks ago...which led to her imprisonment and mysterious transportation to this alternate Earth. No weapons, no powers, no help, no way out. Not even from her parents, who were understandably a bit miffed after her defection to the light side instead of her commitment to the dark side. Her mom most definitely would try and kill her like last time, but her father...
Hmm... What about my father? What would he think?
"Umm... Lord Hades?"
The Lord of the Underworld himself stirred from his semi-nap, groaning in disappointment. He had expected his daughter dearest to pay him a visit...not these poor unfortunate excuses of henchmen. He had expected his daughter dearest to be the one to wake him from his slumber...not these poor unfortunate excuses of henchmen. He had expected his daughter dearest to do some good in her life and not follow in her parents' footsteps...not these poor unfortunate excuses of henchmen.
Hades slowly lifted his black shades and faced his sidekick imps.
"Pain, Panic. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He droned in a sarcastic tone.
The both of them exchanged nervous glances before the stout imp replied.
"Boss... It's about your daughter."
Dread, sadness, and anger began washing over Hades, who slowly stood up and walked towards his now frightened cronies.
"What about my daughter...?"
Pain and Panic both eyed each other nervously, wondering which one of them would break the news.
"Your daughter's been imprisoned..."
"...against her will," Panic finished before turning to Pain in shock, believing they were going at the same time. His partner merely smiled in shame, both of them not noticing the burning blazes engulfing Hades from head to toe. When they did, their jaws hung in horror as they backed up in terror. Thankfully, he didn't take his anger out on them...but their assurance quickly revered to fear as they realized that he didn't give in to his usual rage. Instead, he was deep into thought and his fury was tranquil at best.
Sitting there on a marble pedestal was a blue jewel, which he plucked up and stared at attentively.
"For what?"
Pain and Panic eyed each other nervously again, stuggling to answer this time.
"Uh... Uh..."
"We're not sure, boss...but we're gonna find out!"
"Yes, you should..." Hades nodded without facing them both, who took it as their sign to leave. Once they did, the entire cave burst into blue flames as the Lord of the Underworld vented his frustration at the world hidden around him. When he did, he calmed down and so did the fire. Sighing in agitation, he suddenly smirked as his head hung in amusement.
"It seems that I'm not alone... Little Celia...?"
A young girl with with medium brown skin, dark brown eyes, and curly dark red hair which is brown at the roots and assorted into many small braids stepped out of the shadows and into the light. She wore a multicolored suit of various designs, patterns, and colors such as red, green, purple, and pink. Underneath her jacket was a long-sleeve white shirt with a green collar with a green skull motif in the center. Hanging from her purple belt was an owl keychain with yellow frills. Like most (but not all) Villain Kids, she wore leather fingerless gloves, her being colored violet. Her most notable accessory was the tiny maroon hat with a small multicolored skull and black feathers that sat on the side of her head.
"Y-Yes, Lord Hades...?"
"You've been heisting me for some time, yes?"
"Not with harm or malice in mind, Lord. I...I was trying to survive."
"Like all children on the Isle. Understandable."
"I wished for no more trouble, Your Lord."
"No more? Well... Judging by the way you snuck into my cave unseen until this very moment, you may be of use to me, unlike those two sorry simpleton excuses of henchmen."
"W-What can I do? I'm in service of you, Lord Hades."
"Not now. Much later. Are you aware that Lady Mal, daughter of Maleficent, and her incarceration on Auradon?"
"I... I do. Most of the Isle does."
"Hmm. And are you aware that Lady Mal's incarceration was...wrongful?"
. . .
"N-No... My Lord..."
"So sad, so true. Which is where you come in. I plan to go to Auradon and negotiate a deal with King Adam, Queen Belle, and...Prince Ben."
"But how? M-Magic isn't allowed in or on the Isle."
"Never underestimate what a little leverage can do, my dear. Just await your orders and all your dreams will come true..."
Suddenly, the blue jewel shone bright like a diamond as a smirking Hades and a stunned Celia watched on in shock and awe...
A/N: This was originally posted on Archive Of Our Own (AO3), but it has more additional scenes to straighten out the storyline. Titled "Avengers Initiative" on AO3, this story will be retitled as "Descendants: Secret Warriors" so it would be clear that this is a crossover between Descendants and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will potentially cover the span of seven months (from May to December) in the year 2016, coinciding with the events of primarily Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, Black Widow, The Defenders, and The Punisher, but not always directly intertwining with those events and instead forging its own path (Chapter 1 takes place on May 3 and 4; Chapter 2 takes place on May 6; and Chapter 3 takes place on May 8). The story itself is essentially a feature-length, live-action adaptation of the Marvel Rising series, particularly Initiation, Chasing Ghosts, and Secret Warriors.
While I attempted to limit the team to a certain number, it will be made clear that Mal / Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker, and Daisy Johnson will play a main part. The roster will include Kate Bishop (Hawkeye II), Elijah Bradley (Patriot II), Kamala Khan (Miss Marvel), Dante Pertuz (Inferno), Riri Williams (Ironheart), America Chavez (Miss America), Miles Morales (Spider-Man), and Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl) as some of the more prominent players on the team. Lesser known superheroes such as Rayshaun Lucas (Patriot III), Nadia van Dyne (Wasp), Sooraya Qadir (Dust), Joaquin Torres (Falcon), Fernanda Rodriguez (The Locust), Lana Baumgartner (Bombshell), Qureshi Gupta (Pinpoint), Victor Alvarez (Power Man III), and Amka Aliyak (Snowguard) will make their debut in the near future. While some of the female heroes listed here were members of the 2016 Champions team, they will eventually make the transition to G.I.R.L. led by Nadia. I debated on whether or not to include Sam Alexander (Nova II) and Ava Ayala (White Tiger V) in the roster, but their depictions in Ultimate Spider-Man kinda ruined them for me, so there's that; I wouldn't say never, though. You can hate me for saying this, the 2020 New Warriors was a bold move for Marvel, but one that sadly didn't pay off. The five new members were certainly interesting with much potential, but said potential was wasted in favor of pandering to both the hip, radical, and political fanbases, not to mention the unfortunate implications of some of the superhero monikers and abilities. Even so, I appreciate diversity and minority representation (I'm half Filipino) but only when it's done right and not on the nose, especially given the recent climate of 2020 so far.
Back to the topic at hand (I apologize from straying it), the story essentially follows Mal who is framed for a crime she didn't commit and sentenced to prison until further notice. However, she is mysteriously and accidentally transported to Earth-199999, specifically the lake in front of the New Avengers Facility. She is subsequently taken in by the New Avengers, specifically Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, who train her to become an Avenger when she decides to stay for a while. However, in the middle of her training, when the world leaders and political powers that be attempt to limit the heroes' actions due to a disastrous mission a month prior, it causes a rift between Rogers and Tony Stark, the former co-leader of the original Avengers. This forces Mal to not just take a side but decide where her path goes from there.
In another in-development storyline, Ben is distraught over Mal's prosecution and subsequent disappearance but is visited by Hades, the Lord of the Underworld and Mal's disappeared dad. As any loving father would, he broke out of the Isle and headed straight into Auradon to find his missing daughter, striking a bargain with Ben in the process. Teaming up with Evie, Carlos, and Jay, they both learn that the Queen's Crown and Maleficent's Scepter have been stolen from the Museum of Cultural History. Believing that both events have a connection, Ben becomes more and more attached to desperate measures in desperate times as he struggles to find any semblance of Mal.
These two stories will intersect with each other in the foreseeable future, but this is strictly Mal's story for now. I'm not sure how many chapters there will be, but I'm sure it will be more than 20 chapters. The updates will most likely be slow not only due to how long the chapters may be, but also due to school duties. The planned stories will include or mention events of (in order) Doctor Strange, Cloak And Dagger (both seasons), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, and Runaways Season 1; Runaways Season 2 & 3, The Punisher Season 2, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5, Ant-Man And The Wasp, and Avengers: Infinity War; and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Seasons 6 & 7, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Plotwise, the planned stories will be expanded adaptations of the other Marvel Rising specials: Heart Of Iron, Battle Of The Bands, Operation Shuri, and Playing With Fire. And yes...the soundtrack, especially "Born Ready", will be included prominently.