Blood dripped from Wolverine's bound and battered body. He held his head high despite how worn he was. Banner had been incapacitated and left in a cell block miles below ground. Susan was placed in a chemical solution that inhibited her motor and mental functions. Michael was locked up in a simple cell in a straight jacket since he seemed the most harmless. His nanites were removed from his blood stream and so was his equipment. Spider-Man was nowhere to be found. Wolverine spat at their captor's feet.
"You'll never get away with this…"
The captor stepped out of the shadows her red fiery hair flowing down to her shoulders. "I already have Logan."
OUTSIDERS #4 "HERE COMES YESTERDAY"
Michael lay against the wall counting the minutes between beatings while trying to formulate a plan. Every few minutes one of the guards would come in and give a once over then leave. Sixteen seconds after his last beating, Michael popped his shoulder of place and slid the straight jacket off. He popped his arm back into place, climbed onto the railing above the door, and pulled himself up. Once the guard came through, he dropped down on the guard grabbing hold of the AK-17 and rammed the handhold into man's throat crushing his windpipe. He slowly dropped the guard to the ground and made a break for it.
---
Banner scribbled on a large black chalkboard in a white featureless room located in the recess of his mind. White-hot rage burned at his back, but he remained focused on what he was scribbling down. When he was finished, he turned to his alter ego and smiled with orange eyes.
"Time's up," Banner said.
In the real world, Banner's body convulsed, expanded and turned green inside of his cryogenic storage container. The Hulk's presence quickly emerged and tore loose from his restraints. Once free he let loose a deafening roar. The jade giant stomped towards the door, slipped his fingers in-between the crack, and pulled the door open with his great strength. Several guards awaited him, but he slapped them aside with his massive hands as he charged through the hallways.
---
Panic swept the giant prison. The warden was twirling a lock of her red hair while looking at the two captives she still had. These outsiders had appeared from nowhere and corralled the interest of every single agency on Earth – OM. Jean let her hair back as she fancied the picture of Wolverine or at least the man who claimed to be him. He looked similar in some ways, but he was noticeably taller and a leaner figure. She ran a hand down her black leather pants into a hip pocket and pulled out a lighter while she put a cigarette in her mouth. A habit she developed from her second husband.
"Interesting indeed," Jean murmured as she lit up her cigarette and took a drag.
"Miss Grey!" a guard called.
"What is it?" Jean said, turning about.
"Two of the inmates have escaped. Spider-Man has yet to be captured and we are being hailed by your husband," the guard replied.
"Which one?" Jean asked. "It doesn't matter. I will take it in my private quarters."
---
Spider-Man looked around the entire floor he was on and he could not find his teammates. All he found was a records room that gave the collected history of this world. A brief skim set him straight on how things were different so he knew whom to avoid. He placed his faith in his spider-like abilities and prayed he found one of his teammates before they found him.
---
Wolverine tested his restraints and then let go some slack. Sue watched him from inside of her cell, which was parallel to his. She couldn't move any muscle in her body and it was hard to think. Wolverine tried activating his claws, but neuro inhibitors placed in his arms prevented the mental signals from reaching. Wolverine looked at Sue and smiled ruefully.
"I'll have you free in a minute," Wolverine said.
He grunted, snarled, and then yanked hard pulling his arms free from his restraints. Once free, Wolverine popped his claws, bent down, and sliced the manacles from his feet then walked over and cut Sue's cell open letting her spill out onto his arms.
"Hey darlin'," Wolverine said.
"T-thanks," Sue replied.
Wolverine's head rose up as he caught whiff of something and he sniffed the air. Sue looked up at him and he bent down taking her under the arm and helped her up. "We gotta go. It looks like the green mean machine is awake."
"Oh dear," Sue said.
The two rushed out of the room as quickly as possible.
---
Small nimble green fingers stroke a massive keyboard. A pair of dark olive eyes watched as the Hulk stomped through the hallways like a beast guided by instinct. Jean walked into the room and kissed the large sized cranium of her current husband, the brilliant and devious Leader.
"How are you my dear," the Leader said.
"Fine. How are you my love," Jean replied.
"I'm highly stimulated. I'm now processing one million and one scenarios on which this whole gambit could play," the Leader said. "I find this Banner highly amusing. He seems to have developed a new coping mechanism."
"I'm sure I can remove him of that," Jean replied with a seductive smile.
"Now, now, let us wait till our other players come into the act," the Leader said.
"Whatever you say darling," Jean replied.
---
"Does this place go on forever?" Spider-Man wondered as he bounded from wall to wall and landed on the floor. "You'd think they would have some road signs or something in this joint."
Spider-Man's spider-sense blared a warning and he back flipped over the sharp blade that sliced the wall he was standing next to. He fired some impact webbing at the being that lurked in the shadows and it groaned and grunted as it or rather he struggled to get free.
"You think your puny webs can hold me, Spider-Wimp!" the dark shadowed figure said. "Nothing will stop the Scorpion from getting his revenge!"
"Scorpy? Is that you? Aw, it's been so long! C'mere and give me a hug," Spider-Man teased.
Scorpion broke free of Spider-Man's webbing and charged at the web-slinging hero. Spider-Man leaped over Scorpion's head and twisted in the air barely avoiding his venomous and deadly tail. When Spider-Man landed the tail came crashing into his side and sent him face first into the wall. He tried to shake loose the cobwebs, but Scorpion drove into his back forcing him further into the wall. Spider-Man was barely conscious when the villain grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
"Got any last words?" Scorpion asked.
Snikt
"Do you, bub?" Wolverine asked with his first and third claw pointed on both sides of Scorpion's neck. "Let him go or I'll show you what yer insides look like."
Scorpion lowered Spider-Man to the ground and started to stealthily maneuver his tail behind Wolverine. Wolverine spun around slicing the tip end off then turned back around popping his right hands claws, which caused Scorpion to back away.
"Wanna try it? Let's rumble," Wolverine said.
Sue made a motion with her hand and Scorpion was driven into the wall until he passed out.
"What was that for?" Wolverine asked.
"We don't have time to waste on him. We have to find Michael," Sue replied.
"Right," Wolverine said as he picked Spider-Man up and placed him over his shoulder.
---
"Now where would they…ah… here you are," Michael said.
He grabbed the vial that contained his nano-solution and injected into back into his blood stream. His t-spheres came back online and the rest of his costume's inner circuitry activated. He put the rest of his costume back on while his t-mask formed over his bruised face. He walked back over to the door where Deathstroke the terminator lay unconscious next to Deadshot and tapped them lightly on the shoulders as he walked past His t-mask ran up a system wide scan of the facility during his walk and the t-spheres recon. Soon he had a full schematic that played before his analytical mind and he categorized every square inch and committed it to memory for later use. Four unwitting guards ran into his path and he knocked the first one on his right down with a jabbing sole kick to the solar plexus. A simple thrust of the top of his foot crashed into the cheek of the next guard followed by a thrust to the middle guard's throat and then a roundhouse kick back to the second guard on the right's face. Both guards fell to the floor, one in pain and one unconscious. A quick heel kick rocked the last guard and caused him to drop his weapon and kidney punch followed by a judo flip onto his back had the man down for a moment. Michael raised his foot and stomped down on the man's sternum knocking the breath out of him.
"Who runs this mad house?" Michael asked.
"I ain't talking," the guard said while wheezing.
"Your only making it harder for yourself," Michael replied. "Talk and I will let you go."
"I talk and I am dead," the guard said.
"What makes you think you won't be killed by me first if you don't talk," Michael replied as he looked down at the guard darkly.
"The Leader and Miss Grey…"
"Who are they?" Michael asked.
"I -- urk," the guard clutched his throat and convulsed as blood oozed from his nose.
Michael removed his boot and examined the guard briefly before he left.
---
The Hulk snorted. He was lost. He passed every hall and entryway and all of them led back to where he had began. He snarled while clenching his fists and smashed through the walls letting his massive gamma powered muscles do the thinking for him. He cleared several countless walls when he came upon Wolverine, Sue, and Spider-Man who was slumped over Wolverine's shoulder.
"Damn, take him Sue," Wolverine said.
"No, I won't let you fight him. As much as I h-hate him. We need him if I am ever to get back to my son. So bare with me as I try to reason with him," Sue replied, but before she could try, the Hulk spoke.
"Hulk's…friends?" the Hulk said with a confused look on his face. "Where is H-am I?"
"Banner?" Wolverine ventured.
"Yes…no…I can't decide," the Hulk replied.
"What's going on with him?" Wolverine asked Sue.
"I'm not sure. Maybe he's going through another change," Sue replied.
"Change…yes," The Hulk said. "I must… try to keep thoughts together."
"You feel that?" Wolverine inquired while he took a look around.
"Feel what?" Sue asked.
"Something's messing with our heads. I can feel it trying to penetrate my mind," Wolverine replied.
Sue clutched her head and slowly dropped to her knees. "Get out of my head!"
"You won't get in my head you tramp!" Wolverine proclaimed before he dropped Spider-Man and ran off.
The Hulk seemed to become more confused then a look of anger crossed his features. He started toward Sue with his mood becoming darker and more violent. She couldn't think to defend herself. She could only watch while the jade giant came closer. A t-sphere flew into the Hulk's face and hit him with some kind of beam. The Hulk blinked a few times then fell onto his backside.
"What did you do to him?" Sue inquired.
Michael had one of his t-sphere's flash the light into Sue's face and she fell back. Spider-Man was next and when Michael was finished, he helped Sue up.
"What was that?" Sue asked.
"Someone was battering you with a combination of light wave pulses and telepathic static. I used my t-spheres to filter out the effects on your system. I don't know how long the effect will last," Michael replied.
"So what do we do now, Mister Terrific?" Sue ventured.
"Its Michael and as for what we do. We turn the tables on our captors and then make off for limbo," Mister Terrific replied.
---
"We have to get out of here," Jean mused.
"Good idea," the Leader said as he pulled a gun out and shot Jean dead. "Thanks for the memories."
Wolverine rushed into the room and found Jean on the ground. His senses told him her vital functions were working, but her mind seemed to be blank. Wolverine got back to his feet and chased after the Leader. Following close behind where the other Outsiders with a returned gray Hulk on their side.
The Leader made it to his escape craft when he felt the cold metal against his spine. Wolverine leaned against the Leader's ear and spoke softly as he held the master criminal by the throat.
"You think you're so big an' bad because you have that massive dome sized head. Well let me tell you something, pal. This time this oversized brain of yours is your own undoing."
"Is it Wolverine? Or is it the cause of your own undoing?" the Leader replied.
"Your mind games won't work on me," Wolverine spat.
"Who said anything about mind games, Wolverine," the Leader replied.
A powerful energy pulse surged through Wolverine and the Leader wiggled free of his grip and shoved the canknucklehead off the port into the falls below. He climbed inside of his ship and the hatch-closed part of the way when a pair of gray hands dug in, ripped the hatch off, and grabbed the Leader.
"Unhand me you brute!" the Leader cried.
"Youse think your so bright Leader? Well guess what? Your not the on laughing now," the Hulk said whilst he pulled back his fist.
"Don't…" Mister Terrific said. "You'd be no better then he is."
"What if I ain't already," the Hulk replied.
"I think I know you better then that," Mister Terrific said.
"Do ya?" the Hulk replied. "Maybe your just full of crap."
"Where's Wolverine?" Spider-Man asked while he cleared his head.
The Leader looked down at the falls, as did the Outsiders and the Hulk tossed the Leader off. Spider-Man created a web cocoon capturing the Leader, pulled him up, and stuck him to the port.
"Killing isn't the best way to go, Hulk," Spider-Man said. "Your actions have been inexcusable."
"Whatever," the Hulk replied.
"One of us better go down and see if Wolverine survived," Mister Terrific said.
"I'll go," the Hulk replied. "Scouts honor I won't hurt the squirt."
"Yeah, right…" Spider-Man said.
The Hulk leapt down to go search for Wolverine and once he found him the team found the nearest transport and went to limbo to realign this multi-verse.
Author's Notes:
This series has lasted longer then I originally intended. To tell the truth I was just toying around, but now it seems to be going somewhere. I have big ideas for how Outsiders fits in with things regarding certain other reality hopping team, but that won't come till later. For now, see you all next time!
Mimick6-13-06
