CHAPTER 11: This Just Keeps Getting More Complicated, Doesn't It?
It was a temporal flux, somewhere beyond the reaches of time, space, and reality, a single anomaly where darkness reigned, the entire surrounding a nebula of purple and black auras against a dark background of murky red. It was almost like being in the nether-regions of outer space, except devoid of any stars and significant sources of light.
Yet the lack of radiance and illumination did not bother Marluxia in the slightest as he waited there in the shadows, feeling the welcome sensation of cool, dry, nothingness seeping among his black leather robe and body. The quiet, the silence, the solitude. Few would ever understand the blessings darkness could actually bring to those in life. And he barely batted an eyelid when a large portal swirled in front of him to reveal two figures stepping through the rift of time and space to their designated engagement.
It was General Silver of the Omega Jugglers and Slade. Marluxia's face still remained just as grim and emotionless as ever, his mouth set into a thin line. Still, a part of the Organization member was a bit anxious in what the Hellfire Club would bring as well…
"Trigon has been defeated and banished back to the dimension where he had been imprisoned," Marluxia stated as he addressed the approaching General Silver and Slade, "But the portal still lives, and now, to make things even more troubling in our campaign, she has gained a new purified body, one that is resurrected from the Power of the Light. The Thirteenth Order and my Superior were not readily delighted with the turn of events."
"Indeed," General Silver sighed with a twinge of frustration, "That was a most surprising setback. Not even the precognition mutant of Eddington was able to warn us of that possible branch in the future of the Teen Titans. Had Oxymandias been able to foresee that the blasted lion would have brought Raven back to life, then we would have been able to anticipate such a possibility and make sure that both the sides of General Hawk and his allies would have only been up to equal match to the Hellfire Club and the Organization, if not dwarfed by our growing strength."
Marluxia gave a very bitter and hard sigh as he said, his voice now resentful, "Still, the Superior has decided on behalf of the Organization that this we can allow to slide. After all, it was not a complete loss, and we did achieve what our main goal to harness the power of the portal."
"Of course," Slade smiled as he held up a small, thin, twinkling object in his hands, "Everything did go according to plan after all. The Misfits, the X-Men, and the Titans have completed their sole duty and defeated Trigon without requiring us or the Hellfire Club to lift a finger, leaving the Earth ripe for the pickings when the Gathering of Twilight arrives, Cadmus has gained much invaluable knowledge from their test subjects that the Hellfire Club provided for them, I have regained my flesh and blood, and we have the vital ingredient we need for the Organization's plans with Experiment 666…"
There, held aloft between Slade's thumb and forefinger, was the tiny, fragile vial of blood, the very vial that Brother Blood had collected from Raven right before he tried to murder the child.
Marluxia's eyes gleamed a bit in triumph as Slade handed the vial to the member of the Thirteenth Order.
"Excellent. The Superior and the Thirteenth Order shall be pleased with this," the brown-haired man said in a satisfied and slightly relieved tone.
"Thanks to Brother Blood's faithful servitude, we now have a means of creating another portal, one that will be far easier to control the Heartless once the Door to the Light is revealed. I can already inform you that Eiling and the Cadmus group are very hopeful at the new possibilities this blood sample can be accomplished with," the military general remarked from the sidelines.
"Such a shame, really…" Marluxia said without much pity, his voice exhibiting no effort in hiding the fact that he could care less, "Brother Blood was undoubtedly loyal and true to the beliefs of the evil that was to come."
General Silver's voice grew chilling as the influential officer beamed a very wicked and sinister smile, saying, "Not really. We still have plenty of leftover material from Kalibak's body to ensure that Brother Blood would not be the only Shaggy Man in the near future. The poor fool will definitely not be the last…"
"And of course," Slade chuckled in a light-hearted yet equally disturbing voice, "For with Brother Blood out of the picture, I had no trouble becoming the White Knight of the Hellfire Club, thanks to my success in dealing with the Titans and leading the fools to walk directly into our hands. After all, the less competition for a seat within the Inner Circle, the better."
"Congratulations on your new position," Marluxia couldn't help but remark to Slade despite himself, "It shall certainly take you to higher places, being the Hellfire Club's personal assassin…"
"It suits me at least…for the time being."
Both General Silver and Marluxia could discern the tone of offhandedness, the inkling hint that if the Hellfire Club had no longer continued to interest or assist Slade's agendas, then the deadly masked man would have no problems leaving the influential Inner Circle for more significant lifestyles. And he certainly wouldn't take no for an answer. The Organization member then shifted his scythe over to his other shoulder as the blade of the menacing and sharp weapon shone with an emerald-green sheen, eerily bathing the three of them in a pool of daunting power.
"And this shall suit you as well, then, assassin," Marluxia spoke with great authority as Slade was immersed in the same luminosity as the hooded one's weapon, his entire body enveloped gently with the strange gleaming light and giving the one-eyed human strength and vitality beyond any mortal comprehension. Slade's eye narrowed in disbelief, but also, with growing pleasure and appalling eagerness.
"A gift from the Superior, himself," Marluxia finished as his flower scythe faded into the shadows again, "Apparently, your role in the Organization's plans with the portal pleases him, and as such, he has decided to make you an additional steward to the powers of Darkness. Welcome to the might and strength of the Heartless, Assassin and White Knight of the Hellfire Club. The creatures of Ansem's are yours to control…"
"I must say this is a welcome gift. Ever since the hexes from Scarlet Witch, Jinx, and Rogue have cast on me, I have permanently lost the fire powers Trigon had bequeathed me while I was his personal slave to fetch Raven for him. And yet…can't say I certainly miss being in the servitude of that manipulative, four-eyed windbag," Slade commented.
"You'll find the Heartless to be a much more rewarding experience, especially since a solider such as yourself would be vital in killing the Teen Titans and Titans East once the Gathering of Twilight comes to pass," General Silver observed, pondering. Marluxia whipped his head at the Omega Juggler of the United States government, his long mane of thorny, brown hair flying with irritation across his darkened features.
"Unfortunately, that possibility may wane now that the damned warrior known as Leomon has stepped in and ruined everything with his involvement! And the Digital warrior is a far greater threat to our stratagems than Trigon could ever be! The Superior has decided that he will command Blackheart to act now to start with our plans for the Nexus before the swordsman interferes with our carefully-planned arrangements even more!" the hooded man shot back heatedly, his face growing red.
"So soon?" Slade asked, a bit suspicious. The Hellfire Club was not going to like the slight deviation from the original agenda.
"I still do not understand why this Leomon character is such a cause for alarm," the Omega Juggler said in a scoffing yet gravely curious tone, "One lone player on the chessboard is not a huge reason to change tactics and hide in fear. Why should the Hellfire Club be so wary of this lion swordsman?"
Marluxia's jaw clenched in annoyance as he hissed, showing his teeth angrily, "That is because Leomon is a member of the King's royal court, you fool!"
Slade said with a bit of irritated disdain, his voice lackluster, "A king? King who, pray tell?"
Marluxia gave the masked fighter a dry yet annoying frown, and the Omega Juggler then realized the connection.
General Silver inhaled sharply as he exclaimed, "No! Not…not the King?"
Slade's eye widened a bit in surprise. He and the other members of the Inner Circle had heard rumors about the King…
"So if the King is involved in this…" General Silver muttered.
"Then though our chances of bringing in the Gathering of Twilight to Earth grows stronger, it will additionally welcome in meddling and intervention from the King's other loyal warriors and subjects, especially if the cursed priests come into play and that damned dog finds the Chosen Ones! Thus, while we strengthen the forces of the Organization, we must obtain the Talismans and find the identities of the potential Sovereign and Champion of Earth!"
"That may be easier said than done, Marluxia," Slade muttered, "If the Thirteenth Order cannot determine the identities of the Sovereign and Champion of Twilight, then it is highly unlikely that the Hellfire Club and their associates will be miraculously successful. It could be any human being that resides on Earth, or in a typically prophetic twist, the Sovereign and the Champion may not even be human in the first place. Any one of the heroes from G.I. Joe to the Titans to the mutants to the aliens of the Justice League to, quite possibly, even a hero and soldier who has not crossed us yet but who could still exhibit the qualities of the saviors of Earth."
"And let me not fail to remind the both of you the disaster it would be if even one of the Talismans was in the possession of the aforementioned heroes of Earth," Marluxia growled, "Which is why that if we ever wish to maintain the balance of power and even the playing field now that Raven has a purified form, we need to storm the Halliwell manor and obtain the Nexus."
"Let us hope so," General Silver muttered dubiously, "The Charmed Ones will not be easy to take out, especially since they have defeated a good portion of the Externals before. Even Selene is wary of them, and she is no weakling."
Marluxia smiled cunningly as he said, "I wouldn't give the Halliwells much merit. Blackheart is one of the strongest warriors born of the Darkness. And with the Heartless at our command, who could possibly fight them? Even with the Misfits and X-Men and G.I. Joe helping them, the Charmed Ones shall be as good as dead before the Gathering of Twilight and the Nexus shall be ours, to harness by the command of both the Hellfire Club and the Thirteenth Order. However…"
And at this, Marluxia glowered at General Silver and Slade before he continued.
"There may be the possibility that new warriors may arise to aid the Charmed Ones, exactly like how Leomon emerged to help the Titans, the X-Men, and the Misfits, a lone maverick or anomaly we have not anticipated who could turn the tide of battle against us even further. The Thirteenth Order does not want a similar occurrence to happen in this vital part of the war."
General Silver craftily replied, "Oh, the Cadmus group is well-prepared for that possibility. We still have our major trump card should the battle between Blackheart and the Charmed Ones require some assistance in our favor."
"And what number are we at now after our trials with the H.I.V.E. children?" Marluxia asked.
Slade replied, "According to Eiling, the Cadmus group has calculated that we're at number one hundred and seventy nine failed experiments. And with the input of the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Titans' powers and strengths and abilities, they will make sure that the next round of Heartless shall be better equipped to deal these meddling teenagers."
"Excellent," purred Marluxia in satisfaction, "Then all is certainly up to schedule in the planning with the Superior. Gentlemen, tell the Cadmus group and the Hellfire Club to begin the last and final stage to Operation Kingdom Hearts. Let us initiate our plans for the Nexus and Experiment 666…"
And with that, the meeting had ended.
---
Experiment 666…
The short-haired brunette gasped, stifling a scream, as she broke out of her slumber on her desk in her office at The Bay Mirror newspaper. The female journalist inadvertently placed her hands over her chest, trying to soothe her beating heart, yet unable to do so for she knew she had another premonition as she was finishing her deadline for the article for tomorrow's edition before midnight.
Yet, her powers of clairvoyance had always been visions, images of the future and awful events and tragedies that could be prevented. Never before in the Wiccan's life had she received a premonition in a way where a prophetic voice talked in a sea of darkness. There was no clue, no hint, not the faintest idea of what it meant or what was to come. And yet the witch knew that no matter how hard she and the other Charmed Ones looked in the Book of Shadows, they would be most likely not to find anything.
Nervously, Phoebe Halliwell looked at the news-clippings she had on her desk in her office strewn out before she dozed off. One of them was a front-page article of The San Francisco Times showing G.I. Joe and the Misfits helping out their efforts to the world during the Asia tsunami along with the caption, "Mutants and Humans: Can We Really Stand United?". Next to this was another article in Newsweek displaying the X-Men, with Professor Xavier leading the X-Men into battle against the Sentinel that Boliviar Trask built, all of them using their powers to fight against the mechanical monster with great courage and determination. Above this picture was the propaganda title, "The Mutant Crisis". And next to this was a third clipping from The Daily Planet showing a red-haired, masked-and-caped girl dressed in a bat-like costume and throwing her batarangs next to a beautiful, fair-haired and rosy-lipped teenage girl with wings of flame, a white short-sleeved shirt with a red-and-yellow letter "S" sown into it, and a blue skirt. Both of the females were fighting side-by-side and smiling as a close and trusting duo of friends and comrades. Next to the picture was the headline, "Batgirl and Supergirl Foil Intergang".
"The Experiment of the Beast…" Phoebe whispered, frowning at the three pictures, not knowing what to feel.
Experiment 666…
What did it mean?
---
Meanwhile, in a quaint academy dormitory somewhere in London…
Willow Rosenberg gasped deeply, waking up in a cold sweat and dressed in her nightgown, as she bolted from her slumber in a sitting position, awaking from her nightmare. The red-haired Wiccan was gripping her sheets in her bed tightly in a fist as she tried to recollect what it was that scared her, petrifying her soul to its very core, as if a single firefly lost in an endless field of impenetrable darkness. Yet to her disappointment (and dread), she couldn't remember it.
"Willow, what's wrong?" asked Kennedy, Willow's lover and personal Slayer as she rose from the bed next to the witch, her long, brown hair cascading down her tanned and perfectly shaped shoulders as she emerged from the warmth of the covers, "What happened?"
Willow rubbed her arms for comfort, still in a half-stupor state from the frozen fear lodged in her brain before she answered softly, "I…I'm not sure, Kennedy. But…I get the feeling…something big is going to happen…"
Kennedy looked alarmed as she then leaned over and rubbed her friend's back as a gesture of reassurance, asking with a bit of readied caution, almost as if every minute of her existence was immediately and automatically prepared for a battle or right, "Big? You mean another Hellmouth or…something evil? Like Caleb? Is the world in danger again? Will, if some big danger is approaching us, can you tell me what it is? Can you remember?"
"I…I don't know. It's so…Argh! It's like I know something's coming but it's so ambiguously clouded and fleeting, I can't even determine what it is!" Willow griped, her breathing starting to become more relaxed, but the dread at the mysterious yet fuzzy recollect of the dream was troubling. A look of fire and grim urgency sparked in Willow's eyes before she promptly flung the blankets off her person and stormed out of bed.
"Call Giles, Faith, and Wood and gather the rest of the Potentials. Tell them and Faith to ready everyone and be prepared for an indefinite trip to San Francisco. I need to start doing some research on anything related to what I can remember from my dream as well as brush up and reference any powerful spells we might need for our fight."
"So it's another Hellmouth? We're going into another war with the First?" Kennedy asked suspiciously as she hurriedly put on a T-shirt.
"God help us, I wish it was," murmured Willow, "Because whatever I sensed, it's a sign of something big, something powerful coming, like an unstoppable army that transcends vampires and all the evil creatures we've faced before. Something even stronger than the First and the Hellmouth. A lot stronger…"
---
Meanwhile, it was a beautiful day at Jump City, the entire town bustling with the everyday busybody activities of life, shopping, working, conversing, enjoying the normal day-to-day occurrences typical for men, women, and children. With the cloudless sky offering warm sunlight in the cool air bathing the metropolis from the nearby ocean, not a single civilian was aware of how close they came to being doomed for eternity under a fanatical demon conqueror thanks to a group of power-hungry, ruthless tyrants.
And for Raven's sake, she hoped it would stay that way, and should such an occurrence ever arise again, she would be willing to fight with all of her strength for Earth's salvation.
The white-cloaked Titan stood on the roof of the Titans Towers, closing her eyes and letting the cool breeze and the salt-air dull her senses and recollect the turn of horrific events with some ease now. It had only been a day after the battle with Trigon and the Armageddon, but Raven knew her life couldn't have been more dramatically altered. The Misfits, the X-Men, and the Joes were already packed and planning to leave for back home after the big, celebratory lunch they would all have together later today. All the Titans were sorry to see them go, Raven most of all.
It wasn't every day you found people willing to fight a thousand-foot demon for you, and Raven knew she was additionally lucky to have found a deeper level of companionship through Scarlet Witch and Rogue (all three of them already exchanged e-mails and phone numbers with promises of keeping in touch on a regular basis).
It was funny, being able to submit a bit more to her emotions than her past body ever did. True, she would always need to keep her powers and dark side in check through meditation and absolute self-control, but the telekinetic also knew that the purified body of light she gained was a bit more flax in the desperate needs and rigors. She could feel and show joy and sadness and anger to a relatively greater extent than before, and the euphoria of being free to live like, well, like a normal teenager was enough to thrill her and not be such a stone-cold, deadpanned wooden puppet.
It was a true gift, that simple freedom of emotion. And though Raven could admit she would always have some resentment and affront to the fact that Leomon was sent to kill her, it was easily dwarfed by the gratitude and touched concern she now felt for the lion, for what he did. She hoped to Azar that Leomon wouldn't suffer greatly for her sake; Raven didn't want to live with the guilt.
She then felt another presence slowly appear next to her on the rooftop of the headquarters, a mere shadow and elusive, ghostly even, but Raven smiled to herself as she looked upon the specter of Arella, translucent and a spirit of the dead, clad in her white robe and her long black hair billowing down her shoulders. Arella, though she had tears of regret in her eyes, reached out and touched Raven's cheek, her vaporous hand as indistinct as a zephyr of wind.
"You've grown so much, Raven," Arella whispered, her voice echoing softly and fading.
Raven duly noted that fact, that she was now slightly taller and her hair was longer than before, making her more feminine and stunning than her old body. Raven managed to give a snort of amusement as she replied, "Like daughter, like mother. I like the new look, so I'll be keeping it for a while, as a reminder that it's all right to grow up, that I now have a future that can't be formed by destiny."
Arella sniffed, her eyes now growing misty as she said with remorse, "And it was a lesson I had learned too late. I am glad you have found a family and a circle of friends who are courageous and true, more than the monks of Azarath could ever provide for your well-being and benefit. And…I was a fool, a horrid excuse for a mother and a parent, to sacrifice you in order to try to save your life. I am truly sorry, Raven."
Raven sniffed, her eyes prickling. She hated good-byes too.
"Can you forgive, for what I have done, for how I could not protect you, for failing you? I know I do not deserve it, and I will not force you to do anything against your will. You are rightfully entitled to your anger if you wish to keep it, my daughter," Arella whispered.
Raven held her elbows as she said, after some deliberate thought, "I…I can't answer that, Mother. That betrayal, that hurt…it can't just go away instantly just because everything turned out all right. I can't lie and say that I feel fine about the whole thing because I don't. I can't say that I forgive you just because you're my family because the pain is still raw inside me. I don't hate you, Mother. I just…give me some time."
Arella nodded, but Raven then softened the blow a bit.
"I still love you, though" Raven sniffed, stubbornly holding her mouth in a deadpanned line. Arella smiled, knowing that sentence was satisfactory enough as the spirit of the priestess then leaned over and kissed Raven on the forehead. Raven fought the urge to chuckle as her face grew serious and she regained her usual sarcastic wit and deadpanned expression.
"Let's not spoil this with mushy moments, Mother," she complained good-naturedly. Arella nodded before she mouthed a farewell and faded in the sunlight, leaving the witch of the Teen Titans to stonily look on as she was left alone on the Titans Tower. Raven made her way downstairs, her heart secretly and noticeably lighter.
Meanwhile, the adults of the X-Men and the Misfit handlers were conversing in a private meeting with each other in one of the sectors on the lower levels of the Titans Tower. They had already been briefed from the numerous eyewitness accounts of the students and the Titans more than adequately to realize the unknown yet potential threat the Hellfire Club was planning (and not to mention that Raven was able to recount everything she remembered when she left for Azarath once the secrets of her heritage were discovered)
"So how are we so far?" Wolverine muttered, his arms crossed over his chest in a gruff posture.
Xavier looked slightly pained as he formed a steeple with his clasped hands, stating with some sadness, "The Misfit handlers along with the G.I. Joe soldiers General Hawk sent to aid us during the clean-up managed to clandestinely bag and collect every single Heartless organism and H.I.V.E. student that had perished in the fight caused by the Hellions and Trigon, and Batman and the Titans made sure that the general public of Jump City did not suspect anything odd of the sort. As much it disturbs me to say this, we've just finished all traces of what the Hellfire Club inflicted on the city and on H.I.V.E Academy. We were even able to destroy the remnants and parts of the demolished Sentinels during the Armageddon."
"Too bad we couldn't find any of the Hellions and Slade," Roadblock growled darkly in verse, still troubled, "The Hellfire Club can't get away with the mess they made. Children died and got turned into abominations, and if we don't stop them soon, there may be more deaths caused from these experimentations. Leomon wasn't kidding when he said we're not free and clear, and with this Gathering of Twilight approaching, it could mean the real end of Earth, I fear."
"And unfortunately, we can't find out what the Hellfire Club is trying to achieve by bringing the Heartless or by accepting Slade and Brother Blood into their society of authority and power," Jake pondered as he frowned, tracing a circle on the counter with a claw idly, "And from what it sounds, things are going to get a lot worse, especially since this leaves the Hellions and the Hellfire Club to make their next move before we can even anticipate. And unlike a lot of the enemies we've dealt with before, this makes 'em a heck of a lot more ruthless and dangerous, especially if they were willing to bring forth an Armageddon just to get a blood sample from Raven, though kats above only know what they could possibly use it for."
"Wait, what about Tessa, Charles?" Ororo asked as she turned to her mentor, "You sent her to spy on Sebastian Shaw in the first place, and she may be able to provide insight on what the Inner Circle is attempting to plan with this Gathering of Twilight."
Professor Xavier sighed, "Unfortunately, I cannot, Storm. Not only have I lost contact with Tessa, but any attempts to contact her might give away her secrets in the Hellfire Club and expose her, thus inadvertently endangering her life should the Inner Circle ever discover that she is a spy. And after everything I have done for her and how I had hurt her by not allowing her to join the X-Men, I cannot do that under any circumstances, even if it could prove fruitful."
"Nor should you," Blind Master said in strong agreement, "Tessa is in no danger from what we know of, and as much as it may seem like, she'll always be loyal to you and your cause, Professor."
Xavier's jaw dropped as well as Ororo and Logan's upon the surprising assertion, much to Jake and Hank's confusion. Logan sputtered, "How the hell did you know Tessa is a spy for Xavier in the Hellfire Club? And for that matter, how the hell did you even know about Tessa! Only me, Chuck, and Ororo knew of her!"
Shipwreck gave a serious, grim expression, not typical of his normal goofy self as he said, "Don't worry, G.I. Joe and General Hawk know how to keep secrets, and as how we found out, well…let's just say you weren't the only ones who tried sending spies into the Hellfire Club. And unlike Tessa, ours got discovered."
Hank's eyes went wide as he asked, shivering with dread, "Are they…? They aren't…?"
"They're fine," Low Light said strongly, "They were able to get out of there before the Hellfire Club could exact punishment on them, and thanks to our help, we were able to hide them so that not even the Inner Circle knows of their whereabouts. Trust us, Professor, when we say that we have our own secrets to hide in G.I. Joe as well."
"And how about Brother Blood? Any chance we can bring him back to normal and 'convince' him to tell us what he knows about the Hellfire Club's plans?" Shipwreck asked. Hank sighed as he shook his head.
"Negative on that. We already had the Professor and Lifeline try to delve into his mind, trying to see if we can find any clues or fragments that could reveal to us what the Hellfire Club and the Inner Circle is planning, but there's nothing to salvage. When Raven and her mother telepathically fought with him, Brother Blood's mind completely shattered as a result, leaving him with no such consciousness or mental brainwave activity at all. In other words, this is a classic case of the lights being on but nobody is home…and the effect, I'm afraid to say, is irreversible. Though he will be quite comfortable in the Steel City mental institution, he won't ever recover. His mind is permanently fractured and broken, and he cannot even feed himself nor make a coherent sentence a five-year old could easily produce verbally. And I'd doubt the Hellfire Club will want to salvage him this time; to them, he must have already served his purpose."
"Great, so we're pretty much back to square one," muttered Cover Girl, grousing as she then ticked off with her fingers one by one, "And from what we know, there's more to come. Lex Luthor, nemesis of the Justice League, is a member of the Inner Circle and he helps them by freeing the Phoenix Force from the M'Kraan crystal while distracting Superman and the others from interfering with Apokolips. Slade and Brother Blood get their membership because they were able to help the Hellions fight the Titans not to mention coerce H.I.V.E. into sacrificing the students to form Heartless. So that just leaves this incredibly-powerful demon called Blackheart sent by some mysterious organization that calls itself the Thirteenth Order, according to Raven's testimony. So whatever this Blackheart guy has to do for the Hellfire Club, it'll be a doozy to be sure."
"And it may lead to more deaths of innocents, exactly like H.I.V.E. Academy got caught in the crossfire," Professor Xavier murmured as he and the other adults recollected the remainder of H.I.V.E. Academy once Trigon had been successfully banished…
The Teen Titans, Titans East, the X-Men, the Misfits, and the G.I. Joes (both the teenagers and the adults) stood among the rubble and dead bodies of what used to be the prestigious school of future villains and terrorists as they all stood, facing the Hivemistress and her surviving student body. Both parties stood opposite of each other, running a gamut of feelings and thoughts. The H.I.V.E. trio, Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth just stood symbolically in the sidelines, shunned by their former classmates.
"As much as we are grateful for avenging the deaths of those who fell victim to the Heartless and the Hellfire's treachery, I cannot say I am absolutely pleased at you three for siding yourselves with our greatest enemies. Your actions have only further disgraced the legacy of H.I.V.E. Academy," the woman said in a clearly disapproving voice, her face stern and her eyes narrowed. Jinx looked hurt while Gizmo just belligerently glared back at the old woman. Mammoth was rather despondent as he looked on blankly.
"You know, if it wasn't for their help, H.I.V.E. would have easily perished from living under a world under Trigon's rule. At least Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo fought to make sure you and the rest of your students have a home and a world to continue living in," Blind Master said in a tightly restrained and simmering voice.
"Which is precisely why I'm not expelling them," the Headmistress snapped back, undaunted. The H.I.V.E. trio looked surprised, shocked even as their superior continued in a grim tone to the heroes.
"We shall all go into hiding, away from the prying eyes of the Hellfire Club while we rebuild and restore H.I.V.E. back to its former glory, a complete restructure of the organization itself. Though we thank you for the meager assistance, this changes nothing between H.I.V.E. and the Titans. And coincidentally, we will also not hesitate to attack the X-Men and the Misfits should they ever get in our way."
"You have a nice way of saying 'thank you', you know?" snapped Tabitha with her hands on her hips Yet Speedy and Cyborg were disturbed by what the headmistress of the school had just said..
"Rebuild H.I.V.E. Academy?" echoed the half-robot Titan incredulously, "With what?"
"Since we were able to discover that Brother Blood was a probationary member of the Hellfire Club, some of my students were able to hack directly into his accounts and holdings to discover links to a secret account reserved from the Hellfire Club thanks to Lexcorp and Shaw Industries embezzling large amounts of money from the ruin of H.A.T.E. A very lucrative account, I might add. Luthor and Frost shall find it to be completely empty, and the money shall be put to good use for us to reform and reshape what we have lost. I consider it a reimbursement to compensate what they stole from us…"
"That's it?" gasped Speedy in horror, "You mean you're not going to stay and bury your dead, help us see to it that the kids and adults that died from the Heartless experimentation are properly buried and taken care of?"
"It is no concern of mine and far too painful. And besides, that's what heroic fools such as all of you are for," the Headmistress shot back coolly.
"What's wrong with you?" demanded Xi angrily, his tongue flicking in a snakelike manner as he spat out his indignation laced with bile, "These are your own students, kids you raised since the beginning! Don't you have any heart? Don't you even care?"
"I do," the woman replied with detached steel, "But I cannot ignore the plight of my surviving students when we need to flee now before it is too late for us to make a safe and comfortable escape. And as tragic as this is, we wouldn't be a school of villains if we allowed ourselves to become emotional and fragile to the dead, especially since it makes no difference how we help those we cannot bring back. I must protect the living and concentrate on keeping the surviving classes safe."
"Bet the money makes it easier for you to say things like that, huh?" Cover Girl said in a very disapproving and disgusted tone. The Headmistress ignored the female soldier from G.I. Joe as she turned to Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo.
"You three students have a choice: come with us or live out the rest of your life as a disgraced outcast of the school."
Mammoth and Gizmo started walking automatically, though the Titans and the mutants could tell that their hearts weren't really in it. Jinx, however, resolutely remained still as she cried out, protesting, at her two best friends.
"Milkron, Baran!" she gasped in shock, "You can't! Selinda died because of her, because of what she believed, because of how H.I.V.E. sacrificed her and the other students for prestige and power! Please, you guys, don't go! Please!"
Gizmo gave Jinx a baleful look as he muttered with scorn, "So what's the alternative, Jinx? Join the Titans? Be a sickening, goody two-shoes, puke-filled hero and fight for the wimpy, pink, fluffy, scuzz-sucking side of good and justice? Please. I'd rather go with H.I.V.E."
Mammoth looked more pained, however, as he turned to Jinx and said softly, "It's harder to change ourselves, Jinx, and for what? Living as a hero isn't going to satisfy us in life and it's not going to make us feel better about leaving H.I.V.E. We'd never be trusted if we joined the Titans or G.I. Joe. We can't live like that, Jinx. It's not us."
Jinx's eyes were brimming with angry tears as her lower lips quivered, her hands twitching before she held her elbows and looked down with hurt and shame at the rocks and floor. She did not make an attempt to walk with them towards H.I.V.E. Academy. Mammoth and Gizmo understood the gesture.
"You're not coming with us, are you?" Mammoth asked, though from the tone of his voice, he wasn't surprised in the slightest. If anything, Robin was a bit startled to hear a hint of relief in the ape-man's voice. Jinx shook her head. The Hivemistress' eyes narrowed in anger.
"Then consider yourself expelled, Jinx," she declared in a final tone, "From this moment on, you are no longer welcome at our haven nor have you ever existed as one of H.I.V.E.'s graduates, and if you ever attempt to return, we will kill you."
Jinx clenched her eyes shut as she let the tears run down her face. It was still painful even though she was bracing herself for it.
"Students, let us leave," the Hivemistress said simply, and with that order, the gray-haired woman and her surviving brood turned and left, walking over the rubble to destinations unknown and disappearing into the distance. However, some of the X-Men and Titans and Misfits were quick to notice some of the students were giving Jinx farewell glances of gratitude and sympathy. Jinx looked crushed as she stood there, watching her school abandon her, but then Mammoth and Gizmo clandestinely want up to the pink-haired witch before they followed after their classmates. Mammoth knelt and gave Jinx a bone-crushing hug of friendship, letting her know that she wouldn't lose him as he whispered in her ear.
"Thanks for always looking out for my sister, Jinx. Be sure to find Selinda a nice burial place where there's lots of daises. She always loved daisy wildflowers…"
Gizmo just wordlessly held Jinx's hands, his eyes blank and unresponsive to Jinx's teary ones as Jinx then felt Gizmo drop something foreign and cold in her palms. With that done, Baran and Mikron took off, following the tail of the remainder of H.I.V.E. academy. Jinx looked on blankly before she then uncurled her slim fingers to see the present Gizmo bequeathed to her.
It was a small, dark-blue communicator. Not a H.I.V.E.-regulated one, but one of Gizmo's most prized and secretive communicators, a tool that was near undetectable and could only be used by the H.I.V.E. trio as their own personal line, set apart from everything else and without the Headmistress' knowledge. Jinx smiled as the tears fell through and dripped down her cheeks.
It was a final testament of Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth's friendship, that small yet available line of keeping touch. Even though they couldn't stay together, they wouldn't forget each other. Not by a long shot.
"And what of Jinx?" Ororo asked, realizing that she had almost forgotten about the witch who helped them, "Where is she to go? She cannot go back to H.I.V.E. Academy after they had so heartlessly forsaken her, and she apparently has no family to seek refuge from."
"She'll be all right," Spirit replied, "General Hawk knew that she would be uncomfortable joining the Titans, especially with the large possibility of having to face her friends. After what they have gone through, we didn't want to put them in that situation, especially when we can see that despite being separated, Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo mean the world to each other. They've gone through enough. So Jinx is going to join a special family General Whithalf and some of the Joes has adopted somewhere along the West Coast. Whithalf says she'll be well-taken care of and that he and the other Joes will treat her like a daughter."
"That's a relief," Beast said, nodding.
Meanwhile, the Titans, the X-Men, and the Misfits were preparing for their last good-byes…
"Hey, Robin?" Ray asked tentatively. The black-haired masked teen turned to the mutant.
"Yeah?"
"I…I wanted to apologize, for what I said to Starfire earlier when we first met after we fought with the Hellions and Slade at Jump City Bay, for freaking out when I found out she was an alien. I'm sorry I was being a jerk back then."
Robin warmly smiled his trademark, devil-may-care grin as he said with grace, "Apology accepted, Ray."
"She's really one in an million, isn't she?" Ray murmured as he and Robin watched the red-haired alien girl play eagerly with Lockheed and Silkie (the purple dragon of Kitty was now incredible infatuated with the Tamaranean), "Not to mention that now that I think about it…she is kinda hot."
"Sorry, Bezerker, but she's taken," Robin playfully growled, letting the X-Teen know that he and Starfire have a close relationship that was growing beyond mere friendship.
"Hey, you can't blame me, Robin," smiled Ray, "Starfire is cute...Hey! Does she have a sister? Maybe I can try dating her and see if she'd be willing to go out with an Earthling?"
Robin easily grimaced at the thought of Blackfire.
"Ray," he said in self-amused pain, "I'll only say this once: you're better off not knowing Starfire's sister."
At the same time, Mas y Menos were running around the operations center and causing chaos while somehow were miraculously speaking in English…
"Please come visit us in Steel City! We got to show you X-Men and Misfits our Titans Tower!" Mas declared in an excited, perfectly normal-sounding English version on his regular Hispanic voice.
"And we still have to do target practice with our new glovatrixes that Razor gave us!" Menos happily exclaimed in English as he waved around his white and red glove-apparatus that Jake had carefully built for the two speedsters of Titans East as gifts.
"So how is it that we're able to understand them?" Jamie asked Forge and Cyborg as they watched the scene from the kitchen counter, sitting on stools.
"They're wearing specially designed voice-modulators and translators around their necks," Forge said as the twins were running circles around the kitchen, causing a general mess, "I built then last night when the idea came to me that a lot of people could be better off if they could get someone to translate what they were always saying like how Cover Girl did while we stayed here since she's fluent in Spanish. Well, since we were leaving, I thought these groovy babies could help the Titans. As long as Mas and Menos wear them, the voice circuitry in the modulators will translate every single word they say into accurate English without making them sound lifeless or mechanical. And the glovatrixes Jake gave to them to give them an edge in battle since super-speed isn't a gnarly offensive power."
Cyborg looked at Forge in disbelief before his red, mechanical eye twitched ever so slightly as he said, "Let me get this straight. Y'all gave two incredibly irresponsible and hyperactive midgets with mouths and feet faster than their brains destructive firearms that can fire missiles and Lord knows what else that can potentially send the Tower to rubble in days?"
Forge got the message as he winced. The X-Man then meekly said, "Now that I think about it, it wasn't one of our better ideas, was it?"
KABOOM!
"Oops, sorry about that!" Menos yelled as he and the others viewed the smoking hole in the wall formed from his glovatrix misfiring, "I accidentally jolted the trigger button!"
"Gee, what gave you that idea, Forge?" Jamie drawled as he gave Forge a deadpanned glare.
Meanwhile, Althea was just standing next to the metal railing of a nearby wharf that was an outlet from the channel that originated from Jump City Bay, holding her elbows in a rare display of vulnerability and unease as she watched the beautiful water sparking under the bright, cloudless sky, the gleam of the sea dancing across her face.
She remembered Spirit telling her once that when the body longed for the appearance of water, it meant that their souls were nervous, not at rest, and troubled.
There was no doubt in Althea's mind why she was so troubled…and it wasn't from the battle with Trigon or the discovery of the H.I.V.E. Academy. Thus, that was why she needed to be outside the tower.
"Hey…Althea?" a tentative voice spoke behind her, and Althea inwardly counted to ten, not sure if she could resist the urge to bash Aqualad's face in if she turned around and met his gaze. As a passive move, the Misfit leader just continued to stare at the ocean water, gripping the metal railing in front of her and leaning heavily as she answered back with some annoyance, not even bothering to face the Atlantian prince.
"What do you want, Garth?" she muttered, not bothering to hide the venom in her voice.
The violet-eyed member of Titans East was sullen and a bit reluctant, but he knew this needed to be said, so he inhaled deeply a bit before saying with sincerity, "I wanted to thank you for saving my life when we fought against the Sentinels and Trigon. It…I really didn't expect it, and you really had no reason to - "
"It's done and over with, Garth. You said your thanks, I acknowledged it, so go away with your own life and let me get on with mine," the hydrokinetic said shortly, brusquely, and Garth felt his temper perk up a bit.
"By the seven seas, you can't ever take a compliment, can you?" he snapped, hands on his hips, "I'm trying to be nice here!"
"And you think one 'thank you' is going to make me feel better about what happened in the past, to what you called me and my Pops and how the Atlantian Council treated us when we tried to ask them to stop my mom and your uncle? You think one 'thank you' is going to erase that hate I feel for you?" Althea said, and her voice was deadly frigid, almost as if lowering the temperature around them by several degrees. Garth then looked remorseful as he frowned and sourly looked at the ground to the side.
He absolutely hated being reminded of that.
"I was younger then," Aqualad sighed with cross resentment, "Back then, I completely adored my family and my uncle, to the point that I would do anything for them and believe everything that they said, their ideals, their rituals, without question. If my uncle told me that your mother would be much happier being his wife in Atlantis, then of course I'd trust his judgment. I trusted him, and I didn't trust you, an outsider and a topsider, one of the most dubious and underhanded threats to our city and its culture. I was just following my uncle's philosophies and my family's loyalty for each other. I didn't mean any harm by it."
"So all those names you called me when I entered into your city was supposed to be a family honor? So how the Atlantians looked down on my Dad and called him a pitiful drunk, a useless village idiot, a man not worthy to bear children to a pig much less my mother was supposed to be a good thing that was supposed to be all in innocent fun? So the lies Namor and Aquaman spread that slandered my father and justified my mother marrying your uncle because she supposedly ran away from an 'abusive' family life was really made with no intention of harm?"
Althea's knuckles turned white from gripping the railing so hard. Garth now looked really pained and guilty as he then admitted the conflict he felt about that.
"Althea," Aqualad began, "You know Atlantian culture would have never respected and acknowledged Mara as an honorary civilian of our city and my uncle's betrothed if they ever found out that she left one man for another. And Aquaman and Namor needed my uncle at the time because he was a powerful mystic and a great help to protecting the city and a prominent member of the Council. They didn't need the incoming scandal and indignity causing gossip and dissention among the city over my uncle's marriage, so they allowed the stories and lies about your father being a drunk, a letch, and an abusive husband so that the Atlantian society would pity Mara, make them sympathize with her and welcome her to the fold as a victim who needed healing, who needed love and tenderness. Granted, it's not the best way to get people to like and accept you, but it was better than being known as a gold-digger who wanted a life free from her mutant kids and army husband. Aquaman and Namor knew that this wasn't honorable, but they needed to follow the greater good of Atlantis. And they can't sacrifice my uncle's happiness or the peace and unity of the city over your father's well-being. It's just they wanted to go with what was the best choice for everyone, what was the better good."
There was a lengthy pause between the Titan and the mutant, but it was apparent that Althea was not willing to continue to conversation any longer. Aqualad felt a bit irritated as he said without thought, "You know, it's not entirely bad. You and your family did get paid well in the divorce settlement - "
"Don't go there, Garth."
The Titan stopped, a bit shocked at the intensity of Althea's feral growl in the sentence, so powerful it could have knocked down a brick wall, before he then realized how crude that comment was, so he backpedaled gracefully.
"You're right, that was tactless of me…" he muttered before continuing strongly, "But for what it's worth…I am truly sorry. About everything. About how my family wronged yours, how I called you names and insulted you and your father when you both came to Atlantis to stop Mara, and how I was acting to you overall during this whole trip between the Hellions and Trigon."
After a few minutes of tense silence, in which Garth wasn't sure if Wavedancer accepted the apology or not, Althea then spoke.
"Is she happy?" she asked softly, so soft Aqualad could barely hear her.
"What?" Garth asked, taken aback. Althea repeated it, puncturing each work with lucid frustration as if she was trying to stab each syllable with her knife.
"Is she happy?"
Garth hesitated a bit before he answered truthfully, "I think so. She and my uncle love each other very much, and of course, his riches and his status as a respected councilman in Atlantis is enough to give her a lot of satisfaction and respect and importance, so it's a good life for her. She's never miserable, at least from what I've seen, and she seems pretty well-adjusted to her new life. And…"
He stopped. Could he...should he tell Althea?
By the Gods of Atlantis forgive him, this wasn't going to be easy to say, but Garth forced himself to tell it.
"…and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy a year ago. He's the pride and joy of both Mara and my uncle. Althea…you have a half-brother in Atlantis now. His name is Ceridian."
The Misfit leader's body stiffened, so still that one could easily carve a replica out of ice and stone, as she just blankly looked at the ocean, her black hair with blue highlights limply fluttering behind her neck. Aqualad looked at the Misfit leader worriedly before Althea then spoke at last.
"Does my Dad know? Did you tell him?"
Aqualad nodded, replying, "He had a right to, and he asked me specifically when he visited me in the infirmary after you and Speedy beat me up while you were staying with us at the Titans Tower. I just told him and no one else except you at this point. Shipwreck took it well. It was as if…well, as if he expected it. But he doesn't have any bad feelings. He told me that me and Ceridian are welcome to visit him at the Pit should we ever want. Your Dad let me know pretty clearly that he didn't blame me or anyone else from my family that weren't a part of breaking up him and Mara, and that he hopes Ceridian has a good life in Atlantis. Said he even hopes to meet him someday."
"That's my Pops," Althea said huskily, "He's got a temper and he's a brawler, but he knows where the blame goes when the stakes are laid out. He's not unreasonable when he wants to be."
"Your Dad's a good man," Garth said, "Eventually, he'll find someone who'll be very lucky to have him in her life."
And with that, Aqualad left, leaving Althea to ponder aimlessly with thoughts about her family and her father. She wasn't so sure what to feel about what she had just learned.
Later that day, with all the members of the Teen Titans, the Titans East, the teenage X-Men, and the Misfits gathered at the Jump City pizzeria, all of the seated around a large table…
"You're all honorary Teen Titans!" Robin declared proudly as the X-Men and the Misfits admired the yellow and black communicators the Titans had bequeathed to them as gifts. Each member of both mutant teams had their own personal link to both Titans Towers in Jump and Steel City, and these gifts of goodwill only strengthened the notion that despite the horrors they had witnessed, they emerged out of this as true allies and friends, companions they could trust and fight alongside each other for the greater good.
"Wow, thanks a lot!" Blob marveled.
"And here, these are from the X-Men," Scott replied as he and the X-Men gave all of the Titans communicators that linked to the X-Mansion and the Institute's transmission and communication systems.
"And these are to say everyone from the Teen Titans and Titans East are honorary Misfits, yo!" Todd said as he and the other Misfits gave teleportation watches to the members of the Teen Titans and Titans East, automatically horning on the X-Men presentation. Cyclops glared at the brown-haired boy with the evil eye as he rumbled back in a dangerous, offended tone.
"No, they're honorary X-Men, Toad…" Scott said with gritted teeth.
"No, they're honorary Misfits, Summers," growled Toad with equal strength.
"No, X-Men, Toad…" Scott shot back.
"Like anyone would want to be a stuffy X-Geek over a Misfit!" Lance growled, and not surprisingly, this led to another mother of all arguments as most of the members from both of the Misfits and the X-Men were heatedly yelling and jabbing at each other mercilessly. A few such as Jamie, Tabitha, Lina, Fred, and Justin wisely kept out of it, watching silently from the sidelines.
"Do you still think that fighting is a healthy thing?" Hank sighed wearily. Bumblebee gave Beast a sardonic look, raising one eyebrow.
"You're forgetting the idiots I have to deal with, Mr. McCoy," she replied as both of them turned to Mas and Menos, who were currently fighting tooth and nail with each other.
"Hey, I'm going to ask Kitty out on a date!" Mas snapped as he wrestled Menos to the ground.
"No way! She's rather go out with me, the good-looking twin as compared to you, donkey-face!" Menos shot back as he kicked his brother off him before rushing towards Kitty with love-struck eyes. Unfortunately, Mas immediately zoomed back up to trip his brother before he even got close to Shadowcat.
"Give it up, blockhead! She's mine!" Mas snapped.
"No, she's mine!" Menos snapped as they continued to brawl and wrestle. Kitty groaned as she heard this, cradling her head in her hands.
"I like swear I'm so cursed when it comes to totally attracting other guys!" she moaned.
"Suddenly, I miss the good ol' days when we weren't able to understand them," groaned Speedy.
"For truth!" Starfire declared as the pizzas and sodas finally arrived for them all, a huge feast of pastry, salad, and drinks to feed a Third World army.
"For justice!" Sam said happily.
"And for the last slice of pizza!" Jamie cheered.
"No, for the last cup of B.A.'s coffee!" Raven yelled in exuberant glee.
"Hear, hear!"
"Oh no…" groaned the adults, wincing and realizing it was too late as all the teenagers, including Raven and Rogue this time, took a hearty swig through their coffee mugs that they suddenly pulled out of thin air. Pietro and Trinity must have somehow smuggled in another sack of the stuff.
Needless to say, due to the amount of destruction and unforeseeable devastation during the following hour or two, the Jump City pizzeria needed to be closed down for repairs for several weeks…
---
Meanwhile, somewhere along the coast of California, the ex-H.I.V.E. student and pink-haired witch named Jinx was being led around a covert and well-protected military base by General Whithalf, the gray-haired general showing her around with good-humored absentmindedness and bumbling compassion. Still, it was apparent that despite being on an army station, Jinx oddly enough felt a sort of peaceful safety around the land.
"Are you all right, my dear?" Whithalf asked, noticing Jinx's apparent nervousness.
"I guess it'll be a while before I can really feel at home here…or anywhere else for that matter, sir," Jinx confessed, nearly lapsing on her respectful address to her superior, but Whithalf chuckled as he led the witch to a cozy and homey-looking red-brick house, which looked more adequate in a suburbia neighborhood rather than a military base. Jinx was a bit startled to see such a building being so out of place in the middle of tanks, weaponry, armored vehicles, and jets.
"Well, we know what you've just been through, so we'll see to it that you are well cared for and don't have to worry about fighting or anything of the sort. We just want you to recuperate and live the rest of your life as you can as a normal teenager without needing to worry about the Hellfire club or H.I.V.E. attempting to hunt you down. Ah, I see the troops are ready to welcome you into your new family. Jinx, my girl, say hi to your fellow teammates!"
Jinx then saw a well-built but young teenage boy with a blue, eight-pointed star birthmark over his right eye and wearing a KISS T-shirt and torn jeans standing in the doorway along with several other mutants on the front porch of the house. Some were unrecognizable to her, though Jinx could make out, to her surprise, the famous band the Superstars as well as Lila Cheney. But it was the leader wearing the KISS T-shirt that got her attention the most as he walked up to Jinx as an official liaison to the group of strangers as he held Jinx's hand, emanating an aura of protective yet sincere kindness and concern for their new arrival.
"Welcome to the West Coast Misfits, Jinx," Ace Starr said gently, his voice deep and feral, but slightly comforting as well. The pink-haired witch, after so many harrowing and tragic moments, smiled a beam of relief at last.
The End
Author's Notes: Ace Starr and General Whithalf aren't mine! They are the respective properties fellow authors Red Witch and L1701E! But like I have mentioned before, this isn't over, not by a long shot! And Ceridian isn't mine either; yes, I know he's supposed to be Aqualad's son, but I wanted to twist this so that it could provide a link to a future visit to Atlantis at some point! Prepare for the next crossover when the Misfits, the Joes, and the X-Men really go through the wringer in the upcoming "Charmed" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (post Season Seven) crossover!
Misfits, X-Men and Joes: AGAIN? We have to go through another crossover of torture? After everything we went through in THIS one?
Kurt (begging on his knees): God, if you're listening, please save us from the insane imagination of this maniac!
Robin: Oh God, why is this lunatic so dedicated to writing and torturing us? Can't he be like the other slackers and get lazy at uploading chapters like any other normal and balanced slob?
Quiet, all of you! Wow, I can't believe I just finished this crossover! Anyway, expect one or two one-shots before the next stage in the path to the Gathering of Twilight! To my faithful and fantastic reviewers:
Red Witch: Again, this fanfic would have never happened if it wasn't for your wonderful universe you've given me the grace and imagination to write about, so thank you, and hope you're pleased with how I'm writing so far because in no way to I wish to tarnish the fan-world you've created. And yes, I had to bring in the "Puddles" reference for Althea; it's so cute! As for Lina falling for Bobby, well…let's just say Bobby's going to be hard competition for Fred soon since this is a love triangle. And a small suggestion: get the Playstation 2; the games "Kingdom Hearts" and "Kingdom Hearts 2" alone would be worth it (and I know how much you're a Disney fan)! And I hope you're all right with Althea having a half-brother subplot!
Asha-man72: Yes, I know how long you've been wanting to read this crossover; you've been eager for it ever since I made a mention of the Teen Titans in "A Light..." so I wrote it specifically with you in mind. And also, you're the best and most faithful reviewer for the past year ever since I started typing this Misfit-verse, especially since the reviews give me more encouragement to write well and faithfully. And yes, I still laugh at the thought of Starfire kneeing Beef in the family jewels. And I'm glad you liked how I brought in Leomon, but I have to admit, you're the first person ever in my knowledge to make comparisons between Raven/Leomon as Golem/Bilbo from "Lord of the Rings"! Glad you clued in as to who is Leomon's boss; you'll find out why things are happening they way they are soon enough with the King (trust me, things aren't always what they appear)! As for which version of Ghostbusters, you will be pleasantly surprised since I know how much you like well-written crossovers. And thanks for noticing my one-year anniversary!
Sparky Genocide: Again, I'm glad you have been here with my stories since I started writing about the Misfit-verse, and you're also one of the best people I could ever have with me in my fan-fiction writing days. And will the Misfits/X-Men battle the Legion of Doom? I've had no plans for it…but the more I think about it, perhaps after the Kingdom Hearts crossover. It is a lucrative idea. And yes, though it won't be apparent until later, Raven will be supportive and close to Leomon despite what her friends will say (after all, he did save her life even though there will be consequences doing it). I know you like argument scenes and let me just hint that when the Kingdom Hearts saga comes, things will really get ugly between the Misfits and X-Men. And Lance may be biased about Leomon, but Leomon will not be an enemy as I have hinted in future fics to come. Glad you liked the character even though you've never watched Digimon.
Dante Tigerwolf: Ah, glad I pleased a fellow Leomon-fan as well (thanks for clearing up any confusion about him in the reviews). And Ogremon wouldn't be a Heartless necessarily, but Apocalymon? (smiles) Hint: watch the Digimon episode where the possessed Kari is explaining the origin of the Digidestined and the battle between the light and darkness in the first season and you might be able to guess why I'm bringing in Digimon in this series. And I hope to see you reading in the series to come because like I said before, Leomon has an important role to play in the series. And the Kingdom Hearts saga will be epic, to say the least (trust me, if you're a fan of Disney, you'll fall in love with the game and it's not the least bit childish). And glad to hear from a fellow Christian!
GothikStrawberry: Yeah, the title of this fanfic made me smile when I first thought of it too. And aw, thanks for the hug! Shows how much my reviewers love the story, so thankee much! And c'mon, did you really expect Wanda to not know what Pietro was doing with her coffee? Wanda is the only other person who can really stick it to her brother. And I'm incredibly glad to hear that you're a fan of "The Da Vinci Code" as well! I love all of Dan Brown's novels! And yeah, granted, we can give Ray a little credit for being anti-alien, but he's learning…slowly. Thanks for reviewing!
Adre: Aw, thanks for the hug-glomp! Makes me feel all appreciative! And yes, See-More accidentally looking at Blob like that certainly scarred his mind. I could almost feel sorry for him to, if I wasn't chuckling. Thanks for reviewing.
Nikki-De-Kitty: Thanks, and continue reading for my series because a lot more shows will be crossing over with the Misfit-verse. I guarantee it. Hope to hear from you soon.
Animation Lasi: Yep, and though it won't be for a long time, the Gargoyles will come in soon after the Kingdom Hearts crossover. And I'm glad you liked this story since I know you're a Teen Titans fan, but the Aqualad and Wavedancer feud I developed from the fact that Red Witch wrote about Althea's mother and how she went to Atlantis to marry another guy, but I twisted it so that it could link to Aqualad. And I'm glad you liked Shimmer, and I hope you write about her soon in your fic since her death was something I didn't particularly enjoy writing about.
Theodore Hawkwood: Thanks, and I'm certainly glad this leading into the Heartless saga is getting good in your eyes, considering I know how much you like Kingdom Hearts. And yes, considering that in the prophecy that flesh would turn to stone, the Lavadome and the Dinosaucers would have been imprisoned during Trigon's Armageddon. And don't worry, the Dinosaucers will come in again soon considering that they still have to meet the X-Men (which will be awkward to say the least), and as for more Raptor/Compy interaction? You do realize that this will drive all the Dinosaucers to alcohol and aspirin and not just Itchy/Teryx, right?
L1701E: Thanks for the e-mails, and don't worry, you'll see more of your characters soon in the final battle with the Heartless.
Doza: Glad I got your interest in the Misfit-verse, and yes, hope you'll stay tuned for the Charmed/Buffy/Misfit crossover that's coming. And I'll e-mail you sometime when I'm not so busy, but I'm glad you thoroughly enjoyed Red Witch's stories as well (she is a comedic genius).
Xenomorph666: Thanks, and I hope to read about your next crossover with the Misfits soon (though I'm pleased you're a Dinosaucers fan as well).
MCM: Thanks, and wow, another Stormwreck supporter? Bring on the champagne, we have a new convert! And yes, I know what Storm said in "Evolution XMJ" but considering the circumstances, I still stand strong and rationalized it in my author's profile already. And as for this series, nope, it won't change anything. Let's just say the Stormwreck movement will take a huge leap soon! Hee hee hee…
Demens Darkling: I'm glad you're enjoying this story! Thanks for the reviews and I hope you got the chapters that I sent you…