By: The Uncanny R-Man & Agent-G
Shout outs:
Winblades: Well I like to give it a few days before we put out the revised chapter.
Ruby 631: More of a fight for affection, April thinks of him like a brother and as for Blink, well you know.
Red Witch: Yes he is but that's one of his charms isn't it. I'll try and do that thanks.
TheLegendaryManHimself: Glad you liked those lines and it's not exactly a love triangle you'll see what I mean later on.
X-Over: Yeah that's him, not sure about the rest of those guys though.
Chapter 15: The Exiles vs Jason
THE COMPLEX
It had been a few days after the Morph's little escapade and things were getting a little calm. April was starting to fit in well and the girls had taken her out for karaoke one night too. Then one day Guardian called them the briefing room for a mission.
"So what's next boss man?" Morph said leaning back on his chair. "Are we going to slay any dragons, or something?"
"No not today." He walked over to the control panel. An image of a pair of teenagers appeared. They were a boy and girl of about eighteen and dressed in clothing of the mid 90's. The boy and girl were about average looking. The boy with short brown hair and the girl was a redhead who had her hair in a ponytail. "This is Eric and Susan a young couple that will one day change the world. Eric here will be able to create a clean energy source and his girlfriend who will later become his wife will discover a cure of cancer...that is if they live."
"I take it you want us to save them?" Blink said to him.
Guardian nodded. "You see they decided to go on a camping trip for the summer...unfortunately they chose the wrong place to take it." He input a few new commands and a map of a forested area and campgrounds showed up. Then a name came up at the bottom.
Vincent groaned. "Oh man...not there...anyplace but there."
Heather looked at the name but didn't get it. "What's wrong with Crystal Lake?"
"Jason Voorhees." Morph said plainly. "Basically one of the big bads of the horror movie genre."
Guardian used the controls and someone in a blue jumpsuit with a machete in an old hockey mask. There was something sinister and fearsome about the image. "This was once a young disfigured boy named Jason, he drowned when two camp counselors were...ah...well...doing something else then watching the kids swim." Guardian explained.
"Doing what exactly?" August asked.
"Oh they were getting it on." Morph said with a grin.
"I'm sorry I asked."
"Yes...well then his mother went nuts and started killing counselors." Guardian continued to explain. "Then the last survivor killed the mother and then her son rose from the dead. He's now something we would call a Specter. Someone who has died yet returned to the living in a body. Unfortunately he's not actually alive and thus kind of hard to kill. So far he's gone on a killing rampage for years and has killed hundreds of people so far."
"Let me guess...those two are next on his list?" Blink asked him.
"There's a 90 chance that they'll run into him and they won't stand a chance." Guardian explained to them all. "These two are important for that world's future but because of the large area you'll have to split up and search for them and keep them safe until they get out of the area."
He dug into his ever-present travel pouch and pulled out several watches. "From now I would like all of you to wear these, I figure they might come in handy from now on." He passed them out. "These watches are heavily modified with tracking devices so you can find one another and communicators, Blink yours still has the holographic function, it's that extra blue button on the side."
"Sweet!" Morph said putting on the watch. "We finally get the good stuff!"
"Would April or Dare be joining us?" Blink asked Guardian as she put on the watch.
He shook his head. "Sorry no. I have to go somewhere and they will be accompanying me there. Any more questions?" He asked as he saw there was none then nodded his head. "Well then good luck to you all."
CRYSTAL LAKEThe Exiles appeared in a wooded area in what looked like the middle of nowhere, it was night out and a cool breeze, and it was also eerily quiet, with very little animal noises that you'd expect to hear. "Let's get this thing over with and FAST." Vincent said clearly uneasy about all of this.
"Man you REALLY don't like horror movies do you?" Morph said looking a little like Freddy and taking a little perverse pleasure in seeing the normally cool and control Canadian nervous and a little jumpy.
"We're at Crystal freaking Lake, wouldn't YOU be a little freaked?" He said losing his temper a little.
"Whoa easy there mate." Jono said trying to prevent something unpleasant, most likely Vince clocking Morph one in the face.
"What are you worried about?" August asked him. "You're invulnerable, it's not like Jason could harm you even if he tried."
He sighed. "Yeah I know...I'm just a little jumpy, I mean the first time I saw a Friday the 13th movie I had nightmares for a week."
"Well let's split up, we should find these kids a little more easily." Blink said taking out the PADD, she looked up their position. "According to this there are campgrounds that way." She pointed in one direction. "A house that way with a barn over there." She pointed somewhere else. "And finally a log cabin over there." She pointed one last time. "They should be somewhere near one of those places."
"So I guess that means teams of two right?" Heather said and Blink nodded.
"Yeah so Morph you and Heather take the camp grounds. Jono, you and August try the house and me and Vince will take the cabin." She said to them.
There were a few smirks at the last team. "Just remember not to make out, I mean that turns people into machete magnets." Jono said grinning, especially the slight blush that was on Blink's and Vincent's face.
"Look." Blink said sternly going back into leader mode. "I just figured having each couple with at least one person with super strength would even the odds if we run into that psycho."
"Giving our luck luv, I'd say it was when we run into that bloke." Chamber said to her and then all the Exiles split up in different directions.
After several minutes of traveling on foot Morph was getting a bit bored, he was sure they wouldn't run into Jason since he only showed up at certain moments and since he wasn't likely to start making out with Heather, or going skinny dipping in the lake anytime soon he figured they were safe. He was bored and started to whistle the 'hi-ho' song that the seven dwarfs sang in Snow White but Heather covered his mouth with her hand.
"Are you nuts?" She hissed at him. "We're in the woods of a psychotic unstoppable serial killer, and you want to whistle and tell the whole woods where we are?"
Morph shrugged as she removed his mouth. "Oh come on, he only shows up to kill people who are alone, having sex, making out, having showers or skinny dipping so we're safe." Then he noticed the glare she was giving him and he gulped. "Right...no whistling."
After they started he spoke up again. "How about some humming?"
"Morph!"
"Alright! Sheesh!"
Little did they know they were being watched in the distance in the shadows by a tall and sinister figure that soon disappeared back into the forest.
AT THE CABINThe two teens in question were opening the door and walking in. "So this is your uncle's place huh?" The girl Susan asked the other boy and he dragged in two backpacks with their stuff in it.
"Oh yeah, he doesn't come up here anymore so I figured this would be the perfect place." Eric told her. He smiled at seeing her look around, they had been going out for over two years now and even though he never told a soul he knew she was the one for him.
He loved everything about her and she was just so incredible, plus she was about as smart as he was and he never could be with anyone dumber then him. They were both straight A students and they were trying to get into the same university so they could still be together. They were even thinking of sharing an apartment together.
Although their parents didn't like the idea there wasn't much they would say to change their minds them.
"So...we're all alone here?" She asked giving him a look over her shoulder. He could see a twinkle in her eye and he grinned and nodded to her, as he knew that look. She walked up to him and pulled him into an embrace and kissed him.
"And what exactly are we going to do here that would require such solitude?" She asked with a grin.
"What do you think?" He told her.
She smiled at him. "So...which way to the bed room?" She whispered to him seductively.
CAMP GROUNDSSitting around a fire were a bunch of boy scouts with their troop leader finishing the story of Jason. "I-Is any of th-that true?" A boy asked.
"Of course not, it's just a legend." The Troop Leader told them. "I mean who heard of a hockey masked killer running around the forest?"
"Then what about all those stories of people getting killed up here?" Another boy asked. "My dad says a lot of people have died up here."
"That's just been blown out of proportion." The man said to them. "I mean if it was true why wouldn't the town close down the lake area?"
"Because of the tourists that come up here every summer." Yet another boy said. "If they did then no tourists would be here and no money... at least that's what my daddy says."
"Now look here-"The man said but a rustling in the bushes causes him to turn around. "Who's there?"
Out popped out a man in a jumpsuit and hockey mask carrying a machete.
"It's Jason!" One kid screamed and all the kids ran into the camp building for safety as the man looked on with horror.
"Ah crap." He whimpered, then fainted but not before wetting himself.
Then 'Jason' started laughing and turned into Morph. "Oh man that was classic!" He said clutching his sides.
Then he got a slap to the back of his head from Heather. "Quit fooling around! You do realize you most likely scarred those kids for life with that stupid stunt!" She said angrily.
"Oh come on, it was too good to pass up!" Heather just glared at him and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and dragged him off.
She let go to activate her watch. "Guys we're at the Camp grounds but I don't think they're here. We're going to swing by Jono and August on the way to the cabin and meet up with Blink and Vince."
"Alright." Blink came back. "We'll all either meet up at the cabin or at the house if they're over there."
Then Heather grabbed Morph again and dragged him on. "Come on you, and you better not try that trick on me or I swear I'll change my form and then give you something to be afraid of!"
DIMENSION M-8476-12Guardian, along with Dare in her red uniform and April in a single one piece black Kevlar body suit, which looked a bit like her old one only with a different design and no number on the front, appeared in what looked like a giant crater. "Whoa...what happened here?" Dare asked looking around the wasteland surrounding the giant crater they were looking at.
"This is where Galactus was killed and when Thunderbird was lost." Guardian explained. "I figured that by being here I could make contact with his spirit or try to find out what happened." His eyes took on a blue glow and he shivered as he felt himself 'shift' a bit into the spectral plane, it was another plane of existence that usually was filled with spirits. He could still see a few of the souls of the fallen heroes trapped here but Thunderbird wasn't there. His shifted back into the material plane fully and looked at the two women.
"I'll be spirit walking to try and find some answers you girls will need to look after my body for me since I'm vulnerable when I do this."
Dare nodded. "Sure thing, we'll take care of anything that comes out here."
On a ridge a shadowy figure watched. It had been sent here months ago to watch over this place when Guardian took the body and it waited for his return. It wasn't so much alive as not dead, and it was merely a living shadow with no real form, it hated this place it was too bright and his kind hated the light so it lived in the shadows, but his masters had sent it and so it would wait. Now with the prey here it was time to call on the shadow assassins.
OLD HOUSEAugust and Jono looked around the house but it seemed empty and deserted. "Well I'm going to check the barn." August told him. "You see if maybe they're inside the house."
"Uh...do you think it's wise to split up?" Jono asked slightly nervous. He had seen enough horror movies to know that when people split up and they're alone that's usually when they die a very nasty death.
"Scared?" August teased him.
"Hell no, I'm uh...just worried about you luv." He said trying to cover up his lie.
She smiled at him. "I think I can handle the big bad man." She told him and created a fireball for effect.
"Well...alright then." Chamber said and slowly turned to the house and walked in as August went to the barn. August looked in and saw the darkness but not much else. She created a fireball for some light then noticed that near the door was a light switch. She figured using the lights was safer so she didn't accidentally set the barn on fire.
She looked around. "Lets see...farming tools...hay...farm equipment...more hay...ladder...even more hay, man where do they get all of this at a lake?" She heard someone walking behind her. "What's a matter Jono got scared?" She asked but there was no replay. "Jono are you okay?" She turned around to be face to face with Jason. She did what anyone had done when they faced him...she screamed.
Jono however was looking through the house. He tried the lights but the power seemed to be cut off. 'Not a good sign mate.' He thought. They usually cut the power right before it was slaughtering time for the movie killers. He checked the rooms and opened a door to a bedroom. At least he was sure it was since there was a bed but it what was on the bed that disturbed him.
On it were a young couple, but in the darkness he saw they weren't moving...he also saw dark stains on the sheets and the smell of blood was strong in the air. He knew that the two were dead and he didn't want to get closer to see how but he had to see if it was the two kids. He moved closer covering his mouth in hopes of not throwing up and looked at the faces.
The faces were frozen in a moment that was a cross between horror and pain but it wasn't them. Then he heard August scream. "Bloody Hell!" He shouted and ran to the barn when he got there he saw Heather smiling as August was bounding on Morph.
"Frighten me like that will you!" August was shouting.
"Uh...Heather what's going on?" Jono asked the dark skinned woman as he walked up beside her.
"Morph here has been scaring everyone he comes across by turning into a copy of Jason." Heather said looking amused as Morph pleaded for mercy.
"Oh...carry on then, but we better get out of here...I found two bodies in the house looks like 'Gretzky' was already here so he might be on the way to Blink and Vince." Jono told them. Heather gasped and August stopped pounding on Morph as she heard that.
"We better get going then." August said seriously.
DIMENSION M-8476-12Guardian was sitting Indian style on the ground the last time he had been here it was only a quick glance around the place before he had to leave, he hadn't sense the essence he had been looking for and now was the time to go a little deeper. He prepared himself and as he entered the spirit world and as his spirit left his body slumped a little. Dare and April looked at the body a little and then at each other. "Is it just me or does this whole leaving the body to look for spirits thing a little freaky?"
Dare shrugged. "Kind of, yeah. But then again my mom was killed and then brought back to life so this isn't exactly virgin territory for me." April blinked a few times at that remark, even though her new life was much better then her old one it was still a lot more complicated and strange.
Guardian was in spirit form now and looked over the wondering souls that refused to die, normally he would help them move on but he felt an urgent need to find what he was looking for. The world had a strange greenish blue tint to it and it was slightly warped too. There was no heat or cold, no sounds; it was as quiet as death itself. He looked around and concentrated, he felt the last moments of the great battle and saw it unfold in his mind's eye.
Outside the body Dare and April were waiting for him to finish. That's when a portal opened up and shadow assassins jumped out, only these were slightly different then the ones that Jono faced at the clock tower. These had no red eyes in fact they had no eyes. Dare saw this and figured that these ones wouldn't be so easy as the ones she heard Chamber had fought. She pulled out her Billy club and got into a fighting stance.
April even though she didn't like to fight anymore was ready to defend her friends and with all the training and powers she wasn't going to make this easy for them.
NEAR THE CABINVincent was walking behind Blink as they made their way to the cabin. August had already told them about what they had found and were meeting up with them.
"I really don't like this mission." Vincent muttered to himself.
"It could be worse." Blink told him.
"Yeah I guess." He sighed. "We could be up against Freddy and I think he could hurt me if I was asleep...good thing I can go three days without sleeping."
Blink stopped for a second to look at him in the moonlight. "You can do that?"
Vince shrugged. "Yeah with all this energy that my body stores I can keep awake that long, four days if I don't use my powers but at the end of the fourth I found out I crash down and sleep for an entire day after that." He chuckled at the memory one moment he was up and the next he woke up the next day, he ran a hand through his long black hair, everyone had freaked when he just collapsed like that and boy was he swore when he woke up too. That was when he was dating, Jennifer Pearson the second person that he ever loved. She had white skin and a unique tattoo on the left side of her face. She came up from the States and got trapped in Canada when all hell broke loose. When he woke up she made sure he never pushed himself that far again.
"Huh...I didn't know that." Blink said then started off again but she failed to see a root in the ground and stumbled back but Vince reacted quickly and caught her. She felt him catch her and the feel of his body against hers cause her to blush a little and was thankful for the darkness of the night so it didn't show. "Thanks." She said as he put her back on her feet.
"No problem." He said and even in the dark she knew he was smiling at her. They moved on and saw that the cabin was a two story one near the lake and it had lights on.
"Well looks like someone is home." She said seeing the lights.
Vince went over to a truck and placed his hand on the hood. "Whoever it is they've been here for awhile at least, the engine is cold."
"Let's just hope these are our targets and that they're still alive." She muttered to herself and opened the front door. "Good thing we're in the middle of nowhere and they didn't need to lock the door." She said to him as she opened it.
"Given who we might run into that might not have been a good idea." Vince said to her as he looked around. Blink thought he made a good point but then again in the horror movies the bad guys always found a way inside. They split up and started to search the place. She heard something from upstairs and went to look she stopped at a door and heard some laughter behind it.
She opened the door and saw the two young adults that they were supposed to protect on a bead still fully clothed but looked like they wouldn't have been for much longer.
"What the hell?" The guy shouted seeing her.
"Who-what are you?" The girl asked and Blink suddenly realized she was in her normal form and had forgotten to change. She swore at the oversight but that couldn't be helped. "Look I was sent here to make sure you two survived past tonight." She told them sternly.
"What do you mean by that?" Eric asked her getting ready to defend themselves if necessary.
"Did you have any idea that this place has had over a hundred people killed on it by some undead psycho named Jason?"
Both teens looked at each other. "I thought that was just an urban myth?" Eric said to her.
Susan looked at him in astonishment. "You knew about something like that and didn't tell me?" She nearly screamed at him.
"It's just a story." He said defensively.
"No...it's not." Blink told them crossing her arms. "In fact you two were on his list for tonight and my team already found two fresh kills. A couple was killed not far from here."
They heard the door suddenly open. "Blink you here?" August's voice called out.
Blink turned to the two of them. "That would be them, come on if you want to live past tonight you better come with us, or you can take your chances with the maniac out in the woods." The two teens looked at each other and decided not to argue.
They found most of the other Exiles in a living room type of place. "Where's Morph?" Blink asked everyone.
"I think he's checking out the kitchen." Jono said. Suddenly the door opened and there stood Jason with a machete in hand. Blink got out a few of her metallic javelins ready for a fight. "Morph! Knock it off, that's not funny anymore!" Jono shouted at him annoyed.
"Knock what off?" Morph said coming from the kitchen. Everyone was silent as they looked at him then to Jason, back to Morph then back to Jason. There were a few screams and then things started up. The two teens got behind Heather and Chamber as the other Exiles gathered together. Heather wanted to change but the roof wasn't large enough and she might cause the place to collapse.
Vince came into the room in a blur of speed and stopped. "What's going on?" He asked not aware of who was behind him.
"Vince, behind you buddy!" Morph yelled and Vince turned just in time for the machete to come on down on his head. But the blade shattered against his head not even leaving a mark. Jason looked at his blade in confusion, as this had never happened before.
Vince now faced the thing that had once given him nightmares as a kid and it wasn't until a few seconds until he snapped out of it and realized what had just happened. Jason tried to stab Vince but the broken blade only cut up his shirt and brown leather jacket he had with him from his world. "Hey! That's my favorite jacket you jerk!" Then he punched Jason right through the log cabin to the outside. Now Vincent was pissed off. He walked up to Jason as the Exiles looked on.
"Oh...that guy is going to get a giant Canadian ass kicking now." Morph said grinning running to the door to watch the fight.
Jason staggered back up and punched Vincent but to no effect. "That's not going to work on me." He said coldly. Jason tried again. "You don't listen too well do you?" He tried for a third but Vince caught this one and crushed the hand in his. "That's for all the nightmares you gave me as a kid." He growled out.
If Jason could have screamed in pain he would have, Vince turned to the others. "Find me some stuff to place this guy in, I want to make sure he's not around for a long, long time."
As Vince continued to pummel Jason into the ground the others came back with a few things. Heather found an old oil drum that was being used to collect rainwater that still had the top part to it and August found some chains.
"Perfect." Vince said. "August help me chain him up."
"Gladly." August said and they chained him up and with their strength twisted the chains together to keep them from being lose then they stuffed Jason into the oil drum and put the lid on. They crushed the lid on so it wouldn't come off and then Vince poked a few holes in it.
He and August grabbed both ends and they both threw the drum into the air and over the lake. It landed with a slash and quickly started to sink to the bottom of the lake. "And that's for the jacket." Vincent said glaring at the bubbles coming to the surface.
"Well...that should hold him for awhile." Morph said out loud.
DIMENSION M-8476-12Dare and April had been fighting for ten minutes and they were getting tired. April was trying her best by keeping them pinned to the ground but the effort of that and keeping herself and the others defended were tiring her out. Dare was doing her best but her blows only seemed to annoy them and they still haven't found any weaknesses in these ones.
"We really could use his help right about now." Dare shouted while dodging a blow then counter attacking with a kick.
"No kidding." April said flipping over one of them and landing between them and Guardian's body.
Guardian for his part had found no trace of spiritual energy, he was going to look deeper maybe even ask Death herself for answers, which was a dangerous thing to do even for him, when he suddenly felt something was wrong in the material plane.
Dare and April were breathing hard and sweating. They also had a few bruises and were hurting a bit. "How are you holding up green eyes?" Dare asked her friend.
"I'll...I'll be fine after these things...are defeated." She said through heavy breaths. So far the shadow assassins were all closing in on them going to take them out in order to finish their business uninterrupted. Then a blinding light erupted with words of power being shouted out and the assassins became brittle and shattered and fell into piles of dust. Both women looked to see Guardian slowly stand on his feet, the effort of quickly returning to his body and that spell left him very weak.
"Nice timing." Dare said with a grin.
"Did you find him?" April asked hopefully. Guardian looked grim and shook his head.
"Let's go home." He said to them, he knew others would come and they couldn't stay; besides there wasn't anything more he could do here.
COMPLEX - LATERAlfred the green transparent holographic AI was giving Guardian a report on the Exiles mission. "Everything seems to have gone well, they not only saved the two but managed to encased Jason in such a way that he might never get out, if not for a very long time at least."
Guardian was in an office like room only that the furnishings were more stylized and futuristic for the most part. Guardian himself was behind a glass like desk with a data computer on one end and a few PADDs scattered across the desk.
"Well that's a bonus." Guardian said pleased. "I hope he stays like that for a long time." He sighed to himself he was feeling down for not gaining any results with his own little mission and he was running out of options, there was one that might work but he wasn't sure he wanted that woman to go through it, she already lost so much and it might be cruel to ask her...but he was running out of choices.
"Will that be all sir?" Alfred asked after a moment of silence.
"Yes." Guardian said and Alfred disappeared. He got up from the behind the desk and walked over to a wood cabinet and pulled out a bottle of brandy and a shot glass. He put them back on the desk and suddenly stopped and a small smile was on his face. "You're lucky you're a friend of mine or the security would have gone off by now." He said amused as he sensed the new arrival.
He turned to see a humanoid looking person with light blue skin, solid black eyes and long spiked white hair that was combed to the back. He wore a jump suit of brown and green and was leaning against the wall with an amused look on his face. "Still got it I see."
"I'm still only four thousand years old...still young by Guardian standards." Guardian told him. "So Raz...business or pleasure?"
Raz sighed. "Business unfortunately...they need your help Adam."
"They who?" The Guardian known as Adam ask him, his mood darkening as he guessed who he was refereeing too.
"You know who...the Confederation." Raz said. He knew that Adam had issues to say the least with them but they had asked Raz to seek him out.
"No." Adam said plainly turning away from him.
"Come on!" Raz said getting off the wall. "I know you turned your back on them but they need you for one more mission."
"I turned my back on them?" Adam said angrily now looking back at the other Guardian. "They turned their backs on me first damn it! I gave them over a thousand years of service and what did they do when I needed something? NOTHING! So to hell with them!"
"If this is about Angela and Marcus then-"
"It's not just about them!" Adam told him now losing his tamper and his fist slammed onto the glass of his desk cracking it. "The Confederation I was told, was created by the Guardians to help the multi-verse, and in the beginning they did and now look at it! It's nothing more then a bunch of diplomatic fat cats worrying more about themselves instead of others! Damn it, even the Guardians that still serve in the Confederation like I used to be, have been reduced to being their errand boys."
"It not all like that." Raz told him.
"Please! You're a Guardian Raz you know better, hell you're older then I am, why can't you see it?"
"It's not that simple...without us the Confederation will fall one day and we put too much into it, and too many of us have bled and died for it to fall." Raz told him seriously.
"Then I say let it die." Adam said to him harshly.
"You don't mean that." Raz said flatly yet some part of him knew he did.
"Yes I do...besides I'm in exile from the Confederation right? I can't go back to anywhere where they hold power, but I guess if I go on this 'mission' they'll drop that and welcome back one of it's golden boys am I right?" Raz didn't say anything but that was enough for Adam. "Yeah...just as I thought. Tell them no deal, I swore I wouldn't return to them not now...not ever."
Adam turned away from him and Raz tried to say something anything to get him back. "But you're the only one the Glith'or trust and respect, they won't talk to anyone else."
"Too bad." Adam said coldly. "Now I suggest you leave now...and Raz...don't ever come back here if it's Confederation business...or I may forget we're friends." Raz knew he had lost him and disappeared in a flash of light.
Adam poured himself a drink and immediately downed it all and went to refill it when he stopped. He looked at the bottle and in the reflection of the bottle he saw himself and it reminded him of a time after he had turned away from the Confederation. He had been in so much pain he tried to take the pain away by looking in the bottom of a bottle. When it didn't work he tried another then another and he had spent over two years trying to look for the end of his pain in the bottom of every bottle of liquor he could find.
He threw the bottle of brandy against the fall. "No...I won't go down that path ever again...I don't want to become that again." He silently said to himself.
Alfred appeared then. "Shall I call a cleaning unit?"
"Yes." Adam said and walked out the room, he'd go to one of the training simulators on privacy mood for a few hours. Maybe some simulated combat would make him feel better.
TBC...
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