Man of Steel, World of Marvels.
Disclaimer: This is a work of diction, I do not own any of the characters that appear in this fan fiction, BTVS, Superman and Marvel are still owned by their respective owners.
First and foremost, I would like to thank Angry lil' elf and mcknight93 for helping with this, really appreciate the help friends.
Originally, I wasn't going to publish more on this story until I completed the event, however I am forced to do so because of three factors:
First, people seem to think that either the story is dead or I am, clearly that is not the case.
Second, I am struggling with the next chapter. Mainly that after he bails out Spidey, Calisto and Marrow and chew out Gyrich I have not yet decided where to go next. The only positive that can be found is I have completed three chapters of a new story, which will be published in due time.
Third, in the wake of Endgame it just felt like it was the right time, btw FUCKING AWESOME MOVIE PEOPLE!
Now ss many requested the whole Xander VS Gladiator scene will be bumped to after OZT has concluded.
Also saw a lot of pairing suggestions, a bit pro/con reviews to have Doomsday show up or not and suggestions on where to have Xander intervene during the event. So, thanks for that folks, also to the people who keep asking why does he need a job or a why don't have him Deus Ex everything. I shall address to the best of my ability at the end notes though I will say that I have a newfound respect for Superman writers…except Bendis, Bendis can go to hell in my eyes.
Here's hoping the end result is to everyone's satisfaction as I have our former Scooby sow chaos into Bastion's carefully crafted master plan.
Anyway, on with the show!
"Talking"
"Whisper"
*SOUND EFFECT*
*Thought*
Chapter 8: Commence the Operation part 1
On the moon's surface…
On the lifeless gray surface of the moon two figures could be seen in one of the many craters that populate its lands, though what also can be seen is ruins of an ancient civilization that once dwelled there. Only a select few knew of their existence, the two in the crater were part of that group though currently only one was unconscious while the other watched in silence as he waits for the other to awaken.
"Ugh…" the other person stirs as he feels around instinctively to get an idea of where he was.
*What the hell happened? * Xander thinks as he manages to get his knees under him.
Flashback…
Alarms were blaring all over the place as Xander rushes to the cockpit to see what is going on. He had been enjoying a snack in the cantina when all of sudden Murphy made his presence known.
*One day Murph! Just one goddamn day of peace is all I ask before getting back into the thick of it! * He furiously thinks as he arrives at his destination where it was a flurry of activity.
"What the hell is going on!?" He shouts over the alarms.
"Long story short, we just got shafted by the universe!" Trish replies as she holds onto a console as the ship was rocked hard as if caught in a hurricane.
"I know that! What I want to know is what's causing the problem!?"
"That would be the gigantic ship on our right that has us trapped in its wake." Joseph replies grimly as he holds Rogue to keep her steady.
Looking in that direction with his X-ray he does indeed spot the gigantic vessel in question just as another tremor hits them.
-WARNING! STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY FAILING! —
"No shit computer! Tell us something we don't know!" Trish shouts in a mixture of sarcasm, anger and fear.
-PRIMARY COOLANT SYSTEM FAILING, SECONDARY SYSTEM NON-RESPONSIVE, MANUAL OVERRIDE RECOMMENDED BEFORE REACTOR REACHES CRITICAL LEVELS. —
"Oh fuck you too!" The reporter spats at the machine.
Xander rushes to the nearest functional terminal and pulled up the ships schematics to locate the system in question, once that was done he memorized the path.
"I got the reactor! Hank, try to keep this bird in one piece." He says to the scientist as he makes his way towards the door.
"Will do my cape-clad comrade!" Beast cries out over the chaos.
"I'll go with you." Rogue offers but he simply shakes his head.
"I have the best chance survival in this scenario and right now this is the safest place on the ship, Miss." He says as he steps out the door before she can refute his claims.
With liberal use of his speed he reaches his destination in seconds, and given the screeching of metal being strained as well as the shrill cry of the alarms he was wondering if it were not be better to head back.
But he ignored that thought as he reaches a nearby console.
Having taken the time on Chadillar to learn more about the Shi'ar language it was easy for Xander to decipher the words and activate the backup systems.
"Hank, back up is up and running, how goes things on your end?"
-Marginally better, but not by much. We can't break free of the other ship's wake and we are both headed to the same Stargate. Quite frankly, the odds are not in our favor if we go through at the same time.—the blue furred genius says in all brutal honesty.
Unfortunately for Xander he would not get the chance to reply as a section of the hull finally gave in to the external forces it was under and was torn away. Xander had no time to react as he was suddenly sucked out into the void, all he knew then was the spinning sea of stars, the occasional ship and finally blackness.
End Flashback…
The next thought that had him shaking the last vestige of grogginess was the unknown fate of his fellow heroes and Ms. Tilby. He turns to look at his surroundings but stops when he spots his silent companion and was left gob smacked at who was with him.
Standing at twice his size in robs reminiscent of ancient Rome and flowing blue cape was none other than...
"Holy shit! You…you're Uatu The Watcher!" He exclaims as he never expected to meet the enigmatic being who on occasion aided the planet Earth at risk of bringing down the ire of his people for breaking their vow of noninterference. Reading about him was one thing, actually meeting the entity face to face was another altogether.
Uatu silently nods to him in greeting while maintaining a neutral look on his face.
"But if you're here then that means…" He turned to look behind him to find much to his joy Earth looking as pristine as ever in the sea of stars.
"Oh thank god." He says in relief though that doesn't last long as his thoughts go back towards his friends, however his companion decides to take pity on him.
"Your allies yet live and are now on Earth facing their own ordeals Alexander Harris, though Bishop and Deathbird will face their own in the sea of stars." Uatu speaks in a deep and echoing tone.
*Well that's a load off my mind, though why is Bishop still in space and with Deathbird of all people? Questions for later I guess, speaking off…* He thinks before turning towards the being.
"I don't know if you can answer me this but I figure it's worth a shot, has Bastion begun his assault?"
"Yes."
"Shit, I have to go I can't let him hurt any more people," He replies as he begins to float but not before looking at the Watcher one last time "…thank you."
Uatu says nothing but nods once more to the hero, and with that Superman flies off before hitting high speeds towards the Fortress.
"May fortune favor you, young hero, for this is but the first of many trials you shall face." The ancient being spoke solemnly before returning to his home to continue with his sworn duty.
Entering Earth's atmosphere…
Xander had not made it one second into the planet's orbit when he began to hear the cries for help from the victims of Bastion's mad crusade to eliminate mutantkind. He went as far as curse Bastion's name in Kryptonian as he went to the closest cry, in this case it was in L.A where he flew quickly to save whoever he could though he stops midair to a rather unexpected scene.
"Have at thee, vile machines!" Shouts the legendary Greek hero and former Avenger known as Hercules as he hurls a wrecked car at a trio of Sentinels attempting to get past him and towards a pair of children and another protector in the form of the crimson haired spy/hero Black Widow who was firing her side arms at another pair of cyborgs who were determined to eliminate the children.
She had come seeking out her friend to ask if he would be willing to help reform the Avengers alongside her and also because she could use a friendly face to speak to as she had not been given a chance to really take a moment for herself given how many terror groups were popping up once they realized that Earth's mightiest heroes and Fantastic Four were dead while the X-men and even Spider-man had their own issues to deal with to help.
The only ones who seemed to be on the ball were this new team called The Thunderbolts led by Citizen V as they sought to fill in the gap left by the fallen heroes as well as the enigmatic Superman who up until his disappearance with some X-men had been doing everything he could to keep the world spinning despite all the chaos.
Naturally as the two heroes chatted Bastion's attack was just underway with innocent mutants being executed out in the open prompting Hercules and Natasha to rush headlong into the fray, it was during the battle they spotted two children, a young boy and girl to be exact, running in terror from the cyborgs and diverting their attention to protect them. Despite being in civilian attire Natasha had come armed in case of a fight and was glad she had taken such precautions and cursed she did not have any heavier ordinance available to lend her friend more support or to better protect the two innocent mutants at her back.
*CLICK! * both guns went silent as they fired their last round.
"Черт!" She cursed in her native tongue as she didn't have time to reload as one of the Sentinels despite being damaged by her shots, this one missing an eye thanks to a well-placed shot, raised its arm to fire one of its lasers at the duo of children.
Not giving it any thought, she pushed them down and shielded them with her body despite her mind telling her it would do little to stop the weapon from killing the trio.
*At least I will get to see them all again. * She thinks with hints of sadness and remembrance as thoughts of her fallen comrades and friends arise and how she will be reunited with them.
However, the human turned killing machine stopped itself from firing as it was programmed to target mutants not humans, with the Black Widow covering them it was forced to reevaluate its strategy, hence it instead moved purposeful strides to forcefully remove the woman and then destroy the threats.
Once more though the machine is stopped just as it close to clamp its hand around the spy's neck and remove the obstacle to their mission, this time though it was not done voluntarily as a hand grabbed its appendage and easily held it in place. The cyborg turns in the direction the hand comes from and sees Superman looking right back at it with a smile that would have told it just how much trouble it was in for had it still be capable of such thoughts.
"Hello." He says right before belting a right hook to its jaw and sending flying into a burning wreck.
"Superman!" One of the children shouts as he peaks around Natasha's frame and is filled with relief that another hero had come to help them and the woman protecting them.
Natasha says nothing but is also relieved they aren't going to meet their maker just yet. Superman just gives them a smile despite the circumstances to help ease her temporary charges while he offers her a hand. With no hesitation she takes it and nods in thanks before they are interrupted by the sound of movement from the direction their foe was hurled at.
Its left arm was just dangling there as it gives off sparks while the right side of its face was caved in from where Xander struck. It made to continue its assault but was suddenly struck on the left by the remains of one of its compatriots at high speed.
"None shall harm fair Natasha nor the children while the Prince of Power stands!" Hercules shouts victoriously as he finishes off another Sentinel. Seeing the situation deteriorating the remaining cyborgs make a tactical withdrawal leaving the heroes behind while they fly away, Superman tracks them as they go to make sure they are gone before looking to the crimson haired spy.
"Are you all right?"
"A few scrapes but nothing serious to worry about, though if you hadn't intervened it could have been much worse." She says in utmost seriousness as she gives the children a quick glance.
"Indeed it could have Natasha, you have my thanks for preventing such a tragedy." Hercules gains their attention as he moves towards the group with purpose.
"Just doing my job after being away for so long." Xander replies in all honesty as he looks around in case more help is needed but thankfully the place seems to have been emptied when the fighting started.
"Will the monsters come back?" The little girl asks fearfully as she grips Natasha's hand.
"Not if I have anything to say about it sweetie." Xander replies with a warm smile as he kneels to look the little on in the eye and give her a reassuring look.
"As do I young one, these metal beasts will face my wrath for their misdeeds." Hercules adds earning a grateful look from the two young mutants.
"I need to get in touch with Fury, try to stop this senseless slaughter before this chaos grows to the point of no return." Natasha comments as she reaches into her pockets for her SHIELD issued communicator and contact the Director.
"It may be too late already agent Romanoff, from what I am hearing this attack is all over the world, Bastion has the initiative right now and is not looking to stop any time soon." Superman speaks in a grimly as it just galls him to no end that this was allowed to happen and the means by which it is being done.
"Our intelligence reported that Bastion only has the official backing of the US government for his program, not internationally or at least not on the same level as in the US." Natasha's tone voiced her displeasure at this news as it only makes the situation all the more dire.
"I have been monitoring him for months now, the mutant hater never intended to just stop at the US, the only reason I couldn't make a move is because he covers his tracks well and has the backing of the government, I may be powerful but that doesn't mean I want to go to war with the country." He says to the two heroes who know what it means to have their hands tied because of red tape stopping from helping people.
"Do you have a plan?" Hercules asks him.
"Right now my plan is to find him and shut him and his Sentinels down, but for that I need to regroup at my base. Before that I will disable as many Sentinels as I can here to give the mutants a chance to get to safety." Superman replies to the Greek hero as he begins to rise of the ground.
"Why not destroy them?" Natasha asks as she thought it would be easier and quicker.
"…because that bastard used some form of Nanotech to turn ordinary people into some type of Cyborg Sentinel." His deadpan tone hides just how much it galls him to no end having to face what are essentially innocent civilians turned into nothing more than automated attack dogs.
This comes as news to the heroes who are shocked at hearing this.
"Madness." Hercules finally says venomously as he comes out of it first while Natasha agrees.
"Can they be changed back at least?" She asks as she pulls out her communicator.
"…I don't know yet, I will need to capture a live subject to find out, in the meantime I will try to subdue them the best I can if not I will be forced to do something I really don't want to." It didn't take the two long to figure out that meaning, nor could they really disagree with the action as the Sentinels were not going to be showing any mercy any time soon.
With those grim words he leaves them to at least try to stem the tide of genocide while deep down he knows that this is but a fraction of what Bastion has unleashed on mutantkind and no matter what people are still going to end up dead because of this monsters madness and hatred.
Meanwhile with the X-men…
*This is not how I expected our day to turn out!* Scott Summers furiously thinks as he pushes the plane they appropriated to its limits as he works to evade their pursuers. Sadly, it was no Blackbird so he was forced to work against said limitations. It didn't help his focus that his wife was still unconscious from whatever it was the Sentinels hit her with.
Right now, he would give anything for a chance to land the plane and take this fight on even ground, and from the way Logan was growling with every rattle and shake he figure he wasn't the only one.
He forces the plane to the right as another blast comes to close to bringing them down.
"Son of a bitch!" Logan shouts as he slams against the wall on his right.
"Sorry, this thing handles like a brick compared to Blackbird." He comments to the feral mutant.
"Grr, just get us down so I can show these assholes what my claws look like up close." Logan spat as his fury slowly grows.
*Easier said than done sadly. * Scott grimly thinks as he suddenly dodges left while cursing their luck as they were getting closer to score a hit.
Sadly as minutes pass with no rest it becomes clear that their pursuers are relentless and this determination is soon rewarded as they finally score a hit when they blow off the tip of the right wing.
"Scott!" Storm shouts in alarm.
"I know!"
*BLAM!*
"Bad news people, we're hit…again! Good news is Jean is back up and around, y'okay red?" Wolverine asks the redhead who shakes her head as she tries to drive off the lingering effects.
"I'm fine Logan but whatever those ships hit me with is still affecting my telepathy." She replies with some degree of alarm, though she also trying to figure out if what she saw while unconscious was real or not.
*Could that have really been Ironman? Best to keep this to myself until we come out of this crisis.* She thinks to herself as now was not the time to dwell on it as a hole was torn open on the right side of the plane.
"Storm! The cabin…!" She cries out to the weather manipulator who is already taking action.
"…is compromised, I have summoned the winds to prevent decompression."
"In that case let me use my telekinesis to keep us whole and in the air, for a few minutes at least." She comments as she concentrates on the plane, though no easy feat given speeds and weight she is dealing with.
"Just hold it together until we land red!" Logan shouts as he holds onto the newly made exit with all he has to prevent from being sucked out.
"Hate to be a downer but that may be sooner than we like! This loaner is not the Blackbird and she sure as hell aint built for combat!" Sam Guthrie shouts over all the chaos.
*Tell me something I don't know!* Logan furiously thinks.
"Scott! How're we doing!?" Jean asks over the strain as the plane dips lower and is not hitting the tree tops which is not helping matters to be honest.
"Situation just got worse, controls have been taken out and frankly every second you keep us aloft is a miracle." Her husband replies in brutal honesty which does not paint a pretty picture in her view but remains determined to keep them alive.
The Sentinels however do not relent as they push their vessels to overtake the wounded vehicle and its occupants.
"Two more bogies, they just doubled back and are now in front of us, I'll try to evade…"
"Hold your course Cyclops! Storm?" The Kentucky born hero says as he turns towards the gaping hole.
"Yes Samuel?" The weather witch asks while maintaining the pressure in their wounded vessel, though she had a pretty good idea what Sam was about to do as he powers up.
"Cover me! Ah'm going in!" He shouts as he races into the skies to defend his friends.
*In my head ah realize I'm protected by my blast field. Heck after taking on the Gladiator I feel downright invincible but…this feels different than that, whoever set us up did their homework.* The X-man thinks with worry that is only surpassed by the need to defend his friends from their attackers, the sky rumbles as he charges the enemy vessel letting him know Storm has his back.
Still a part of him wondered if it would be enough as he aids in his team's struggle to survive this onslaught.
Meanwhile at the Fortress of Solitude…
Giles had ample warning for the return of his "ward" when the Fortress sensor array detected his suit on the moon though he worried when he did not respond immediately despite his vitals showing he was in good health, but still it was good to have confirmation as the doors open and he sees his Xander zoom in only to be tackled midair by an overly affectionate Krypto and accidently makes him drop some cargo he had on him.
"Easy boy! Easy!" Despite urgent matters Xander couldn't deny his canine companion the right to happily lick his face and cuddle him after not seeing him for so long...truth be told he also had missed Krypto during his ordeal in Shi'ar space, the months he spent training in the Fortress with only Giles and the alien dog made the loneliness from being torn from the Scoobies all the more bearable so despite the current crisis he let his dog have his moment.
Finally after what seemed like the 40th lick he manages to stand and quickly go to his room, wash his face and them return to his robotic companion in the blink of an eye.
"Sorry about my impromptu absence Giles, but apparently I had to help rescue an intergalactic empire from total destruction from a race of techno organic robots with a superiority complex only to return to a rise of the machines as soon as I came into orbit." The hero explains with a rueful smirk.
"You're luck remains as odd as ever Xander, but I am glad to know you are alive and well…especially given the circumstances we face I'm afraid." If he had the face for it Giles would be looking very grim right now.
"I know, Bastion has begun his attack hence why I brought him with me…or at least I think it was a him." Xender deadpans as he and the machine look at a dismembered form of a Prime Sentinel whose face was being sniffed by Krypto.
"Indeed, the Omega Sentinels are appearing all over the world and are attacking any mutant within sight." Giles began as he leads him to the monitor room where he has spent the better part of his time monitoring the situation.
Xander follows after picking up the Sentinel, it's eyes darted all around as it tried to establish a link with its leader but thankfully the Fortress prevented such a thing as a security measure.
They both arrive and the resident Kryptonian sees images of England where Captain Britain was fighting the cyborgs alongside a man who could fit into a James Bond film and throwing super-heated knives at the deadly beings. Japan had Big Hero Six and the man known as Sunfire pooling their resources to overcome their foes. In Africa the Black Panther was also facing opposition as the Sentinels attacked with no fear or remorse. Canada's Alpha Flight and Russia's Winter Guard were giving as good as they got but it was pure pandemonium to say the least.
"I didn't think it would be this bad." Xander quietly says as he tries to hold back his anger, no easy feat if the tightening of his fists are any indication. Krypto on some level feels his masters mood and let's off a whine while rubbing his nose to his fist for attention which briefly breaks him out of his building rage.
*Calm down man, no need to go all Hulk, planning is the word of the day.* He thinks as he scratches his dog on the head in thanks
"Indeed, Bastion has been quite thorough in his mission to eradicate mutantkind though we both know that to do so he would have to eliminate humankind as well." The AI comments to which Xander nods as the timeline Nimrod had come from established the Sentinels overthrowing humanity in order to fulfill their mission against mutants.
"Do we know his current location?"
"Not as of yet but from I can ascertain after we managed to hack into their communications network, right now his forces are chasing the X-men and we can confirm he has Charles Xavier and Jubilation Lee in his clutches though to where we can only guess as that information has been kept secret by Bastion."
"Wolverine will not even waste a second when he finds out about that." Xander grimly speaks, if the stories were anything to go by the feral man deeply cared for the girl who was like a second daughter to him after Kitty Pryde.
"True enough I suppose but still that leaves us with the problem of where to start?"
"Despite my powers I can't get to them all while trying save as many mutants as I can…" He so desperately wanted to save them all but he was realistic on what he could do, that only left…" …Giles, are they ready for deployment?" He asks as he turns to face his companion with utmost seriousness.
"I have run multiple inspections on both their programing as well as their physical structure so they are as ready as can be, I only await your word to set them loose." the machine replays in an equal manner.
Just as he is about to speak a news flash shows the last thing he wants to see, that is an image of the X-men being captured and broadcast for the world to see. The fact that it is Peter Gyrich who is delivering the news like a zealot makes it an even bitter pill to swallow.
"Giles, I'm taking our guest to the Lab for analysis, look when you can for anything that can shut them down or better yet return them to normal, in the meantime I'll be headed to Westchester because if memory serves me right Cable will be in for a hard time though maybe I'll get lucky and find that bastard there and I can cut off the head of the snake."
"One can only hope." Giles drily comments in such a way that Xander can almost imagine a pair of glasses being cleaned as he spoke, the hero shakes that imagery away as Giles moves towards the armory while he went to the science lab to have the human turned Sentinel get checked.
Once the robot arrived at his destination, he moved towards a section overlooking a sunken section of the fortress where at least dozens of cylinders stand firm, sitting in the only chair present Giles releases thread like cables from his fingertips that seamlessly meld with the chair's armrests.
All at once the cylinders active with an ominous hum and slowly open, from them emerged silver skinned androids bearing the same face as Xander's except with none of the emotion usually found on him and with a pair of lit up white eyes. Their uniform differed from his but all carried the crest of the House of El on their chest.
Xander approached and as one they all looked towards him.
"Time to go to work boys, remember to take the Sentinels alive if you can, but priority here is to save lives by any means you can…" and at this a look of regret came but also with determination "…including destroying them. Now I don't them to die but it may be a kinder fate than letting them go on genocidal killing sprees, so with that said grab as many crystals as you can and move out!"
"Acknowledged!" The machines responded in sync.
"Giles let me know when Bastion rears his ugly head." Xander comments to his robotic partner who nods in agreement while the former Scooby motions for Krypto to follow him.
He was soon joined by his robotic duplicates at the entrance of his home before they took to the air to meet the enemy and put a stop to the slaughter.
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters…
Cable was wishing he had stayed at the bar earlier tonight as he prepared to charge out into a mass of soldiers with only Caliban for back up. He should have cut the Morlock loose…but then what would make him? No better than the ones he fought in his timeline that's for sure.
He would also need the help to reach mainframe and secure or destroy it before Bastion gets even more information. He would have gladly taken the chance to destroy the murderous monster however something had spooked the man and made him leave while leaving behind his goons to make sure they were taken care of.
*Well will just have to disappoint him, won't we? * the son of Scott and Jean thinks dryly as he readies his weapons.
"You ready Caliban?"
"Caliban ready when you are." The large mutant tracker comments despite his nerves feeling rather frayed but given that death was just lying outside his room in anticipation he might as well go out fighting, of course fate had others plans…
*BOOM! * Both mutants and soldiers hear outside as they felt a small rumble go throughout the building.
"What the hell?" Cable can't help but comment as the building settles down, he wished the soldier didn't have psychic shielding trying to listen to what was happening outside.
"Report damn it! What the Hell is going on!?" He hears one of the say.
"What do you mean Superman is attacking us!?"
"Superman?" Both he and Caliban whisper as they look at one another with the same question on their mind.
*Why is Superman helping them? *
Outside Xander was laying waste to the occupational force while Krypto attacked the assault vehicles as evidence as he grabs Troop transport ATV by its rear wheel with his teeth and lifts it easily with his flight powers.
Naturally the soldiers around were firing their guns at the dog but found, much to their shock, the bullets bounced of his fur.
"Keep shooting that fucking freak!"
"It's not working!"
"We need back up!"
Xander in the meantime was easily manhandling the soldiers who were powerless to stop the hero yet despite that still fired their weapons in the vain hope something will stop him. They should consider themselves lucky that they were human and not Sentinels, meant he was "gentler" in his blows, though given his distaste for these mutant hating bigots gentle was a relative term.
"Fire in the hole!" A man shouted as he hurls a grenade at Superman as he holds another crimson clad soldier aloft. Taking note at the disregard for his companions' safety he casually he throws the man away into a group rushing his 9 o'clock before he grabs the explosive device midair and places both hands over it.
*WHUMP! *
For one brief moment they all dare to hope this is the end of the battle but that sadly dies a violent death as they see the man mockingly wipe his hands from the shrapnel with no sign of injury or care that he just contained an explosion with his bare hands.
"…that's not fair." Xander hears one of the men whine.
*Life's not fair dipshit. * He thinks before he launches himself back into the fray.
A helicopter soon appears ready to fire at Superman's back.
"Suck on this asshole!" The pilot cries out in fury as he fires a missile towards him only to gape in shock as Krypto nabs it midway. The weapon explodes and launches the alien canine to the ground, leaving a trench in his wake.
"Krypto! You ok boy!?" Xander shouts over the din of battle.
The dog emerges from the dirt and shakes off the debri and effects before barking at his owner as if to say he is all right. Though the dog's attention returns towards the chopper as his eyes glow crimson, sensing that they are about to fall into whole new level of trouble the pilot moves the vehicle to flee but just as it turns to beams of crimson fly out and slice the rear rotor.
"Fuck!"
Krypto quickly flies in and grabs the damaged vehicle by one of its struts and forces it down, the helicopter blades brutally smash into pieces as they strike the ground and shatter.
Xander breaks away from the fight to snatch them before they can hurt anyone, yes he had no love for the bigots but that didn't he wanted them dead, he would let the law decide their fates.
Back in the Mansion Cable and Caliban used the chaos outside to rush their enemies while they were distracted. Had they been better organized they would have mounted a better assault but given all the cries of pain and panic going on their attention was divided.
Not one to miss out on an advantage the time traveler and former horseman made short work of their opponents, leaving them on the floor as well as with quite the number of bruises and fractured/broken bones.
"I almost feel sorry for whoever trained you lot, I mean what kind of piss poor soldiers are you to let yourselves get distracted?" He comments as he kicks another man in the face.
"Caliban not complain, makes things easier for us." The larger mutant comments as he drops another unconscious man to the floor.
"True that, let's get to the mainframe, hopefully Superman can keep their attention of us while we figure out what Bastion came here for."
The tracker nods in agreement and the set off to complete their mission. Thankfully as Cable hoped, the assault by Superman and his dog did in fact pull the attention of the occupying forces with most heading outside to aid their comrades in arms so resistance was minimal until they finally reached their objective.
Nathan fell several minds inside and was wondering how to best approach the situation while keeping themselves safe and more importantly alive, that is until he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Ingrained instincts had the white-haired man quickly pull out his sidearm and aim it at the source, said source was none other than Xander who had his hands up in peace while Krypto not liking anyone threatening his owner growled and bared his teeth.
"No need for that, we are all on the same side after all." Xandar says with calm despite staring down the barrel of a gun. After a minute Cable lowered the weapon, normally he would have made a dry remark but given what he had seen the man do as well as the fact that he had essentially whittled down Bastion's forces he let diplomacy be at the forefront.
"I suppose we are, though you will forgive me for being a bit cautious given the current circumstances I and my friend here find ourselves in."
"Fair enough…" Superman comments before addressing his canine friend "…it's ok Krypto, we are all friends here."
Krypto quickly calmed down and sat on his hind legs while looking at the duo intently.
*And isn't that a thing? * Cable idly thinks before addressing Xander.
"I would ask what a man such as you is doing here but sadly we got a situation in there that needs to be handled ASAP."
"I figured as much." Xander replies with a smirk as he uses his x-ray vision to see soldiers guarding what he can only guess is the school's computer mainframe.
"So, being that you and your friend there just tanked every asshole from outside to here could you…?" Cable nods towards the room.
"Not at all, just please open door as I don't think your fellow X-men would appreciate causing more damage to their home." Superman replies with a bit of embarrassment as he did leave quite a mess outside.
*Note to self: clean up after this Bastion business is over and done with, don't want to upset the locals after all. *
Cable nods in agreement and motions for Caliban to step aside while he moved towards the keypad and placed the code in while his finger hovers over the "ENTER" key. Looking back at the Kryptonian he sees the man is ready and waiting on him.
Cable simply raises his free hand and holds up three fingers, then two and finally at one he hits the button and the doors open with a silent whoosh.
"What the…!?" They both hear one man cry before a red and blue blur rushes in and seconds later all they can hear is groans of pain. Stepping inside both men found their enemies crumpled to the floor and in pain if the noises they made were any indication.
"No kill?" Caliban asks, not really out of malice or hate, clearly, he knew what these people were capable of to his kind but after being a horseman for Apocalypse his willingness to take a life had been altered by the horrible experience.
"If I were to kill them how do I not become like them? Life is a rather fragile thing and with my level of power I can easily snuff it out and to me that is a rather terrifying thought." Xander reply comes out with a sense of finality in his tone.
"No matter, we got what we needed." Cable speaks out as he approaches the computer to see how badly they were compromised.
*Looks like Bastion got as far as the secondary measures, and as much as I hope the bastard doesn't know Shi'ar we can't take the risk. *
"From the look on your face something has occurred yes?" Superman asks as he approaches the time traveler.
"Bastion managed to hacks his into the mainframe though he hasn't gotten all of the info yet since it is encrypted in an alien language." Nathan replies as he works to prevent further intrusion.
"Shi'ar right?"
"You know Shi'arese?"
"We just came back from saving their empire so I got a chance to learn of it while there." The hero replies in all honesty.
"…all right, and yes Xavier used it as a security feature though it wasn't enough to stop a download."
"Can't you stop it?" The former Scooby asks as he recalls that Xavier kept detailed files on the system and that the cyborg would want to make use of that information for his genetic purge.
That got Cable thinking, yes, he could stop it but there was the matter of the data that may have been revealed, it could have been anything from mere financial statements to even family lines and such.
*And I can't get to anyone from here in time if Bastion sent someone to eliminate them…unless. *
"Give me a minute, I have to make contact with someone before dealing with this mess." The man says before he uses his powers to contact his dimensional counterpart.
Xander figured as much from his memories so he decided to engage the other man who oddly enough was just standing while scratching Krypto behind the ear. Given how his dog was leaning further in he would day that he was enjoying himself immensely.
"Wow, he normally doesn't let anyone get near him that soon."
"Should Caliban stop?"
"Not at all, Krypto doesn't have many friends so I see no harm in it." Xander replies when Krypto let out a small whine when Caliban pauses before once more closing his eyes in enjoyment when he resumes.
"So how are you holding up?"
"Caliban tired, wants to rest but cannot while danger is still present." The large mutant replies truthfully, he didn't know why but he felt he could trust this man who had aided them.
"I hear you friend, hopefully I can find the head bastard in charge soon and put an end to this before more people get hurt or god forbid killed." Superman replies in a dead serious tone while Caliban nods in agreement.
"Caliban hopes the same, hopes Morlock's and Calypso safe in tunnels."
*Shit! I can't believe that slipped my mind. And I have a perfect memory for Christ's sake! * Xander chides as he recalls that both her and Marrow would be attacked and survive thanks to Spider-man's help.
*I have to go but I need to secure these idiots as well. *
"You know what? While Cable is doing his thing, I'm going to secure the prisoners outside ok?" And before he could get a reply, he was speeding away whole grabbing every soldier he could and taking them out to the courtyard with the other prisoners.
It surprised the mutant tracker just how quickly the men were disappearing but then just decided to roll with it. It had been a stressful time and frankly he was glad they were out of the fire for the time being hence he resumed playing with the alien dog.
By the time Cable, Caliban and Krypto stepped outside they saw every enemy soldier tied up with makeshift and actual restraints, from handcuffs and ropes to metal and tires every man who came with the intent of sacking the school was immobilized with Superman standing in front of them like a drill sergeant ready to administer some tough love.
"Now what have we learned gentlemen?" They hear him asks in gest.
"Fuck you freak!" He heard one of them curse.
"That's right, you picked the wrong job and should have been a dentist or something less prone to violence." Xander quips as he was prone to from time to time.
"Having fun?" Cable neutrally comments as he approaches with the others, though there was a hint of a smirk on his face.
"In these troubled times it pays to have a little fun now and again, especially at the expense of mutant hating bigots." He replies with a shrug before turning to address their captives.
"Now regretfully I can't stay here and bask in your stupidity in taking part in mass genocide or the crippling humiliation of your defeat so with that said I will be leaving to attend an urgent matter and in the care of these fine gentlemen…" he gestures to both Caliban and Cable "…of course I don't share in your idiocy so I can already tell you are planning something stupid like rushing them or something so with that said." And then he quickly whistles and Krypto floats over to him before landing and sitting on his hind legs while he awaits his master's instructions.
"Now this is Krypto, my super dog…" Xander begins to explain as he searches his surrounding before spotting the item he needed, he blurs into motion and reappearing with a pistol in his hands "…this is a representation of your balls." He says with mock cheer as he throws the weapon into the air.
"Krypto, pull!" He commands and immediately the weapon is vaporized by twin crimson beams of intense heat.
The prisoners all cringed at the imagery, some even crossing their legs.
*Damn! * Cable thinks, though he also smirks at the sight.
"I think you all get the general idea." Superman says as he begins to float though he soon faces his dos for some final instruction "…now Krypto, you be a good boy, guard the scumbags here and make sure to listen to both Mr. Cable and Mr. Caliban while I'm away ok? I promise if you do, I'll have a juicy steak ready for you once all this ruckus is done."
The dog barked happily at that which in turn caused his tail to wag in superspeed. Xander gave him one last pat on his head before nodding towards the other two who did so in turn before blasting away into the skies.
"Caliban like him." The larger mutant comments to his comrade.
"He does seem like a good sort, doesn't he?" Cable compliments before looking at the dog who was staring at the prisoners with a steady look.
*I wonder if Superman has more of him around and if he would be willing to part with one if I ask nicely? * The time travelling mutant idly wonders as he could definitely imagine the possibilities of having a super powered canine for a pet.
Meanwhile at the former Hulkbuster base…
Overlooking an array of screens, the cyborg Bastion was overlooking his operation impassively with no hint that anything was amiss…which was a testament to his control as he received some rather unpleasant news. The X-men had been captured and the files Xavier had stored on the many mutants found worldwide was being decrypted and said man had been notified that his precious students were on their way to join him as the biggest mutant hunt was underway.
That news alone should had made him feel pleased if not for one thing he did not foresee…Superman. Oh, he had counted on the few remaining heroes who were still active in the wake of the Onslaught debacle as well as government sponsored teams across the world with mutant team members to resist the cleansing of the mutant menace.
But the moment he had been told that the news of the most recent hero to join the ranks had been systematically decimating his soldiers he found himself quite incensed. First off the man's wide arrange of abilities meant his Sentinels were no way in the same weight class, plus his speed was on par or perhaps even greater than that of the mutant Quicksilver meaning he could reached combat zones faster than they could anticipate, which in hindsight meant it was a good thing he had left the Xavier school when he had, thus very little warning could be given.
Right now, he was safely seconded in his HQ but for how long he wonders.
*Best to enact my little insurance policy once the prisoners arrive. * He thinks to himself.
"Sir, the prisoner transport is five minutes out." One of his loyal soldiers manning the communications array says.
"Excellent." Bastion felt quite pleased with the news as he begins to move to see his quarry is secured.
*Let's see who is best suited for my little surprise. * He thinks sinisterly.
However, it was at that moment he felt his link to Xavier's be altered.
*I'm being tracked!? But how? * He furiously thinks as he cuts off the link before his location could be compromised. Something must have occurred at the school, last report they had received from his men stationed there indicated that Cable was on the scene, could he have succeeded in overcoming his soldiers and getting to the computer mainframe? Sadly, more bad news was coming his way…
-Sir! All of our Sentinels are under attack! — One of his subordinates shouted over the comms.
"What!? By who!?" The cyborg shouted as he rushed back to the main hub.
-Unknown sir, we are pulling up the feed from of them. — the technician replies just as his leader arrived.
Waiting for a response from his men he sees something coming to view on the monitors, what he sees is a blurry image while the sound of battle continues to blast through the speakers while there is a flurry of activity from all the men and women trying to get a handle of the chaos.
Finally, the image clears and what he sees makes his blood boil, he sees his Sentinels being overpowered, in some cases dismembered and ultimately captured by machines sharing similitudes to a recent thorn to his side while proudly displaying a "S" insignia on their chests. Slowly a growl works up from his throat building in volume until he finally has had enough and blasts a screen with an upraised and glowing fist.
"SUPERMAN!" He finally screams in fury.
The war for fate of mutankind had taken another turn and not in favor of its instigator.
To be continued…
LONG A/N ALERT, READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL: So here we are, the first entry in the OZT event, so let me break down my thought process for the start of the event.
So, the event that has him separate from the rest of the group at the end of their adventure in Shi'ar space was my way to get him back to Earth, or the moon in this case with a special appearance of Uatu (Miss him and wish he would come back! T_T), and I know it seems odd he gets sucked out into space and gets where he needs to be but then again that's how it played out for Rogue's group (minus Bishop and Deathbird, which I don't think it was ever explained) so I just took advantage. Also, I had him spaced at light speed so I figure that would be enough to knock him out for a bit…although I feel people will still try to rationalize that, why I don't know nor want to so please spare me and yourself the waste of time.
Now as to why I had two Avengers get involved as well as other international groups.
I am fully aware and prepared for the potential backlash from X-fans which to me is both sad and disappointing that there should be any tbh. Seriously people let the specter of AVX just die already! I mean for crying out loud, as soon as an Avenger appears in an X-book as a guest character people are calling out for blood. Doesn't even matter if the character in question is helping or hindering, the x fan base loses their shit over it.
I mean I hated it too but I don't need to be reminded of that fucking train wreck every time you see an Avenger appear as guest.
But I digress, sorry about that folks but it galls me sometimes, back to the matter at hand.
When I first read OZT as a kid I thought it was just situated in the US and not worldwide as I later found out as I was researching for this story. So, I figured that while it is seen in one issue that Spider-man guests stars I felt why not have others see just how bad the shit is and help stem the tide of Bastion's enslaved abominations hence Black Widow and Hercules getting caught in the middle of the battle and fighting the Sentinels.
As for the likely question of why I would have Xander not immediately go for the kill shot is because as my research showed there were more Sentinels who fought and, in some cases, regained control (Karima Shapandar being the most well-known and the only who completely regains her humanity) of themselves.
Case in point at the prologue issues there was a young woman sent to infiltrate a college and target a mutant attending the school, she fights against the programming and despite still being transformed she refuses to killed the young man, sadly Bastion finds her and blasts her head off.
Same thing during the event where a man who is helping the captured X-men is transformed and though not completely free doesn't give into the programming. So, since Xander knows this he is trying to capture as many of them as possible to later attempt to cure them, though sometimes it won't clean or will he succeed as he has to decide who lives (the mutants) or dies (The Sentinels).
To further aid in this and because I want to show that he does think ahead when possible I had him bring Krypto and use robotic duplicates of himself (They're based on the Superman robots seen in the Injustice 2 comic prequel, which I highly recommend along with the Injustice VS Masters of the Universe comic btw.) to help deal with the Sentinels and deal a blow to Bastion's forces.
What comes next is him helping Marrow, Calypso and Spider-man though I have to check to see what else I can have him to help. Though I do have a bit of a problem in how best to end this, in cannon Iceman goes one on one with Bastion and buys enough time for the US government and SHIELD to stop the attack, now I could have Xander intervene but I feel that robs him of that moment, what to do? What to do?
And now on a pair of separate notes:
Why don't I have him tank everything given his powers? Because that would be me basically writing this "He came, he saw, he conquered, The End." And if you are looking for that then I am not your guy and you can either look for that in another story or write your own but don't ask me to write something so stupid as that because they don't do it in the comics, they won't in the movies and I sure as hell not doing that here.
I'm trying to tell a story here not write a goddamn haiku!
Why did I give him a job? I could say that because Superman has one despite his powers but the best way, I can explain is this.
Look for the '96 cartoon "Superman: The Animated Series" - S02 Ep22 - "The Late Mr. Kent".
In that episode Clark discovers evidence to clear man framed for murder and about to be gassed, however before he can reveal the details Clark gets "killed" by the real murderer.
Flash forward to him sitting in his parent's kitchen while Ma Kent gets the call her son is dead by Lois while she is looking right at him (have to admit that gave me a chuckle at the time).
When she asks what are they going to do now his Pa basically says he can't Clark anymore (this is the important part) and Clark replies that he is Clark, that being Superman 24/7 would drive him nuts. And he is right, he can't be Superman all the time because that is only a part of who he is like Peter Parker can't be Spider-man all the time.
So, applying that to Xander is the logical thing to do, he wasn't raised as Superman but as Xander Harris, that was his life before being dropped into this world and he needs something to do instead of staying in the Fortress all day and night.
That's my reason and I am sticking with it, not your cup of tea? Well that's too bad because that is not changing so again deal with it in a dignified manner or see yourselves out in a calm and mature way…or the third option is to cuss me out and leave like an asshole/bitch, frankly I am fine with whatever option you choose (after so many years turning the other cheek I just don't feel like it anymore).
Well back to work then, oh and before I forget, after dealing with a bit of writer's block, I wrote the 3 chapters for a new story so expect to see them down the line. Halo is still on so wait and stop sending me PM's cussing me out or accusing me of laziness.
PEACE OUT!