In Hand and Foot

By Michael Weyer

I figured time to wrap up another fic so here goes.

"Well...I guess there's only one thing to say in a situation like this...COWABUNGA!"

With that, Michaelangelo leapt forward, spinning his nunchucks in the air before smashing one onto the head of the nearest Triceraton. The other Turtles were backing him up quickly, entering the fray with ease.

The Gargoyles soon followed, leaping into the pack, their claws and tails moving to fight off any of the dinosaur creatures coming through the portal. Behind them, the Defenders were exchanging glances before going on the attack as well.

Bebop and Rocksteady paused to look to the Shredder. "Um, boss. Are we gonna actually..."

In response, the Shredder moved forward, slashing outward with his gauntlets to cut the nearest Triceraton down. After a brief pause, the other Foot Clan ninjas waded in, moving to attack as many of the aliens as they could.

"Krang!" Shredder called out as he slashed one dinosaur down. "I'm coming for you, Krang!"

The dark alien smirked as his robotic body moved back. "Oh, I think you have your hands full for now..." He watched as more of the dinosaur aliens emerged from the portal to join the ensuing battle.

As Shredder cut another Triceraton down, he yelled out, "Stockman! Shut the portal down!"

"What do you think I've been trying to do?!" The scientist's voice was a more frantic buzz than ever in his panic as his claws worked furiously on a console. "He's overridden my systems to keep it going!"

Shredder snarled as he kicked an enemy back. "For once in your worthless life, you had to make something that worked too well!"

"Oh, sure, blame me..."

Rocksteady roared as he charged forward, his massive body smashing several Triceraton back. He managed to impale one on his horn, pushing him against a wall. Bebop was opening up with his machine gun to cut another down before sending a beefy fist into another. Despite their limited intelligence, Tokka and Rahzar understood how to follow orders and soon brawled into the fray.

The Punisher slammed another clip into his rifle to fire a burst at the Triceratons, wincing as he saw them stand up to the regular fire. The blast of glowing bullets flew past him to cut one down, showing Danny's strange weapons worked much better than his did.

Trish bounded past one lunging dinosaur as her mind once more tried to adjust to how she was somehow fighting alien dinosaurs. She punched one, gasping in pain as she felt a couple of knuckles shatter. She winced as she rubbed them with Colleen cutting a Triceraton down with her glowing sword.

Karai was lunging at another alien as April ducked a blow to jab with her own sword. The pair found themselves briefly facing each other, swords in opponents, giving each other a bemused glance before getting back into the fight.

The Rat King gasped out as he felt a savage blow to his back. Never the most physical of men, he slumped against a column as he glared at Zanramon standing nearby. The Emperor was smiling as he watched a pair of Foot soldiers blasted apart by his troops as more flowed through the portal. He bit his lip as he moved forward, holding his flute up, which caught their attention.

"What is that idiot doing?" Leonardo moaned.

Zanramon smirked. "You...you think you can stand to me, human? I am the Emperor of the Triceratons and ruler of worlds! Who are you, some nobody?"

"You don't know what I am..." the man snarled. "This city has an army greater than any on Earth." He held up his "flute." "And I...I am their KING!"

Naturally, Daredevil heard it first. To his ears, it was like the thunder of a stampede coming from all sides. Then the squeaking echoed around that shook him hard. It wasn't long before the rest heard it as from the windows, the doors, the water pipes and from every nook and cranny came rats. From small as a mouse to as large as a small dog, they kept coming to flow around the Rat King, who stood proudly before aiming the control stick at the Triceratons.

The rats poured outward, the Defenders and Gargoyles leaping out of their path. Before they knew it, the Triceratons were being overwhelmed, gasping in agony at the multiple bites and the sheer weight of the vermin washing over them.

Seeing the Rat King stand with a triumphant look on his face, Shredder shook his head in grudging respect. "Damn...who knew the little filth had it in him?"

As his forces tried to brush the rats away, Zanramon glared at the Rat King. "You think these rats can defeat my forces?"

"Not defeat," the Rat King smiled. "But that's the fun thing about rats...they can get in anywhere and they just love chewing up wires."

Zanramon's eyes widened in horror as he spun around toward the device. Sure enough, sparks began firing from the consoles as the portal began flickering. A few Triceratons coming through realized what was happening and quickly raced forward. Two weren't so lucky as the console exploded into a burst of flames. The portal winked shut, effectively slicing the two remaining soldiers apart.

"My machine!" Stockman cried out, showing his priorities were a tad skewered.

Krang cursed out as he glared at Zanarmon. "I told you not to underestimate them!"

The other-dimensional emperor snarled as he lifted his cannon, letting out a blast of energy. Lexington managed to grab the Rat King to duck out of the blast but it did cut off the edge of his pipe. Instantly, the rats began to scatter without his control.

Goliath flew forward, both of his feet extended to catch Zanarmon in the chest. He howled out as the gargoyle took the fight to him, doing his best to fight back as they struggled. Hudson was moving fast to aid his old friend, slicing with his dagger. The emperor snarled back as he matched their blows.

The Punisher grabbed a fallen Triceatron's rifle. It took him a few moments to make it work before aiming it and pulling the trigger, unleashing a blast that cut two of them down. "Now this is what I'm talking about!" he yelled as he fired off more blasts. Without realizing it, he was moving back to back with Bebop and Rocksteady as the pair fired with their own guns.

Casey slammed a hockey stick into a dinosaur's face, cursing as it broke against the skin. "Man, that was my favorite!"

"Casey, you buy them in bulk!" April shouted as she dodged a charting dinosaur.

"And that was my favorite of the last bulk!"

Raphael was stabbing another in the eye as he backed up his friend. Tokha and Rahzar were still brawling it out with other troops, lost in their savagery. Elektra and Kairi were moving to battle back-to-back, forming an unexpectedly effective pair cutting down any Triceraton unlucky enough to get in their way.

Daredevil ducked a blow to find himself facing Krang. The alien's bizarre form threw off his radar sense which was why Matt didn't realize the large fist coming at him until too late. He barely rolled with it as it struck him, avoiding the shot. Shredder was also racing toward Krang, who blocked one of his blows before punching him back. He was ready to stomp on the fallen warrior before Daredevil knocked his fist away.

Krang saw Daredevil standing ready, fists raised as his head was cocked to the side. "I'm sorry, am I boring you?" he demanded.

"I'm busy," Daredevil hissed.

"For what, dying?" Krang scoffed.

"No. I'm busy listening to the hum."

Krang scowled. "What hum?"

"The hum that lets me focus on exactly where the power source for your exo-suit comes from."

With that, he threw out his billy club, letting it smash into the dead-center chest plate of the robotic form. Sparks emitted as the robot staggered back, with Krang yelping as he tried to control it. Seeing the opportunity, on instinct, Leonardo and Shredder both leaped forward. Leonardo smashed his sword into the same spot as Shredder added his own bladed gauntlets.

As he saw the robot begin to fumble, Danny dropped his guns and clenched one fist, setting his jaw. Slowly, the fist began to glow, seeming to spark with energy more than ever. Leaping forward, Danny smashed the fist into the robot's chest, causing an eruption of sparks and flame.

Squirrel Girl leaped out of nowhere, her tail slapping right into the robot's face. With a loud howl, Krang was caught inside the robotic form as it collapsed backward, landing in a heap on the ground.

As Danny sighed out, Colleen stared at him. "I thought you lost it."

"It's...complicated," Danny said, rubbing at his fist. "Damn, forgot how much it hurts."

Trapped inside the form, Krang groaned as he looked up to see Shredder moving forward, his razor-sharp gauntlets gleaming in the light. "Ah, crap..." the alien muttered.

Shredder was about to attack when Daredevil blocked the blow with his club. Shredder glared as Daredevil set his jaw. "No. Not like this."

Shredder set his eyes at him. "Do not cross me, boy."

Whatever else was going to be said was lost when Luke threw himself in front of them in time to take the blast from a cannon fired by a Tricetaon soldier. He gasped in actual pain from the burning blow which knocked him against the pair to push all three away from the wounded Krang.

Throughout the battle, Stockman had been fiddling back at the console. Lexington was at his side, working quickly to try and fix the damage done. Donatello planted his bo staff to leap over two enemies and land by them to also aid. "Can we fix it?"

Stockman was looking over the console. "Tricky...very tricky..." A smile came to that twisted insect face. "But then, I am a genius."

Making a mental note to pound Stockman later, Donatello and Lexington quickly worked with him to try and fix the console.

Goliath was still trading blows with Zanmoran, the Triceaton emperor showing his own strength. Shredder rose up from Krang's body and looked toward Tokka and Rahzar. "Boys?"

The two creatures looked to their master, who simply pointed at Zanmoran. With dual roars, they charged ahead, tackling the creature and savagely clawing at him with a few bites as well. He snarled back, flexing his muscles to grab the pair by the heads and smash them together hard.

As they slumped back, Zanmoran glared at Shredder, who grit his teeth as he moved into a fighting stance. He felt a shadow by him and turned to see Splinter move to his side. The two old enemies just exchanged a long look before a nod and then moving in, swiftly using quick strikes on the Tricetraon leader.

He grunted at their attacks as he fought back. "Fools! I am the leader of one of the most powerful forces in the universe! I have felled armies! You think some armored clown and a rodent can defeat me?!"

A loud squeaking sound came through the air as Tippytoe latched onto his horn. Zanmoran just stared in disbelief at the squirrel spinning around to launch a kick into one eye. He grunted less in pain and more at the annoyance as he swatted at the squirrel.

"Banzai...wait, that might be cultural appropriation...okay, Rock and roll!"

With that, Squirrel Girl bounded forward, her tail spinning around to wrap around Zanmoran's legs. She gave a tug as she threw a series of palm strikes at his face that left him surprisingly stunned. "Plan 43, Tippytoe!"

With a nod, the smaller squirrel dashed up to Zanmoran's eyes and began poking each in turn. As he howled and launched his fist up to block it, Squirrel Girl flexed her knuckles. Emerging from them were short two-inch claws. "I don't use these much...I worry it's copyright infringement...but desperate times!"

She stabbed at Zanmoran's eye, the emperor howling as he felt her work at him. He stumbled back again as Squirrel Girl heard Tippytoe chirping to her. "Really? Huh, seems an odd place for a weak spot but okay!" She stabbed at a piece of skin right under the creature's throat. He gasped for breath, grabbing at his wound as he staggered back.

A loud snarl echoed through the air as Bronx leapt upward, his fangs burying themselves into Zanmoran's neck. His scream of pain was louder as several of his soldiers tried to race to his side only to face the gauntlet of heroes before them. Zanmoran finally was able to push Bronx away, a hand to his bleeding throat. He glared out just as Goliath flew at him, his feet smashing into the dinosaur's face.

Zanmoran collapsed in a heap, moaning out as Goliath put a foot onto his chest and glared down. "I will be merciful this once," he growled. "Leave this planet. Or we shall make you."

Zanmoran was opening his mouth when a whipping sound echoed through the room. Everyone turned to see a circle of light form in the air and then open into a portal. Emerging from it was a heavyset Asian man in a complex outfit, his face stern as he took in the battle before him.

Bringing his hands together, the man began making a series of motions along with whispers in some strange language. From across the room came more circles of light that ran across the various Triceatron troops. They seemed startled as they began vanishing through the portals, whisked away before the startled eyes of the heroes.

One last circle embraced Krang, the alien managing a smirk as he recognized what was happening. "TTFN, Shredder," he called out just before he vanished.

The Asian man backed up as he nodded. "Well, that takes care of part of the problem." He lookd to them and waved a hand. "Sorry, the name's Wong, I work with Doctor Strange."

"What did you just do?" Misty demanded.

"Sent them back to their own home dimension," Wong explained. "Sorry it took so long getting here, but Strange has been busy on another matter. And to be honest, this isn't the only interdimensional incursion we've had to deal with. You should be happy not to know of the others."

"Hold up," Leonardo said, holding up a hand. "You're a wizard?"

"Sorcerer," Wong corrected. "Major difference. I don't wear hats."

Brooklyn sighed. "Great, they've got wizards here too. I hate these guys."

"Just where the hell have you been all this time?!" Jessica snapped. "Could have used you before this!"

"Again, we've got other matters on our hands," Wong replied in a calm, if slightly irritated, voice. "A couple of incursions here and there were one thing. An attempted invasion got our attention."

"But not enough for Strange himself?" Danny asked.

"As I said, he's busy." Wong looked over the group as he crossed his arms. "I am ready to send the rest of you back to your home worlds. That's another reason I'm late, took us a while to figure out the right frequencies, as it were, and figure out who should be going where. But, if you wish, you can be sent back to your proper universes." He paused. "Actually, it's not really a request, we're sending you back one way or the other. I just thought it best to give you all an illusion it's up to you."

"Wow," Luke dryly said. "Who knew Strange actually got the bedside manner?"

For a long moment, the two forces sized each other up, each waiting for the other to make the first move. "So..." Leonardo finally spoke up. "Are we doing this?"

Shredder paused, then looked to Daredevil. "You saved my life. Contrary to what some might think..." He looked to the Turtles. "I do have some honor in me." He looked around and sighed. "Besides...I weary of this world. It's high time to return to ours."

He glanced back at the Turtles. "Thus, I am willing to continue this truce until we return to our Earth, Turtles. From then...the fates will decide."

"Good," Misty growled. "Saves me the hassle of trying to haul your asses in and explain this shit to my captain."

The Punisher glared. "We're just letting them go?"

"Move one inch to that gun, Castle, and you lose your arm," Misty warned. "Besides, as much as I hate to say it, pretty sure arresting someone who's not actually from this world isn't going to work well."

"The courts haven't caught up to interdimensional travel yet," Matt confirmed. "They can easily claim some sort of refugee status or even state our laws don't pertain to them because it's not how it works in their world."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you're plotting a defense for someone."

"Ah, I keep my options open," Matt intoned.

Wong had been studying the various sides, clearly seeking something the regular human eye couldn't see. "Hmm…you're a bit trickier," he intoned, pointing at the Gargoyles. "But I think I can find yours easily enough."

He looked at the Turtles, his eyebrows raising. "You seem to have counterparts in various dimensions, might be a bit tougher to find the right one."

"Well, that's not assuring," April muttered.

"Relax," Wong intoned. "We're professionals, we're completely on top of these things."

"How in all the hells above and below were we not on top of this?!"

Wong was wincing at Stephen Strange's yells echoing across the room, which he was sure were also echoing across Tamar-Kaj. It was all the more impressive given that Strange wasn't even physically there, his astral form glaring hard at Wong.

He saw the rest of the wizards in the council chamber looking at him, clearly putting him in the position of explaining all this. Taking a deep breath, Wong began. "We have been tracking low-level incursions via portals or other magical means. That's not mentioning the ones brought about by the Dusting or however you want to call it. Tracking those are tricky enough with the magical tones. The others are…harder."

"Harder," Strange stated, arching an eyebrow. "You really think missing some sort of invasion from another dimension is hard?"

"Because it was by technology," Wong explained. "And sadly, that's something we're still catching up on." Off Strange's look, he sighed. "There's a story that one of the strongest wizards ever, one as strong as the Ancient One, was felled because he had a spell of defense for any sort of magic imaginable…but never figured out how to stop a musket ball."

It took a moment for Strange to slowly nod in understanding. "I always found it odd modern tech works so well here. I figured you guys just allowed it to happen but no…it's because you couldn't prepare for it."

Wong gave his own nod of confirmation. "It's why we've been hit at some bases. Magic, we can face, we can understand. Someone detonates a small bomb outside one of our temples is something else. We're adapting as best we can, but it can happen. It's also why we can't be as prepared for scientific-based incursions into our realm as much as a magical one."

Strange rubbed his beard. "Wong…you're going to tell me what I know you don't want to tell me. I know it, but I need to hear it."

Wong took a deep breath. "We believe...it's possible…there have been multiple incursions to our world from alternate realities that we had no idea about because they used those methods."

Strange let out a long and tired sigh. "Great…just great. The one time you guys had to copy Harry Potter and it's acting like it's still the early 1900s."

Wong glared at him. "We still maintain a defense against multiple threats, Stephen. We can't look for everything."

Strange held up a hand. "I get it. Believe me, it's the little cell culture you miss that end up creating deadly cancer." He stroked his goatee. "Is this going to be bad?"

"It has potential down the line."

"Again, you suck so bad at assurances."

"So yes," Wong continued in a calm voice. "I can assure you, nothing to worry about with this."

He turned, moving his hands in complex gestures. He finally spun his hand and a portal opened up before him. He turned his head toward the Turtles and the Foot soldiers. "This should lead to your home reality," he said. "I'd say to get going quickly."

There was a pause as the Turtles looked to the Defenders. "Well, this was…interesting," Leonardo said. "I guess I am sorry things got so nuts here."

"Not your fault," Daredevil said. His face moved to Shredder with a glare. "It's best you don't ever show your face in our world again."

"Believe me, the less I think of this mishap, the better," Shredder muttered.

Raphael looked to Brooklyn as the pair grasped hands. "Good luck to you, man."

"You too," the Gargoyle replied. "Just keep being you, that fire can be a benefit."

Goliath smiled at the Defenders. "It was an honor to fight at your side. I wish we could do it more, but our world has need of us as well."

"Just keep yourself clean," Luke intoned. He paused. "I'll be trying to."

"Sometimes, that's all you can do," Goliath intoned. He nodded to Splinter. "It was an honor."

"And to us as well." Splinter bowed, then to the Defenders. "If the fates will it, we shall meet again."

"Oh, then I so wanna punch a fate," Jessica muttered. She was a bit surprised as Bronx came up and licked her hand, letting out a small but friendly growl before moving off. Jessica just threw a baffled look at Trish, who had to chuckle in response.

Donatello and Lexington exchanged a handshake. "Sorry we can't stay longer," the Turtle said. "I was really hoping to get a look at some of the better tech in this world."

"I know," Lexington remarked. "Took ours longer to get the Internet going. Hell, we're still on VHS tapes."

Donatello frowned. "What, is there another kind?"

"Wow, you guys are from a unique world..."

Michaelangelo smiled at Broadway. "Nice to meet a fellow connoisseur."

"Ditto. Whatever that means." They exchanged a high-five as Michaelangelo grinned. "You ever get to our world sometime, we can compare our New Yorks' best pizza joints."

"You're on."

April smiled at Coleen and Misty. "It was good to fight with you guys. Although I am hoping to get a break back to my reporting soon."

"Again, hard to see you as a serious reporter," Coleen mused.

"Ah, at least she wears more than just the same yellow jumpsuit all the time," Casey noted. He and Danny exchanged a high-five. "Sorry couldn't get around to training a bit more."

"Another time," Danny returned.

Casey paused. "Listen, dude...I know someone who carries a lot of pain and you? You should figure a way to let it out rather than hold it in too much."

Danny smirked. "I think I do a good job in my own way."

Casey just looked at him. "You're gonna have to open up sometime on what you went through, buddy. Because you house it up, it can chew you up too much."

Danny took that in as the other groups bid farewell to each other. The Turtles moved by the Shredder and the Foot Clan, who were wary, but the Shredder held up a hand to forestall any problems. Wong nodded as he flexed his fingers in waves. He finally opened up his palms, letting energy flow over the group. A portal opened behind them as he waved to it.

To little surprise, the Shredder and his followers were first to enter it. The Turtles bid a final round of waves and farewells before following them. The portal shut behind them to leave the Defenders behind.

Wong repeated the process with the Gargoyles, opening another portal behind them. Goliath saw the dark clouds on the other end and nodded. "Ah, it's night there, that is a benefit." He gave a final nod to the Defenders as he led his clan through the portal, which shut behind them.

Wong looked to the Defenders and glanced around the messy interior of the warehouse. "I suppose I'll leave this up to you then. I do hope you can stay out of these matters in the future. You have a purpose with this street crime but things like this? It's a bigger world than you can imagine."

"Oh, trust me, I'm so ready to go back to just regular street crime," Misty informed him.

"Just be careful. We don't need people making more of a fuss and drawing attention." With that, Wong waved his hands to open another portal and exit the warehouse.

"Well," Squirrel Girl said after a long silence. "This was fun!" That she honestly seemed to mean it once more had the others questioning her mental state.

The Punisher had already packed up his guns as he began to walk off. He heard Misty raising her pistol and stopped. "Really gonna try this, Knight?"

"How many deaths on your rap sheet, Castle?" she snapped. "Just cause you helped us out here doesn't clear your record."

The Punisher was quiet, his back to them. "I'm not one for the ninja crap or those nutjobs. But I gotta say...they had a couple of good ideas."

He dropped an object on the ground, with everyone seeing a familiar round ball. "Oh, you son of a..." was all Misty got out before the ball erupted in a flash of smoke and light. By the time everyone's eyes had cleared, the Punisher was gone.

Matt cocked his head and frowned. "Dammit...He knew there was a construction site nearby to duck near, I can't pinpoint him."

"Bastard probably had an escape route scoped out before we even showed up," Misty groused. "Fine, another time for him."

Daredevil shook his head. "I have to get back to check on Karen. Fisk is still out there and likely Bullseye too."

"Oh, brother, already calling him by his nickname," Luke muttered. "But I gotta get back to my club."

"Wait, worried you're not there, they might do something illegal?" Jessica dryly said. Luke glared at her, but she just fixed him with an equally tough gaze.

"I'll go with you," Danny said. As Luke looked at him in surprise, Danny shrugged. "To be honest...I don't really have a place to crash yet, been living in a few flophouses." He saw Luke staring at him and held up his hands. "Hey, you've got a club and that swank penthouse above it!"

As Luke glared, Danny sighed. "I'll work it off. Come on, can't tell me you couldn't use a bodyguard you know won't stab you in the back for a price."

"A knife breaks off me." Luke paused and nodded. "Ah, what the hell. Still gotta get some answers from you anyway."

"So when's the next team meeting?" Squirrel Girl excitedly asked. "Is Luke's club gonna be our headquarters?"

"We're not a team!" half the people present yelled as they exited the building. Squirrel Girl looked to Tippytoe and smiled with a nod. "Yeah, this is gonna be a great team."

Jessica sighed as she headed to her office/apartment. She winced at the aches of the day, sighing out as she looked forward to a quick shower, getting massively drunk and hopefully waking up the next day ready to dismiss this entire thing as a crazy dream.

Trish had offered to come by, but Jessica decided that a night to herself was what she needed and Trish recognized her feeling. Besides, she had her hands full keeping Squirrel Girl from telling all her social media followers about this whole mess.

Jessica entered her apartment, peeling off her jacket to toss it aside. She opened up her fridge and froze in place. If there was one thing she kept an eye on, it was the liquor supply and she knew for a fact that she'd had at least another two cans of beer and a bottle of vodka ready before she'd left the day before.

Hearing a sound, Jessica whirled around to see the balding man slumped on her couch, downing a beer. She blinked, taking him in before blurting out, "Mick?"

Clad in his usual rumpled coat and dirty jeans, Mick Rory took a drink from his can before holding it up in a toast. "Hey," he grunted. "Gotta say, bit let down, figured you'd have a much better security system."

"It's on the list," Jessica intoned as she circled the couch. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Ah, needed a break," the semi-reformed thief intoned. "You would not believe the week I've had."

"You and me both, brother," Jessica sighed as she slumped on the couch, grabbing the bottle from him to take a long swig. "Let's just say, I need to take my mind off a lot of shit now."

"Know the feeling," Mick intoned as he cracked open another beer. "So, figured a few drinks while watching a ball game be good."

"And you came here for it?"

"Well, no Central City on this world, so figured a shot at better teams."

Jessica nodded as she sipped her drink. "Yeah, thinking just a good night in, unwind, nothing major, ya know?"

She and Mick looked at each other. Then Jessica was on top of him, kissing furiously as they began tearing at each other's clothes.

Earth-1983

As the light of the portal faded, the Turtles instantly moved into fighting positions. The Foot and their allies were doing the same as the two groups faced off. They stood there, each taking in their location as the exact underground base they'd been fighting in months ago when the Dusting occurred.

After a long silence, the Shredder backed up. "This is not the time, Turtles. I must see how the rest of the Foot have fared in my absence." His eyes flared behind the mask. "And to track down Krang and repay him for his betrayal." He gazed back at the Turtles. "We shall meet again and settle this. But not this day."

He backed up and waved his hands. While a few of his monsters glared at the Turtles, they followed their leader as he marched out of the base.

Leonardo let out a long breath. "Oh, good, really wasn't looking forward to that."

"Ah, might have taken them," Raphael said.

Leonardo glared at his brother. "Sometimes you have to pick your battles, Ralph."

"Yeah, yeah," Raphael sighed. "Let's get back and see if the pad is still okay."

"We've been keeping an eye on it," April said as she got out her cell phone.

"Who you calling?" Donatello asked. "Your boss?"

"No, Eddie's Pizza."

"You know us so well."

The group headed off as Leonardo looked at Splinter. "Think we'll meet them again? Or the Gargoyles?"

"One never knows the path ahead of us," their master intoned. "Or the unique ways it can branch out."

In his office, Wong flipped through a few books, frowning deeply. He studied the lines before him, looking to a large map on the wall showing what appeared to be a variety of planets linked together. He put his fingers on one line to trace from one Earth to another. He paused to look at the book, then put his fingers to trace a different line to a different Earth.

Looking at the two worlds and then the lines he had been thinking of when she made one of the portal spells, Wong could only say one thing.

"Whoops."

Earth-4517

As the light of the portal faded around them, the Gargoyles blinked at the city before them. "Ah, unless there's been some serious redevelopment going in the last few months, this isn't New York," Brooklyn stated.

Indeed, the city before them was far different than the one they knew. For a start, there was a distinct lack of skyscrapers, save for a few that seemed bunched together like an old-fashioned castle with the largest tower as tall as the Empire State Building. The rest of the buildings were smaller before falling into various suburbs and a river surrounding it with a single long bridge leading to the mainland.

"Great," Lexington sighed. "We must have gotten rerouted somehow." He held up the device and studied it. "Maybe I can figure a way to get it to zone in on our world..."

Goliath looked around the sky. "Hmmm...whatever world this is, I can sense it'll be night for a while. We'd best find a place to hide before daylight comes and we can figure it out later."

Hudson was nodding just as a voice echoed behind them. "Hiding? Oh, no one hides from me..."

The Gargoyles looked around in confusion, trying to figure out just where that odd voice was coming from. "Who's there?" Goliath called out.

"Oh, you'd like to know that..." the voice hissed.

"Um, we do," Lexington said. "It's why we asked. Who are you?"

"Who am I?" The voice sounded insulted at the question. "Who am I? Who am I?"

"Dude, we literally just asked you that," Brooklyn called out.

A shadow began to fall upon them of a figure who appeared to be wearing some sort of cloak and something covering his head.

The voice shifted to a darker tone. "I am the terror that flaps in the night..."

A cloud of smoke billowed before them.

"I am the piece of lint that scratches your DVD disc..."

The smoke faded to show a figure standing before them. He wore a tight purple coat with a cape, a large fedora on his head and a matching purple mask covering his eyes. They glared over the large beak as he spread his arms, allowing the cape to billow behind him in what he clearly believed was a dramatic pose.

"I...am Darkwing Duck!"

The Gargoyles stared at the figure before Brooklyn spoke up. "Okay, I think we're done here."

They began to turn away as Darkwing frowned. "Hey, hey, where are you going?! You think you can come to St. Canard, up to some no doubt shenanigans and not get my attention?"

Hudson sighed deeply as he turned to face him. "Laddie, we've had a very long and very tiring last few months. We're stuck in yet another world far from our own and had our fill of oddball animals in masks. So we have not the time nor the energy to waste on this."

Goliath waved a claw at Darkwing. "Just leave us be and we shall be gone soon enough."

The group all nodded as they turned around and began walking away. They were nearly at the edge to fly off when a whistling sound came through the air. Goliath gasped as he felt a pain at his wing, spinning around to see Darkwing standing behind him, holding a grapple gun whose hook was wrapped around Goliath's wing.

As he saw the strange creatures all glaring at him, the masked figure's lips pulled into a smirk as he spoke.

"Let's. Get. Dangerous."

Misty winced as Claire finished adjusting the bandage on her shoulder. "Relax, it was just a glancing blow, you'll be fine in no time," the nurse told her as Misty stood up from the bed of her clinic.

"Thanks," Misty said. Colleen was nearby watching her as she pulled her jacket back on. "I gotta get to the station, zero clue how I enter this in any reports."

Colleen smiled. "I have my own problems to get to. I still have to figure out how the Foot will react to all this and who takes over after the Gorgon."

"I'll leave the mystical kung-fu bullshit to you," Misty stated. She paused to look at Colleen. "What about Danny?"

The new Iron Fist sighed. "He's hiding something. I don't know what, but he's hiding something major about himself and where he got those new abilities."

"Find out. However you have to." Misty held up a hand to cut off Colleen's protest. "Listen, him and Luke...both of them are playing with fire, we know that. It's up to us to make sure it doesn't erupt into something worse."

Colleen brushed back her hair. "We may not like the answers."

"I'm a cop. We never like a lot of the answers we get. Especially the ones we need the most." She looked over to Claire. "This could get rough, so I think you have to get ready."

"For what?" Claire asked.

"That's the bad part. I just don't know."

The three women were silent for a moment taking in the implications of just what two men they all cared for were truly involved in.

"Be it ever so humble," Luke intoned as he showed Danny his room. The other man raised an eyebrow taking in the spot better than some apartments in New York. "Sure you can figure where everything is," Luke said as Danny dropped his bag on the floor. "I gotta get to the office. You can shower and we can talk later."

"Thanks for this, Luke," Danny said. "I mean it."

"And I meant what I said before." Luke fixed him with a hard gaze. "You wanna work with me? Fine. But we're gonna talk on just what really went down with you abroad, Danny. I'm not letting any mystic shit you went through come back and bite me in the ass."

Danny was silent for a moment. "Yeah…yeah, we do need to talk." He moved to pull off his jacket and then unbuttoned his shirt. He pulled it off to show the dragon tattoo on his front. He then turned to show his back where another tattoo rested.

It was a large one, covering most of Danny's back, the design of it intricate and detailed. Luke soon realized it was a set of circles, ten in all, pulled into a pattern, each of the circles slightly different in the design to focus on the final image of the larger circle.

A circle of ten rings.

Danny looked over his shoulder at the startled Luke. "Like I said…it's a long story."

Not for the first time, Luke wondered if being King of Harlem was worth the trouble.

Matt entered his apartment, shuffling as he began peeling off his jacket. He still showed the weariness of the last few days as he pulled at his tie. He headed to the kitchen, easily handling his way around the mostly sparse apartment as he got out a large bottle of juice and poured himself a glass.

He knew she was there, of course. He'd caught her scent from the elevator. He could easily imagine her sauntering on his couch, no doubt with that smirk Foggy told him she had on her face. "How is she?" Elektra asked in what sounded like an actually caring voice.

"Handling as best she can," Matt answered as he moved toward the couch. "Karen's tough and has been through a lot already. She says she can handle this and I believe her."

"Hmmm...you care for her."

"As a friend," Matt was quick to say. "She and I...well, we had the tension, but we realized we were just as likely to combust as work well together." He sipped his drink. "Besides, she's safer outside of my life."

"Oh, Matthew, please don't start that tired old song again," Elektra sighed. "The woman was in danger before she even met you. She would be if she never met you. Stop acting like you're some magnet for trouble."

"Evidence would indicate otherwise and I know evidence," Matt replied. He let out a tired sigh. "Sorry, it's been a hell of a week."

"Indeed," Elektra noted. Matt could feel his gaze on her and marveled at how, despite not being able to see it, her stares could always send a thrill through him. "I'm staying in New York. Not just for you but the Hand as well. Yet...maybe...you could use someone to...soothe you."

He felt her coming closer and suddenly felt like the nervous college boy she'd met all these years ago. "What were did together was rarely that soothing."

"Very true." He knew that smirk was brighter than ever. "But it was never boring, was it?"

She pressed his lips on his and for just one moment, Matt wanted to push her away, tell her to get out and handle it on his own. Then he felt his hands work on her clothing and simply gave in to that temptation to once more take a huge risk.

The mood in the office was tense as the Kingpin stared out the window at New York City. Behind him, Byron "Butch" Pharris stood, looking ill-fitting in his suit but still ready to follow his boss. The former Maggia enforcer had risen quickly through the ranks and become the de facto replacement for the late Wesley as Fisk's main assistant.

"So, that's how it is, boss," he said, his tone respectful if not quite as educated. "It seems these..well…other world people have vanished without a trace. We still have a big gap in operations, but it looks like the Hand likewise are backing off for now."

Fisk was silent for a long moment before speaking. "And Murdock?"

Butch took a deep breath. "We have eyes on him looking after Page. Thing is, seems they've got folks watching from Cage's pack."

Fisk mused on that. "Cage is an unstable element in this," he intoned. "He claims to be staying on the straight and narrow but push a man like that too far…and the results can be unpleasant."

Butch took his words in before speaking. "Sir…if we know who Murdock really is…why not use it? Expose his identity?"

Fisk snorted. "Tell the world that the Devil of Hell's Kitchen is a blind man?" He nodded to a folder on his desk. "I thought he was faking it at first, but I've gone through his medical records. There's no way he can fool so many doctors. No, he is blind, perhaps just highly trained or has some special attributes that allow him to fight as he does. The point being, it's the perfect alibi if we try to reveal his identity. And my guess is, Murdock is ready for that, can get some friend to pose in the costume while he's in public."

He paced before his desk. "Besides, I have more on my plate to handle than wasting time on this vendetta. I need to focus on getting my empire back on track. On the Foot and other enemies. I need to handle the challenges to come than focused on one man."

Butch frowned. "You don't want to crush him, sir? I thought you wanted to...what were your words...leave him with nothing left. Not even hope."

"I did want that," Fisk intoned. "I thought I did. But then I realized how that would make him more dangerous than ever before. Too dangerous to predict, too dangerous to fight." He stared at the city.

"Because a man without hope...is a man without fear."

In his ornate quarters, Zheng Zu had his head bowed as he listened to the report of his underling. "And so, master...we regretfully have lost control of that area and these Defenders and their allies have scattered."

Zu took that in before nodding. "Very well. You may leave." He saw the man blinking in surprise and a light smile came to his face. "I may not tolerate failure, but executing someone for simply delivering news of events beyond his control is not the best move for morale. You may leave as I have plans to attend to."

The man bowed and left the room. Zu waited a few moments before turning to face a large mirror on the wall. He waved his hand and the glass surface began to change, shimmering like a pool. He stepped through it, the familiar feeling of shifting between realities overcoming him.

He stepped through the portal and into the throne room of an ornate palace. It was dark in the room, with only torches lighting the way leading to a set of steps with a platform containing a large and lavish throne.

Sitting on the throne was a tall and muscular figure, his torso mostly bare except for the ornate armor sitting on it. It had massive shoulder pads with spikes that matched the dark red spiked boots he wore. At the center of the straps at his chest was a pad with a skull-shaped emblem that matched the one on the belt of his red loincloth. It also matched the skull-shaped helmet/mask completely covering his face. All that could be seen were eyes that showed a cold and calculating malice and power even greater than his physical abilities.

Zu bowed his head. "My Lord," he spoke. "I believe the mission was a success as you wished."

"There you go again," the man said in a voice that would make the gods stand at attention if any dared to be near him. "Believing you know my mind and wishes."

Zu resisted the urge to shudder in his master's presence. "You sent me to find warriors, Emperor. I have. Far greater than we could ever dream of. Not just in this version of Earth realm but others."

His Emperor tapped his fingers on the armrest of his throne. "I know this was meant to be a long game, sorcerer. But I am eager to see it reach its end." His eyes narrowed. "I had begun to believe you were enjoying your game of heading to other worlds and using your abilities to create these forces."

Zu shrugged. "It achieved its goals, my Emperor. Reaching to the past and the version of the one called Ra's al Ghul to inspire his League of Assassins has allowed us to see the warriors of some Earths. Creating the Hand on this world, and a few others, has only enhanced it." He leaned in. "I have found such warriors for you, my Emperor. Warriors that you can use to your advantage in the next tournament."

"At least you said 'I' rather than 'we'," the figure grunted. He cocked his head. "You do realize I have been considering your true plan is to build a force to attempt to depose me."

The man raised an eyebrow. "You doubt my loyalty, my Emperor?"

"I expect betrayal. I suspect loyalty."

The man stiffened but held his temper. "We will succeed, my Lord. We will gather the fighters for your plan."

"Make sure that you do, Shang. I shall not accept failure this time."

With that, the sorcerer Shang Tsung bowed his head and then walked away, once more returning to that other Earth. That left the Emperor Shao Khan to turn his head and gaze at the landscape of Outworld as he mused on the events that were soon to come.

"Soon, it will begin," he mused to himself. "The ultimate tournament. The one to decide this multiverse.

"The Kombat...of Champions."

So another one done and hope you liked it. Thanks to Marcus S. Lazarus for help, especially the Wong bit and helping it flow.

The Jessica/Mick section reads right to Marcus' fun "All Kinds of Legends" spin-off tale.

Earth-1983 is named after the year Eastman and Laird first thought TMNT up. The Darkwing Duck bit was a last-minute addition, his Earth more random.

And yes, the ending introduces Mortal Kombat and the connection to who "Zu" truly is as yet another interdimensional player makes his way onto the scene...