Dear old Dad…
Silence rolled across the alleyway like a wave, stopping the demon army in its tracks.
Then, as one, they charged at the newcomers, deciding that attack was the best option.
"FOR ASGARD!" Thor yelled as he tried to unleash the full might of Mjolnir, but there were just too many people around to risk such a devastating attack. So instead the Thunder God swung his war-hammer like the blunt instrument it was.
Buffy propelled herself into the fight with little regard for anyone else: all that mattered was doing as much damage to the Circle of the black Thorn's army as they could. Time was a factor: soon or later, they would start to take losses, and they couldn't keep it up indefinably.
The demon solders in the service of the Circle of the black Thorn's also entered battle with little or no regard for their own lives: all that mattered was extracting revenge on those who had killed their masters and anyone who stood beside them.
Xander found himself standing back-to-back with Illyria, the former demon queen seemingly driven by the same inner fire as the one-eyed Scooby.
Faith found herself having fun: the armour felt like a second skin, matching her moves perfectly. The sword that had come with it sliced through demons without meeting any apparent resistance, the mono-filament blade capable of slicing through anything short of a force-field like a hot knife through butter.
Dr. Pym had already undergone a height multiplication; the magically enhanced uniform Willow had helped him with following his size, freeing him of the need to get changed mid-battle. His increased size gave him superhuman strength, allowing him to pick up a horse ridding demon and throw him against the road.
Union Jack and Spitfire, veterans of hundreds of battles against vampires and demons, followed Buffy into the very thick of the battle, striking out against anything in range. Jack's Silver/Adamantium dagger cut through vampires like they were not even there.
But despite their best efforts, the assembled Slayer, Scooby's and others were surrounded and outnumbered. The demon horde started to push them back into a tighter circle.
There was a strange sound, like metal scraping against metal, and some of the demons looked round in terror.
"If I've told you once, I've told you a dozen times: this ain't your world" A shadowy figure moved into the alleyway, "So now my friends and I are going to have to kill you all."
A lowed hum filled the air as an S.H.E.I.L.D. High-speed Helicruiser appeared above the Hyperion hotel, powerful searchlights turning night into day. The lights illuminated the stranger, making him instantly recognisable as the mutant known as Wolverine. Behind him stood three strangers, teenagers, dressed in blue. A fourth, much larger figure stood behind them, looking like a moving orange boulder. There was a flash, and youngest looking of the newcomers transformed into a pillar of flame.
"Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?" General Fury stepped forward, holding a flamethrower in both hand, followed closely by the rest of Ultimates, "Hope you don't mind, but I envied some friends. I take it you've heard of the Fantastic Four. And thanks to his membership of the X-Men, Mr Logan here needs no introduction."
"Less talking; more killing." Wolverine pointed his Adamantium claws at the demons, "I really hate those guys!"
"IT'S CLOBBERING TIME!" The Thing yelled as he charged at the demons, followed closely by Wolverine and the Human Torch.
With the arrival of the S.H.E.I.L.D. reinforcements, the tide of battle turned against the demons. Buffy found herself fighting side by side with Captain America and Wolverine; each used their favoured weapons to hack and slash at their opponents. Flames, magical, mutant and man-made, incinerated dozens of the demons, cutting their numbers drastically.
Willow stood like the calm eye of the storm, protected by a hand-picked squad of Slayers lead by Kennedy. The young Wicca stood with her eyes closed, slowly chanting under her breath. The air around her was glowing slightly, strange forms, half seen, moved around her. The sound of the chanting grew, like hundreds of disembodied voices had joined in. The harmonics changed, taking on an unworldly sound that seemed to resonate into the higher frequencies.
A suicide run by one of the horse riding demons knocked Willow to the ground in the critical moments before the spell could be completed. Willow's head hit the ground hard enough to knock her out.
"Oh crap!" Faith hissed when she saw what had happened. She turned to Giles, "Is there a Plan B?"
"I'm afraid Willow was Plan B." The Watcher looked glum, "I personally recommended praying."
"Fat lot of good that'll do: we already have one god here with us!"
The battle continued to rage, the remaining demons seeming to take courage from the fact that one of their number had been able to stop Willow. They fought back with renewed determination, making their enemy pay dearly.
Then a powerful wind started to blow through the alleyway, almost knocking several of the combatants off their feet. One gust almost sent the Helicruiser crashing into the Hyperion, but the pilot compensated by lifting the massive craft higher into the sky.
The lead demon, taking this as evidence that the Senior Partner were making their appearance, took a step forward. He was instantly vaporised by a titanic bolt of lightning that left a deep crater in the tarmac.
"NO!" A thundering voice echoed between the buildings, "MIDGARD IS NOT YOURS TO DO WITH AS YOU PLEASE!"
"What the hell…" Buffy looked round, "Xander?"
The former carpenter stood surrounded by a glowing aura, flouting several inches above the ground. A bright light emanated from both his eyes. The surviving demons seemed to cower in his presence.
"THE ONE YOU KNOW AS ALEXANDER HARRIS HAS PROVEN HIMSELF WORTH TO BE MY AVATAR: HIS BODY IS NOW AS MY OWN." The voice seemed to come from the young man's mouth, but it was defiantly not his own, "IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG SCINCE I LAST WALK UPON THIS WORLD, BUT IT IS STILL UNDER MY PROTECTION."
"Father?" Thor dropped to his knees, "Mighty Odin, is that really you?"
"IT IS I. TOO LONG HAVE I ALOWED LOKI TO PLAY HIS GAMES WITH THIS WORLD. TOO LONG HAVE I IGNORED MY DUTY." Odin turned to face Buffy, "MY CHOSEN CHAMPION HAS PROVEN HERSELF TO BE MIGHTY INDEED: THE PANTHEON SHE HAS FORMED IS WORTH OF GLOY, AND I WILL SUFFER NONE TO RAISE THEIR HAND AGAINST THEM." He turned to face the remaining demons, "GO. GO AND TELL YOUR FOUL MASTERS THAT THEIR TIME ON MIDGAR IS AT AN END." He turned to General Fury, "AND YOU, LITTLE MORTAL; YOU MEDDLE IN THINGS THAT ARE BYOND YOUR COMPREHENTION. WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN HERE IS NO MARVAL OF TECHNOLOGY, OR THE PRODUCT OF NATRUAL EVOLITION. THIS IS THE GLORY OF ASGARD UNBOUND. YOU PLAY YOUR LITTLE GAMES ON A WORLD YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. YOU HAVE ONE LAST CHANCE TO TURN BACK FROM THE PARTH YOU HAVE SET YOURSELF UPON." Odin turned back to Buffy, a warm smile on his ace, "AND YOU, WARRIOR OF THE PEOPLE. YOU WILL SEE VALHALLA AGAIN, THAT I PROMIS YOU."
There was a bright flash of light, and Xander dropped to the ground like a puppet with the strings cut.
"You heard the words of Odin!" Thor turned to the demons, "Be gone from this place, or face the wrath of the Lord of Asgard!"
The surviving demons almost tripped over themselves in a bid to get away. They disappeared into the night, leaving the surviving allied forces in their wake.
"Did we win?" Faith asked, pulling her helmet off.
"We didn't lose." Giles smiled, "Sometimes that all we can ask."
"Xander?" Buffy ran over to her friend, "Xander? Say something?"
"What?" The young man woke with a start, "What I miss?"
"Not a lot." The blond Slayer chuckled, "Although it looks like you have friends in high places…"
To Be Continued…
This took longer than expected to get out, but I was suffering from writers block. I have one more chapter planed to let my tight up a few lose ends.