Man of Steel, World of Marvels

by Harbinger Of Kaos

YAHF/Marvel Cross...Xander with Superman's powers in A marvel universe, which one? Well you'll have to read to find out.

5. Chapter 5

Man of Steel, World of Marvels.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, I do not own any of the characters that appear in this fan fiction, BTVS, Superman and Marvel are still own by their respective owners.

Well hello once more my dear readers, here we are again with our favorite Zeppo taking flight once again. Now I know a lot of you guys and gals were wondering where I would after having him save little May and ruining Osborn's master plan, we had two choices ahead move onto Zero Tolerance or do a space adventure.

Here is the answer, now most will wonder why I chose this particular event and not the other, well that explanation is at the end of the chapter so all I ask is that you give it a chance before I explain why I did what I did.

So with that being said on with the show!

"Talking"

"Whisper"

*SOUND EFFECT*

*Thought*

Chapter 5:

New York City, Central Park…

It was the holidays seasons and all throughout the city it showed as Christmas lights and trees were out as well as decorated in festive colors, people were passing by looking at stores for gifts to buy for their love ones and kids laughed with a joy that could only be seen so rarely in these times.

But for one man who watched and heard it all from his seat, calmly drinking a cup of coffee while watching nearby families playing in the snow, it was less than pleasing. No, for the first and last Kryptonian of Earth-616 it was not a time of merriment and goodwill on Earth, the causes for his mood weren't just derived from recent events in the past few months, though given their nature he would be lying if he said that some weren't indeed a factor.

He could not be there to stop Bobby Drake's father from being beaten up by human supremacists for defending his son's right to exist. Despite having Giles use all resources available at the Fortress to cure the Legacy Virus no results came despite the incredible technology he had at his disposal as the virus was truly an ingenious bio bio-weapon.

Though that was a given since it came from the twisted mind of madman from the future and with access to Celestial based technology of Apocalypse, it should be no surprise he was having trouble there in that area.

But the worse yet was public the assassination of Presidential candidate Graydon Creed one week ago, though on a personal note he hope the man was burning in Hell. No, the problem here with that event being it was the first shot that would trigger Bastion's multiple prong attack on mutantkind all the while using innocent men and women as living weapons with no desire but to kill more innocents just because their genetics did not meet up to par with the rest of baseline humanity.

It honestly made him wonder if the bastard came with a swastika branded on him when he was made.

Finally on the lists of less than pleasant memories, came his encounter with a newly risen team of "Heroes" to help pick up the slack in the wake of the loss of the Avengers and Fantastic Four…the team known as the Thunderbolts.

Of course he knew them by another name; one he knew thanks his unique knowledge of the world he found himself in, for he knew them as the Masters of Evil who were led by none other than one Baron Helmut Zemo. It was just another example where his knowledge was seen as a curse as his mind wandered back to that day…

Flashback…

Xander was feeling pretty good right now, he had just made a pass near the Parker home as he routinely did to make sure they were safe and was glad to see little baby May laughing gleefully at her mother Mary Jane as she plays with her.

Peter was more than likely at the Bugle or swinging the city on one of his daily patrols, though that last one was not needed as much since Xander wanted to lighten his load to give him more time with his family, the Kryptonian hero figured if anyone deserved a chance to be happy it was him considering all he been or would go through in his life.

Of course that didn't mean Xander had not encountered the web slinger during his own patrols as it was impossible not to since the man practically ran around the entire city fighting crime, sometimes venturing into other heroes territories if one looked at it that way. Though whenever they did meet he could tell there was a shift in the other's man posture or in the way he spoke to him as clearly he was grateful for what he did for him and his wife…and that made it worth all the effort he place in rescuing May.

*Good, that may make my eventual revealing of myself to them all the more smoother, I mean seems unfair I know who he is and they don't know who I am…it is fair after all.*

Still what marred it all was that Osborn was still out there, while Jonah and The Bugle staff had indeed brought down the heat by getting all they could from Mongraine who sang like a canary. She nailed the doctor who had a hand in it, showed them where she was hiding and the accounts where she got the money as well her phone records.

She of course demanded 24 hour protection since you did not turn on a man of Osborn's level of ruthlessness, resourcefulness and madness. He would not have anyone betray him and not pay for it, factoring in how his so called greatest triumph was thwarted and Xander had no doubt he would be livid.

*Well fuck him I say, bastard should have stayed dead for everyone's benefit, especially after he murdered a good man and had a baby kidnapped minutes after birth.*

Unfortunately any further thoughts were interrupted when his powerful hearing picked up the sounds of destruction and screams, concentrating he located the source on Liberty Island and then focused his eyesight to zoom in on the area.

"Oh no…" he whispers as he finds the cause of the panic.

Destroying anything in sight he spotted the quartet of super powered criminals known as the Wrecking Crew. Led by the magical crowbar wielding Wrecker the entire group was present, a black man garbed in green and yellow wielding a wrecking ball no normal being should be able to move known as Thunderball. One dressed in red and white with hands that were far larger than normal, him being known as Piledriver and finally a man in orange with an armored helmet that extended to his shoulders called Bulldozer.

All four were powered by Asgardian magic and while they started off as incompetent super powered criminals they had taking part in laying siege to the Avengers Mansion and beat up Hercules badly despite the fierce fight he put up.

He flew as fast as he dared while trying to come up with a plan of attack, these men for all intents and purposes beings of magic and therefore could hurt/kill him if he made a mistake. The other problem was civilians as it was a tourist hot spot and lo behold there people cowering inside the monument as well as helicopters and ships to add to this growing recipe of disaster.

*Okay got take out the head of the snake first then finish off the body.* He thought as he sped up and aimed his fists at the purple masked thug wielding an enchanted crowbar.

*WHAM!*

"UGH!" The force of the blow sent the Wrecker flying and soon digging a trench with his body. That action caught the three other members off guard and that cost them starting off with Bulldozer as he was shoulder tackled into his leader, followed by Thunderball getting slammed into the ground hard enough to crack it before their unknown assailant grabbed him by his arm and hurled him into the other two and finally Piledriver who got an uppercut for his troubles before landing on the heap that was his teammates.

All four men groaned as they got back up and shook off the vertigo and looked at who got the drop on them.

"Shit! It's that new cape flying around." Piledriver cursed as readied himself for a fight.

"We aren't getting paid to tangle with this joker Wrecker." Thunderball spoke to his leader as prepared his ball and chain.

"Then we get street cred for taking him out, we ain't like those six chumps who can't even handle that web freak. We took down that Greek asshole down and wrecked the Avenger's Mansion! This guy's and those Avenger imitators have got nothing on us!" Their leader shouted to rally his team which seems to work as they got ready to go on the assault.

Xander for his part wondered what the man meant by Avengers imitators until he recalled who he was talking about.

*Oh shi…!* sadly he wouldn't complete that thought as Wrecker shouted.

"Get him!" as one all four ran at the red and blue garbed man.

*Head in the game Xander!*

Bulldozer being the faster of the group pulled away and aimed his head to ram him, Xander countered by blowing a gale of artic cold air at the man's feet, upon setting foot on the sheet of ice gravity took hold had him slip on his back while his momentum made him slide towards the hero.

"Whooooaaa!"

*WHAM!*

One kick to the stomach later and he was thrown hard sideways into the ground while leaving behind a trench.

Next attack came all too quickly though really Piledriver was hardly stealthy to begin with as Xander bobbed and weaved around the flurry of punches the man threw. There was no real technique to speak off only raw aggression coupled with a poor street fighter's style…then again that seemed to be the theme with this group and hence why they had occasional trouble with the more well trained heroes or those with more experience on the streets.

Thunderball and Wrecker could tell they weren't going to win this at this rate much less when their real prey gets there. They knew the man was faster, just as strong and from what they remembered when he first hit the scene had more powers to show…they needed an edge.

"Thunderball we need a distraction so we can take this asshole down." The team leader spoke as he motioned upwards. The other man looked and understood as with a sinister smirk on his face as he began to spin his weapon of choice.

Meanwhile Xander had begun to redirect Piledriver's hits, batting them aside with ease given his enhanced senses, greater speed and strength. After blocking a left hook he used the super powered thug's extended arm to execute a textbook judo toss…

"Ugh!"

…then rolled right as Bulldozer came barreling down from behind his back, again stealth not being his strong suit as he pretty much announce his intentions as he bellowed in rage at being so easily dismissed at the start of the battle before charging in like an enraged Rhino.

*He and Rhino must share the same trainer.* He though humorlessly thought to himself.

He rushed up behind the man and grasped the man's uniform and threw into Piledriver causing both men to fall in a mass of limbs. That would buy him some time but he wanted to end this soon before fate decided to up the challenge…unfortunately he was too late.

"Hey hero! You like to play catch!? Well catch this!" Thunderball cried out as he released his ball at the extended arm of the statue.

*BOOM!*

"NO!" He and all spectators both present and at home shouted as they watched the symbol of freedom be defiled by the crook, worse yet people were right under its path. With no delays Xander rushed to the falling debris and caught it with powerful arms while carefully making sure not to jostle it loose giving time for the people to run.

Unfortunately it was time for another bad turn as he felt his world explode in pain as he was struck from behind.

"Agh!"

"Nailed ya!" Wrecker cried out as he summoned back his enchanted crowbar while his three compatriots cheered.

Xander slammed hard onto the ground that he cracked it; he was on his hands and knees as he tried to work through the pain.

"Son of a…! I forgot what pain felt like." He gasped as he held his back while trying to stand; Bulldozer however would oblige him as he charged into him at full speed…

"Ugh!"

"Nobody messes with the Crew!" The man shouted as he kicked him in the ribs.

"Give him here Bulldozer!" Piledriver shouted as his teammate as he popped his knuckles and wore a smirk at what he was about to do. Bulldozer wore the same as he grabbed the Kryptonian by the neck and cape, spun him once and threw him at the man with an oversized fist cocked back and ready to release his anger on the hero.

*WHAM!*

The air practically shatters with the force unleashed as the villain slammed his fist down into the former Sunnydalian's head as he reached him making him hit the ground and dig a man sized trench.

The four laughed at the pain they inflicted on this worlds Superman who was struggling to stand up. The magic used in the villains was clearly taking its toll on Xander as he spat some blood.

*Forgot how much I hated the taste of my own blood as well.* He thinks grimly before glaring the group who looked very smug right now.

"Why don't you piss off before we really get nasty?" Wrecker demands, his voice full of bravado at the sight of the wounded hero.

"Why don't you kiss my ass you brainless apes?" He retorts with equal bravado despite the pain he was feeling and taking so measure of joy in the affronted looks the four gave him.

"I'm gonna bash your fucking skull in!" The leader of the four shouted as he and the other rushed the hero.

It should be noted however that in their single minded effort to destroy the man before them they forgot that he was not their primary target…as evidenced when four missiles flew straight at them before they could get within striking distance of Superman.

*BOOM!*

All four were thrown back disoriented but very much still in the fight as they got back on their feet. Superman turned to look at where the weapons came from and felt a frown on his face…the Thunderbolts had arrived.

A man in blue with an advance flight pack flew alongside a blonde haired woman in orange and red segmented armor. Behind them was a quartet of three men and one woman looking down at the scene.

The man on the far right was dressed in a red and black suit, a red bandanna on his head and technological back pack on him. On the far left was a large man with red suit with yellow boots and blue shoulder guards on as well as an oversized "A" on his chest, to his right was the other woman of the group wearing a dark blue and white with gold bracers and neck guard and her hair was mostly white with red extensions on the front framing her face.

Finally was a man decked in purple with red wrappings around his waist, forearms and shins, purple cape and shoulder guards themed after the American flag while his face was hidden in a V shaped white mask.

These were newest heroes to come onto the scene known individually as Mach-1, Meteorite, Techno, Atlas, Songbird and finally their leader Citizen V. The men and women had risen to the call in the wake of the Avengers & Fantastic Four's (and Dr. Doom though not quite as missed) sacrifice to defeat the entity known as Onslaught this unknown group rose to take their place.

Now for the regular New Yorker they were a god send but for Xander Harris not so much given that he knew who they TRULY were…The Masters of Evil!

The Beetle, Moonstone, Fixer, Goliath, Screaming Mimi and one of Captain America's most hated foes Baron Helmut Zemo.

*My luck cannot be this bad! I mean come on why did it have to be them to the rescue…okay, calm down Xander, remember not all of them end up Evil like Zemo and Moonstone.*

Xander thinks as he schools his features as he looks at Zemo.

The Thunderbolts in turn studied the scene before them, they all knew of the Wrecking Crew, though they had heard they were weakened and incarcerated but then again when has that ever stopped people like them.

Then there was the man in the red cape, they had also heard of this new comer and his incredible powers but unlike them he seemed to operate around the world rather than just New York City despite being seen there most of all.

"Superman I presume?" Citizen V asks as their mode of transport, the V-Wing, lowers itself to let the four down while the fliers float down. All of the team keeping a close eye on the Crew for any sudden moves who reciprocate the feeling as their targets finally arrived.

"That is what the people have chosen to call me, and you ladies and gentlemen are?" He says calmly, he needs to keep up appearances for the time being no matter how much he wishes he could deal with the man.

"We are the Thunderbolts friend, though more detailed introductions shall have to wait…" The disguised mastermind spoke calmly as he looks to the Wrecking Crew "…as soon as we deal with this criminal scum."

"Funny asswipe, but this is good for us since that means once we deal with you chumps we get paid a crap load of money for it." Wrecker snidely remarks as he and the others charge the group.

The Thunderbolts and Superman soon rush to meet them; Techno and Meteorite face off against Piledriver, Mach-1 and Songbird against Bulldozer, Atlas and Superman against Thunderball while Citizen V faced Wrecker.

Techno struck from a distance using his technopack's on board weaponry, lasers and explosives were fired at the man in red and white while the woman dive bombed him from multiple angles as the criminal tried to avoid the weapons fire. It didn't help he had been hurt from his battles with the Kryptonian, this was evident when Meteorite came in hot and slammed her glowing fist into his jaw and making his whole head turn from the force, she quickly gained altitude. His trouble didn't end there as Techno hit him with a focused concussive beam that slammed into him hard…

"Argh!"

…his pain filled screams were cut off however when Meteorite slammed down at high speed into his torso. That was the final nail in his coffin as he blacked out after being subjected to that much punishment.

The two then split up, Techno to help Mach-1 and Songbird while Meteorite went to help their leader. The group's tech expert found he may not need to do much as both fliers had their foe well controlled, given their aerial superiority and long range attacks they had Bulldozer desperate to mount some kind of attack.

He threw broken patches of sidewalk, mounds earth, anything really to get at the two as jumping proved useless against the nimble duo. Mach-1 was blasting him with miniature missiles while Songbird struck with sound blasts and constructs, Techno just stood by waiting for the right moment to strike.

That moment soon came as he jumped back to avoid a missile barrage, that momentary separation from the ground gave him a small window he used to fire another concussive blast to the man's unprotected back…

"Ugh!"

"Yo Mach hit him with the gas!" He yelled at his teammate who only look for a moment before he aimed at Bulldozer who was trying to recover, Techno then addressed Songbird as the missiles flew from Mach-1's wrist launcher "…Songbird, when the gas hits you cover Mr. Personality here in a dome!"

She says nothing but once pink gas appears a dome made of solid sound appears around the man who begins to hammer at the makeshift prison.

"Grr…" She grunts as she strains to hold the field.

"You can do this Song! You got this!" Mach-1 encourages the woman as he places a hand on her shoulder as a show of support. She can't respond but her face shows a renewed concentration that last until finally the pounding stops and she releases the dome to reveal an unconscious Bulldozer.

She was naturally exhausted as Bulldozer was quite the powerhouse and given that she was still learning about her new abilities she still needed to train in them more. She felt Mach-1 support her and she smiled in thanks, he also smiled to it was hidden behind his helmet…Techno just rolled his eyes.

*Get a room you two! What are we in high school?* He thinks before looking towards Atlas and Superman.

Both men were handling themselves rather well against Thunderball who was keeping them at a distance with his weapon. Despite standing at 12ft tall Atlas move rather nimble to avoid the ball and chain while taking measures not to get in Superman's way.

*Shame he's a cape, a guy with his level of power could be of use to Zemo's plan.* the giant thinks to himself…Xander does not share his opinion though.

*I can't believe this…working with a damn Master of Evil! Oh sure he's one of the people who actually wants to become a hero later but come on! Ugh, I just feel dirty thinking about it.*

Clearly he was not comfortable with the idea of working with the team who had yet to seek redemption but he was flexible enough to do so at the moment, at least that is what he tells himself as he dodges right as the wrecking ball slams into the place where he had stood.

*To Hell with this!*

"Hey big man! How big can you get!?" He asks as he Thunderball dodges a giant punch before retaliating with a kick that misses Atlas as he back steps.

"Let's go with very, why?"

"Go as big as you can right now!" He shouted as he charged the man as his temporary ally grew to a size that would rival lady liberty herself. Thunderball made the mistake of looking at gigantic Atlas instead of Superman; hence he did not see the Man of Steel move at super speed until he saw him in front of him with his right fist pulled back…

"Lights out asshole!" and then proceeded to throw an uppercut to the man's stunned face…

*WHAM!* sending him flying upwards.

"Your move Atlas!" Xander shouted out as he saw the Thunderball rising.

And the man indeed made his move as his titanic fist plummeted to meet the rising villain who could nothing as his body was launched back down at higher speeds to the unforgiving earth with a great boom and crater as final result.

Atlas shrunk down to normal size as he met Superman at the lip of the crater spotting a painfully groaning but very much defeated Thunderball at the center of it.

"Bet he'll be sore in the morning." Atlas quipped with a smirk.

"Good." Xander couldn't agree more so, turning towards where the disguised Zemo and Moonstone were still fighting the leader of the bunch he debated on whether or not to aid them.

*Fuck it! I have had my fill of the 4 idiots and that damn impostor now!* He thinks as he launches himself at the Wrecker as he bats away Meteorite before facing Citizen V.

"Ha! You think you can beat me? I fought Captain America!"

"And lost if memory serves…" Zemo spoke out loud but was really thinking…

*You imbecilic Neanderthal! I am Rogers's superior and you think you can defeat me? How absurd!*

Of course anything else that could have been said was stopped as the Wrecker was suddenly sent crashing sideways as Superman shoulder tackled him. He spared the disguised villain a look before he strode over towards the stunned powerhouse.

"You know I consider myself a patient and calm man in the face of danger…" he spoke calmly as he reached Wrecker and batted away a left hook before rabbit punching him in the jaw…

"I mean in this job…" ducks under a wild swing and retaliates with a blow to the stomach.

"Ugh!"

"…it is practically a pre requisite, but then there are times…" he grabs the man before he knees him into the stomach and then grabs him by the back of his green jacket and hurls him away and making him crash away from him "…when men like you and your goons just really piss me off."

Wrecker got back on his knees feeling nothing but a growing rage at how everything was falling apart.

"I'll kill you!"

"No you won't." He heard the man practically on top of him, turning to look he saw him standing before him. He snarled at the Kryptonian and threw a rising uppercut that was caught at the wrist by the man's left hand…a hand that began to squeeze.

"You see you and your band of flunkies made three mistakes here, one you tried to beat the crap out of me for stopping you, two you damaged Lady Liberty herself and finally you pretty much tried to hurt innocent men, women and children just for a job."

At that point Xander applied a considerable amount of strength that made the man painfully cry out.

"Aah! What!? What argh…are you!?"

Wrecker cries out as he tries to get the man to release him, the thought of summoning his crowbar didn't even cross his mind given the pain he was undergoing.

"I'm a man who you made very angry."

And with that reply Xander decided to put aside the Superman persona for a bit and channel the Dark Knight as he kneed the man in the crotch…

"Ugh!"

Making the male members of the Thunderbolts and the male audience watching at home wince, he followed with a head butt that stunned the purple hooded criminal that he fall to his knees in a daze and the Superman rears back his right fist and delivers a devastating right cross to the jaw that spun him around and cracked the man's jaw leaves unconscious... a small mercy for the pain he will most undoubtedly feel when he wakes up.

Xander doesn't particularly care about that though as he surveys the damage to the island, he is not happy to say the least less so as he sees the Thunderbolts moving towards him with Zemo in the lead.

*Don't use heat vision to melt the rest of his ugly face off.*

He kept telling himself as the man in question stopped before him.

"A little harsh at the end weren't you?" The masked man asks in a jovial tone, though to anyone else but Xander wouldn't see how fake it was.

"As I explained, he shouldn't have made me mad by attacking innocent people or damaged one of this nation's symbols just to for the sake of money." He replied neutrally.

"Hmm true enough I suppose, ah but where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself and my teammates." the purple clad man spoke cordially as he motioned to his right.

"Here we have one of our tech experts Techno, to his left is one of our heavy hitter Meteorite, followed by the other known as Atlas and our two flyers Mach-1 and the lovely Songbird and I am known as Citizen V."

"Your reputation precedes you Citizen as I have read about your predecessors accomplishments in WWII."

Xander replied politely to mask his disgust of the man posing in patriotic colors and tarnishing the legacy of a great hero.

"Thank you, though I am surprised we would meet this way Superman as we too have heard of your recent accolades in the defense of not only this fine city but of the world at large as well." Zemo replied truthfully though masking his intentions as he kept an eye out for this man before him given his incredible powers and willingness to defend the whole planet.

"Someone needs to ensure that the world the Avengers and Fantastic Four gave their lives for keeps spinning…it is the least I can do to honor them." That was the pure truth as far as Xander cared to say, he knew they would be back but he would defend the world before they returned.

"A worthy cause if there ever was one." Zemo openly admitted though mentally he scoffed at the man though chose not to show it as the man before him could become a threat to their plans in the future.

*Though he struggled with them he is still incredibly powerful given how quickly he decimated Wrecker. He must have been holding back…but why?* He wonders before the Kryptonian's voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

"Well ladies and gentlemen…"

*And I say that very, very, VERY loosely.* Xander inwardly quips.

"…I must sadly end this conversation as there are likely wounded people in need of help, as well trying to repair lady liberty herself." He says as he motions towards the fallen arm of the statue.

"Then let us allow you to assist in this endeavor." The disguised villain held out his hand towards the man. Xander took while resisting the urge to crush it…though he made a mental note to dip into magma to get feel of metaphorical slime off.

End flashback…

True enough both he and the team had made sure all the people present were tended for and between himself, Techno and Atlas made sure that Lady Liberty would not have a raised stump in place of her iconic torch. He stayed mostly away from the media and guarded the Wrecking Crew as SHIELD arrived with special containment units for occasions such as them where a metahuman was present.

Once loaded up he said his goodbyes and left before anyone could stop him, looking back on the incident he felt that as much as he didn't want Zemo running around he had to let it go in this case.

When he chose to intervene on the Parker's behalf he was fairly certain his actions would be positive as May Parker would inherit her father's abilities and possibly become hero herself, though he would make sure her father didn't lose a leg for him to retire like the What if? issue showed.

However when it came to the Thunderbolts he knew it would be bad to unmask them, he needed to let that play out as he knew several of the members would eventually realize that being respected and loved heroes was a much better life than being feared and constantly persecuted as villains.

Zemo wouldn't be one of them of course and when he finally showed his true colors Xander would be there to face him and those like him. He was keeping tabs on them for now; he had yet to see Jolt join their ranks but figured it would be soon so until then he would wait.

That was months ago but right now though he just wanted to channel the one person he normally despised with all his guts, who is said person one would ask? One Angelus or as he loved to use to describe Buffy's vampire beau… Deadboy, why?

The answer was simple, what was the point of celebrating Christmas when everyone he loved wasn't here with him? He couldn't watch the Peanuts Christmas special without Willow or Dawn and later do the Snoopy dance at their request and see their laughing and smiling faces. He couldn't share a family meal with the Summer's women, Giles and Willow…Hell he would given anything to have the shouting match over the value of homemade gifts over high priced jewelry with Cordelia.

*But no, I can't have that anymore…I thought I could make it through this but, with all these damn reminders…*

He thought bitterly before drinking the last of his now cold coffee and getting up, he gave all the happy people one last longing look before dashing away faster than the eye could see.

With Sam Guthrie AKA Cannonball…

*Good lord almighty! Ah knew New Yorkers got crazy at this time of year but this is too much!* The Kentucky born native thought in shock as he gazed at the uncontrolled chaos unfolding before his eyes that was known as late Christmas shopping.

He had hoped for something a bit more ordered when he set out to get his younger siblings gifts to send back home…clearly he had set his hopes a bit too high.

*Dang it! Ah knew Doc McCoy was acting odd when Ah told him where ah was headed.* the man had an odd twinkle in his eye when he accepted that Sam was leaving to shop for the family instead of joining him and his girlfriend, the lovely Ms. Trish Tilby, for dinner.

Of course he wasn't the only one who had been invited, as he, Gambit, Rogue, Bishop and the enigmatic Joseph were also there when they met at the Rockefeller Center. It had been decided that given all the commotion they had gone through after the Onslaught ordeal they needed to unwind.

The stress over the Professor role in the entities birth and subsequent incarceration, the upsurge of anti-mutant views, the beating of Iceman's father by human supremacists and the assassination of the anti-mutant candidate for the presidency had taken its toll on the team. So when the chance to relieve it came, even if it was something simple as an outing several members took it…of course they later chose to pursue separate means of stress relief.

Bishop left to be on his own though not surprising as the man from the future could be just as much a loner as Wolverine. Gambit left as well though that was more related to the tension that existed between him, Rogue and Joseph…everyone of course left that drama alone as they all knew better than to get involved.

Right now though Sam was concerning himself more with making through the mess he found himself in…luckily for him help came in the form of a rather pretty redhead.

"Can I help you sir?" the woman kindly asks while giving the X-man an appreciative look.

"Ah certainly hope so ma'am, do you sell Mongozoids 3000 cartridges?" He did not like the wince that came when he asked that.

"We sold out…about 3 months ago." She replied sheepishly though she still retained that admiring look "Can I interest you in anything else?" she asks with obvious intent towards the handsome southern mutant who sadly was more focused on finding a gift.

"Ah reckon, any suggestions?" The X-man asks kindly missing the look he was getting…though his attention would soon be drawn to something far more dangerous.

Red light soon appeared in the store causing many of the shoppers to assume it was some sort of Christmas gimmick…Sam knew better as he had experiences similar energy signature in his life, energy he attributed to teleportation.

Sure enough a figure could be seen barreling down in his position, with no hesitation he grasped the attendant in a tight hold as he used his powers to both shield and draw them away from the imminent crash site of the imposing figure about to smash into them.

"Pardon my hands ma'am but we really need to be elsewhere!" He spoke as he held the woman against his chest, chivalry would have to take a back seat as he tried to ascertain who was attacking and hoping his kinetic blast field held strong to whatever was about to hit him.

*WHAM!*

Much like his namesake he was launched hard against the floor causing a small impact crater to form, getting his bearings quickly he gave silent thanks no one was hurt by his fall and that the woman he saved was fine although unconscious.

"Store's still full'a of kids, means ah gotta…" unfortunately his plans to get to a larger area were cut off as a large hand clamping onto his head and making him face…

"Gladiator of the Imperial Guard!?"

"Yes Cannonball…"

The alien powerhouse replies using Sam's codename before fully introducing himself

"…Preator of the Royal Galactic House of the Shi'ar Empire. I came in search of the X-men, youwill do."

*Like Hell Ah will!*

"Back off sir!" He shouts as he focuses his powers to the face of the galactic warrior.

The force used while not enough to cause any significant damage did succeed in releasing the southerner from the alien's grip. Unfortunately that only served to royally piss said alien off.

"You dare?!" Gladiator cried out in outrage at being taken off guard.

"Oh Ah'll do much more than dare buddy!"

Sam retorted while trying to avoid thinking all the ways the man could hurt him in retaliation as he charged at the unguarded back of his otherworldly foe.

*Still haveta to get him out of here. Too many innocents around and this fella ain't no pushover from what Professor Xavier taught us.*

Gladiator was unaware of the threat until he finally sensed the attack coming and turned to see his enemy upon him.

"Let's take this…!" Sam shouted as he slammed into Gladiator at full strength and speed.

*WHAM!*

"Ugh!"

"…Outside!"

He finished as the went through the wall and the adjacent building, for a brief moment he thought he had the upper hand…that soon changed as they abruptly stop despite the tremendous force used against the head of the Shi'ar Guard.

"Did we just stop in mid blast!?" The shock was natural as unless he was facing someone like Juggernaut it was pretty much impossible to stop him.

"Yes."

"But that ain't possible!"

"That is a matter of perspective Terran."

The powerhouse says with a smirk as he watches the human continue to try to push him to no avail.

*Foolish of him but at the same time admirable of him to continue. I can see why they are never to be underestimated*

Gladiator thinks to himself as he continues to exert enough force to hold the mutant hero.

"You're…urn…pushing…mmp…back…umph…against me?" Sam grunted as he continued to blast forward while forming a plan.

"Precisely Terran." Gladiator smugly replied only to be confused when the earthling grip grabbed his collar.

"Good, that means this will work." Sam said as he pulled forward instead of pushing back against the powerful being, meaning that when Sam added his own speed with the Gladiator's forward momentum as they soared towards a construction site below at VERY high speeds the result was one very big…

*KABOOM!*

With Xander, minutes earlier…

Xander was doing a fly by around the city to clear his mind from his home sick thoughts; it was working to a certain extent mostly when he stopped a mugger from pushing their luck.

Though the oddest thing that really distracted him was when he passed a flying horse driven carriage the likes found in the park for couples wanting to add some romance to their date.

There the elderly driver and his two passengers, a rather woman beautiful woman with brown hair and a white streak running down the middle who gave him a sheepish wave and a stern looking man with gray-white hair.

It took him a second to recognize them, or at least in the woman's case at as the man's name eluded him though not his origins, but it was surprising to say the least.

*I'll be damned, Rogue and that's the younger clone version of Magneto. What was his name? Started with a J…ugh I knew I should have read the Onslaught saga more thoroughly, now it's going to bug me all ni...* Unfortunately his thoughts were cut off abruptly…

*KABOOM!*

"What the hell?!"

He cried out loud before turning his powerful vision towards the source

"…oh shit!"

Once again his comic book knowledge comes into play to help him, but this time around this situation makes him wonder just what had just happened.

*What in the Hell is the head of the Imperial Guard doing on earth and picking a fight?*

He thinks in shock before pushing it away and moving at high speed.

From what he knew he was one of Marvel's takes on Superman, sort of their attempt to make an exact version of the Man of Steel, of course that meant him right now, though he wasn't powered by sunlight like the DC hero. He didn't pay much attention to him as his group mostly because he labeled them as bad guys for trying to kill Jean as a kid, of course a kids mind would work that way seeing as he felt Jean didn't mean to do what she did while she was Phoenix…he still doesn't believe she deserved that bad rap given that it wasn't really her at all as he later found out.

But he put that aside since if there was one thing he knew for a certainty, the longer this went down, there were going to be a lot of innocent folks caught in the crossfire.

As he approaches he sees two comets strike at one another, the orange one is a blonde haired man while the reddish tinted one the Gladiator. Suddenly the alien warrior sped up at speeds only he could follow and tied up his human opponent in a steel girder…only for moments later to be shown the futility of such an action, which promptly made the Strontian finally lose his patience as he reared back, and throw a heavy blow at his opponent.

"Oh shit!" He cried out as he sped up only to stop in shock, the same as Gladiators, as the X-man revealed himself unharmed and looking quite displeased to say the least. Further evidenced as he reared back his clasped fists and let the strike go at full force…

*BWHAM!*

…sending Gladiator crashing down, straight into the now fully demolished construction site.

"Damn, didn't think that would work." Sam said out loud not expecting a reply as he stared at his fists.

"The wonderful thing about improvisation in the face annihilation…"

He heard behind him as he turns quickly only to gape at the sight of New York's latest hero who had earned a heap of brownie points for helping reunite Peter and Mary Jane Parker with their daughter.

"…is that 9 times out of 10 it works, at least that's my opinion on the matter."

He ends with a smirk as the other man was still surprised by his appearance.

"We should check to see if he is down wouldn't you agree…?"

He trails of hoping the other man would introduce himself.

"Oh uh, teammates call me Cannonball but you can call me Sam sir."

Sam replies as he and Superman float towards the crash site.

"Pleasure to meet you Sam though I think we both agree it should be under better circumstances. I wish I could give you my civilian name but you never know who is listening so Superman will have to do if you do not mind."

"No ah don't mind, the X-men have worked with people who like their privacy and all."

"Oh you are a member? I am not familiar with the entire roster."

It wasn't a lie, he didn't go into too many details regarding the information he had back at the fortress regarding the teams of heroes and villains, he would have to correct that though as ignorance is the first step towards disaster. And disaster in the super hero circuit usually ended very badly for them and non combatants.

"Haven't been with any the main teams in a while but yeah we do get around." Sam said as the two finally landed and headed towards the crash site. Along the way they were joined by Sam's other companions.

"Samuel my good man, are you hurt?" Hank McCoy AKA Beast asks as he moves towards the two followed by Trish Tilby, he approached in his true form and noticed how the other didn't react negatively to it. He was followed by Bishop and Gambit who gave the newcomer a weary look that Xander took in stride.

"Ah'm all right Doc, not a scratch."

"Praises to your mutation then Mr. Guthrie though that was quite a gamble you took in taking and redirecting the kinetic energy of Gladiator's blow." Beast spoke with honesty and a bit of concern as Gladiator had shown them just how powerful he was.

"No kiddin' Doc, wasn't sure it would have work but do or die you know? But anyway were y'all just watching?"

"Well y'all did him in with that new fancy trick of yours Sam, nicely done Sam." Remy praised honestly.

"Oh uh thanks Mr. LeBeau." The younger man replied as he scratches the back of his head with a bit of embarrassment as he was not expecting a compliment from one of the main team members.

"Call me Remy, Sam." Remy said kindly to his fellow X-man.

"Sam, any idea what this was all about?" the temporally displaced man known as Bishop asked as he surveys the scene with a critical eye "The X-Men have battled Gladiator and his companions in the past, but it just seems out of character for him to attack without provocation."

Xander was about to comment on that when his hearing pick up sounds of debris shifting…and shifting fast!

"Everyone hit the deck!" He cried out as he prepared to move to intercept as the Gladiator exploded from the ground. The large pieces of earth and metal flew at the people present, though before they could do any damage or Xander could stop it the pieces of metal stopped in mid-air as if willed to do so by some unseen entity before it was politely dropped to the ground a few moments later.

Turning to his left side he saw two figures that, like Sam, seemed to possess the mutant ability to fly but couldn't be more different from one another as they revealed themselves to be the couple he earlier, Rogue and Joseph. Xander was starting to wonder what would happen next with all the unusual people that seemed to be popping out of the woodwork every few seconds.

"What started this!?" Rogue asked with her distinctly southern twang as she looked down at the muscular being who now knelt before her.

"I humbly confess I was fully responsible." Gladiator confessed as he knelt humbly before the group.

"I needed to contact you because as a praetor of the imperial guard, I request a boon. The Shi'ar Empire is in the grave danger and yet I have been forbidden by the Majestrix to interfere."

"This entire confrontation was merely to get our attention?!" the Southern Belle asked incredulously, Xander shared in her feeling as most of the team did as well. The idea of starting a bloody brawl was always prelude to something that was later going to be a major pain in the ass.

"If ya is tellin' the truth, Gladiator, an' I'm not quite convinced o' that, we would be happy t'help Lilandra. What do we have to do?"

She finishes as despite the times when they had less than pleasant encounters with the Shi'ar Lilandra was still a friend, and more in the Professor's case. How that happened was best left alone since Charles Xavier was pretty strict about his life, love life even more so.

"As much as it shames me to say this … you have to go in my stead." Gladiator replied with sincere regret at not being able to go to face this threat himself for his empress.

"Ah reckon we could do that, we'll need to contact the others and …" Southern Belle began to say before she was interrupted by Gladiator.

"Time is of the essence." Gladiator said as he withdrew five blue glowing spheres from his belt before releasing them into the air.

"What are these things … probes?" Southern Belle asks as she observes the small glowing balls, which was kind of the same question that Xander was asking himself as he looked at the scene before him with interest.

"No… they are transit spheres."

*Oh, that's cool I guess…* he thinks before he goes over the name once again and his eye widen *OH SHIT!*

"Transit spheres? As in some sort of teleportatioooon." that was all Hank was able to get out before the world disappeared around them all in a flash of blue light.

"What the?! What did you do to my friends Gladiator!?" Sam shouts in outrage and worry as he sees the empty spot where they and dimensionally displaced Kryptonian once stood.

"They live young warrior; they have been transported to the Imperial Guard's personal Royal cruiser and are now headed towards Shi'ar space."

"But why leave me behind?" There was a tone of despondence in Sam's voice as he felt he could have helped his friends.

"You have strength and courage Terran, of that there is no doubt, but it would be a stain upon my honor to send one so young into what is the most dire crisis the empire has faced in ages." He looked straight into Sam's eyes to convey just how serious the situation was, and there was no lie there since what they were facing was pretty high up there in the danger factor and it seemed that no matter the world, no one was the least bit comfortable with the idea of sending kids to do suicide missions.

"Make no mistake, the fate of the Shi'ar and the very universe hinges on their victory for should they fall all will follow."

Sam could not help but worry as he looks away to the spot where they once stood.

"Good luck guys…Ah think you're going to need it." He said softly not seeing Gladiator nod in agreement, as both men leave Sam has one final thought.

*I don't know who you are Superman but if you are the hero they say you are please, please protect them all and bring them back home.*

He could not know just how much Xander would have his work cut out for him on this perilous journey into the unknown.

To be continued…

A/N: So if you are still here with me I will explain why I chose the space arc with the X-men. Now as I said before I got lucky and found a good stash of comic books on the web, and thankfully they were in order of how the events came out, so that being said the space arc happens before the Operation took place and it presented an opportunity for me I had to take advantage of.

Now what we see in this chapter is two things, first I had the Thunderbolts appear and do a short team up with him. This was to show that while he does know who they really are, he also knows he can't do anything about it because it would mess things up, it is an example of him knowing what will happen if he does intervene and the consequences will not be of a positive nature.

The second to show here is that he was not aware that the Gladiator would appear or that they would be hijacked into space to save the Shi'ar, so it is an example that he does not know what will happen…that also means he doesn't know what will happen to Gambit and trust me I will be dealing with that and Xander will not be happy with what Rogue did.

But in the end by the time he comes back OZT will be just starting, hence why he won't be there to stop the faux trial or help Gambit. He will eventually though and help the man out, on a sidenote and one I feel you can help me with, should I have him restore Gambit's full powers? I know it happens eventually but should I do it earlier and have Xander help him achieve control over them thus creating a strong friendship with him. I would appreciate any input you gave me.

Ok so that's my explanation for why that arc, now some of you will wonder why I didn't have him fight Gladiator, the reason I felt to leave that part cannon was that originally I was going to do that but I felt I was disrespecting Sam's character by not having him achieve that hard earned victory. As I was reading the issue over and over to write the scene I felt I needed to do him justice.

Also if some of you wonder if I will draw parallels to Shadow Master's Black Wing story, I will say that while I will draw some inspiration from it because it is one of my favorites, I will strive to go a different route. I respect SM greatly, being of my inspirations and factor for me taking up fanfic writing how could I not? But as you can see I will try to diverge as much as I can, first show of this is that Trish will be involved, second Deathbird will not be a romantic interest of Xander…in fact I may have him humble her a bit but nothing beyond that.

Now that being said I may, MAY have him and Gladiator full contact spar on the Shi'ar homeworld because I figure they have to have facilities for the Imperial guard to train in or some abandoned moon or asteroid to do so. I will also see if I can address I gripe I always had with the Shi'ar and their actions against Jean Grey.

Now in order to cut off what will most likely voices of dissent on this next issue, why did I have him struggle against the Wrecking Crew? First to show that Xander can be hurt despite his powers and the Crew is magic based, and second is you can't just expect me to write him going into the fray all out, spend seconds beating them up and then leave. Where is the fun in that I ask? Where is the action and drama in that? So no, unless I have him face Thanos or Galactus I will try to keep his fights at appropriate levels depending on the threats he faces.

Finally to address the issue of future arcs, I want to do CW and show his reaction to that, I have some ideas on what I want him to address as well as how his actions affect the event in question. I don't know if Disassembled is something that should be prevented as it is the catalyst for a lot of the events that come afterwards (Decimation, House of M, Second Coming. etc). I do want to prevent Schism and most importantly AvX two things that never should have happened in my view given the chaos that caused both in the comics and for the fan bases (I thought it got bad in CW but seeing the fans reactions to AvX was horrible).

Now before I sign off I need to ask, what would my readers feel if I should bring in a character from the DC verse to the Marvel verse? Who you ask? Well here's a hint, he's big, gray and bony and hates all life.

Well that's all, I will be working on Thor story, and it is a mixture of OC content and Cannon (Amazon Arc and yes he will face off against Hades). Given the level of difficulty of it (the last time I did something similar with one of my stories it took me 6 months to complete) I may work in other chapters as I work on it so they may end up being published before it.