INFINITY CONVERGENCE CRISIS
CHAPTER 3
Carol and Karen took Dragonborn to the nearby burger place that Karen knew of. There was a bit of a fuss as they entered the burger place with women trying to take photos with Dragonborn or videos of him. After the hubbub, Dragonborn was introduced to something he had never tried before; hamburgers and fries with a chocolate thickshake.
"What is in this?' Dragonborn asked as he eyed his thickshake and hamburger with apprehension in his purple-blue eyes.
"Well, a thickshake is made with ice-cream, chocolate and milk and blended together with whipped cream on top," Karen replied as she took a sip of her own thickshake. "A hamburger is a fried beef patty with friend onions, tomato, lettuce, bacon, cheese and egg stuck in-between a bread bun," she then said.
"You don't have anything like this where you're from?" Carol asked Dragonborn as she took a big bite of her hamburger and chewed.
"No, we don't," said Dragonborn.
"Give it a try, it won't hurt you," Karen said encouragingly.
Dragonborn shrugged before picking up his burger and took a bite of it. Chewing for a moment then taking another bite followed by another, he chewed then swallowed. Then picking up his thickshake, he drank it all down in one go before setting the now empty glass down on the table. Carol and Karen stared at Dragonborn in disbelief. "What?" he asked them.
"Never seen someone eat so fast before," Carol said in response. "Did you even taste it?" she asked.
"I did," Dragonborn replied.
"And?" Karen prodded him for an answer.
"It was alright," was Dragonborn's response. Karen looked at Carol who could only shrug, neither of them quite knowing what to say to Dragonborn's blunt understated response.
"Do they take gold here?" Dragonborn suddenly asked.
"Gold? Um… I don't think so," Karen said. "Why do you want to know?" she asked.
"So that I can pay for the meal," Dragonborn said as though it were obvious.
"You don't have to pay! We can pay just as easily!" Carol protested.
"I know, but I want to pay," Dragonborn said as he walked up to the cash register. The cashier blushed as Dragonborn approached. "I'd like to pay for the meal," Dragonborn said to her.
"No charge," the cashier said quickly with a dreamy smile on her face.
Dragonborn tilted his head and asked, "Why not?"
The cashier blushed deep red and stammered out, "I-It'd be a crime to make you pay," she said with a timid smile.
"But I want to pay," Dragonborn said as if clueless as to the effect he was having on the cashier. "I don't feel right not paying for the meal," he added.
Carol suppressed a snigger as she watched the exchange between the clueless Dragonborn and the blushing/stammering checkout girl. "I don't think he knows," the Kree-human woman whispered to Karen who was watching the exchange in bemusement.
"Knows what?" Karen asked.
"Just how handsome he is, and the fact he's the last living guy in the whole universe," Carol replied.
"Well, at least we know he isn't that kind of guy who knows how handsome he is, and takes advantage of it," Karen said sagely. "Although it makes me wonder…." She added thoughtfully.
"Wonder what?" Carol looked at Karen curious as to what the Kryptonian was getting at.
"Well, if Dragonborn knows about the birds and the bees, if you get what I mean," Karen said.
"Yeah, might be something to talk about with the others when we get back," Carol said nodding her head in understanding. Then Dragonborn walked back over to the table and sat down.
"She said our meal was on the house," he said looking a little confused. "Is that common here?" he asked looking at Carol and Karen. Carol bit her lip to suppress a laugh and Karen scratched the back of her neck, looking a little awkward at just how clueless Dragonborn was.
"Not exactly," Karen said slowly. "I guess she was trying to win points with you by giving you a meal on the house," she explained.
"Why would she do that?"
Karen looked at Carol who simply shrugged, and the Kryptonian looked back at Dragonborn and said to him, "We'll tell you later. Right now, let's get to the Baxter Building and see is Susan has any leads on the Infinity Stones."
Leaving the burger joint, the three of them then headed to the Baxter Building. Carol put in a call to let Susan Storm know that they were coming. After a few minutes, the trio then arrived at the Baxter Building where they entered the building then boarded the elevator which took them to the main lab. Leaving the elevator, Dragonborn was greeted with the sight of strange machinery and contraptions that would make even the Dwemer envious. Then a tall woman with shoulder length blonde hair wearing a blue uniform with an encircled number four just above her heart walked towards them.
"Carol, wonderful to see you, even though the circumstances aren't that particularly pleasant," the blonde greeted Carol who smiled back and replied.
"Hey, Sue, how are you holding up?"
Sue had a sorrowful look on her face and said, "I'm… coping, as best I can in this situation." She had a pained smile on her face as though she were putting on a brave front. She then noticed Dragonborn and said, "Oh, is this the man you spoke of?" she asked.
"Yeah. Susan, this is Dragonborn. Dragonborn, this is Susan Storm, member of the Fantastic Four, also known as the Invisible Woman," Carol made the introductions.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr Dragonborn," Susan stuck out a hand to shake. Dragonborn clasped hands with her firmly. "Hmm… a nice strong grip you have there. You must work out," she commented approvingly.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Storm," Dragonborn replied. "I'm looking for leads on these Infinity Stones, and I have been told that you have been doing some research on them," he said, getting to the point.
"I have been searching for the locations of the Infinity Stones," Susan said. "From what my research has told me, two of the Infinity Stones were used to create this new universe: Space and Reality," she explained.
"And what of the others? What do they do?" Dragonborn asked.
"The other four: Power, Time, Mind and Soul are aspects of the universe. Power is obvious and offers it in many forms. Time grants control over time itself. The Mind and Soul stones control the powers of the mind and soul respectively," Susan explained.
"But, the problem is each of these stones can only be used partially on their own," she then said. "Only when you have all Infinite Six can they be used," she added.
"And they can only be used when placed on the Infinity Gauntlet," Carol said. "And even if we had all the Infinite Six, we need the Gauntlet, or something like it, to regulate and channel the power of the Stones," she added.
"Could we make our own Infinity Gauntlet?" Karen asked.
"We could, but the components are rare and hard to get, and the process to make the Infinity Gauntlet is slow and time consuming," Susan said. "If we mess up even one calculation in making the Infinity Gauntlet, we could end up destroying ourselves," she added.
"And if that's not enough, we know that Superia and Aresia won't give up the Space and Reality Stones without a fight," Carol remarked grimly.
"So we make do with the Stones that are still out there," Dragonborn said. "Four against two are pretty good odds in my book," he added.
"Yeah, but weren't you listening? We need the Infinity Gauntlet to regulate and channel the Stones' power," Karen said.
Dragonborn simply reached into his satchel, half his arm reaching inside before pulling out a golden-brass gauntlet. Susan and Carol both gave a startled squawk upon seeing the gauntlet in Dragonborn's hand.
"Is… that an Infinity Gauntlet?!" Susan exclaimed in shock and disbelief.
"No," Dragonborn said bluntly. "But it is a powerful Dwemer artefact that I believe could be used to channel the power of the Infinity Stones," he added.
"Where did you get something like that?" Karen asked as she looked at the gauntlet with her X-Ray vision and found that she couldn't pierce it and that some sort of energy signature was coming of it.
"I found it in a Dwemer ruin," replied Dragonborn. "It's a special gauntlet called Wraithguard. It, along with the hammer Sunder and the dagger Keening, was used to tap into the Heart of Lorkhan, a Dwemer God," he said. "But in doing so, the entire Dwemer race disappeared. Centuries later, they were used again by someone known as the Nerevarine against Dagoth-Ur," he added.
"Interesting, very interesting," Susan said to herself as she looked at the gauntlet in Dragonborn's hands. "It may be possible to use this Wraithguard as a means of using the Infinity Stones, but I'll need to run some tests to confirm it." Looking at Dragonborn, the blonde asked him, "May I examine and study it?"
Dragonborn nodded and handed the gauntlet to Susan who felt the weight of the item. "Heavy," she observed. "But I imagine with some time, I'll be able to figure out its secrets," she said confidently.
"Let's hope so," Karen said and Susan then looked at Dragonborn and said to him, "If you ever need to check up on my progress, feel free to contact me. I'm more than happy to share my findings with you," she said.
"I will," Dragonborn said bluntly which made Susan blink and look at Carol and Karen. Carol just gave a smile and shrug.
Then the warning klaxons blared to life and the large computer screen flickered to life, showing a video image of a portal appearing on the streets of the city.
"What the hell is going?!" Carol yelled.
"An invasion?!" Karen asked.
Dragonborn saw an open balcony and ran towards it. Carol, Karen and Susan saw him running towards the balcony and leapt off it into the air.
"HUH!?" Karen exclaimed. "DRAGONBORN?!" she screamed in fear and confusion.
Carol was already flying out to catch Dragonborn who was rushing down toward the streets.
In freefall, Dragonborn felt the rushing wind roar past his ears before he shouted three words.
"FEIM ZII GRON!"
Dragonborn's entire form became a ghostly incorporeal form. Twisting himself so that he was standing, so to speak, Dragonborn landed on his feet softly and with nary a sound. Then his form became corporeal again and he drew his sword with a rasp of metal scraping leather and wood, ready for battle.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" screamed a loud voice and Dragonborn looked up to see Carol and Karen flying down to stand beside.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF, JUMPING OUT OF A WINDOW LIKE THAT?!" Carol yelled at him.
"No," Dragonborn said bluntly.
"THEN WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?!" Carol demanded.
"I needed a way down to the street. Jumping out of the window was the quickest way," Dragonborn replied.
"YOU COULDN'T TAKE THE ELEVATOR?!" Carol screamed.
"Would've taken too long."
Carol seemed about ready to give Dragonborn an earful when Karen stopped her. "You can yell at Dragonborn later, Carol. Right now, we've got bigger problems!" she said pointing down the street as the number of portals popping up. Then marching out of the portals were women clad in armour. Recognition flashed in Karen and Carol's eyes respectively.
"Amazons? And are those Asgardians?" Karen asked.
"They are, but something's wrong with them. Look at their eyes!" Carol exclaimed. And sure enough, the eyes of the Amazons and Asgardians were a sick glowing purple colour and the veins in their bodies seemed to bulge out on their bodies, as if threatening to burst open.
"Call in the League and the Avengers!" Carol said to Karen. "Something tells me we're in for a fight!" she added. Karen quickly put in the call and a response came in flashes of blue light as the Justice League and Avengers came in.
Diana noticed the Amazons among the approaching army. "Sisters?! What has happened to you?!" she shouted.
Then in unison, the Amazons and Asgardians spoke in one voice.
"Greetings, Princess Diana. We hope you enjoy your sisters' new look," said the Amazons and Asgardians. Diana's eyes widened in realisation as she recognised the voice.
"Aresia!" she spat out through gritted teeth.
The voice laughed derisively. "Yes and no. We have converged to create a new being. We are… Superisia!" the voice declared.
"I don't believe it!" Jen exclaimed. "Somehow, this Aresia and Superia merged together!" she said coming to the only logical conclusion.
"Very observant of you, Jennifer Walters," the voice of Superia/Aresia congratulated. "We hope you like this new universe. One free from the cancer and sins of Men!" they gloated.
"You monsters! What have you done to my sisters?!" Diana bellowed.
"We have perfected them, Diana. We have given them Immortality! And we offer it to you all as well!" Aresia/Superia said. "But there is still one man left!" they said in anger.
Dragonborn stepped forward, his sword held by his side. "So, you think you have created a perfect universe by ridding it of all men?" he asked casually.
"We have. Men have done nothing but cause bloodshed and suffering everywhere they go, especially towards women-kind. We have simply cut out the cancer," said Aresia/Superia.
"And you seek to finish the job then, by killing me?" Dragonborn asked.
"We do, and we will!" replied Aresia/Superia.
"Then prepare for disappointment," Dragonborn said as he raised his sword, holding it in a ready stance. Diana quickly stepped in front of him.
"Wait!" the Amazon Princess said to Dragonborn who looked at her quizzically. "Don't kill them. Please!" she pleaded. "There's a chance they can be saved!" she stated.
Dragonborn had a contemplative look on his face before he replied, "I'll do my best, but I cannot make a promise I cannot keep."
Diana sighed and nodded in acceptance before drawing her sword.
Superia/Aresia then spoke again through the Amazons and Asgardians. "You would defend a man, when he could be like all the rest of them of both our universes?" they asked mockingly. "You delude yourselves, and therefore must be enlightened!" they declared. "Sisters, bring me the head of the Dragonborn!" the commanded.
With a ringing of steel, the corrupted Amazons and Asgardians drew their weapons and marched towards the Justice League and Avengers.
"Charge!" Diana shouted in a rallying cry to the Justice League and Avengers, before flying towards her corrupted sisters, her sword raised high and her Lasso of Truth lashing out in arcs. Dragonborn used his Thu'um once again.
"WULD NAH KEST!"
With a rush of air and speed, Dragonborn penetrated the Amazons/Asgardian host and with precises slashes of his sword, he cut through ten Amazons and Asgardians, although he made sure that the cuts were non-lethal, simply damaging and crippling. Almost immediately, the corrupted Amazons/Asgardians tried to converge on Dragonborn, hoping to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. But drawing forth on his magicka reserves, Dragonborn cast a spell that made an explosion of intense roaring flames blast out from his body, knocking back the corrupted warriors of Themyscira and Asgard.
Karen used her super-breath to send Amazons/Asgardians flying away. Carol used her photonic blasts to knock them, or her super-strength to deliver punches and kicks to knock them out. Jen used her super-strength to toss opponents into each other, while delivering haymakers that sent enemies flying. Dinah used her Canary Cry to shatter the eardrums of her opponents and used her martial arts skills to disable them. Zatanna cast fireballs at the corrupted Amazons/Asgardians, and she used frost magic to freeze them into place, and she also used a spell to turn the ground beneath her opponents into quicksand that sucked them down to their necks then hardened, keeping them from moving. Claire used her gun to shoot the weapons from the corrupted Amazons/Asgardians, allowing her comrades to knock them out.
Diana knocked out two of her corrupted sisters, her heart panging with regret that she was forced to fight them, but she was hopeful that she could somehow free them from Aresia/Superia's influence. Then a familiar figure approached Diana that made her heart freeze for a moment.
"Artemis?" she asked, her heart wrenching when she saw the redheaded Bana-Mighdall Amazons approach with her battleaxe Mistress in her hands.
"Artemis, if you're in there, fight Aresia's influence! I do not wish to fight you!" Diana shouted at the corrupted Artemis who simply spoke with Aresia/Superia's voice.
"She cannot hear you, Princess. She has been perfected!"
"Artemis! You are stronger than this! Fight it!" Diana pleaded. Artemis simply growled like an animal and leapt towards Diana, her axe raised with the intent of cleaving her in half. Diana prepared to block Artemis's strike when Dragonborn stood in the way and blocked the redhead's blow with his sword. A sharp screaming clang was heard as Artemis's axe collided against Dragonborn's sword. Artemis snarled angrily as she tried to press her axe down further against Dragonborn's weapon, but Dragonborn remained standing like a resolute statue, before he suddenly twisted and threw the corrupted Amazon to the side. Artemis growled as she tumbled to the ground before leaping to her feet and charged towards Dragonborn, roaring like a demon. Diana then stood in Artemis's way, tossing her Lasso of Truth at the redhead. The magical rope of Hestia wrapped itself around Artemis, drawing itself tight against her body and tightening. The corrupted Amazon fell to the ground, grunting, growling and snarling like a wild beast, thrashing against her bonds.
Then Aresia/Superia's voice spoke through Artemis. "You have won this round, Diana. But you cannot hold out against us forever! We shall let you celebrate this small victory, but in the end, you will all accept our gift!" they said as the corrupted Amazons/Asgardians fled through portals, leaving behind Artemis. Artemis suddenly went limp and her eyes closed.
Diana gave a shout of dismay and was beside her fellow Amazon instantly. "Artemis? Artemis! Open your eyes!" she begged.
Dragonborn placed two fingers to the redhead's pulse and said to Diana, "She's alive, albeit barely."
"Bring her to the Baxter Building!" Carol ordered. "We may be able to save her!" she said.
…
Inside the Baxter Building, Diana watched through a glass window as her Amazon sister was hooked up to an IV drip. The redhead's arms, legs and torso were held down with titanium restraints. Diana hadn't left the room for a couple of hours, as she simply stood there watching Artemis, waiting for any signs of recovery.
Carol then walked into the observation room. "Hey, are you okay, Diana?" the blonde asked the brunette who glanced at her and shook her in response.
"I know this is rough, seeing your sisters, your family, in Superisia's control," Carol then said to Diana. "But you can't do anything in here watching Artemis through a window," she reminded her.
Diana released a tired sigh before saying, "I know. I just feel so helpless!" she said in anguish. "My sisters have all been corrupted by Superisia, and I wasn't there to stop it!" A single tear rolled down Diana's cheek and she wiped it away roughly in annoyance at showing such weakness.
"It's going to be okay, Diana. Everything's going to be alright," Carol said reassuringly.
"How? How will everything be alright?" Diana asked despairingly. "For all we know, there could no cure for whatever Superisia did to my Sisters and the Asgardians!" she said.
"Any disease can be cured! We just need to find the cure for this one!" Carol replied confidently. "And on the plus side, we didn't lose Dragonborn. Now Superisia knows Dragonborn is not someone to underestimate!" she said.
"You're right," Diana said nodding her head. "I should be thankful for that at least," she added. The Amazon then asked, "Where are the others?"
"In the main lab, we're going over some blood samples we've taken from Artemis to find out what she was infected with, and see if it can be cured," Carol replied.
The two of them then headed to the main lab, where they found a majority of the Justice League and Avengers going over the data. Dr Caitlin Snow from STAR Labs was also there with Susan Storm, going over the findings.
"So, what have we learned about what Superisia did to the Amazons and Asgardians?" Zatanna asked.
"We've determined that they were infected with some kind of fast acting virus that has rendered them under the control of Superisia," Caitlin replied. "What this virus is, we don't entirely know, but there are some possibilities that it was drawn from each of our respective universes," she said.
"Like what?" Jen asked.
"We were hoping Miss Redfield would help here," said Susan. Claire walked up the computer monitor and her gaze narrowed. "I'm seeing some strains of the T and G Virus on this," she said with bitter anger in her voice.
"Those were created by the UMBRELLA Corporation, yes?" Caitlin asked.
Claire nodded and replied, "Yeah, both were used to create BOWs and were used to create the Wesker Children," she said.
"But there are cures to the T and G virus, aren't there?" Dinah asked.
"There are, not many, but some," said Claire. "But with this… Superisia Virus, they may not work," she added grimly.
"We have to try," Diana suddenly said. "If there is even the slightest chance we can free my sisters and the Asgardians from Superisia's control, then we have to take it," she declared.
"Then there's the fact that Superisia will be gunning for Dragonborn now," Zatanna said. "She'll do everything in her power to finish what she started," she reminded everyone.
"Let her try." And walking into the room was Dragonborn, looking as calm as he could be. "If this Superisia does seek to kill me, then I promise that she'll get my sword to her heart for it," he said with a chilling calmness.
"Even so, your safety is our top priority," Carol replied. "We all know that you're a capable warrior. The past couple of hours have shown us that, but we can't risk losing you," she said.
Diana looked at Carol meaningfully, as if asking what she meant exactly when she said those words. Carol blushed slightly and said, "We don't want to take any risks! You're… important to… all of us!" she stated.
Everyone made murmurs of agreement, and Dragonborn simply said, "I appreciate it, but I can look after myself."
"We'll agree to differ on that one," Carol said dropping the matter. "So, our top priority is finding the remaining Infinity Stones, and finding a cure for the Superisia Virus," she declared.
"But how are we to find the other Infinity Stones?" Karen asked loudly. "We have no idea where to start looking!" she declared.
"We'll work it out as we go," Carol replied. "So, if there is anything else that needs to be discussed, this meeting adjourned," she said and she looked at everyone before nodding.
…
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! The third chapter of this crossover done and dusted! I know it wasn't as long as the previous chapters, but I hope the action/fight sequence makes up for it. We see the introduction of Aresia/Superia, and while she/they haven't made a physical appearance (I'm still working out their physical appearance) they will feature later in the story as they won't give up finishing what they started, killing Dragonborn and "perfecting" everyone with their virus. So with that said, it's time to work on some of the arcs for this story like the search for the Infinity Stones and whomever possesses them and the struggled to obtain them. Then there's finding a cure (if there is one) for the Superisia Virus which will involve a trip to A.I.M/UMBRELLA and a trip down memory lane for Claire Redfield who would no doubt be thrilled to visit old friends.
We'll also see the introduction of more Marvel, DC, Capcom, etc. characters like maybe Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen/Ghost-Spider (maybe Gwenpool for some fourth-wall breaks). I've also been thinking of bringing in some Tekken characters given that Capcom's Street Fighter has done crossovers with Tekken in the past, (plus some of the female characters from Tekken are hot as hell to boot :-P) but I'm still working on that. I have mentioned in the previous chapters that Fallout will feature and I've got a few things in mind that tie to Dragonborn. Now, I'm not saying that Dragonborn is the Lone Wanderer or the Courier from Fallout 3 or New Vegas respectively, but there is a link between Dragonborn and the Fallout universe. What that link is, in the words of the Immortal Bard, "That's for me to know, and for you to find out!"
In other news, I've recently published a Highschool of the Dead/Game of Thrones crossover of Aegon/Young Griff in the Highschool of the Dead universe and sad to say, it hasn't gotten many reviews, and I would appreciate it if some of you took the time to take a look at it and give it a read. It's a little rough around the edges, but I'm hopeful that it will be a worthwhile read. But no pressure or anything, if Highschool of the Dead or for that matter, anime/manga isn't your thing, then you don't have to read it, and for that matter if you do read it, don't leave a review complaining about it, I haven't got time for that.
And that's about the sum total of things, so I'll just leave this here and I'll see you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.