Coreline: Invasion of Portland
Disclaimer: "That belongs in a museum!" - Indiana Jones
Chapter 2: Meet Aegis's Allies!
Aegis Organization HQ, Portland, Oregon
Rosalind Price looked out the window at the sky. It had turned a blood red in color. The former Marine winced as she heard the thunder crack. It was soon followed by a flash of lightning. She could have sworn that she saw the bolt in the air. Pity whatever that bolt hit.
"...and here we go." She muttered. According to one of Aegis's allies, the sky turning red only meant one thing: A crisis was here.
"Miss Price, Miss Price!" Taryn panted as she ran into the office. "You seeing that sky?"
"Oh, yeah." Price nodded. "This is it. No time left."
"We should call the kids to meet."
"Indeed." Price concurred. "Have them gather in the meeting room." Her monitor chirped. She ran over to it and turned it on. "Talk to me!" The face of Rachel Unglighter appeared on the screen.
"Price!" The blonde half-demon said. "We got a massive PKE spike here!"
"The skies are going red, too!" Price added. "We got a Crisis on our hands!" She whirled around to Taryn. "Have you made any contact with any of our allies?"
"Yes, ma'am! I've called everyone I can reach! They're on their way!"
"Tell them to get a move on if they can! I want them here yesterday!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Taryn ran out of the room, talking on her phone.
"Hope those allies of yours can do some good." Unglighter remarked.
Price smirked at the Norwegian-American woman. "I got some powerhouses on speed dial."
When the skies turned a blood red, the various heroes in Aegis were...mentally preparing for anything, in their own way.
Quartz's Quarters
Andy Cortez was happily humming as he sat at a table, a small thin paintbrush in hand. He smiled as he looked at the unpainted figure in his hand. It depicted an orc, holding up a large battleaxe, its face in an angry roar.
"Don't you worry, Mr. Orc." Andy spoke to the figure, as if it was alive and needed some assurance. "Once I paint you up, you'll be ready to rampage through villages." He smiled as he dipped the paintbrush into a small container of sickly green-colored paint. Using a steady and well-practiced hand, the crystal-spinner started to paint the figure, deftly moving the paintbrush around as the figure slowly went from plain gray all over to sickly green-colored skin with dark hair and clad in blood-red armor with silver spikes. Andy smiled in pride.
"There you go." The Hispanic Inhuman nodded with pride as he put the freshly-painted orc on a shelf. "Now, once you dry off, you'll be ready to rampage." He then looked out the window at the setting sun. Man, that looks beautiful. Coreline may be a planetary-scale insane asylum, but the sunsets here are so nice. He then noticed that the sky was getting...redder. Andy blinked in confusion. "What on Earth?"
Beep! Beep!
"Wah!" Andy jumped up. "Geez!" He clutched his chest and glared at the sky. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that blasted klaxon."
All Agents, please report to the meeting room.
"Looks like something wicked this way comes..." Andy muttered. He, for some odd reason known only to him, grabbed a book nearby and ran out of the room.
Chrome's Quarters
"Let's see what cars are available here." The Texan girl mumbled to herself as she flopped down on the couch, an object in her hand. It was a copy of Auto Trader. The Texan Inhuman opened up the magazine as she laid back, placing her head on the couch. "That pickup truck is pretty nice...too bad it's so expensive. And I'll have to modify it to fit the environmental standards around here, but that won't be a problem at all..." She sat up and tossed her magazine on the table, accidentally knocking off a decoration.
Foomf!
The decoration was a small silver statue given to her as a gift by a schoolchild she saved from a Bio-Borg attack a week earlier. Luckily, the tough material it was made from, and the fact that it landed on a carpeted area, prevented any damage. Chrome picked it up and looked it over, a small smile on her face.
"Heh." The mechanic-turned-heroine chuckled as she put the statue back on the table. "I gotta watch my own strength." The alarm klaxon went off. "Huh?"
All agents, please report to the meeting room.
"Yup, somethin' big is going down." She then noticed the sky, and its increasing redness. "Yup. That sky don't look good."
Silver Sabre's Quarters
"Come on everybody take trip with me!" The man sang on the TV screen. Keiko was playing a movie on her TV, while she herself was standing and practicing.
"Around the world, ha ha!" Kay whooped as she twirled a blue yo-yo around her head. The yo-yo itself was not an ordinary children's toy, but it certainly could function as one. The blue yo-yo bore an emblem of a slashing sword on each of its disks. The emblem was one that Kay had adopted from her maternal ancestor: Martin Fletcher, the Super Sabre.4
The yo-yo's disks, axel, and string were all made of special materials designed for durability and smoothness, allowing Kay to not only use the yo-yo for various tricks, but also as a weapon. This was one of a pair of twin "Combat yo-yos" that Kay was known to wield when battling various forms of evil.
At incredible speed, the Japanese-American mutant-Inhuman hybrid did some tricks with her Combat Yo-Yo. She twirled and spun with the modified toy, her and it acting as one. With a whizzing noise, the powerful micromotor inside the toy caused the yo-yo to come into her hand.
"Heh heh. Still got it." Kay grinned. She then eyed a cup, containing what appeared to be a chocolate milkshake inside with a neon blue straw sticking out. The milkshake was made with a special paste. Being a speedster, Kay had a very high metabolism. As such, she needed to consume large amounts of calories, hence her constant snacking. Aegis reverse-engineered the special paste that Ezekiel Stane used to keep up with his enhanced body's caloric demands.4Kay found the paste bland, but discovered that she could mix it with ice cream or other things to make smoothies. As such, they became a regular snack for her, always changing it up by mixing the paste with new things. Chocolate, Vanilla, and Orange became personal favorites, though.
Kay stared out the window, looking out at the skyline of the city as she enjoyed her smoothie. She blinked at the sky.
"Hey, is the sky getting...red? Aw, this must be it..." She heard the klaxon.
All agents, please report to the meeting room.
"Yup." Kay nodded. "This is definitely it."
Gyral's Quarters
"I have my orders!" Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ivan Danko yelled in a Russian accent on the screen. Amir was writing some notes on a notepad with yellow paper.
"This'll make a fun video..." The Iranian-American mutant mumbled to himself in excitement. He was working on a video critique of the 1988 film Red Heat. "I do have to admit, some parts could have been done better...Nn..." He got up and stretched, then grabbed the remote and paused the TV. "Ugh, I'm thirsty..." He then noticed the window as he walked to the fridge. "Huh. What a weird sky." He pulled out a cold bottle of water. "Didn't think it could get that red." He then realized something. "Aw man, is this one of those Crisis things?" He heard the klaxon.
All agents, please report to the meeting room.
"Oh, yeah. This is definitely going to be one of those Crisis things." He sipped his water and glared at the sky. "Man, this time of year should be about seeing hot babes in sexy outfits."
All-American's Quarters
"Touchdown!" The screen whooped.
"Yeah!" Jack grinned, pumping his fist. "That's how the Smashers do it! Yeah!" The young ex-football player was feeling happy. He was watching an old football game, and he was rooting for one of his favorite teams, the Sacramento Smashers. Ever since he was a kid, Jack loved football. He even collected all the Madden video games. He reached to a bowl that was full of chips, but noticed it was empty. "Oh. I need more chips." He got up to grab another bag of chips, when he noticed the sky. "What?"
The puzzled Inhuman slowly approached the window. "Aw, no...I've heard of this...we got a Crisis on our hands." He heard the alarm klaxon.
All agents, please report to the meeting room.
Jack's jaw set. "Yup." The white-haired Inhuman noted. "We got a Crisis. I just hope we survive it...and I don't get anyone killed."
Haywire's Quarters
Halloween is here. Hal Danforth wrote in a journal. I gotta admit, I am rather nervous. Here in the Coreline, it's the insanity of both my old worlds, but turned up to...
"Naw, not eleven." Hal mumbled to himself as he tapped the desk with a pen. "One hundred and eleven. Yeah, that is definitely appropriate." He continued to write in his journal. It was part of his therapy and rehabilitation after joining Aegis. It was suggested that writing a journal would allow the young man to help work through his issues. It as something the filament generator found very helpful. It was also something that allowed him to work through his feelings when it came to the Coreline.
As Hal wrote, he started to remember something Amir said to him. The Iranian-American mutant suggested he take his journals and publish them into a book. The other Aegis agents knew about Hal's journals, but never read through them out of respect for his privacy. It generated some...mixed feelings for the extradimensional metahuman.
On one hand, it would allow him to earn a little extra money, and it did show off that he did cultivate a talent for writing. On the other hand, these journals did contain some of his most private thoughts. Understandably, he was rather nervous about the idea of others reading it. He found himself chewing on his pen in thought.
"Maybe I should talk to Price about it." He muttered to himself. "After all, I don't want to get into trouble." Hal frowned as he looked over the journal. "I'll just tell her that it was Amir's idea. That might help." He looked out the window at the reddening sky. "Eh, I'll have to wait until this whole Halloween crisis blows over." He chuckled and shook his head. "Heh. Man, the more things change..." He heard the alert klaxon.
All agents, please report to the meeting room.
"Welp..." Haywire muttered as he got up. "Time for action." He closed up his journal and left the room.
Nightcat's Quarters
"WAH!" The man yelled as he tripped over a hassock and hit the ground face-first. A laugh track started to play.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jacqueline cackled. The cat-woman was lying on a couch in her quarters, watching some TV. She was cuddled up next to a handsome man with neatly-cut short hair and just as neatly-trimmed beard. In her lap, she had a tub of popcorn. "That Tolliver will always end up flat on his face!" The man started stroking her shoulder, making her purr happily.
"You really love this old show, huh?" Ramon Rodriguez smiled at the feline metahuman.
"Yup." She smiled. "I used to watch it with my dad growing up."
"My dad and I bonded by fixing motorcycles."
"Yeah, I saw that hog of yours." She smiled at the Paladin. "When are you going to let me ride that baby? I promise I'll be gentle." Ramon frowned at the catwoman.
"I saw you on practice riding in the simulator." He said. "When you're on a bike, you treat road signs like options."
"Aw, come on, Ramon!" Jacqueline begged. "I just have some laughs in the simulator. But I will be careful for real. Pleeeeeease?" She put on her cutest face. Ramon rolled his eyes.
"Girl, I'd rather take you to the fish market again. You'd do less damage."
"...I was hungry." She grumbled. She then shuddered.
"Hey, you okay?" Ramon asked in concern. She nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. It's just...I've been getting the heebie-jeebies today. I told you about the stray cats thing, right?"
"Yeah." Ramon nodded. "It's thought you're gaining some new instincts from your being partially feline now."
Jacqueline nodded. "Yeah. I think so, too." She frowned. "It's related to Halloween. And since Halloween at the Coreline can be crazy..." She then turned her head and her eyes widened as she looked at the sky. "Hey, Ramon."
"Yeah?"
"...Look at the sky."
"Huh?" Ramon turned and saw the sky from out the large window. "Is it just me or is the sky...turning red?"
"Yeah..." The singer/superheroine slowly approached the window. She let out a hiss. "Whatever's out there...it's got my hackles raised." Ramon blinked as he saw the red sky.
"...wow."
"Yeah." She winced when she saw some lightning flash by and some thunder crack. "That doesn't sound good." The two heard the alarm klaxon.
All agents, please report to the meeting room.
Ramon and Jacqueline looked at each other.
"Looks like we got more than one kind of storm coming." The Paladin said.
"Yup." Jacqueline agreed. She touched Ramon's cheek. "Try not to get yourself killed, huh?"
"You too, hon." He smiled. The two then shared a kiss. Jacqueline purred.
"You make it through this babe, I'll wear that special costume I got for you." The feline singer purred seductively. Ramon smirked.
"Heh. Thanks for the additional motivation, love." The Paladin chuckled. "If you make it, I'll give you that back massage you've been wanting."
"Ooh, now that is some motivation..." Nightcat purred. Later, Aegis's septet of young and adult super-agents had gathered in a meeting room. The seven were doing some various activities to pass the time. Keiko was leaning on a wall playing with a yo-yo. Amir was watching a movie on a tablet. Andy was reading a fantasy novel. Jen was playing a video game. Jacqueline was texting on her phone, while quietly singing along to some music she was listening to. Hal was doing a bit of sketching. The extradimensional superhuman looked over at Jack, who was lying forward, his head on his arms. It looked like the snowy-haired teenage Inhuman was asleep. Hal frowned.
"Jack?" He lightly tapped the younger man. "Kid, wake up."
"Sorry, I wasn't sleeping." Jack mumbled.
"...Are you alright?" Hal asked with concern.
"...yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure? I know the others have told me about your depression and all..."
"Yeah, but I do take my meds, so..." Jack sighed. "Before missions, I always get scared. Scared that I'll screw up and get someone hurt...or worse."
"I think that's something all leaders go through, man. But if it helps, I think you're doing a good job." Hal smiled. Amir looked up from his tablet. "You convinced me I made a terrible mistake. Remember? When I agreed to help the Chronobreaker because he promised me that he'd bring 'Nertia back?"
Jack nodded. "I remember. I convinced you that Chronobreaker wouldn't keep his promises."
"Yeah." Hal confirmed with a nod. "You sounded so confident when you did."
"It's not like I just feel down for a little while." Jack reminded. "That's normal. In my case, there's something wrong with my brain. It doesn't work quite right."
"Yeah, I hear you." Hal nodded. "Look, if it does, I think you'll do alright. I mean, I haven't been with this team long, but I got your back, kid."
"Man's right, Jackie." Amir grinned. "You got us through everything alright so far. Heck, you got us out of that lab, when the rest of us were all freaking out."
"We also got lucky Aegis was there when we escaped." Jack countered. "We had no idea what to do after we fled the lab."
Amir waved it off. "Ah, I'm sure we could have thought of something."
"Confident, ain't ya kid?" Hal frowned.
"Can you blame me?"
"Overconfidence will get you killed. Nighthawk taught me that."
Jen looked over at Keiko. "Hey Kay, when's Price coming to brief us? You'd think with something this damned important, she'd show up."
"She's coming." Keiko shrugged, staring at her yo-yo. A door hissed, and said woman walked in. "And here she is!"
"Great, you're all here." Price nodded in approval. "Kay, take a seat. Everyone at attention." Everyone obeyed...except for one. Price smiled at Quartz. "Andy..." He looked up.
"Oh, sorry." He closed his book, and Price chuckled.
"Mama's boy." Amir teased good-naturedly, which got him a light swat on the arm from the Cuban-American Inhuman.
"As you all know, Halloween is here." Price told the group. "The Ghostbusters branch here in Portland has alerted me to a massive spike in PKE readings."
"Oh, hell..." Jen winced.
"That's not good..." Andy hissed.
"Yup, my hackles can agree with that..." Jacqueline muttered.
"You alright, Nightcat?" Keiko asked.
"Yeah, just the PKE spikes got my instincts a-flarin'."
"Are we equipped to handle this kind of thing?" Jack frowned. "This really isn't our specialty."
"Don't you worry, Jack." Price smirked. "Aegis has got themselves some nice new toys just for this situation." Amir's eyes widened and he leapt to his feet, smacking the table in the process.
"Please tell us they're giant robots! PLEASE ALLAH TELL US THEY'RE GIANT ROBOTS!" Amir begged.
"Like anyone would be dumb enough to let you pilot a mech." Jennifer scowled. "Last time you piloted one, you nearly crashed into the city hall!"
"That was not my fault!" Amir countered. "That blasted Petey Piranha spat paint all over the cockpit windows! I couldn't see!"
"And you still nearly crashed into city hall!" Jennifer said. "The damn mech had radar!"
"I panicked!"
"You nearly crashed into city hall!" Jennifer repeated in a louder voice.
"Calm down, you two." Price ordered. "Now is not the time for this. In fact, I'm not sure how much time we have, so I want to make this brief." She moved to the head of the table. "It's Halloween on the Coreline, which means we may have to deal with a full-scale demonic invasion." Quartz shot a glance at his book.
If fiction comes to life in the Coreline, then it makes sense that we may have to deal with some of the monsters here...The young Inhuman thought. He clenched his jaw. "I have to warn the others."
"Good thing we're not the only heroes in town, then." Nightcat remarked.
"Yes." Price nodded. "We have no idea what we're going to face out there, so I want to warn all of you: Be on your guard, and expect God-knows-what. I contacted Saotome, and he said-" A klaxon was heard, and red lights in the ceiling flashed. Guess I'm out of time. She pressed a button on the monitor behind her and Luther Banks's face appeared. "Talk to me, Banks!"
"We got demons out there!" He exclaimed. "Portals started opening up in various locations, and we got reports of demons pouring in!"
"Right!" Price nodded and shut off the monitor. "Move out, Aegis. Good luck, and be careful out there!" The group got up, and left the room. Andy looked around a bit nervously.
"Uh, guys..." He mumbled.
"What's up, Andy?" Jack asked.
"You guys may want to keep in mind something." The crystalspinner warned.
"Keep what in mind?"
"Well..." Andy looked down at his book. "We are in the Coreline, and here, fiction can come to life. As such..." He opened his Fiends and Fjords Monster Guide to a random page and held it up. "We may encounter creatures like this. Something to keep in mind."
"Is that a snake?" Jennifer sneered at the image of the blue snake-like creature in the book. "I hate snakes."
"It's called a biscione." Andy explained. "And yeah, they can be mean."
Portland, Oregon
Three demons stalked down a street in North Portland. The three had failed to find any humans to terrorize or maul so far, and they were getting frustrated. They passed by an alley, and unknown to them, a pair of blue-glowing eyes were staring at them. One of the demons straggled behind its two companions, and the mysterious being in the alley saw an opportunity.
"Guh-!" The demon grunted out as a pair of hands grabbed the demon and dragged it into the alleyway. The demon tried to cry for help, but found itself unable to even put out a whisper. It felt something very sharp...and cold...piercing its lung.
"Ah, so you can be killed like a human. Good." The demon's eyes widened as the voice whispered into its ear. "I admit, my knowledge of your anatomy is rather limited. Learn something new." The demon looked up and saw a gleaming knife being raised. Its eyes widened as it saw the knife was made...of ice. "You are not welcome here."
SHLAP!
The mysterious figure slashed the demon across the throat with the ice dagger, and tossed its dead body down. He then grabbed the body and dragged it out of the alley with him. The two demons noticed their companion was missing, and looked back at the alley.
"Gentlemen!" The figure announced as he walked out and held up the demon's corpse. "I believe this is your friend here?" The two demons' eyes widened in outrage at the man.
He was a tall, sleek-bodied man, with eyes a cool brownish-blue. His dress was rather unusual: A pair of jeans and black sneakers, but his upper half was covered by a blue jacket, a black vest, with white shirt and blue tie. Oddly, the man was wearing a blue Inverness cape and matching deerstalker.
Iceman II. Real Name: Jerome "Jerry" Chang. Birthplace: San Francisco, CA. Affiliations: X-Men (Honorary), Aegis. Physiology: Inhuman. Powers and abilities. Cryokinesis.
Jerome Chang was a Chinese-American born to a family he himself described as "painfully average, but still very warm and loving". At a young age, Jerry was discovered to be brilliant in mind, but also shy...and had a high-functioning form of autism. At the age of six, Jerry was given a copy of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as he had become a voracious reader. He became a lifelong fan of Sherlock Holmes, as well as aspired to be a detective like his fictional hero.
To help him relate to other kids better, Jerry was given martial-arts classes. He excelled at it, and it helped him blossom in a way, finding some friends. At the age of eighteen, Jerry enrolled in the Army to help pay for college. While serving as an unarmed combat instructor, he helped some agents of CID, the Army's criminal investigation division, solve a mystery that baffled them. Impressed by this, an official pulled some strings to bring the young man on board to be an agent, despite his not meeting several requirements.
After his Army tenure, Jerry returned home and started working at a private detective agency, hoping to start his own one day. That was when the Terrigen Clouds hit. Jerry, having Inhuman genes, underwent Terrigenesis, and emerged with cryokinetic powers. Contrary to some people's beliefs, Jerry didn't take on the "Iceman" codename to honor the original Iceman: Robert Drake, but it was a nickname he got in his Army days to his cool nature under pressure. Jerry would later on meet Bobby Drake, and the two men surprisingly became friends.
But that was the past. That was another world. This was now, and this was Coreline. He had heard the distress signal from Rosalind Price of Aegis. He had just wrapped up a case, and he was hoping to get some relaxation in and catch up on that mystery series on Netflix. But it was Halloween, and the cosmos seemed to conspire to ruin the night for him.
No rest for the wicked... Jerry mentally grumbled. And I hate it when monsters ruin my routine...The demons roared with rage and charged the detective. Jerry formed another ice dagger in his free hand and made a martial arts pose. "Let's go!" The demons snarled in rage and charged at the Inhuman private detective. Jerry charged at them, firing an ice beam from his hand. The beam froze the ground between the demons. The Inhuman fell to his knees and slid between the demons, dodging their swipes. As he passed by them, he slashed at their legs, hurting them. When he reached the end of the frozen area, he whipped around and tossed his ice daggers.
CHOK! CHOK!
The daggers embedded themselves in the demons' heads, right between their eyes. They collapsed, dead. He then heard more demons roaring and charging towards him. Jerry glared at them and clenched his fists. They started to glow a light blue, and cold smoke started to rise from them.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Some of the demons got vaporized into mists of pink smoke and ash.
FZOW! FZOW!
Bolts of pink energy came down and vaporized some others. The demons screamed and ran in fear. Jerry frowned in confusion.
"What on Earth?" His brain quickly got to work on who...or what was his savior. In Coreline, it could be literally anything.
"Over here, pal!" A voice called. Jerry looked up in the direction of the voice and saw a man walking up to him. The man was about thirty years old, clad in a yellow jacket and black t-shirt with matching pants. He also had on black boots. His belt doubled as a bandolier, loaded with small golden bullet-like casings. He wore what appeared to be Dr. Strange's Cloak of Levitation, the clasp being the Eye of Agamotto. His fire-red hair went down to his shoulders, and he had a handlebar moustache. He also wore a yellow cowboy hat. In his hand was a futuristic-looking golden gun. 1
With him was a petite, slender woman with big brown eyes, long black hair, and a gentle smile on her face. The hair at her bangs was white, and she had a big black spot over her right eye, which stood out against her pale skin. She wore a pair of purple boots, and pink leggings with black interlocking circles on them. Much of her frame was covered by a pink poncho, but it did show she wore a purple shirt with a white tie. 2
"Doctor Starwind. Melfina." Jerry noted as the two figures approached them. The space bounty hunter/sorcerer smirked as Melfina waved with a smile.
"Howdy, Jerry. Good thing me and the crew were in town."
"Looking for trouble, no doubt." The Inhuman detective frowned. "I thought you lot would be out in space."
"We were." Gene explained. "We came to Portland to resupply, and then Hell decides to come and visit. Also, we picked up Price's call for help. Figured my Caster gun would be a good hand here."
"You are not affiliated with Aegis." Jerry frowned. "I can assume the Outlaw Star's computer picked it up."
"Are you alright, Jerry?" The bio-android asked. "I can fix you up with a healing spell."
"If you came a few seconds later, I would have needed a healing spell or five." Jerry told Melfina.
"Glad we were able to reach you in time, then." Melfina smiled.
"Indeed." Another voice purred in Jerry's ear. "Wouldn't want you...too damaged, would we?"
Oh, God... The Chinese-American frowned as he blushed and pulled down his deerstalker in an attempt to hide his face. Times like this, I wish I had my predecessor's...immunity to feminine charms.
"Stop it, Aisha." Melfina frowned. "You know that makes him blush." Another woman slinked up to them from behind Jerry. This one was clearly a feline-esque woman, her greenish-gray skin having stripes on it and red spots around her green eyes. She had white hair tied into a braid ended by a golden ring. Her brown eyes shone with mirth. She was clad in a black bustier-like top and dark red pants. The pants had the emblem of the C'tarl Empire on the sides. She had on black boots and a silver belt with a pair of holsters at the sides. Strapped into the holsters were a pair of daggers.3
"Miss Clan-Clan..." Jerry frowned, trying to will his blush away. Why couldn't she bother my predecessor? At the very least, her dealing with his...immunity to feminine wiles would be humorous.
"You alright, Jerry?" Melfina asked in concern.
"He looks so handsome blushing like that." Aisha smirked.
"Knock it off, Kitty." Gene taunted. "What the hell were those things the missus and I just blasted?"
"Demons, Starwind." Jerry answered. "Demons. Never had those in your old world?"
"Not like those. Closest I encountered before becoming Sorcerer Supreme of my reality was Harry MacDougall." Melfina shuddered, and Aisha frowned.
"That tyfran cyborg." The C'tarl woman grumbled. "He's like that Earth insect, what's it called?"
"Cockroach." Jerry told her. "You're thinking of a cockroach."
"Right. A cock-roach." Aisha nodded, sounding the insect's name out like she wanted to be sure it was pronounced correctly. "He really doesn't seem to get the hint, does he?"
"Gene and I got married not long after we came to this world, and he still won't take the hint!" Melfina exclaimed in frustration.
"I thought you bunch killed him." Jerry frowned in confusion.
"So did we." Gene grumbled.
"I'll have to hunt down a spell that'll allow me to turn him into a toad or something like that." Melfina sighed. "This world has magicians coming out of its ears. Can't be hard to find one."
"Chang!" A female voice called out to the Inhuman detective. Jerry turned and saw a woman landing near him. This woman was a blonde bombshell, wearing a blue costume with a red skirt, red boots, and her blonde hair kept out of her face by a red headband. Her shirt bore the famous logo of Superman, and there was red going from the top of the symbol over her shoulders. She was carrying a man in her arms.
"Kara." Jerry noted. Kara Zor-El smiled.
"Jerry. I take it you got the call from Price, too?" Supergirl surmised.
"Indeed." Jerry jerked his thumb at Gene, Melfina, and Aisha. "These three happened be in town."
"Hello, Kara." Melfina waved with a smile. "How're things going for you here in the Coreline?"
"I'm...adjusting." Kara answered. The last thing this Kara remembered was dying in her cousin's arms in a universe comprised of anti-matter.4 Then she woke up here in the Coreline, confused and alone. Her confusion only increased when she met alternate versions of herself and her cousin, as well as many characters she thought were fictional and odd amalgams beyond her imagination. She was heartbroken when she discovered she was stuck in this crazy world, and had no way to go home. However, Kara Zor-El was a resilient woman, and figured maybe she had a second chance here. She looked up at the sky and shuddered.
"You alright?" The man with her asked. She nodded.
"Yeah, thanks Scott." Kara nodded. The man, Scott, was a slim man with neat brown hair, his eyes covered by a golden visor with a red line across it. He wore a yellow polo shirt with blue jeans, and a dark blue bomber jacket. His belt's buckle was an odd silver device that resembled an engine with the X-Men's X-circle logo at the center. An alt of Scott "Cyclops" Summers, he was rather unusual as he not just access to his standard mutant powers, but another power...
"Cyclops." Jerry nodded. "I take it you got the call?"
"Yup. I had just come back after helping Kara with a case in Texas. She and I got the call from Price, and Superwoman here hustled us over."
"Glad you all are here." Jerry nodded. Scott looked at Doctor Starwind and "Lucky" Melfina.
"You must be that space sorcerer. Gene Starwind, right?"
"Doctor Starwind. Yup." Doctor Starwind nodded. "The Outlaw Star had come here to Earth to resupply, and everything had gone nuts. So we figured we'd stick around and give a hand."
"Good thing we did." Melfina smiled. "Poor Jerry here may have ended up...in a bad place."
"Indeed." Jerry nodded. "We need to get to Aegis HQ."
"We can take the Outlaw Star." Doctor Starwind offered. "Jim and Suzuka have gone to be done loading the ship by now."
"Appreciate the ride." Scott smiled. He looked over at Kara, who was still staring up at the sky. "Kara? You still with us."
"Oh. Sorry." The Kryptonian woman mumbled. "It's just that...I've seen the sky like this before."
"One of those 'crisis' things, right?" Jerry deduced. "From your old universe?"
Kara nodded. "Yeah. Last time I saw the sky like this...it was a big crisis...and I died."
"I can imagine a lot of people here on the Coreline have met the Grim Reaper at least once." Jerry thought out loud.
"Oh yeah, as an X-Man, I can attest to that." Scott agreed.
"We shouldn't dawdle." Melfina reminded. "If you guys are needed in Aegis HQ..."
"I'll call the ship." Gene pushed his glove forward, revealing a watch. Man, I love Coreline technology... The group heard a rumble. "What?"
"Gene!" Melfina yelped. "I sense a lot of evil coming!"
"Oh, man..." Scott sighed. "I'd better power up." He did a pose. "Henshin!" The device on his belt activated, the X-Men's logo on it glowing. A blue glow covered Scott's body. The device then spoke.
Kamen Ride! X-Mutant! Cyclops!
When the glow stopped, the mutant hero had undergone quite the transformation. He was now clad in a blue armored suit, with dark blue and yellow highlights. The big feature was the yellow "X" crossing Scott's chest plate. The helmet was blue with the standard red insectoid-like eye lenses, but his had a red line connecting them. The eyes had dark blue and yellow piping, and between them were a pair of small golden antenna.
"Uh, what's with the suit?" Kara asked in confusion.
"Kamen Rider, Ms. Zor-El." Jerry explained. "This alt of Cyclops got himself a Henshin Device."
"Hen...shin?" Aisha blinked in confusion. Earth culture was weird.
"It's Japanese." Doctor Starwind explained. "It means 'change body'." Aisha nodded in understanding. She looked over at Jerry.
"So tell me, Chang. Do you...Henshin?"
Jerry blinked. "...are you trying to flirt with me now?!"
"DEMONS!" Melfina screamed, pointing ahead. A swarm of demons roared as they raced towards the heroes, looking like a wave of madness.
"Aw, hell..." Gene grumbled, loading his Caster Gun. Kara growled and clenched her fists.
"Jerry, I suggest we slow 'em down!" Scott yelled. Jerry nodded, figuring out what the alt of Cyclops meant. "ICE BEAM!" The eyes of Scott's helmet glowed blue and Jerry's fists also did the same. The mutant and Inhuman fired blue freezing energy beams at the horde. The beams slammed into the demons, trapping some of them in ice. "Supergirl..."
"You got it!" The Girl of Steel took to the air and in a red and blue blur, smashed into the ice. It shattered into smithereens, which also ended up having the helpful side effect of killing the frozen demons.
"They're still coming!" Melfina exclaimed.
"They're scattered and confused!" Scott exclaimed. "Hit 'em hard!" Supergirl dove down and slammed into the ground.
THOOM!
The shockwave she created not only created a big crater in the ground, but also sent the surviving demons further flying.
"Supergirl, get back over here!" Jerry yelled. "Those demons are magical, which means they can hurt you!"
"Right!" The Kryptonian woman flew back to them.
Elsewhere in Portland, earlier today.
A forklift loaded a large crate into the cargo bay of the Outlaw Star. This action was happening in a special spaceport located in downtown Portland. Ships of all kinds could come over and refuel and resupply. This action was being watched by three beings. One was a foreman, wearing a blue jumpsuit with a yellow hardhat. The other two were two other members of the crew. One was a young man in his early 20s with a wild mop of blond hair...and who appeared to be an anthropomorphic raccoon. He was wearing an orange leather jacket with a blue t-shirt that had a white graphic of a bullseye. He also wore a pair of matching orange pants. His digigrade feet were bare.
"Alright, mac." The foreman handed a clipboard to the anthropomorphic raccoon. "Here's the manifest. Got everything you asked for?" Jim "Bullseye" Hawkins looked it over. 5
"Yeah, got everything we need there, mate." He nodded, his voice having a Cockney accent. He looked over at the third figure: A slim woman wearing a dark purple kimono with silver shoulder pads. Her skin was pale green with yellow spots around her eyes. She had purple hair, and had a wooden sword strapped to her back. She was staring at the forklift as it left the ship. "Oi! Suzuka! What're you daydreamin' about?"
"Sorry, James. I was just assessing the potential threat of that forklift and its operator." The assassin stated. 6
Jim rolled his eyes as the foreman chuckled. "Bloody hell, Suzuka. You worry too much."
"A bit paranoid, huh?" He asked with amusement. Jim nodded.
"Yeah, you could say that." The raccoon said. "Hey, sorry about the rush. It's Halloween, and we had better get to the shelters. I suggest you get your butts off-world. Some wacky crap goes down out here on this day."
"We hear you, mate." Jim nodded in understanding. "The rest of the crew are out explorin' and helpin' with the evac. Once that's done, we'll head out."
"Alright, then." The foreman shook Jim's hand. "Good luck to you, pal."
"Thanks, mate." The two watched the foreman leave.
"We should stay." Suzuka stated. "If there is danger here, we may be able to help. Gene, Mel, and Aisha are already helping with the evacuation..."
"We're bounty hunters, not superheroes." Jim frowned as the two headed into the ship. "This planet's got a gaggle of costumed crazies to take care of it. Let them handle it. I'm more interested in heading down to that tech convention on Graxos VIII. This guy is showing off an experimental new engine I have just got to see..."
Portland, present time.
The Outlaw Star raced around the skies of the forest-like city, being swarmed by demons.
"Get the hell off this ship, you ugly bastards!" Jim yelled from the pilot's seat, pitching the ship in an attempt to shake the demons off of the ship.
"Jim, we must find the others!" Suzuka reminded. She was sitting at the weapons console.
"I'm kind of busy trying to keep these monsters from tearing the ship to pieces at the moment, Suzuka!" Jim snapped. "Besides, Gene, Mel, and Aisha can take care of themselves! They're hardly pushovers!" He pitched the ship again. "You're at the weapons console! Instead of yelling at me about the others, can you please concentrate on blasting these monsters back to whatever Hell spawned them?!"
"Very well." Suzuka activated some of the ship's weapons. A light on Jim's console activated.
"Holy cow, it's Gene!" He pressed the intercom. "Starwind, where the hell are you?!"
"Southwest Portland!" Gene exclaimed. "We need to get to Aegis HQ! Where are you?!"
"Above North Portland!" Jim answered. "Hang on! Are your transponders active?!"
"Alive and kicking, but we won't be much longer!" Gene yelled.
"Where is Aegis HQ?!" Jim asked. "I've never been there before!"
"Downtown Portland!" Jim heard Jerry Chang say. "And move it!"
"On our way!" Jim ended the transmission. "Gilliam! Set course for downtown Portland!"
"Course set." The ship's AI answered.
"Alright!" Jim whooped. "While Gilliam flies, we'll take care of some business!" The anthropomorphic raccoon noticed the skies above the ship darken. "What the hell?!"
"Alert! Unusual weather pattern detected!" Gilliam announced.
"Let's hope it's friendly." Suzuka said.
"It had better be, or else we're toast!" Jim exclaimed. He heard a thump from the ship's roof. "Oh, God..."
"That does not sound like hail."
"No kidding, Suzuka!" Jim snapped. The demons on the ship snarled at the figure standing on the ship. It appeared to be an anthropomorphic green-scaled dinosaur, dressed as Thor. Its golden helm gleamed and red cape blew in the wind, and it tightly gripped an odd-looking silver hammer, crackling with electrical power. Its red eyes glowed with righteous rage. 7
Dino-Thor. Real Name: Unknown. Birthplace: Valley of Flame, Earth-15513. Physiology: Saurian. Powers and Abilities: Mjolnir grants power to control weather, naturally superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability, also enhanced by Mjolnir.
"Base demons!" Dino-Thor snarled. "You dare attack this region of Midgard?! This region is under the protection of Aegis! Surrender, or prepare to be smited!" The demons only roared in response and charged the saurian God of Thunder. He only nodded. "Very well. Smiting it is. They always do choose to be smited by my hammer!" He twirled it and used to mow down the demons that charged him.
Southwest Portland
"RAHHHR!" Aisha Clan-Clan roared as she tore into a demon with her claws. "Hah! That's what you get for daring to cross a warrior of the mighty C'tarl C'tarl Empire!"
"Less bragging, more demon-killing!" Jerry snapped as he punched one demon out with an icy fist with spiky knuckles. "I can't believe I just said that." He tossed several ice daggers at a group of demons.
"We really oughta come visit Earth more often, hun." Gene told Melfina as he blasted a demon in the head with his Castor Gun. "This place is fun!"
"Personally, I'm kind of hoping we can see it during a more...peaceful time." Melfina said as she dodged a demon's strike, then vaporized it with a magic blast. "There are a couple art museums I wanted to visit here." Jerry frowned at the two.
"You two are insane. We're being attacked by demons and you're discussing plans for future visits."
Scott chuckled as he kicked a demon aside then finished it off with an optic blast. "You haven't been doing this kind of thing long, have you? Casual Danger Dialog is just part of the job."
"...no." Jerry admitted, then slashed a demon's throat with an ice sword.
"Well, there you go. You'll get used to it, pal." Scott reassured. He dodged a demon's swipe. "Do you mind?! I'm trying to help a friend out here!" He blasted the demon, vaporizing it. "Sheesh, demons are rude sometimes."
"Forgive me for not having the experience in the superhero thing you do, Scott." Jerry grunted, slicing a demon in half with his ice sword.
"Hey, I'm curious about something." Scott asked as he blasted another demon. "You call yourself Iceman, right?"
"Yeah."
"...was there a Bobby Drake in your world?"
"Yeah, friend of mine." Jerry answered. "Why?"
"Just curious." Scott shrugged. "There's a ton of alternate versions of friends and family running around."
"Tell me about it." Jerry grunted, killing another demon.
"HAHAHAHA!" Aisha cackled madly as she tore into another group of demons. "It has been far too long since I had been in a fight this intense!"
"Don't lose focus, Aisha!" Melfina chided as she zapped a demon with a blast of magical energy. "I know you like a good fight, but we have to get Aegis HQ!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Aisha grumbled as she grabbed a demon and tossed it into its comrades. She then smirked at Jerry. "You know, Mr. Chang, I tend to work up an appetite after a battle like this. Maybe afterwards, you can treat me to some dinner. I'll make sure to..." She liked her lips. "repay you very generously." Jerry groaned while trying to hide his blush. Gene laughed and Mel giggled.
"I can't tell whether I'm supposed to pity you or not." Gene chuckled. "If I weren't Happily Married, I'd wonder if I should envy you." Up in the sky, Supergirl was dealing with a swarm of demons.
"Get back, you ugly beasts!" The Kryptonian yelled, then sent some demons flying back with a blast of freezing super-breath. One slashed at her, but she managed to dodge it, only tearing a rip in her cape. The Girl of Steel frowned. "I just had that cape fixed." She grabbed the demon, and tossed it into some of its flying comrades. She eyed another group coming their way. "Guys, they got reinforcements! A ton of them!"
"Awww, hell..." Scott grumbled. "Where's the Outlaw Star, Starwind?"
"It's on its way!" Doctor Starwind answered.
"Well, it had better hurry!" Scott blasted at some demons, then punched a couple more away. "We can't keep fighting like this forever!"
BZOW! BZOW!
The demon horde got blasted by a pair of lasers. The Outlaw Star swooped in like an avenging angel, firing at the demons in the sky. Dino-Thor was flying alongside it.
"YAHOO!" Jim whooped. "Here comes the cavalry!"
"Come, demons!" Dino-Thor yelled. "Come taste this uru hammer! Prepare to be smited by Dino-Thor!" The saurian warrior fired a blast of electrical power from his hammer at the horde, frying and scattering some demons.
"Alright!" Supergirl grinned, pumping her fist.
"Told ya." Gene smirked at Scott.
"Took their sweet time..." Jerry muttered as the Outlaw Star came to a landing.
"Sorry we're late!" Jim waved when the door opened up. "We got delayed by demons."
"Our delay was only temporary. Dino-Thor here helped deal with it." Suzuka added.
"Indeed." Dino-Thor nodded. "May a demon fell to my hammer."
"Well, let's get our butts over to Aegis HQ." Scott said. "Price needs us."
"Indeed." Supergirl nodded, rubbing the back of her neck. "We need an actual plan."
"Hopefully, Price and I can come up with an actual plan." Scott agreed as the group boarded the Outlaw Star.
"All I want to know is, does this 'Aegis HQ' have food?" Aisha asked. "I'm feeling a bit, what's the human term? Ah yes, peckish."
"I'm sure that they have plenty to eat, Aisha." Melfina reassured.
"With her appetite, I would not be surprised if she ends up eating Aegis out of house and home." Jerry grumbled. The heroes boarded the ship, and it took off. However, unknown to them, a blob of black slime started to seep out of a small crack in a sidewalk.
"Toxic Looooveeee..." The blob seemed to sing softly...
Aegis's allies are in place, and Portland has erupted in demonic madness! What insanity will happen next? Will Aisha eat Aegis out of house and home? Will Jerry "Iceman" Chang ever get her to leave him alone? Will Dino-Thor smite more monsters? And what's with that blob thing? Find out in the next chapter!
1 – This version of Gene Starwind is mixed with a bit of Dr. Strange and Star-Lord.
2 – This version of Melfina is mixed with Domino and Clea.
3 – This version of Aisha Clan-Clan is mixed with Drax and Tigra.
4 - In Crisis on Infinite Earths
5- This version of Jim Hawkins is mixed with Rocket Raccoon and Bullseye.
6 – This version of "Twilight" Suzuka is mixed with Gamora and Psylocke.
7 – Dino-Thor first appeared in Spider-Island #5 (December 2015)