Apokolips Deferred

by RogueFanKC

Set in Red Witch's Misfitverse! Teaming up with Batgirl and Supergirl, the XMen, the Misfits, and G.I. Joe must stop Darkseid from unleashing the Phoenix Force and destroying the universe! Complete so read and enjoy!

11. Future Plight of the Phoenix

Author's Notes: I'm so sorry I'm late with this, but I got caught up at work! Hope this last chapter makes the wait worthwhile!

CHAPTER 11: Future Plight of the Phoenix

"This is certainly unexpected and quite a surprising turn of events," Harry Leland of the Hellfire Club muttered as he and the rest of the group watched the events unfold from their spy-monitors on the large screen in the plush and furnished room. In their personal chambers, the members of the Hellfire Club, specifically the Inner Circle, were eyeing Batgirl and Supergirl and the Justice League with a mixture of fascination, shock, and growing, cold dread.

"I don't believe this! We were so close to being able to harness the power of the Phoenix Force! We were so damned close! The plan was practically foolproof! And now, we have failed to be able to turn Jean Grey and Althea Delgado against their teammates and coerce them into being the Grey Queens of the Hellfire Club! And now we are left with absolutely nothing! God damn it all to hell!" shouted Sebastian Shaw, so furious that he took the tumbler of whiskey in his hands and hurled it against the wall, the glass, ice, and bourbon splintering and shattering against the creamy wall. He was not alone; all the other members were displaying extreme levels of disappointment or rage. After all, they were so close, and everything just fell apart, not giving them the results they had once banked so much upon for the glory and prestige of the Hellfire Club.

"I certainly hoped you enjoyed that little temper tantrum of yours, Shaw," Emma Frost commented off-handedly but with a touch of annoying "know-it-all-ism", continuing, "That glass you have just so recklessly shattered was pure, flawless crystal and would certainly have been worth an entire month's payroll for one of your employees at a single branch of Shaw Industries."

"Bitch," hissed Shaw, his veins in his temple showing. He was so angry, he could have literally killed someone, anyone really.

The blond haired ignored the insult and sighed heavily, fatigued and laced with displeasure, as she tugged at the collar of her white, revealing jumpsuit, saying, "The future, glory and honor of all mutantkind, led by the best of the best, the Hellfire Club, now forced to rely on the fact that the one thing that could have granted us immeasurable power and made us a omnipotent supremacy is now in the possession of two inadequate girls, one an alien and one a worthless human. We cannot possibly bequeath them the offers of the position of the Grey Queens of the Inner Circle. Not only do they have ties to the Justice League, but they are not even mutants! To allow those disgraceful and uncouth girls would make a mockery of everything the Hellfire Club stood for!"

"Oh please, my dear Emma, quit being so melodramatic and drop the charade," sneered a black haired and fair-skinned, lithe External named Selene, her eyes and chandelier diamond earrings glittering maliciously in the candlelight, "You know as well as the rest of us that with the Phoenix Force failing to bond to Jean Grey and Wavedancer, it would no longer threaten your position as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. You're simply relieved that with no need to bring in the telekinetic and the hydrokinetic, it leaves your position as the head telepath and one of the more prominent female figures in the Inner Circle unchallenged."

"And you yourself would know that feeling of relief quite well, wouldn't you, Selene?" commented General Eddington negligently, without much care, as he emerged from the shadows of the room only to stand next to Harry Leland. Shaw and several other members of the Inner Circle were less than pleased to see the Epsilon Juggler within their midst.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face around here, Eddington!" the cybernetic Donald Pierce nearly bellowed, his face red and his white hair hanging loosely around his head, loosened from his ponytail, "It is because of your oversight that this entire mission was a failure in the first place!"

Shaw snarled in support, "I agree! We had so carefully and meticulously laid out the groundwork for our operation for so many months! Everything is ruined because of you! It was all too perfect! Live Wire's attacks would have drawn the X-Men and the Misfits out into the open to brawl with Kanto and his mindless followers from H.A.T.E. and not to mention been a suitable cover to what was truly Darkseid's intentions! And any mutant who could stand up to Live Wire and H.A.T.E.'s Apokoliptic weaponry would have surely been a mutant of great enough potential for the Phoenix! And with Darkseid being foolish enough to anger the Phoenix Force in his search for the Anti-Life Equation, Jean Grey and Althea Delgado would have simply destroyed Apokolips and their teammates all in one blow, which would have been the perfect opportunity for us to move in and brainwash the girls to join the Hellfire Club and with no more loose ends remaining! With two of the most powerful mutants fighting on our behalf with the Phoenix Force, there would have been no way we could lose to Cobra and Magneto! And if Wavedancer and Jean Grey turned out to not have enough potential, there still could have been a chance the Phoenix Force could have easily bonded with Storm, Avalanche, Scarlet Witch, or Wolverine instead! They were the mutants of the X-Men with the most aptitude, even more than that delusional Xavier! And even if the Phoenix Force wouldn't have destroyed the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes, the Furies would have easily taken care of it! And the High Father of New Genesis wouldn't have been able to send his minions to stop Darkseid since he never violated their treaty to begin with! And now look! Because of your damned incompetence, we lost everything and all our planning was for naught!"

Eddington coolly looked at the White Bishop and the Black King of the Inner Circle as he explained in a hard voice, "Oxymandias' vision of the Phoenix Force was not wrong, Pierce…just the Hellfire's interpretation of it was. He said, and I quote, 'two heroes, one from the party of the Misfits and one from the party of the X-Men shall bond with the firebird of the cosmos'. From what we could deduce, even though they are not mutants and are not members of the teams of the X-Men and the Misfits, Batgirl and Supergirl did escort them on their quest to Apokolips, and as such, they were temporarily in the presence of both parties in order to fight alongside them as allies. Batgirl joined the party of the X-Men, and Supergirl joined the party of the Misfits, so as a result, the prophecy made by my oracle was fulfilled. Just not in the way we had expected."

Pierce then released his machine gun attachment from his robotic arm, pointing the mouth of the weapon directly at Eddington's head, ready to let loose a round of armor-piercing bullets, as he growled, "Give the Inner Circle one good reason why we shouldn't kill you and expel your probationary membership in the Hellfire Club, you bumbling twit!"

Eddington didn't even flinch as he said smugly, "Because your Lord Imperial is still pleased with my work in the plans with the Phoenix Force. In fact, he can tell you that I am still a valuable asset to this group himself."

"He isn't lying," Emma announced with a bit of resigned and respectful fear as she sensed with her telepathy five other figures cloaked by the darkness of the shadows before the second largest and most prominent figure grandly stepped out with the air and posture of royal blood, "Good evening, my Lord…"

The anonymous Lord Imperial simply nodded at the blond headmistress before he sharply turned to Pierce and barked, "Drop your weapon, Pierce. I have no tolerance for mindless violence, especially within the fact that the Phoenix Force is still ours to manipulate and take, and that our operation, though sidetracked, is still in the running. Just because you planned the preparation from the beginning alongside the rest of the members does not mean you have a right to be the most outraged. Remember your place, Pierce! You are only the White Bishop, and as such, you have no real say in whether or not Eddington is a risk or a benefit to this organization! And I certainly do not care whether or not you like it, but Eddington is to remain a member of the Hellfire Club until I say otherwise! Now drop your gun."

Lord Imperial's voice was absolutely bone-chilling as he uttered this last sentence in a sharpened growl. Pierce sullenly lowered down his arm, reverting it back from a weapon to a metallic appendage, yet the look on his face was anything but calm and accepting. It was clearly obvious to those observing this that Lord Imperial actually had much challenge and discord against him within the Inner Circle, and Sebastian Shaw seemed like he was also to follow suit of Pierce's frustration.

"How can you even stand there and defend this human, Imperial?" Shaw growled, conveniently forgetting to refer to the superior of the Hellfire Club as his appropriate title, "We will not tolerate such insolence, and we missed our chance to bring in the Phoenix within our grasp! Now without the power of the firebird, we will not be able to establish ourselves in the New World when the Organization and the Heartless conquer Earth!"

The superior of the Hellfire Club said simply, "A minor inconvenience, but despite the hindrance, the fact remains that the Phoenix Force is now exhibited through two individuals, both of whom are well within our capability for control and influence. And the fact that they are not from the teams of Xavier's X-Men and General Hawk's Misfits makes it all the more easier to render a full assault when the time comes. Unlike the Joes and the X-Men, the Justice League is far less experienced in dealing with the Hellfire Club, and such lack of knowledge and comprehension of the enemy will be a major trump card on our behalf. And since Kara 'Karen Kent' In-Ze and Barbara Gordon are not mutants, it shall be much simpler to crush them and their associates, leaving us to pick up the pieces and remold them into our eternal servitude."

"Not a chance, Lord Imperial!" hissed Shaw.

Pierce then arrogantly spoke, "The Hellfire Club in no way will extend membership to an alien tramp and a human bat-whore! Our associations are for the benefit for the honor, power, and superiority of all mutantkind, and aliens and humans, and we take nothing less than the cream of the crop! Any one of the other six mutants Live Wire and Darkseid had kidnapped would have been worthy of membership, representatives of mutantkind that would do the Inner Circle proud! A hyrdrokinetic powerful enough to move oceans, an Omega-level telekinetic who could quite possibly be more powerful than Charles Xavier himself, a geokinetic whose psychometry with the Earth could split a continent in two, a weather-witch who possessed power over the elements of Nature, a leftover experiment from the Weapon X program whose instincts and agility and speed are overshadowed by his healing factor and adamantium skeleton, and a mutant who could define the impossible with her hex-bolts of chaos magic! Any one of them would be better than Batgirl and Supergirl!"

"I have to concede that the Black King and the White Bishop have a point, my Lord," Harry Leland commented, his arms crossed over his bulging stomach, "Even being bonded to the Phoenix Force does not mean an extraterrestrial and a human are worthy enough in power and status to even hold a position in the Inner Circle."

"I would highly advise you to rethink your opinions about humans, Leland. They are just as capable of causing discord and pain for the right causes, not to mention having several as allies may prove to be beneficial. And the Justice League can easily tell you several of their greatest foes are humans," a deep voice said smugly as a tan-skinned, powerfully striking, bald man stepped out of the shadows, startling the members of the Inner Circle, especially Sebastian Shaw.

It was Lex Luthor.

"You!" gasped Emma, nearly losing her composure for a second.

"What are you doing her, Luthor?" growled Shaw, but Lord Imperial then answered for the nemesis of Superman.

"He is to be knighted and given a position of the Inner Circle. Fellow members, meet your new Black Rook."

"WHAT?" chorused Leland, Shaw, and Pierce in scandalized indignation. Emma was simply flustered while Selene just raised an eyebrow in interest, contemplating.

"Lex Luthor?" snarled Shaw in outrage, "You're letting him into the Inner Circle, a human flat-scan? What powers does he has that could benefit us? He's not even in charge of Lexcorp anymore once the Justice League found out that Mercy Graves is now the CEO of the entire corporation during his failure with Amazo!"

Lord Imperial's voice was dangerously sharp as he barked, "I would highly advise you to watch your tongue Shaw, especially considering that without Luthor using his influence and Lexcorp, H.A.T.E. would not have been such a prominent role in helping the Furies and Desaad target which mutants from the Misfits and the X-Men. It was Luthor's technology of Brainiac that even allowed us to contact Darkseid and make the trade of the M'Kraan Crystal along with diverting attention from the Justice League by allowing Brainiac to brainwash Gear in order to keep Static and the Justice League busy. In fact, if it wasn't for Luthor, we would not have been able to acquire Kalibak along with placing Darkseid's spy, Kanto, into a primary role in H.A.T.E. which could have greatly helped us waging a strike force against the Justice League, the Mighty Ducks and the Dinosaucers."

"But Kanto still failed," pointed out Selene a bit offhandedly, "As of tomorrow, the entire world will learn that H.A.T.E. actually had ties to Apokolips and the New Gods of the Fourth Dimension, a sure scandal that will kill the anti-extraterrestrial movement instantly. The media will be in the midst of a firestorm once they learn that Leonard Tonka was actually Kanto, a spy for Darkseid. We will never be able to harness and manipulate the human masses now, and our spies within the Friends of Humanity say that our mission with Graydon Creed may have been more fruitless than once thought."

"Regardless, with Luthor still maintaining a high profile in the public eye and with his running for presidency of the United States, having him in the Hellfire Club would bring us new opportunities and allies to take down the Justice League, and I daresay he has earned his reward to be the new Black Rook of the Inner Circle. Along with Eddington being able to earn his role as our new White Rook as well."

"WHAT?" chorused Leland, Shaw, and Pierce again.

It seemed this was the day for unpleasant surprises. The General and Epsilon Juggler just smiled conceitedly and haughtily at the three men as he crossed his arms over his chest.

He said in a self-righteous tone, "Not bad for a bumbling twit, right, Pierce?"

"Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face, you son of a bitch!" Pierce growled, "Even if we did accept your role, which I certainly do not, I outrank you in this organization, so if anything, this just allows me to make every moment of your reign here a living terror! And you are a fool, Lord Imperial, if you think I will stand for this!"

Lord Imperial then bellowed loudly enough for his deep voice to reverberate throughout the hallowed halls of the building, "That is enough, Pierce! You should remember that I outrank YOU as your supreme Lord and Superior, and what I say goes! And one more outburst such as this, and I will revoke your standing and position out of the Inner Circle despite your ties to the Reavers! HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?"

Donald Pierce just glowered as he remained silent, but one could see the resentment and bile rising in his soul, that one sign of growing rebellion.

Emma then said in a bit of a disgusted drawl, "I do not believe this. Two humans in the Inner Circle? An alien and vigilante superheroes as possible candidates for the Grey Queens? What next, my Lord? Are you going to offer honorary membership to demons and wizards as well?"

"Funny that you should mention that, Emma," Lord Imperial smiled seductively as he snapped his fingers, and to everyone's surprise, out from the shadows stood a large, black, hulking, ominous demon-humanoid, and Emma's breath caught in her throat as she recognized the insignia of a red and black heart crossed over with a thorny "X" worn over his broad chest. The symbol of the Heartless. The figure was tall, well over nine feet, his spiky mane of wild, ebony hair brushing against the domed ceiling of the room with his red eyes glowing faintly with the power and tint of freshly spilled blood. Powerfully muscled and well-proportioned with strapping, brawny limbs and strength, the demon had no face other than his wide, pupil-less eyes, his clawed hands quivering with mystical energy and his long tail twitching a bit agitatedly.

Selene's eyes narrowed as she took in the demon. She could sense it, the infinite power that could very well dwarf her own, and it was apparent that this demon was very educated and familiar with the very dark arts, black magic and evil she only tinkered with but never once had the nerve to practice without having it consume her fully as a price. Yes, this was going to one she would keep her eye on…

"And who are you?" Lex Luthor asked, slightly frowning but his heart was beating a bit rapidly with intimidation underneath the cool façade. The demon turned to Luthor and rumbled in a grating, unearthly voice of coldness and soullessness.

"My name is Blackheart…that is all you need to know…"

"And what is he doing here?" Selene asked Lord Imperial, her voice hard at last with suspicion.

"He was sent by Marluxia and the Superior of the Thirteenth Order in order to further ensure that our plans with the Heartless do not meet the same hindrance as our previous plans with the Phoenix Force. Just because I tolerate this setback doesn't mean that the Superior will tolerate a similar turnout with our new plans. He will be a probationary member of the Hellfire Club along with two of our newest recruits for our cause…"

"You!" gasped Pierce as the last remaining two figures stepped out of the shadows, revealing themselves in the light of the diamond chandelier above, "I don't believe this! You expect these two to be of any use to us! Even the Batman, a pathetic detective without any sort of mutant powers, could easily defeat these two!"

"You must be joking, my Lord," Emma groused slightly, "The Hellfire Club can certainly handle the Joes, the Misfits, and the X-Men without their help."

"I beg to differ, Ms. Frost," Slade, his black and copper mask emotionlessly displaying his one good eye, said with smug amusement as he and Brother Blood stepped out of the shadows, standing side by side, "After all, you and your so-called elite team of Hellions could hardly brag that they themselves have come any closer."

"And let me also warn you, Mr. Pierce, that it is dangerous to underestimate the Justice League like you have previously done with G.I. Joe," Brother Blood said in a stony, almost amused, sort of voice, "Even though some of the members of the league are not blessed mutants by the X-Gene, some are even far more powerful than you can even begin to comprehend from the single twist of DNA mutation. I daresay that even Batman himself could take you out despite your robotic advancements, and that is no laughing matter. Keep in mind, it is neither the powers nor the abilities that makes an enemy dangerous."

"Of course, you yourself should know after your excursions and loss to the Teen Titans," sneered Emma, "How pathetic that a powerful headmaster of an entire academy along with an expert in the dark arts cannot even handle a group of prepubescent teenagers."

"Said the pot to the kettle," muttered Pierce aloud, "except the only difference is that you happen to have less skills than Brother Blood here."

Harry Leland then gave a half-smile as he said to Brother Blood, "I see that you finally regained a new body after your failure with the Titan, Cyborg." Indeed, one could note that though Brother Blood managed to keep his head with slick, combined white hair, the rest of his body below his neckline was grotesquely foreign, non-human, and almost ape-like with oversized gargantuan hands and feet, a large, well-toned chest of steel, and it wouldn't have been much to surmise that he also had the gifts of super-strength, agility, and endurance as well. Brother Blood smiled.

He replied, "Thanks to General Eddington, of course. And since all the Jugglers were interested in using whatever's left of Kalibak's body for 'Operation: Shaggy Man', it was only natural that they needed a willing test subject. And this is certainly a more noticeable improvement, my dear Leland. In fact, I daresay it is far better than the robotic body I had for a short while based on Cyborg's own designs."

Slade then spoke, "And since our next target is absolutely vital to your plans, Lord Imperial offered Brother Blood, myself, and my master a very generous offer with the Thirteenth Order if we served the Hellfire Club. After all, considering you shall be dealing with the Teen Titans soon, there is no reason why we cannot offer our talents for this procedure."

"I don't agree!" snapped Shaw as he growled accusingly at Brother Blood, "Need we remind you that your dear half-brother, Jason Blood, carries the demon Etrigan, and if he should ever find out that you have joined the Hellfire Club, he'll obviously no doubt go running to Batman, and now that he and his bitch, Batgirl, are allies with the X-Men and Misfits and G.I. Joe, they'll come down on us and come down hard! And if Jason Blood should ever be angered enough once he and the Justice League discover our involved role in the Phoenix and the upcoming role in the Thirteenth Order and the Heartless, the Hellfire Club will be in grave danger! Powerful, we may be, but to have the demon Etrigan, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes and the Justice League determined to make us pay for trying to screw around with them is something we would all rather avoid! And God only help us when the Teen Titans and Teen Titans East come into play once they discover Slade and Brother Blood are alive and members of the Inner Circle! To have six different teams to come gunning for our blood would certainly be disastrous, Lord Imperial!"

"Why whatever is the matter, Shaw?" drawled Selene with a cat-like smile in a condescending manner, "Afraid of them, are you? I thought you had more faith in the influence of the Hellfire Club than to feel threatened by a simple gathering of heroes. No matter what we do, those fools cannot touch us nor do anything truly to set us back."

"Don't get cocky, my dear Selene, for it will be your downfall one of these days. Just because we are rich and we are powerful doesn't mean we are untouchable, especially if we ever succeed in making them angry enough! And keep in mind, you yourself have fought and lost against Batman personally when he, Dr. Fate, Etrigan and the Charmed Ones stopped you and the other Externals from completing the rituals during the High Lord Ascension! You look down on me for having foresight and caution? Ha! It is far more pathetic to view the fact that most of an entire army of Externals were vanquished and killed by a worthless human vigilante, a senile wizard, a single demon, and three Wiccan sisters! The powerful Externals, defeated by non-mutants? Your arrogance and pompousness over your enemies has blinded you, Black Queen! In fact, that is the primary reason why our previous Black Rook was killed, no thanks to your lack of prudence!" Shaw snarled back warningly.

Selene's eyes narrowed as she growled back, "I underestimated the Batman, and I shall assure you, my dear Shaw, that had our roles been reversed, you would have found it just as difficult! And it will not happen again!"

"I will help you make note of that vow, Selene," Lord Imperial said, his voice thick with doubt, "Now enough of this bickering. We must now discuss preparation for our new and next venture."

All beings in the room gathered around the table, watching the monitor as they listened to their leader, intrigued.

Lord Imperial then said, "First, we will have to pull out all connections, both financial and public, to H.A.T.E. and the Friends of Humanity. We need to maintain our image that all of the enterprises linked to our organization were innocent and legitimate businesses that were caught in the lies about H.A.T.E.'s credentials. Send out public statements that we had no idea about 'Tonka's' real origins to Apokolips and that the boards are thoroughly shocked at this betrayal of trust."

"Already done and done, my Lord. I am sending a telepathic command to my secretary and giving her the order to contact all our head CEOs and COOs to issue their press conferences with the media via their spokespersons," Frost replied automatically.

"Luthor, be sure to use your spied in both the Special Crimes units in both Gotham City and Metropolis to continue to give absolute reason for the cities' councils to forcefully resign Maggie Sawyer and Jim Gordon out of their positions as Chief and Commissioner. If we need to establish ties to the Hellfire Club in those two strongholds of power, we must do it without those two and their loyal officers. Plus, it would be a great addition that such a resignation will unhinge Gordon's daughter, making it easy for her to play into our hands."

Luthor nodded. Lord Imperial then turned to Slade and Brother Blood. He said solemnly, "Do you two have your orders?"

"Yes, and we are ready with our plans with the Teen Titans and H.I.V.E," Slade answered.

"Excellent. We will also need someone to look for the source of the Nexus and to further hone our plans for dealing with the Charmed Ones."

Selene stepped forward as she hissed with promised, bitter vengeance, "I shall take that responsibility, Lord Imperial. I have a score to settle with the damned Halliwell sisters…"

"You shall share that duty with Blackheart, Selene," Lord Imperial issued, his tone a bit dangerous, "After your failure with the Charmed Ones from the past escapade, Blackheart will be able to ensure that this mission with the Nexus goes without possible error."

"I work alone, Lord Imperial," Selene warned, her voice echoing with power from her rising irritation at the superior's gall.

"Yes, and look where that got you and the other Externals. Remember Brother Blood's word of caution, well, Black Queen. Just because one is not a mutant or an External does not mean they cannot defeat you." Selene's face turned red with vehemence and furious wrath, but Blackheart just looked on stonily, his eyes never once flickering. It was apparent he was not scared of Selene.

"And the Cadmus group? Have they fulfilled their part of the bargain?" Lord Imperial asked as he shot Eddington a look.

"The necessary cloning equipment and laboratories are already completed, active, and ready for the experimentation of the first subjects. 'Operation: Shaggy Man' has now gone underway thanks to the acquisition of Kalibak. And they have already shown possible interest in using the Misfits for such devices in the future, and General Hawk and his damned Joes will not be able to stop them shall they ever find out. And they will be very interested to hear about Supergirl's new abilities, especially with Galatea being close to full active duty."

"Excellent…esteemed members of the Inner Circle…I do believe we have now developed higher priorities for our efforts in harnessing the power of the Phoenix spirit. Focus all our resources for the Gathering of Twilight on our new targets and abandon all our original plans with Xavier and his Institute. Begin Operation Kingdom Hearts," the mysterious and anonymous Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Club said as all the members, Luthor, Slade, Brother Blood and Eddington watched the screen with Batgirl and Supergirl smiling triumphantly amongst the gigantic, feathered, flaming wings protectively enclosing around them.

-000-

The Gathering of Twilight…

Raven snapped out of her meditation stupor atop of the Titan Tower, gasping. It was already past midnight, and the wind-chill of the dark night was frigid, even artic, yet it was nowhere as cold as the fear that stabbed through her upon that one second of clairvoyance during her period of internal balance. The half-human, half-demon telekinetic shivered slightly as she fought the urge to draw her cloak around herself for some sort of comfort, forcing her consciousness to suppress the feeling of surprise and fear that struggled to manifest itself in her psyche. She couldn't afford to let her emotions and feelings get out; she needed to prevent her powers from going completely out of control.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" she murmured in a monotone voice, the chanting bringing back a familiar feeling of stoic stoniness.

Yet, that surge of building power. That glimpse of unlimited darkness. The impeding feeling that something, something awful, something big, something destructive…was coming.

"The Gathering of Twilight…" Raven muttered to herself, bringing a hand to her cheek in worry, unsure what it meant or why she came up with the words.

-000-

"This is Trish Trilby of Channel 6 News," the reporter spoke on her live video feed to her station, her face slightly red and leaving the reporter breathless with excitement as she took on the brilliant and shocking news flash, "Recent developments reveal a shocking truth about Leonard Tonka as it has now been proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is actually Kanto, a spy for the alien world of Apokolips and a loyal servant of the extraterrestrial leader, Darkseid, who if you remember was behind two sieges against the city of Metropolis several years ago…"

"It is now apparent that Kanto has attempted to use H.A.T.E. as a maneuver to destroy and attack Earth and its defenses from the inside out…" another reporter said calmly from a distance, allowing his cameraman to get a good shot of the mutated aliens who were once former human followers of Kanto and H.A.T.E. being led into special medical transports by a mass of officers from Gotham City, Metropolis, and G.I. Joe.

"A Hector Rameriez exclusive!" the said reporter declared excitedly with great glee and over-hyped excitement, "In a surprising twist, the vigilante and army teams of mutants known as the X-Men and the Misfits had aided the police squads led by Commissioner James Gordon of Gotham City and Chief Maggie Sawyer of the Special Crimes Units of Metropolis to help combat this sudden alien threat…!"

"Conspiracies and crimes in the headquarters of H.A.T.E.? We'll report more with what had been discovered in the search and seizures of all buildings associated with the group at eleven!" one male reporter announced on camera.

"This just in…" one woman from MSNBC said, holding the earpiece to her transmission firmly to confirm that she was being given the signal to report the fact radioed to her, "It is confirmed by Graydon Creed himself that the Friends of Humanity has now fully pulled itself out of standing with the group H.A.T.E. as well as all their financial backers. This ruin comes to of no surprise…"

"Get a good shot of those mutates from H.A.T.E., Jimmy," Lois Lane whispered fiercely while jotting notes for her article as record speed, standing smartly in her white skirt and purple business suit, "I swear, this is too good! Perry's going to have to give me my own front page by-line when this is all over! And I can't wait to see the look on that prick, Graydon Creed's face when he realizes he's been associating with the Apokolips!"

"Not a fan of the Friends of Humanity, I take it, Lois?" grinned Jimmy Olsen as he took several shots of the X-Men and the Misfits discussing quietly with the Justice League, Sawyer, Commissioner Gordon and the Joes. Already, many reporters and journalists were clambering and wildly shouting for exclusive interviews with the heroes and mutants, desperate for a line or two, but a blockade of Joes and officers kept them at bay, giving the warriors their privacy. Lois smiled.

"Why, whatever gives you that idea, Jimmy?" she asked a wee bit too innocently.

"Because of the comment he made about you being the ugliest of 'freak lovers' since you only wanted to be, and I quote, 'boning with the alien Man-of-Steel who couldn't have gotten more pathetic by being run down by a hen-pecking, leg-spreading Jezebel of a woman reporter' recently in Newsweek?"

"You make it sound like I'm the only one who could have set fire to Creed's personal limo."

"What about the time when you jammed the taser in his groin area during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of H.A.T.E.'s headquarters in Metropolis?"

Lois protested hotly, "That was an accident, and until the police prove otherwise, I'm sticking to that statement! And besides, he only needed physical therapy for a month!"

As Jimmy kept taking pictures, a silver blur appeared beside the photographer for the Daily Planet, posing with dripping conceitedness. It was Pietro, hamming it up as usual.

"Over here, please! Be sure to get my good side of the fabulous Quicksilver, the Misfit who single-handedly defeated the Female Furies and Darkseid in his quest to stop the residents of the Fourth World from conquering the Earth!" the speedster declared, posing like a model.

Jimmy happily obliged (and what news photographer would pass up this chance?) as Lois then leaned in, her pencil ready to jot down a written quote. She asked with interest, "Any statements from the Misfits or the X-Men or the Joes?"

Pietro's eyes lit up eagerly as he delicately took Lois Lane's hand, like a gentleman, and kissed it with grace, wiggling his eyebrows as he said, "No, but how about just you and me, in Paris, sipping glasses of Chardonnay and eating risotto by the candlelight of a table next to the Eiffel Tower?"

Lois Lane, despite her annoyance rising, managed to laugh at the joke with good humor, chuckling, "Sorry, but I don't date kids, Quicksilver."

"Especially since she could have a real man like me!" grinned the Flash as he zoomed by before kissing her hand in the same manner as Pietro did, his grin so wide, it threatened to split his face, as the Flash continued, "How about you and me for a romantic getaway at the coasts of Hawaii, martinis, coconut lotion and hula-dancing galore? I look pretty damn sexy in a grass skirt, Ms. Lane."

"You mean pretty scrawny!" sneered Quicksilver as he stood his ground, shoving the Flash a bit to the side. The Flash's eyes narrowed at the challenge as he went toe to toe with the albino Misfit (and Pietro was steamed that his full height could only reach up to the Flash's chest)

"Oh please, like I could ever get shown up by some skinny little hummingbird! Word of advice, short-stuff! Leave the real heroics to the manly men!"

"You? A hero! Ha! As if! You look like a knock-off from 'The Incredibles' movie!" Pietro derided.

"Hey, I'm the number one speedster on the planet!" the Flash protested.

"No, I am!" Pietro barked.

"No, I am!" the Flash growled.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"ARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOT…!" yelled Quicksilver with in his super-mode.

"ARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOO…!" yelled the Flash in his super-mode at the same time, trying to outshout the Misfit in the typical childish brawl.

"And these two are how old?" groaned the Green Lantern with his head in his hands, trying hard to not try to pound his head against the nearest wall from the sounds of the bickering that remarkably was more annoying than a screeching Alvin, Simon, and Theodore of the Chipmunks on narcotics.

"Oh dear God, there's two of them!" groaned Scarlet Witch, covering her ears with her hands to block out the sound of the annoying chatter that was slowly driving her insane.

"It's my worst nightmare come to life!" wailed Rogue.

"Um…Remy thought seeing all those Kitty clones when they got together with the Lance and Peter clones from Mojo's dimension was your worst nightmare come to life, cherie," Remy pointed out a bit.

"THIS trumps THAT nightmare any day of the week! A bunch of Kitty clones, I can handle, but two Pietros! I might as well slit my wrists now, swamp rat!" Rogue snapped, her right eye twitching, as she grabbed Gambit's collar of his trench-coat and brought his eye level with hers so that she could scream this statement directly in his face.

"Looks like the reporters are having a field day with the news of Tonka really being a spy from Apokolips," whispered Maggie as she glanced at the crowds.

"Still, it is a bit to our advantage," Beast commented, "This is a sure and crippling blow to H.A.T.E. and the anti-extraterrestrial movement to say the least."

"I daresay it may not be, Beast," sighed Martian Manhunter as he finished using his telepathy to probe Batgirl's mind, "Even though H.A.T.E. may crumble, the fear and loathing against all extraterrestrials and beings that are not originally from Earth will not fade away, but rather, it will resurface again in other forms. I will not be surprised if other branches and factions of H.A.T.E. emerge elsewhere."

"Any indication of what the Phoenix Force did to Batgirl as well, J'onn?" Superman asked a bit worriedly, casting a glance at the red-haired protégée of Batman while also glancing at Supergirl who was obviously excited as she chatted with Lina, Jamie, and Althea and the Triplets, truly joyous at her new powers. Batman just looked on silently, stony. The green-skinned alien from Mars sighed as he removed his hand from Batgirl's nervous head.

Martian Manhunter explained, "Since Batgirl is biologically different from Supergirl, her life force and being was touched differently by the Phoenix Force from the M'Kraan Crystal. The basics of it is that she will not sprout wings of fire and have fire vision like Kara, but my telepathy can sense something foreign inside Batgirl's consciousness and psyche, one that is deeply rooted and is now a part of you. I am sorry, but I cannot see any way to remove this; it is a physical impossibility considering that the Phoenix Force is not a simply entity. And I have no idea of how the Phoenix Force may change you."

"So…it's a given that I'll change because the Phoenix Force bonded with me?" Batgirl asked, shivering as she held her elbows grimly. J'onn nodded.

"Affirmative. Just what sort of powers that will arise due to the Phoenix Force, I am a bit unclear on. I am sorry, Batgirl, but we have no idea how it shall change you, but for now, all we can do is wait. I am truly sorry that I cannot help you, but even with my abilities, I'm powerless against dealing with this type of entity in the mind. By the red planet, nothing such as this has ever appeared within the millennia of my race's existence!"

"But how bad could is possibly be?" Bullock as blithely, "So the Batgirl's gonna get a few new powers sometime down the road. Hey, it's not exactly a bad thing, especially since I think this is really a case of looking like a gift-horse in the mouth."

"Aye Carumba! Harvey, be quiet!" snapped Montoya, giving Detective Bullock a light smack upside the head, but then Superman patiently explained.

"The problem is, Detective Bullock, Supergirl having powers of a fire angel may be all right for her physically because she has the strength and defensive capabilities well beyond most mutants and humans, but emotionally, it is worrisome and foolish to not expect this event to easily twist and warp their minds, perhaps even disturb them mentally and leaving them no peace of mind. Batgirl, not being as strong and hardy as Kara, may not be able to handle strange powers and abilities bequeathed to her when they arise. It was physically and mentally destroy her. And keep in mind, we still think this was all planned, so whoever distracted us with Brainiac and sent the Furies to target the X-Men and the Misfits, they are fully aware of this, make no mistake."

"That's right," murmured Commissioner Gordon, "We still have no idea who helped Kanto establish his ties in H.A.T.E. nor do we know how Darkseid even got the M'Kraan Crystal in the first place."

"I know," Ororo said with much unease, "Should the public ever find out about the Phoenix Force bonding with Supergirl and Batgirl, it could attract the unwanted attention of those who were not involved in this scheme but still wish to bring about much harm and danger to them and the Justice League. Can you imagine what organizations such as Hydra or Cobra would do if they discovered about Batgirl and Supergirl and how they may gain new powers?"

"It won't happen." Everyone looked up to see Batman, his mask hiding the emotions of helpless rage and building anger inside him, but those who knew him well could discern that underneath his emotionless, calm demeanor, he was absolutely bent on making whoever did this pay with their blood. It was really not that difficult to arrive to that conclusion; Batman cared deeply for Batgirl, as if she was one of his own children.

"It won't happen. We will find out who was involved with this, and we will stop them before they get any further."

Cover Girl and Maggie Sawyer shivered at the ice-pricks underneath his voice of razor-sharp steel. Any promises the Batman made were anything but idle. The Professor then wheeled over, his kind and worn-down visage showing much concern...and hope.

"Perhaps I can help at last for what you and Supergirl have done for me, the X-Men, and the Misfits, Batgirl," he said quietly, "I am quite experienced in dealing with the mind, and though the traces of the Phoenix Force cannot be erased, I can silence them, seal them into your unconsciousness so that they will not trouble you and that you will no longer be aware of them. In other words, I can set up a mental block so that I can suppress the presence of the Phoenix Force in your mind so that they will not come as strongly or as soon until absolutely necessary when they do emerge. I can't stop it, but I can soften and delay it."

Wonder Woman saw the Batman give the slightest of nods, and she knew that the Batman didn't agree to anything unless he knew it was vital and that the person who was making the offer could be considered trustworthy, and she said, "I think I shall speak for all of us when I say that you have our consent to do what you must, Professor Xavier."

Professor X nodded as he gently laid a hand on Batgirl's temple and let his mutant power gently rearrange the psyche and structural organization of Batgirl's mind and brain, his presence as soothing as a gentle, cool breeze on a hot summer day. Batgirl almost felt like floating; it was so pleasant. And though the Professor and Batgirl could now see the firebird crying majestically within the black void of her consciousness, the mentor of the X-Men allowed his power to lull and lay the Phoenix to rest, as like a baby, the spirit of fire tucked its head into its wing and slept peacefully, no longer trying to break free through Batgirl's soul, and like a scene from a sci-fi film, Barbara could see the silvery astral projection of Professor X smiling as he gently brought a finger to his lips and shushed the chaotic thoughts jumbled in her head as walls of wood and brick emerged all around the Phoenix Force in her head, softly closing a series of sturdy yet elegant wooden doors. The Phoenix Force was now at a peaceful rest, tucked behind many walls, no longer a vivid memory, but rather, something that was already beginning to fade away from her dread and nervousness.

And then Batgirl snapped back to consciousness, gasping a bit. The Professor of the X-Men smiled sadly at her as he brought his fingers together.

"That is the best I can do, Batgirl. All we can do now…is wait," he confessed. Batgirl shook her head, starting to cheer up a bit.

"Thank you, Professor. I…I think it's not as dominating in my mind anymore. In fact, I can barely even tell it's in me. Thank you."

"And you have our thanks as well," Green Lantern said before he, Hawkgirl, and Wonder Woman handed odd, metallic communicators to Professor Xavier, General Hawk, Maggie Sawyer, and Commissioner Gordon, all of them very futuristic and intricately complex with electronics and technology not very wide-stream in human society, displaying the Justice League logo.

"What's this?" Montoya asked, her eyes lighting up in curiosity.

"Special communicators that can ONLY reach us in person and at the Watchtower," Green Lantern explained, "After this fiasco, we're not going to let this kind of oversight happen ever again. Unless we are completely incapacitated, these communicators we gave to you four will directly link to the Watchtower's communications as well as the contact equipment we have on our persons. In other words, with these, you will be able to directly contact us in any dire emergency. We will also use this brief each other to give warnings and heads up of any future trouble."

"In other words, think of it as a sign saying that Commissioner Gordon, Maggie Sawyer, the X-Men, the Joes, and the Misfits are now honorary members of the Justice League and as such, they will have our full support and allegiance should you ever need us. Or if we should ever need you to help us deal with Magneto, Cobra and the other threats that we are not accustomed to," smiled Wonder Woman with sincere promise and compassion.

"We could always use the additional help," Hawkgirl supplicated.

"Wonder Woman…this…wow, it is a great honor!" gasped Maggie.

"You have our word that we will take this with much seriousness and pride. We will not give any reason for you to regret this," Blind Master said strongly.

"See that you don't," Hawkgirl said shortly.

"Thank you, my friends," Professor Xavier said as he and General Hawk and Superman shook hands, sparking a new, powerful and formidable bond for the X-Men and the Misfits.

Meanwhile, other branches of friendship and reconciliation were also starting to take place…

"Um…Jake?" a meek voice asked hesitantly. Razor turned around to see Lina and Justin facing him. Justin blushed furiously, but an elbow by Lina prodded him to say what he wanted to say.

"Um…I…thank you, Jake…for saving me back at Apokolips with Stompa," Justin nervously murmured.

Jake felt his ears flatten down against his head as he blushed, embarrassed, though he had no idea why as he replied, "It was nothing. I was just returning the favor back at the carnival. You saved my life back then, so I was simply returning the favor."

Justin smiled as Lina gave the kat a very wry look of humor.

"You know Lina, both you and Justin are welcome to join the X-Men if you would like to. We would be happy to have you there should you wish for it," Jake offered softly. Lina's face fell a bit, disappointed that Jake was still attempting it.

"Jake, you know we all want the fighting to stop between both our groups, and maybe, things are better if we remain with the Misfits. I love Cover Girl and the others like my own family, and…and I don't want to leave them. The X-Men are good, but…well, it's sort of like us asking you to leave the X-Men to be a teacher for the Misfits instead. It's not worth it when we're already content with the way things are," Lina pointed out.

"And after the talk about aliens when the X-Men argued with Supergirl back at the X-Mansion, I think it might be better for me to stay with the Misfits too," Justin added, shivering a bit. Jake looked at Whitelighter quizzically, and the chubby teen caught the questioning gaze.

"It's complicated…for personal reasons," Justin politely answered. Razor nodded, leaving it at that.

The kat then smiled as he then said, "But…regardless of us being on different teams, I know the X-Men will be there for the Joes and the Misfits if they really need help. And no matter what, I'll always see you two as the kittens who selflessly helped me and Bobby when we were injured in battle. I'll be there for you two and for your family should you need me. I mean, paw and tail, I'm already starting to warm up to Lance, Fred, and Althea."

"But not Trinity?" teased Lina. Jake groaned as he rolled his eyes.

"Tell them to stay the hell away from the Aquain and to get rid of the Neuterator 3000, and I'll consider it."

Meanwhile, Cyclops and Jean (now completely healed along with the rest of the abductees thanks to Lifeline) was talking with Supergirl. Kara glared at Scott, but Jean had a sincere look of gratitude on her face as she held Supergirl's hand.

"Supergirl," she said, her voice slightly quaking, "You saved me back there. You saved me and took the bullet for me when the Phoenix Force was about to merge with me, and instead, you took my place, even though it could have cost you your life. I…I can't ever repay that debt, but…thank you. Thank you for being such a noble person, even though Scott insulted you and Superman. Thank you."

Jean was sniffing a bit, but Kara smiled as she hugged Jean with the ease of a best friend, stating, "All in all, what's done is done, and besides, nothing bad happened, so in the end, everything turned out OK. Besides, now I've got cool powers! I can't wait to try 'em out to the full potential! So if anything, this is really great!"

"Still…" and at this, Scott coughed agitatedly before mumbling shamefacedly, "I…I'm sorry. I was being a…a…"

"A bigoted twit?" Jean and Kara filled in at the same time before they glanced at each other and giggled at the uncanny timing. Scott then turned beet-red.

"Jeeeeeaaaaaaannnn!" he whined.

"Is he always this uptight?" Supergirl asked. Jean leered a bit scandalously.

"Girl, I can tell you stories that no one else knows. Did you know he once planned acceptable, timed intervals of when to use to the bathroom so that he wouldn't need to go in the middle of his Danger Room training?"

"Jean, how could you? That's private!" Scott bellyached, humiliated.

"I think we're going to be good friends from now on, Jean," chortled Supergirl as she and the red-haired telekinetic draped their arms around each other shoulders.

In the interim, Lance was trying to talk with Kitty…

"Kitty, you…you went out of your way to help me, to save me when I got captured by the Furies. Does…does that mean - ?" Avalanche began, but Kitty backed out of Lance's reach, feeling her stubbornness spring up even though it was breaking her heart.

"Lance, I like made my choice! I chose Peter over you, and like, the only reason I went to Apokolips was because you were my friend, and I can't like just stand by and totally not do something to help! And I like can't do this anymore, Lance! I can't stand it when our teammates fight whenever we go out, I like can't stand it when every time we go out, there's always a disaster that ruins everything! Lance, please understand! I care about you, yes…but…but I can't, I don't…"

Kitty stopped, placing a hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that was threatening to break out of her throat. Avalanche felt his own heart break as he tried to hug Shadowcat.

"Kitty, I know you still love me. You can't even say that you don't!" Lance protested, wildly trying to grasp whatever little hope was being offered to him, like a drowning man reaching for a life preserver miles away.

"But I can say I don't want the drama that's attached with the condition that I be with you," Kitty confessed sadly before she looked at Lance, "Lance…I do care about you, but the things that totally comes with you, your past, your teammates, your issues, the fact that like chaos and disaster follows you wherever you go is like totally too much for me! I just can't stand it! I just…I just want someone who's stable and someone who won't give me grief as much as the joy I feel whenever I'm around him! And Peter's the one who I can count on for that…"

If Lance's heart was broken before, it was nowhere near as painful as being dismantled and torn apart a second time.

"Kitty…" he pleaded, nearly begging, his eyes welling up. But the valley girl shook her head miserably as she emphasized again.

"Lance, I made my choice, and I'm sorry. But, I chose Peter now and if you cared about me, you'd respect my decision and only want me happy!"

Lance then whispered in sorrow and grief, "And if you cared about me, then you wouldn't hurt me like this."

"Hey, you heard her, Rock-Head, so back off and leave us alone!" Piotr snapped, having enough, as he suddenly appeared next to Kitty, placing a hand protectively around her shoulders.

"You back off! We were having a private conversation here!" Lance snarled, his eyes blazing.

"Well, you've had it for long enough, Avalanche, so mind your own business while I ask Kitty when she wants to have her next date with me! And it'll be great without you there to ruin it!"

"OK, that's it, Russkie! You're asking for it!" snarled Lance as he tackled him, and both Piotr and Lance tussled and rolled in the pavement, shouting loudly enough to gain the attention of everyone around them.

"She's better off with me, you hood!" Piotr yelled as he landed a right hook at Lance's jaw.

"Kitty's not a piece of property you can claim, you jerk! What, you really think I'm gonna just lie down and let you take her?" roared Lance as he sucker-punched Piotr in the gut.

"Keep shooting off, Pebble-Brain, and I'll make sure you get to lie down permanently!" bellowed Piotr as kicked Lance off him before tackling the Misfit, shoulder first.

At the same time, X23 was furiously fighting with Logan who was doing her best to keep her from running away again. Logan had a firm grip around her wrist, and the female clone was about to stab him. Yet Wolverine was not afraid; he'd be damned before he let her go off and isolate herself again without any real family.

"Let go of me!" X23 growled dangerously.

"Go ahead and stab me, but it'll heal up like always, girl!" he snarled, his temper now precariously bubbling fully before he bellowed, "Now, listen to me and listen to me good, kid. You're too big and mean to have me turn you over on one knee, so I'll say this quite plainly! You're not going anywhere and getting yourself in further trouble as a target for Hydra once they find out you're still alive! You're staying with us!"

"You can't keep me as your prisoner!" X23 snapped as she tried to bring her other clawed hand to Wolverine's throat, but he effectively grabbed it and brought the female runaway to his livid face, slightly shaking her as he roared.

"Damn it, kid, when will you get it! I don't blame you for what you did when Darkseid brainwashed you, and I don't want you to go off and get yourself killed! I don't blame you! I still want to be there for you, to care for you! I want you to stay with me, with the other X-Men, at the Mansion! You think I'm angry that you helped the Furies kidnap the other X-Men, even though it wasn't by any fault of yours and because that alien bastard raped your mind! I'm not! If anything, I'm mad that you want to leave me when I want to be there for you, to watch out for you! Damn you, kid, if you run out on me, you'll be running out on the only chance for a family you'll ever have!"

"I can't!" X23 screamed, now sobbing as she gave up, crumpling to her knees on the grass, "I don't want it! I don't want it! I can't ever have a normal life like your X-Men! Hydra won't rest until I'm captured or if I'm theirs! Either you let me go or you have to kill me! I just can't live like this anymore! And you don't want me! No one wants me! Not after what I've done! I'm meant to die with no family or friends to go back to!"

At this, the scientific experiment of Hydra was wailing softly, and Wolverine, feeling his heart break, just knelt in front of the girl and hugged her in a crushing bear hug, unwilling to let her go off on her own. She needed him. And quite frankly, he needed her as well. He then rumbled deeply in X23's ear, like a fatherly whisper.

"Kid, I do want you. I want you to stay with me. I want you to live with us and have a life of a normal teenager, a life you were unfairly robbed of. I don't want you to live in fear anymore. And I'll die first before I let Hydra and any asshole from their organization take you without a fight."

"No, you don't," X23 choked, wishing she could dash off.

"And where are you going to go? You don't have any place that can take you in, don't know anyone else who can be there for you and give you love and support like we can. Kid, for God's sake, don't run away from me again. Don't run away from this last good thing you could have going for you. I might not be able to help you next time. I don't think I could bear that again."

"Why?"

Logan then lifted the girl's face by placing a thumb and forefinger underneath her chin and raising her head so that her eyes and his eyes were level.

"Cause you're my daughter, the closest thing to my kin I'll ever have. That's important…probably the best and one of the most important things to ever happen to me in my life. Kid, if anything…I want you to be a part of my life."

X23 was speechless, not sure what to say. Could this really be true? Was it too good to be true? Could she truly be accepted and safe here? Then a not-so-subtle cough from behind caused both X23 and Logan to turn around to see a concerned and touched Jinx along with Blind Master, Storm Shadow, Kurt, Sam, and Tabitha.

"You can trust him, X23," Jinx offered gently, showing nothing but true, protective love in her eyes, "Logan is a good man, a man of his word. If he says he wants you to be his daughter, then you couldn't find a better father figure in the world who would be more dedicated to you and your life."

X23 shook her head as she then mournfully whispered, "Hydra will come after me as soon as they discover I'm still alive…"

Jinx then smiled as she handed X23 a manilla folder containing a piece of paper, cryptically saying, "Not exactly, young one. You're forgetting General Hawk has a few friends in high places, and Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. also owed G.I. Joe a couple of favors. We were able to pull a few strings…"

"What is this?" Logan gruffly asked as X23 took out the sheet of paper, revealing it to all to see, "Is that a…?"

Storm Shadow answered, "It's a birth certificate. You now have a new identity…Rina Logan, daughter of Wolverine of the X-Men, complete with a social security number and a profile in the National Registry of the American government. We were able to get the Jugglers' help with keeping X23 safe, and before you get into a snit about having them know her whereabouts, General Hawk reported that it's in their better interests to keep her out of Hydra's hands not to mention prevent her from being used as an unstoppable terrorist weapon in the future before it is too late. And coincidentally, they think the best place for X23 would be with the X-Mansion where she could be fully deprogrammed and integrate with kids of her own age."

"But that's not going to stop Hydra," Wolverine growled, "What's to stop them from crossing the line?"

It was then that Storm Shadow and Jinx's eyes both went hard with self-assured steel and promise of bloody vengeance. Blind Master had a small spike of his battle ferocity perk up at the mention, and both Logan and X23 could sense it, the hidden, dangerous essence of a warrior with great honor.

Jinx then promised with fierce love, "Logan, if Hydra or Cobra even tries it, then each and every one of their men and officers and soldiers will wish they were never even born. We swear it."

X23 was stunned at the inner strength, could see that these strange ninjas, though formidable and dangerous and lethal…they were loyal, true, and she dared not doubt their word. After all, Blind Master didn't even break a sweat when he fought her, and he actually attempted to reach out to her when she was still Lady Deathstrike, even though he could have easily killed her. It shocked her, to know that despite her training with Hydra, she could still be bested by these three ninjas and more like them and yet…they chose to exhibit self-control, to exhibit free will, and chose to protect her, to help her, even though they had nothing to gain from it.

She could have honestly said she had never felt such devotion in her entire life.

"But…you want me to stay with the X-Men? Even after what I've done to them?" she whispered, barely able to believe the good fortune that arose for her sake. Kurt then smiled brotherly as he knelt down and laid a tentative hand on X23's shoulders.

"No, it doesn't matter what you have done, X23. We never turn away one of our own, and if anything, we want to get to know you better, be your friend, because you've been hurt and mistreated like a lot of us have been. You're not the only one who dealt with issues with other people or with being alone. I mean, some of us are orphans or runaways ourselves, so…we know what it feels like to be alone. But even though we have no family, we'll all be a family together. And we wouldn't want anything else more than for you to trust us and come with us."

"Hey, if you're Wolverine's kid, then you're as good as any one of us! Besides, the rest of us fight and have killer urges to cause chaos, so how's it any different from you? Just shows you're normal like us X-Men, X23!" crowed Sam.

Tabitha added, giggling, "Besides, anyone who could take out every one of the X-Men in a matter of minutes and give the Badger a run for his money in fighting skills can't be all bad! Heck, having you beat up Scooter and Jean made it worth it when you stormed the Mansion like Scarface! Think you can teach us some pointers on how to beat the Badger in one of his sparring lessons one of these days?"

"I…I do not know what to say…" X23 sniffed, feeling her eyes burn with tears of relief and joy.

"Say you'll stay with us," Sam urged gently. X23 then nodded slightly, hoping this wasn't a dream.

Logan then groaned, "Still…Rina Logan? Couldn't you have come up with a better name for the kid?"

"Hey, she's a female version of you, so we got Rina as a shortened version of Wolverina, and if she doesn't want to keep her old X23 moniker as a code name, we could totally come up with a new one like Wild Thing or Silver Fox or something!" Tabby piped up with excitement.

"Still, it sounds pretty stupid, Time-Bomb!" snapped Wolverine, but X23 then finally gave a smile.

"Rina…Rina…Rina...I like it," she admitted softly.

"Oh God, she's already gone! You've converted her to the psychotic side! I just know you little maniacs are going to warp her with your twisted minds!" moaned Logan in mock tragedy as the ninjas, Tabitha, Sam, and Kurt giggled and laughed. X23 then joined in…and it felt so good. It felt like she belonged at last.

Meanwhile, the rest of the X-Men and Misfits were conversing with the Joes and the Justice League as well as with each other. It was almost as if there was no trace of the bitter argument they had hours ago…

"So what's going to happen to the soldiers of H.A.T.E?" Xi asked softly as he looked upon a tearful Abby holding the disfigured hand of a mutated alien creature that used to be her brother, crying quietly, "With all the genetic experimentations Kanto did on them, is there any hope they can be saved?"

Forge then offered, "We think so. I was talking with Airtight and Lifeline earlier, and the survivors of H.A.T.E. that had been mutated by Kanto will be taken to S.T.A.R. labs for treatment and research in hopes of trying to find a way to reverse the process, but Airtight thinks it's a good chance. They have a strong percentage that they will be brought back to normal."

"And what about Live Wire?" Roberto asked.

Bullock answered, "She's being escorted back to Stryker's Island right now where she'll remain until she goes to court for the murders she committed at the Bayville Commons. Trust me, kid. When the judge sees her, he'll thrown the damn library at her and make sure she doesn't live to get off Stryker's Maximum Security Prison ever again. And frankly, I can't think of a worse punishment than that."

"SOMEBODY GET THESE PSYCHOTIC KIDS AWAY FROM ME!" they could hear Live Wire screaming, and the X-Men, the Misfits, and their friends turned to see Live Wire, in a rubber straight-jacket and strapped to a gurney at the mercy of Daria, Brittany, and Quinn next to her, smiling wickedly with smiles that could cause Satan himself to cower in fright.

"Oh, but we absolutely must try seeing how you look with a Mohawk," grinned Daria, holding up a pair of scissors (she wasn't dumb enough to use an electric razor).

"And we only need a little blood sample for a quick study," Quinn said innocently as she revved up the chainsaw.

"And we still need to see how fast an electric mutate can catch on fire! But don't worry! The butane we brought will help keep the flames going!" Brittany chirped a little too eagerly as she held up a blowtorch.

"And afterwards, it's makeover time! We brought plenty of supplies for your bikini wax and liposuction! And the specialized mud mask made from the contents of Barney and Beak's diapers is a very good cleanser! OK, so you'll keel over from the smell, but we're well protected at least!" Quinn added, cackling madly, as she held up a large scalpel while wearing a mask connected to an oxygen tank.

Daria then concluded, "Besides, you should be thanking us! Most women pay thousands of dollars for breast implants, so we're doing you a great service! The only downside is that the implants aren't silicone, but then again, the FDA hasn't been able to say that it's against the medical code to use this product yet! OK, so it's been declared a Level 5 Biohazard, but it hasn't been declared as an illegal use for implants, so it's all good, right?"

"GET THESE KIDS AWAY FROM ME! TAKE ME AWAY! TAKE ME TO STRYKER'S ISLAND! DROP ME INTO THE OCEAN! LEAVE ME TO ROT IN JAIL! BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON'T LET THESE NUTCASES TOUCH ME!" screamed Live Wire as Trinity closed in.

"You know, I could almost feel sorry for Live Wire," smirked Montoya, "Emphasis on 'almost'…"

"I still think we can't fully trust the Justice League. Who knows if they're really dedicated to keeping Earth safe, especially when there's nothing in it for them? No one can be that selfless and noble…" Bezerker grumbled.

"Oh will you get over it, Ray?" snapped Roberto, whipping his head back in annoyance.

Jamie then piped in full support, saying, "Honestly, will you just accept it? These aliens are good guys, just like us! Just because they're aliens doesn't mean that they don't sincerely care about trying to protect others and show compassion! Superman, Martian Manhunter, and the others may have no homes, but that's why they want to fight for Earth, because it's their home now and they made a lot of friends here! Do you honestly think they'd fight for us if they wanted to take over our planet? Sheesh, Ray, quit it with the conspiracy theories! The Justice League are good, one of the noblest kind of heroes from other planets you could ever ask for!"

Hawkgirl was solemnly silent as she heard this, and Jean suddenly sensed a disturbing thought of emotional conflict with her telepathy as she unconsciously probed the group around them. Jean then stared at the winged alien girl wielding the mace, her eyes troubled.

"What on Earth?" she whispered to herself, and Hawkgirl then looked up, her ears picking up on Jean's statement, before guessing the truth and narrowing her eyes in anger.

"I would highly advise you to keep your presence out of my head, Ms. Jean Grey, unless you forgot something called common courtesy," Hawkgirl said coldly, highly affronted and…incredibly defensive.

Jean backpedaled weakly as she apologized, "I…I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm not in full control of my telepathy yet! I'm sorry, it won't happen again!"

"See that it doesn't," and with that, Hawkgirl turned her back on the red-haired telekinetic, but Jean just looked on at the Justice League member with an inkling of suspicion. (See Author's Notes)

"Pietro is beyond, without a doubt, the most annoying speedster on the planet!" Wanda griped.

Green Lantern scoffed at the mutant girl, bragging, "Oh, as if, girl! The Flash would easily make you grateful that Pietro is only a quarter the irritation our speedster is!"

"Oh yeah?" Wavedancer smirked, an evil glint in her eye, "Fifty bucks says we easily have the more annoying speedster around here!"

"Fifty? Pfft! Please, Wavedancer, that's pocket change! Not worth my time! I could make that easily in one poker match!"

"All right, then how about a hundred?" Wanda smiled in a braggart manner, "How about it, Green Lantern? One hundred dollars says that Quicksilver is more annoying and infuriating that the Flash?"

The African-American's eyes shot up a bit. Now things were getting interesting…

"Let's up the stakes a bit then and see if you three are still willing to put your money where your mouths are," John Stewart chuckled, "Five hundred dollars says the Flash will easily win the title of the King of all annoying Speedsters. Think you ladies can handle five hundred dollars or are you going to back out now? There's no shame if that's too much money for you three…"

"Make it an even thousand, and you're on!" crowed Rogue.

"Deal! Just don't come crying to your daddies when you lose all your piggy-bank money!" Green Lantern said, his eyes wickedly shining in satisfaction. This was going to be the easiest bet he'd ever won!

"Uh, Wanda? Rogue? Althea?" Jamie asked a bit fearfully, "You three don't have a thousand dollars…"

"Relax, Jamie! We've got this on, hands down!" Rogue scoffed as she waved dismissively, "Now watch and learn!"

As Rogue, Wanda, Althea, Jamie, and John Stewart watched on, Pietro was bothering Kitty while Piotr and Lance were duking it out in an all-out brawl, complete with fists, curses, yells, and of course, the stray misuse of their mutant powers.

"Ooh! Looks like the little Kitty-Kat is expanding her pathetic group of trained seals. So, does that mean you need a whip like all the other ringmasters for your sorry circus of clowns?" Pietro sneered.

"Back off, Pietro, I'm not in the mood!" Kitty growled.

Pietro then smiled as he then teasingly said, "By the way, I might want to warn you, the National Enquirer may, by some weird coincidence, publish some outrageous story with pictures of you in your underwear…"

"WHAT?" shrieked Kitty, "You're lying, you little creep!"

"Well, on the upside, the indecent coverage will make you the number one fantasy of any teenaged geek who will remain dateless until they're in their thirties. And yeah…you're right. I'm lying about the photos of you being in your underwear. I'm lying I was paid five hundred bucks for each copy I had. And I'm lying that this magazine will be seen from coast to coast by people all over the United States by tomorrow. By the way, I never knew they made 'My Little Pony' undies for a butt that big! Hee hee hee!"

"DIE!" Kitty screamed as she started chasing Pietro around the street, ready to pummel him.

"Well?" Rogue smirked.

"Bah! Kids' stuff!" Green Lantern waved off as he then pointed to the Flash bothering Cover Girl.

"So, did I ever mention how I love a woman in uniform? How about you and I do a little drill practice of our own?" the Flash growled seductively.

"I have a boyfriend, I hope you know!" growled Cover Girl as Low Light ambled up with a dark look on his face, cracking his knuckles.

"Lose the zero, get with the hero, that's what I say," the Flash grinned.

"Sorry, but that's not gonna cut it," Wanda shot down firmly, ignoring the screams of the Flash as he was being chased by an angry Cover Girl shooting at the member of the Justice League with Low Light's sniper rifle while Low Light managed to transform into pure, white plasma with his mutant power and started to blast the Flash with powerful surges of energy.

"Come back here and die like a man!" screamed Cover Girl as she aimed several of her shots at Wally West's butt.

"Yeow! That hurt!" the Flash yelped.

"Good, cause it's about to hurt a lot more! Come back here!" Low Light roared.

"Looks like Pietro's not going to disappoint," Althea pointed out as the four of them heard an explosion ring out followed by a scream from Hawkgirl.

"Woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo hoo hoo!" laughed Pietro, running with his super-speed while Hawkgirl, now covered with shaving cream in a multitude of neon colors, flew after him while waving her glowing mace and shouting threats while Kitty and Lockheed tagged closely behind.

"Get him! Get him, Lockheed!" screamed Kitty.

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to get dye and shaving cream out of feathers? When I get my hands on you, Quicksilver, I'm going to rip your legs out before I beat you to death with them!" Hawkgirl screeched, wild and now completely out of control.

"Take a number! I've dealt with him longer, so I get first shots!" Kitty snapped.

"Sorry to say, our Wally's done much worse. The bet's still on…and it looks like I'm a thousand dollars richer," commented Stewart as he, Althea, Rogue, and Wanda saw the Flash now being pursued by Cover Girl, Low Light and Storm.

"But it was a compliment! You should be flattered!" the Flash yapped in terror as he avoided another lightning strike by Ororo's weather manipulation.

"Asking me for my bra size is not a compliment, especially when you immediately said afterwards that if I was too shy to tell you, then it must be smaller than average!" shrieked Storm.

"Yeow! You just don't appreciate the attention!" snapped the Flash as Storm let loose an artic-wind of sub-zero temperatures straight at the speedster. The Green Lantern smiled as he held out his hand.

"Looks like I win the bet." Deadpanned, Rogue, Althea, and Wanda just pointed to Pietro, who somehow managed to miraculously evade Hawkgirl, Lockheed, and Kitty only to join Shipwreck in ogling Wonder Woman.

Shipwreck then grinned a very mischievous and boyish smile as he asked, "I do believe you're the most beautiful woman I've seen yet. And believe me, I've seen plenty! Interested for a night on the town with a sailor? Hit a few bars, several dance clubs, maybe a motel later on?"

"No," Wonder Woman snapped, her irritation showing, "Now will you please leave me alone? By Hera, and I thought the Flash was idiotically persistent!"

"Aw, c'mon, Wonder Woman! Maybe later we can see what sort of new tricks you can do with that lasso!" Shipwreck persisted, his eyebrows wiggling. Wonder Woman counted to ten, trying not to picture using her lasso as a noose on Shipwreck.

"Wait, so Wonder Woman, you're really a goddess from an island of Amazons where there are no men?" Pietro asked, a bit in disbelief and wondering if this was too good to be true.

Wonder Woman nodded at the seemingly innocent question, saying, "Yes."

"Really? No men at all whatsoever?"

"Yes, the Amazons believed in a society where no men are needed and all the women were strong, chaste, and well-cultured and intelligent as a sign of discipline and respect to the Goddess Hera and her gracious blessings to our kind."

There was a pause.

"So you've never been penetrated, right?" Pietro blurted out.

"...five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred…one thousand," grumbled the Green Lantern, handing a smug Rogue, Wavedancer and Scarlet Witch their money as Wonder Woman chased after a terrified Shipwreck and Quicksilver, her face red with anger, screaming threats and insults that were nowhere near mirroring her peaceful and gentle culture back at the isle of Themiscyra. And of course, Hawkgirl and Kitty joined in on the chase.

At the same time, Jake Clawson found himself trying to get X23 from killing him. Apparently, from what Remy and Forge could testify, she took one whiff of Razor's scent…and completely went berserk for no reason.

"Yeow! Get her off me! ARGH! She's crazy! Ow! What is with her? Oh, holy kats, that hurts!" Jake was heard screaming as X23 whaled on him with her fists.

"I guess it comes as no surprise," Beast sighed, "Since she is Logan's clone, she is susceptible to the same primal urges and triggers that Logan has. And since Logan is antagonized by the scent of Jake's kat-hair, then it's only logical that X23 would be just as bothered by the scent."

"And since she has no self-control and hasn't been taught that attacking a teacher is a bad thing, she thinks she can be free to attack Jake," groaned Remy.

"You call this a bad thing?" smirked Logan as he watched the brawl, doing absolutely nothing.

Razor snapped as he tried to buck the female version of Wolverine off his torso, "I'll get you for this, Logan! Ah! She bit me! The crazy she-kat bit me!"

"Pietro Maximoff, come back here and die!" screamed Supergirl in the distance, and the X-Men adults, the Justice League, the Joes along with General Hawk, Commissioner Gordon, Bullock, Montoya and Maggie Sawyer turned to see Quicksilver running for his life in a panic while Batgirl and Supergirl chased and flew after him (respectively), their eyes burning with absolute, bubbling anger. Meanwhile, Shipwreck dashed by with Wonder Woman hot on his tail.

"Men like you are exactly the reason why Hippolyta only allows women to live on Paradise Island! Come back here and face your punishment like a pig, you disgusting, obnoxious oaf!" Wonder Woman screamed as she tried to pound Shipwreck with a lamppost she had torn off the street.

"So does that mean you've got a kinky side?" Shipwreck asked helplessly, but with a bit of interest, "YEOW! It was an honest question! Help, somebody save me! She's gonna kill me!"

"Hey, just to let you guys know, we forgive you for being such jerks earlier," Xi commented to the other X-Men, which automatically did not suit well.

"Excuse me?" yelled Amara, highly insulted, "You forgive us! We don't owe you guys any apology whatsoever! You Misfits got some nerve! If anything, you should apologize to us!"

"For what? Being right? And if anything, you guys were the ones who started this whole mess in the first place!" Brittany snapped.

"We did not!" Ray growled, "You did!"

"No, you did!" Spirit growled back.

"X-Men, just admit it and leave it be! You calling us drunks and lunatics made us really peeved! Since we helped fight Darkseid's Furies and ranks, it's only fair that you show us some sort of thanks!" Roadblock pointed out.

"You want thanks?" growled Beast, making a fist, "Here's my thanks! A set of five, all rolled into one!"

Not surprisingly, this led to the mother of all brawls between the Joes, the Misfits, and the X-Men, and when Commissioner Gordon, Maggie, Montoya, and Bullock along with the Justice League tried to break it up, they unwillingly got caught up in the ruckus, being sucked in the flurry of hands, feet, and general chaos while the reporters and photographers in the distance got good shots of the struggle. Shipwreck was still being chased by Wonder Woman, and the Flash was getting close to being fully decimated by Cover Girl, Storm and Low Light.

"AAAAAAAAA!" screamed Pietro before with a burst of super-speed, Supergirl managed to tackle him and pin Quicksilver to the ground while strangling the Misfit.

"Batgirl, Hawkgirl, Kitty, I got him!" she screeched while maintaining a death-hold around the choking mutant's neck, "I'll hold him down, and you three punch him!"

"Wow, and I thought you said you weren't interested in threesomes!" Pietro managed to wheeze out despite Supergirl trying to wring his neck, leering weakly like a typical deviant. He wasn't smiling for long…

"Die, you sick pervert!" screamed Batgirl hotly as she, Kitty, and Hawkgirl joined in and started pounding the Misfit speedster, and Pietro just screamed in a high-pitched, feminine tone while hollering bloody murder.

"Die, die, die, die, die, die, die…!" the four girls continued to scream while concentrating on beating the white-haired Misfit to a bloody pulp.

Ironically, the only ones not getting involved were: General Hawk, Superman, Batman, Justin, Lina, Fred, Bobby, Todd, Althea, and Kurt.

"Um…shouldn't we stop this?" Lina asked as she saw Pietro being overwhelmed.

Kurt waved, "Nah, not to worry, Justin can heal Quicksilver up as good as new when this is all over."

Justin winced as Pietro let loose another bloodcurdling scream of pain as he commented uneasily, "Um…I'm not so sure about that one, Kurt. Ouch! I had no idea that body part could bend that way!"

"Do you really want to get involved in this, yo?" Toad asked, half-amused, "I mean, after fighting aliens, the Furies, Darkseid and helping a firebird save an entire galaxy, I'm pretty much drained."

"For once, I agree with you, Toad," Kurt sighed, but he gave a small, hesitant smile when he said this.

Althea smirked as she took a photograph, saying, "And nothing like a little nice photo to commemorate this little event which will make great blackmail material for us later."

"This happens often?" Batman asked lowly, quirking an eyebrow at the Misfit leader and General Hawk.

"More than we can remember," sighed General Hawk.

"So when are you going to tell Lina that you like her, Freddy?" Toad asked Blob as they all left to stop the brawl. Bobby lagged a bit behind, unknowingly eavesdropping.

Fred blushed as he explained, "I don't want to rush thing, Toad, and to tell you the truth…I'm a little scared to tell her. I mean, do you know how much I choke and get shivers if she even smiles at me? How can I say to Lina that I like her if I don't know she likes me back?"

Bobby just stopped walking and stared at Fred's back as the other three Misfits continued forward, oblivious to Bobby's astonishment.

Toad then added, "Nah, she likes you plenty, Fred. Yo, we can all see it! But if you don't tell her soon, she might just give up waiting and look somewhere else, and then you'll miss you chance. You gotta tell her soon before it's too late, Blob! I mean, it's pretty much a miracle that she has feelings for you too! It's just that she's also scared to tell you."

Bobby felt his world just drop from under his feet in shock as his jaw dropped.

Fred scratched the back of his head as he groaned, "But…oh darn it, Toad, just let me do it whenever I think I'm ready! Until then, I don't want to scare her off I if push her! I mean, how can you guys understand this? Lance has a disaster love triangle with Kitty and Peter, you and Althea has a great relationship, and Shipwreck keeps striking out with Storm no matter how hard he tries! I just…I just don't want to ruin this one chance I got, and I just want to take things slow, ya' know? I mean, the last thing I want to do is screw everything up, make it into a disaster, and then drive Lina away because it turns out she only likes me as a friend, but nothing more!"

Blob sighed as he sheepishly confessed, "Sounds kinda weird, doesn't it?"

Justin then turned to look at Jake a bit longingly, who was still hollering while trying to buck off X23 from pummeling him. After a few moments, he turned softly back to Fred and smiled.

"It may not be as weird and crazy as you think, Fred," Whitelighter said a little sadly, but he smiled gently as he said this. As the three walked away to help the others break up the screaming fight, Bobby just kept staring at Blob's back, beside himself with outrage and disbelief.

Lina? And Fred?

Those two? They actually had…feelings for each other?

But then that meant…Bobby was a third wheel. Iceman didn't have a chance then with Dragonfly. He felt his head droop before a realization then came to him.

Of course…that still meant that Fred and Lina had to let each other know how they felt about each other, if they could ever reach that point. And who's to say they would just continue to remain obliviously and foolishly silent due to their shyness and awkwardness with each other? And who's to say Lina wouldn't fall in love with a guy who was a far better catch?

Who's to say that a relationship between Dragonfly and Blob would even take off, would even start? Would a bond between Lina and Fred even grow as time goes on?

It was then that Bobby felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards.

"Not if I can help it," he muttered, gazing longingly at Lina, "not if I can help it…"

After all, all's fair in love and war.

The End

Author's Notes: Note, this happens before the Thanagarian Invasion so none of the JL knows Hawkgirls true role on Earth. And after several one-shots, be prepared for my next crossover with…yep, you guessed it! The Teen Titans! Until then, check back on Friday!

To my reviewers:

Red Witch: Again, it seems only fair that I dedicate this story to you. If it wasn't for you, none of these Misfit side-stories I'm writing would ever emerge, so again, I thank you and I hope to do you proud. Thanks again for lending me the Misfit-verse to write with! And as for the Bobby/Lina/Fred triangle…well, someone's going to get crushed all right.

Asha-Man72: Your reviews are one of the best! They're one of the reasons why I continue writing. And yep, not a lot of people expected the curveball with Supergirl and Batgirl. And Batman interacting with Trinity, huh? coughfutureoneshotcough And glad I could convince another person to the Stormwreck movement! Forget a bunker! The Stormwreck headquarters are held in a five-star hotel with room service and spas to boot (I made a lot of money in blackmail material from "The Last Muticorn" ). And yes, the JL does have a way to contact New Genesis in an emergency, but Batgirl and Supergirl were not officially a part of the League yet, so they had no idea how to contact the High Father, especially since the JL wasn't answering their calls. Glad you enjoyed this! And H.A.T.E. is actually a canon group from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And Lance and Althea had to kill to protect their friends and family…

Lonegrowlithe: Glad I made this story such a pleasure for you. Makes writing all the worthwhile…

AnimationLasi: Yet another favorite reviewer! Yep, eventually, the Mighty Ducks will play a role in the Misfit-verse, but until then, I hope you enjoyed this! And bobby isn't going to take Fred liking Lina very well either! And expect future interactions between the Justice League and the Misfits and the X-Men! It'll be chaotic to say the least.

GothikStrawberry: As much as I'm glad this story made such an impact on you, I might want to warn you that the X-Men, the Joes, and the Misfits will have even worse arguments in the future, upcoming Kingdom Hearts crossover! Trust me, they'll make THIS argument look like a childish fight.

Sparky Genocide: Static and Gear will make appearances in this universe soon, but after the Kingdom Hearts crossover. And the reason Big Barda is a Fury is because this happens during Justice League, not Justice League Unlimited. And though the X-Men had bad feelings about aliens at first, I think now they've calmed down a bit…Thanks for reviewing!

Aaron: Hey, I'm thoroughly glad you're enjoying this! And Justin, Lina, and Jake will smooth things over between both teams, but if anything, it's not going to be easy. And if you hated Bobby in "Tremors of the Past", you're going to especially loathe him in the future. Will he succeed? That is yet to be determined…

Dru: I understand your confusion, but in my take, Lina didn't meet up with the X-Men and the Misfits found her when she mutated. Lina and Justin running into the X-Men was the very first time, and as such, that's why they didn't know her. In my version, my take on Lina is a little different to Red Witch's.

Pauloj1983: Fred and Lina will get together, but with Bobby trying to put a monkey-wrench in it, it'll make things interesting. Hey, if people are sick of the Lance/Piotr/Kitty love triangle, then perhaps a Lina/Fred/Bobby love triangle will be a new plot!

Doza: Thanks for the review!

Theodore Hawkwood: Thanks again, and I appreciate the e-mails! And glad you liked the Neuterator 3000 invention; Trinity may devise something much more disturbing yet, though.

Dante Tigerwolf: I like Jean enough, but you have to admit, at some times, she is a little too haughty and stuck-up. And nah, don't worry about apologizing! I love it when you review! Nothing you said really offends me! Thanks for reading!

Nova Bomb: Thanks for the review, and yep, I like the Misfits too much to let anything bad happen to them.

L1701E: Thanks for the e-mails! I'm glad you enjoyed this, and I hope to see your stories updated soon as well! Glad your laptop is fixed!