INFINITY CONVERGENCE CRISIS
Chapter 4
Dragonborn was brought back to the Watchtower where he was shown to a room that would be designated as his. "Apologies if this isn't what you're used to," Jen said to him. "But it'll at least get you through the night," she added.
"It's fine," said Dragonborn as he unslung his sword and propped it up beside the bed against the wall.
"And if you need anything, and I mean anything, then I'm just down the hall," Jen said with a suggestive smile and sultry look in her eyes, leaning against the doorway in an interesting pose. Dragonborn looked at the Gamma-Mutant and said, "Thank you for the offer." Taking off his rucksack, he began pulling out various items from it, setting them on the nearby table and arranging them quite neatly. Jen watched Dragonborn for a moment, an almost bemused expression on her face before she huffed and left the room.
Heading out into the commissary, Jen grabbed a cup of coffee and took a pull of the hot caffeinated drink. Sitting at a nearby table, Jen placed her chin in her head and gave a sigh.
"Something the matter, Jen?" Jen looked up to see Karen standing in front of her, a look of concern on her face.
"No, nothing's the matter," Jen replied in a slightly grumpy tone.
"Nothing's always something," Karen stated.
"Well, I guess there is something," Jen reluctantly admitted.
"Does it have to do with Dragonborn?" Karen asked.
"Is it that obvious?" Jen whined and Karen nodded in confirmation. "Well, just how Dragonborn acts kinda confuses me," the Gamma-Mutant said. "I showed him to his room and told him if he needed anything, and I meant anything, I'd just be down the hall," she added.
"So you made a pass at him," Karen remarked. "And how did Dragonborn react?" she asked.
"I think it went right over his head!" Jen complained. "He just said thank you and went to organising his stuff!" she said.
"Yeah, I noticed how Dragonborn reacts to women on Earth," Karen said. "But I don't think it's because he's not interested in women, he just doesn't know how he affects women," she added. "In the burger joint, the checkout check gave him lunch on the house, but he still wanted to pay and didn't know why he was given free lunch, even though it was kinda obvious to me and Carol," she then said.
"So, what are you thinking? Could he be.., y'know…" Jen trailed away looking a little saddened.
"Gay? Maybe, but somehow I don't think that's it," replied Karen. "I think it might be to do with his past as an orphan and how no-one noticed him growing up," she said sadly.
"I find that impossible, personally," Jen said. "How could no-one take any notice of him? I mean, have you seen him?" she asked.
"I don't know to be honest," Karen said shaking her head. "Maybe it's just the reason he is the way he is," she added shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, that's gonna change!" Jen declared with a determined look in her eyes.
"Oh, please tell me you're not gonna jump him?" Karen moaned.
"Don't tell me you weren't thinking the same!" Jen shot back. Karen blushed a little which made Jen snicker. "Heh, knew it! Maybe we can team up on him?" she said half seriously.
"Oh, god, you are a horn-dog, aren't you?" Karen said.
"When I see something I want, I go after it," Jen said proudly. "I'm just not ashamed to admit it," she added folding her arms over her chest.
"Well, we should talk about it with everyone else. About Dragonborn I mean," Karen said. "Then maybe after, we can have a talk with Dragonborn and see what he knows about the birds and the bees," she added.
"What about the birds and the bees?" Diana asked as she walked into the commissary with Zatanna and Carol in tow.
"Dragonborn," Jen clarified. "Karen and I were just talking about how ignorant he seems when it comes to women," she then said.
"He does seem a little clueless," Zatanna confirmed nodding her head. "But I don't think he means anything by it," she said.
"Maybe, but we should have a talk with the guy about the opposite sex and see if he knows anything about the birds and the bees," Karen said.
"Yeah, it was kinda funny how clueless Dragonborn was interacting with women," Carol chuckled. "Almost like he doesn't know how handsome he is and how that affects women around him," she said.
"Well, at the very least he isn't the type of man who knows how he affects women and uses it to his advantage," Diana commented.
"But I think we should have a talk with Dragonborn about it," Jen said. "And I don't know… maybe help him learn?" she added.
"I think we all know what you wanna teach him, Jen," Carol said with amusement.
"Unless you wanna teach the only guy in the universe how to have sex?" Jen retorted poking her tongue out. Carol blushed and hung her head.
"Well… I'd be lying if I said I didn't," the Kree-Human woman said.
"Jen already made a lewd joke about me and her teaming up on Dragonborn," Karen said to Carol who looked at Jen and said to her, "Seriously? Are you that thirsty?" she asked.
"Hey, all the men of both our universe are gone and it's been pretty stressful!" Jen argued. "I can't help it when a nice tall cold bottle of water walks by," she groused.
"Well, that can wait for a later date," Diana cut in. "Right now, we have to find the Infinity Stones and a cure for the Superisia Virus," she reminded them.
"Doesn't mean we can't use something to take the edge, can't we?" Jen asked.
"We'll have a talk with Dragonborn tomorrow morning," Carol replied. "Right now, I just wanna hit the hay and get some sleep," she said with a yawn. "Something tells me I won't be getting much rest later," she added.
"I think we're all agreed on that," Diana said stretching her arms above her head.
…
Dragonborn awoke and was greeted with inky black darkness. After his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could pick out the details of the room he was given. Sitting up on the bed, Dragonborn stretched his body, feeling his bones popping as he did so and letting the kinks in his muscles work themselves out. Climbing out of the bed, Dragonborn put on his armour, having taken it off the night before he went to sleep. Fixing his sword to his waist, he left his room and walked down the corridor and into the commissary. Some of the Watchtower staff were already awake and were surprised to see Dragonborn awake. Dragonborn ignored their stares and headed to the cafeteria where breakfast was already being made. The kitchen staff were eager to serve Dragonborn some breakfast; he asked for a plate of bacon and eggs with toasted bread and a glass of milk.
Being handed a plate of freshly cooked bacon and eggs, toasted buttered bread and a large glass of milk, Dragonborn headed over to a nearby table and sat himself down to break his fast.
As he ate his breakfast, Dragonborn was soon greeted by the sound of shuffling feet and entering the cafeteria was Zatanna wearing a lavender dressing gown and fuzzy slippers and her hair a tangled mess.
"Oh, Dragonborn? You're awake?" Zatanna yawned sleepily. "I thought after yesterday you'd be asleep," she remarked as she rubbed her eyes with one hand.
"I don't sleep much," Dragonborn replied bluntly as he bit off a piece of friend bacon. "And I'm a light sleeper anyway," he said.
"Hmm… guess you had to be where you're from," Zatanna mused as she served herself a cup of coffee and sat down in front of Dragonborn.
"I did," Dragonborn confirmed. "Skyrim was full of dangers and there was no telling where an enemy was going to come from," he said.
"What sort of dangers did you usually face where you come from?" Zatanna enquired as she took a fortifying sip of her coffee, letting the caffeine rich brew awaken her senses.
"Bandits, wild animals, undead, assassins, dragons, there was no end to what I faced back home," Dragonborn said as he took a drink from his glass of milk.
"Can you tell me a little about your world?" Zatanna asked.
"What would you like to know?"
The next fifteen minutes were spent with Zatanna asking Dragonborn about the world he came from, and he told her what he knew about his world. Zatanna had asked him what the title of Dragonborn meant, and he told her that the Dragonborn was to possess the blood and soul of a dragon, as well as possess the innate ability to use the Thu'um or the Voice as it was more commonly referred to the in the mortal tongue. That led to Zatanna asking him how he came to be Dragonborn and he told her the story of how he'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time and was set to be executed were it not for a dragon attack inadvertently saving his life and setting him on the journey to defeat Alduin the World-Eater.
"So, what is the Thu'um? Can anyone learn it?" Zatanna asked as she ate her own breakfast of granola and yoghurt.
"You can learn it, but it takes years of concentration and study to learn a Word of Power, and even longer to use a single Word of Power," said Dragonborn.
"So how is it you know these Words of Power?" Zatanna asked as she ate a spoonful of granola.
"Because of my power as Dragonborn, I can learn words of power in an instant and use them by devouring the souls of dragons I have slain," replied Dragonborn.
"And how many words of power do you know? And for that matter how many dragons have you killed?" Zatanna asked.
"Words of Power can be used to create Shouts and can also be used as a spoken language," said Dragonborn. "During my time in Skyrim, I learned many Shouts and slayed many dragons that threatened to harm villages and holds. I cannot give you a number because I've lost count of how many dragons I have slain," he added.
Zatanna looked at him astounded and that led her to ask another question. "You've said before you were a mercenary, how many people have you killed?" she asked timidly, as if afraid of offending Dragonborn.
"Depends. Are you asking how many I have killed by my own hand, or are you asking how many were killed because of my command as a Legate in the Imperial Legion?"
"I'm not sure I want to know," Zatanna sighed. "But since I asked, how many have you personally killed?" she asked, her eyes looking bleak.
"I lost count somewhere along the way, but I think somewhere in the region of two to three thousand people that have died by my hand," Dragonborn said in a dispassionate way. That somewhat alarmed Zatanna; not how many people he had killed, but how dispassionate he was about it. "Most of those deaths were from the civil war as I and around twenty or so Legionnaires were tasked with capturing forts and castles that dotted Skyrim from Stormcloak rebels. The rest were simply bandits who I collected bounties on," he recounted.
"Do you regret it?" Zatanna asked as she reached across the table to place her hand on top of Dragonborn's.
"Regret what?"
"Do regret killing all those you've killed," Zatanna clarified.
"Killing them? Not really. That they had to be killed? Yes, but Skyrim was a harsh land and the war was claiming too many innocent lives and with dragons on top of it, I was surprised that Skyrim hadn't been turned into a blood strewn wasteland," Dragonborn said.
Zatanna looked at Dragonborn appraisingly and when she made to ask another question, Jen walked into the cafeteria, wearing a t-shirt and short-shorts both of which were a tight fit on her body.
"Good morning!" the Gamma-Mutant greeted cheerily and her eyes lit up when she saw Dragonborn. "Hey, Dragonborn. How was your sleep?" she asked him.
"It was fine. Nothing to complain about," Dragonborn said stoically.
"You sure? Didn't need anything or anyone during your sleep?" Jen winked.
"No."
Jen quirked an eyebrow at Dragonborn's blunt response before getting herself some breakfast. Soon others began to file into the cafeteria. Chun-Li seemed awake and alert, something Zatanna commented on.
"Well, part of my job with Interpol requires me to be up and early," the Chinese martial artist said. "Bad guys aren't gonna catch themselves, y'know?" she added as she served herself a cup of coffee.
"I concur," Claire said as she ate a bowl of cornflakes and milk. "It's a necessary habit in any line of work, plus it shows good form and work ethic," she added.
"Yeah, well I still like to get a bit of beauty rest," Dinah said. "I work long hours at night as it is. Any amount of sleep I can get is helpful," she added.
"In any case, we have a lot of work ahead today," Carol said. "We need to start the search for a vaccine to the Superisia Virus, and that involves a trip to Aimbrella," she added. The Kree-human woman looked at Claire and said to her, "Since you have the most experience with Umbrella, you'll be leading this team," she informed her.
"I'll do my best, Major Danvers," Claire said calmly.
"Another team will start the search for the Infinity Stones," Carol then said. "Sue left a message saying they had picked up a faint reading from Valkanda," she added.
"I'll take that mission," Chun-Li said and Carol nodded in approval.
"And what about the rest of us?" Zatanna asked.
"Once the teams have been assembled, the rest will begin scanning the globe for any signs of the Infinity Stones and any signs of Superisia," replied Carol. Then she looked at Dragonborn and said, "Dragonborn. I acknowledge a part of me wants to keep you on the Watchtower where it's safe, but I also acknowledge that you'll just find a way off and get involved somehow. So I want to give you a choice: do you want to go on a mission? Or do you want to stay up here?" she asked him.
Dragonborn tilted his head to the side and replied, "I'd rather be out there doing something, rather than sit up feeling useless."
"I thought as much," Carol said nodding her head in understanding. "So, which team do you want to go with?" she asked him.
Dragonborn looked at Claire and said, "I'll go with Miss Redfield. I have some experience fighting the undead and from what I heard of this Umbrella Corporation, they dabble in undead abominations."
"Are you sure?" Claire asked him. "The stuff Umbrella creates aren't like the undead you've faced before," she warned him.
"I'll manage."
Claire nodded, acceding the argument before saying, "Okay, but I want you to stay close to me, alright?" she said. "I don't want you getting infected with anything," she added.
"I won't."
"So, now that Dragonborn's going with Claire, who'll go with them?" Carol said looking at everyone else. Jen looked more than eager to volunteer her services and was bouncing her seat which made her breasts bounce up and down.
"I'll go!" the Gamma-Mutant said eagerly.
"Are you sure, Jen? If Aimbrella gets their hands on your DNA, who knows what kind of monster they'll create with it," Carol warned.
"Hey, if Dragonborn isn't worried, why should I be?" Jen replied. "And I'm sure Dragonborn will do everything in his power to protect me, won't you?" she asked sweetly looking at Dragonborn.
"Of course. The wellbeing of the team is my priority," said Dragonborn not quite catching what Jen really meant. Carol rolled her eyes at Jen's blatant attempt to get closer to Dragonborn.
"Well, when you three are ready, take the teleporter down to Raccotham City," the Kree-human woman told them. "And you two better keep Dragonborn in one piece," she said to Jen and Claire.
"We will, Major Danvers. Don't you worry about that," Claire replied.
"Hey, with this team, what can go wrong?" Jen boasted confidently.
"Famous last words," Dinah muttered under her breath.
"What was that, Canary?"
"Nothing!"
…
Raccotham City. Aimbrella Corporation Lab Facility.
In the darkened corridor of the Aimbrella Corporation Labs, a nearby air vent grate was slowly kicked off. Then crawling out from the air vent was Claire wearing a standard issue Terrasave tactical uniform along with a vest of pouches and pockets on her chest and a belt also lined with pockets. In a holster underneath her left arm was her Quick-draw Army revolver and on her right hip was her JMB Hp3 handgun. Holstered on her back was her GM 79 grenade launcher and in her hands was her MQ 11 submachine gun that had been fitted with a suppressor to allow for silent kills. And sheathed on her left shoulder was the STARS combat knife that had been given to her by her older brother Chris.
Crawling out after Claire was Jen wearing her usual She-Hulk uniform with purple fingerless gloves and sneakers. Dragonborn came out after Jen and was wearing his armour and was armed with his sword.
"You two okay?" Claire asked her teammates.
"Just peachy," Jen replied sarcastically as she looked at their surroundings in distaste. "Is every villain's secret laboratory this creepy looking?" she asked with an equal amount of sarcasm.
"Hey! You wanted to come on this mission," Claire reminded. "If you want out, then you can go back the way you came. I won't stop you," she said.
"I didn't say I wanted to leave!" Jen protested.
"We need to focus," Dragonborn reminded and Claire nodded in agreement.
"Dragonborn's right. We've gotten this far, but only because they've let us," she said. "Stay frosty and watch your six!" she advised them as she raised her MQ 11 in front of her, her finger just outside the trigger guard but ready to fire a shot if anything came out of the shadows.
Dragonborn suddenly stopped and looked behind them. "There's someone behind us," he said in a quiet voice as he drew his sword and readied it.
Jen and Claire turned out, ready for a fight. "Alright. Whoever's there, you have ten seconds to come out where we can see you!" Claire called out and she began a countdown. "Ten. Nine. Eight."
Then stepping into the light were two women, one of whom was immediately recognisable to Dragonborn and the other Jen recognised easily.
"Katana," Dragonborn said lowering his sword as the Japanese samurai walked towards the group. "Why are you here?" he asked and he looked at Katana's companion. She was quite a looker; tall and curvaceous with fiery red hair and wearing a skin tight cat suit that showed off a generous amount of cleavage along with a belt that a red hourglass on the buckle and gauntlets on her hands.
"Natasha? What are you doing here?" Jen asked her fellow Avenger and SHIELD Agent.
"Maria and Waller sent Katana and I to assist you three," replied the Black Widow AKA Natasha Romanov. She then cast her emerald green eyes at Dragonborn and said, "So, you're Dragonborn, huh?" she asked. "You seem pretty capable, but I'll have to verify that for myself," she remarked.
"Why would Maria and Waller send you two here?" Claire asked Natasha and Katana. "We've got this covered," she said sternly.
"We have our orders, Redfield-san," Katana said calmly.
"Besides, if it isn't us, it'll just be someone else," Natasha put in.
"Nat, you know I trust you because you usually have the best of intentions," Jen said to Natasha. "But think about this for a second! If Waller or Maria were to get their hands on the stuff here? It'd be the stuff of nightmares!" she stated.
"I have my orders, Jen, even if I don't like them," Natasha replied calmly.
"It doesn't matter what their orders are. We have ours," Dragonborn said. "We have a job to do," he added stoically.
Claire sighed heavily before saying, "Alright, but I'll keeping an eye on you two!" she said to Katana and Natasha who both nodded in response.
The group slowly made its way down the corridor when Dragonborn suddenly stopped at a door, looking at it hard for a moment.
"What is it?" Jen asked.
Dragonborn didn't answer, he just wrenched open the door and stumbling through with a camera in her hands was a woman with flowing dark hair and violet eyes.
Jen recognised the woman immediately. "Lois Lane of the Daily Planet? What are you doing here?!" she asked the world famous reporter irately.
"I agree with Jen, what are you doing here?" Claire asked Lois. "It's not safe here!" she said.
"Hey! I've been to Afghanistan before all this happened and I got kidnapped regularly by supercriminals!" Lois Lane replied.
"Don't change the subject. What are you doing here?" Claire reiterated her question.
"Alright, look; ever since the Convergence Crisis happened, I've been hearing all these wild rumours," Lois said. "Really freaky sci-fi horror stuff. People going missing, monster sightings and a whole bunch of other stuff," she added. "So I did some fact checking and I found out all of that stuff happened within a three block radius of this very facility. A coincidence?" she asked.
"I was staking the place when you all showed up and I went in. This could be the scoop of a lifetime!" the fiery reporter then said.
"It doesn't change anything," Dragonborn suddenly said to her. "It's not safe here. Get out of here while you can, Miss Lane," he advised her.
"Oh, you're the guy everyone's talking about, huh?" Lois said looking at Dragonborn with blatant interest. "how about a picture and interview?" she offered.
"Not interested."
"You have to give me something! The public has a right to know about you!" Lois argued. "I'd personally like to know how it feels to be the last guy in the universe," she then said.
"Maybe later, but right now you need to go back the way you came," Dragonborn replied.
"Uhh, that'll have to wait, Dragonborn," Jen said looking ahead and the sound of claws clicking along the floor alerted them. Dragonborn then cast a Magelight spell and flung it in the direction of the sound. Then revealed in the light was some kind of monstrosity with an exposed brain, skinless body quadruped body, large thick clawed limbs and a very long tongue that writhed and lashed about menacingly. And it wasn't the only one.
"Lickers!" Claire cursed, flicking the safety of her MQ off and aimed down the sights. "Stay back! Don't let their tongues near you!" she warned her companions.
Natasha pulled out a pair of twin pistols and aimed them at the Lickers. With a nod, both Claire and Natasha fired their guns at the BOWs. With a hiss and screech, the Lickers leapt onto the walls and began running along them. Dragonborn cast another Magelight, tossing it at the ceiling to illuminate the area around. Lois looked down the sight of her camera, trying to get a picture of the creatures.
"Form a circle! Back to back!" Dragonborn called out. Following his suggestion, everyone formed a circle, their backs to each other. The Lickers danced out of the line of sight.
"Where are they?!" Jen shouted, her hands curled into fists, ready to deliver a haymaker.
"Stay close! Don't let them divide you! That's how they work!" Claire yelled as she fired another shot at something in the shadows.
"Need to lure them in somehow," Dragonborn and he ran forward into the long shadows.
"Dragonborn! No!" Jen shouted in fear. Then a loud screech broke the air and Dragonborn came back into the light, followed by a licker that skittered along the floor, its claws clicking.
"Claire, now!" Dragonborn shouted as he suddenly slid to his knees as the licker leaped towards him to tackle him. Claire unleashed a barrage of bullets at the BOW, making its body shake and shudder as the bullets collided with its flesh, making blood spill out onto the floor. The magazine had run dry and Claire quickly unloaded the empty mag before loading a fresh one in. Dragonborn walked over to the Licker that was still alive. The Licker lashed out its longue pink tongue towards him, but Dragonborn then sliced off its tongue with his sword before thrusting the blade into its exposed brain, ending its life.
"One down," Dragonborn said as he pulled his sword free before flicking a hand at the dead licker, setting it alight with flames, filling the air with the acrid stench of flesh burning.
"Still another one!" Natasha pointed out as she swivelled her pistols to and fro, trying to find the other BOW.
"Try and get in the light so I can get a clear shot of it!" Lois whispered holding her camera in front of her eyes. "This'll make headlines!" she said in excitement.
Dragonborn readied his sword and closed his eyes for a moment. At that moment, the other licker dropped down behind him, its tongue stretching out to wrap around his neck. Snapping his eyes open, Dragonborn spun around and slashed downwards; the blade of his sword cleaved through the Licker's head/brain in a vertical stroke, splitting its head in half. The creature shuddered and died with thick dark blood pooling around its corpse.
"Oh, what a scoop!" Lois exclaimed as she moved forward to take a picture of the BOW, her camera flashing each time as she took pictures of the dead creature. "This'll make for a Page 2 article!" she said and she looked at Dragonborn. "Hey, hero, wanna take a picture beside?" she offered to him.
"No thanks."
"Party pooper."
"Alright, you have your picture, Miss Lane, now can you please get out of here?" Claire said to the intrepid reporter. "It's not safe for you!" she added.
"And miss out on the action? No way! I've followed Superman head first into danger to get the story, and I'll be damned if I didn't get this one!" Lois said stubbornly.
"Fine. But stay out of the way!" Claire snapped out as she walked down the corridor, her flashlight turned on and the others following her. Lois caught up quickly to Dragonborn and nudged him in the arm.
"So, I gotta ask. What's it like?"
"What's what like?"
"Being the only guy in the universe. All these sexy women around, you must be in heaven!" Lois said.
"Why would I be?" asked Dragonborn. Lois looked at Dragonborn in disbelief and said, "Seriously? Only guy in the universe filled with women and you don't even bat an eyelash?" she asked.
"I didn't ask to be here," Dragonborn said noncommittally. "More of an accident how I got here in the first place. Could've ended up anywhere, really," he added.
"So, have you, y'know?" Lois asked.
"Have I what?"
"Y'know, had a little fun with some girls since you arrived," Lois said.
"What little fun?" Dragonborn asked looking at the reporter and Lois suddenly realised just how handsome he was. Tall, powerfully built, handsome features and deep purple-blue eyes that could drown some lucky girl in.
"Are you…?" Lois tried to ask.
"Am I what?" Dragonborn looked at Lois in confusion.
"Are you… gay?" Lois asked the question.
"Am I happy?" Dragonborn said in confusion and Lois nearly slapped her forehead in exasperation.
"No! I mean, do you prefer being with men is what I mean," Lois clarified for him.
"How do you mean? In battle?" Dragonborn asked innocently.
"I mean as in lovers," Lois said.
"Oh.
"So?" Lois nudged him.
"No, I don't take men as lovers," Dragonborn said.
"Okay, interesting to know," Lois said jotting something down in her notebook. "So have you taken any of the Justice League or Avengers as lovers?" she asked.
"No."
Lois blinked at the blunt response and she then asked, "Do you have any plans to?"
"Not at this stage. I don't have time," replied Dragonborn.
"Hmmm, interesting. Very interesting," Lois muttered to herself.
"If you're done playing twenty questions, can we get a move on?" Jen said. "Let's just find whatever we can in this place and get out," she added.
"Agreed," Dragonborn said.
The group then made their way further into the bowels of the Aimbrella Labs where their every step was being watched.
…
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! The fourth chapter of this done and dusted! I hope you all enjoyed it. Next chapter, we'll move away from the Dragonborn's group to focus on the group making their way into Valkanda (Val Habar and Wakanda merged) where they'll meet the new ruling queen Shuri managing her new kingdom alongside the Monster Hunter, and we'll see some conflict brewing there when Superisia makes her move on Valkanda, so keep an eye out for that.
In other news, I'm working on a Fable/Game of Thrones crossover of Aegon VI/Young Griff in the Fable universe. As usual I've set up a romance poll for that, so feel free to put in your vote if you haven't already.
And apart from that, I haven't got much else to say, so I'll just leave this here and see you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.