Chapter 16
We are all Avengers now
By Agent Reptile
Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction and I am not making a dime out of this. All characters, references, and other stuff belongs to the various people it belongs to and I hope that you enjoy. Also, yes this is a lot longer than my usual chapters, but with everyone waiting so long for some action I figure you are due some good stuff.
"Are you sure about this princess?" Brian said with deep concern and tugging a lot at his collar. The feeling of such an unfamiliar garment annoyed him greatly as the werecheetah was so used to only wearing a loincloth that he just about ripped his pants off as he screamed zipping his fly up. He also had some serious balance issues as he was not used to not having a tail to rely upon for balance. He seriously could have been in hybrid form, but was so worried about standing out that he was now exceedingly wobbly on his feet and almost feel over a few times.
"Buddy you are free to stay behind but I am going, my muffin is going, Brianna is going, and Tark is coming along." Britanny said as she was busy trying to tie her shoe laces without getting distracted with her affection for string. "Stupid laces."
"I mean are you sure that you want to draw attention to us?" Brian shuffled a bit in the unfamiliar feeling of shoes. "I am worried that our many foes would try to harm you if they knew were a werecat."
"Alex what do you think?" Britanny asked me as she put on her jacket with a huge smirk on her face. She was dressed in a rather classy form-fitting suit with a classy turtle-neck sweater and a small skirt which allowed her to freely move her tail around. However Britanny kept tugging at something under that sweatshirt and had folded something into her rather expensive looking purse.
I shifted into a 5'2" tall green form with a red bandana around my head and a shell on my back. "In New York? They don't notice anything." I was twirling my sai in my now three fingered hand. Britanny smirked as she saw me in the form of the most aggressive of the TMNT. I slide my sai back into their holders and changed back into my normal form.
"Besides I walk around in hybrid form all the time and no one has a problem with me." Britanny was not about to hide her preferred form. "Now showing up in a super powered personal jet…"
"You aren't taking the Blackbird." Gina said as she leaned against a wall and glared at Britanny.
"Sorry sis?" Britanny asked in confusion. And I mean the deer in the headlight's level confusion.
"The Blackbird stays put." Gina said as she repeated in complete seriousness. "After your last trip I'm giving it a complete inspection, so you aren't taking it anywhere."
"Fine sis what about another aircraft?" Britanny said as she waved her hands dismissively.
"Like what? The only other craft we have as mass transport is that UD-4L drop ship prototype I'm working on and that fit for civilian transport."
"And why not little uber nerd?" Britanny teased back. "If it flies then it flies."
"Because Brianna armed that thing with more weaponry than the Colonial Marine's specs and it is being built to prove a way to have a better repeat atmosphere re-entry system for space shuttles. If you try to fly that into New York you'll be seen as a terrorist agency."
That hit me hard like a punch to my guts. It was still the mid 90s at this point and the twin towers of the World Trade Center still would be standing tall over the horizon filled with skyscrapers. There was no Al Qaeda, no attack on the USS Cole, I wasn't even sure that there was the 93 bombing in the basement of the Trade Center. It was a very different world and time from the world I had come from and I was stuck then and there at a moral cross-road. I was helping make peace with the werewolves and werecheetahs, and helping the Kyrn and Atlanteans build a better future, and now what do I do with the ultimate power at my hands: the power of choice with free will. I quickly shook my head. It was not my choice and not my right to go down the path of domination.
Ironman, Superman, even Charles Xavier himself had struggled with the power they had and the potential for abuse of those gifts. I had read it way too many times from writers of comics who had the characters go down very dark paths. Injustice series, how Tony's weapons meant to fight the enemies of the free world were turned around and used against those who loved freedom and harmed innocent people, and Professor X becoming Onslaught…there were more examples but it was clear that these gifts and the powers I had right now were entrusted to me for more than self-glorification. I hated stories where heroes turn into villains, where those champions who fought so hard to do the right thing became that which they hated before…and now I knew why inside. It wasn't just I felt it was a betrayal of the character, but because it is the other side of free will that is in all of us.
I was going to help Danny face this soon, and I knew that her friend, her partner Barbra "Crush" Duncan would make a very bad choice in the future, and one choice in the heat of conflict would result in her being sent to prison for years. Yes she did a lot of good and was a model prisoner who refused to go for early release and eventually became part of Agency Zero…but if Tanya was given a chance to not be a villain then I dang sure going to give Crush that chance to avoid making the mistake from the comics.
"Well how do you expect us to get to New York then? Ace is busy with Penny in Peru and as you were ever sooo kind to point out I am in soo much debt that putting anything on my credit cards would be a seriously bad idea. Not to mention that neither Alex nor Brian have passports so getting them plane tickets may be trouble."
"Uh I do still have a driver's license babe…. may be issued in Montana but it is legal even if from another universe." I point out.
"Well true, but Brian sure doesn't and if I am going to be spending any time with my BFF girlfriend doing some shopping for everyone then I'm not going to have any funds for tickets for five people."
"Well sorry, but it's not like you could have taken a stealth aircraft to JFK anyway. And doesn't Danny live in an apartment? Where were you expecting to park the darn thing?"
"Uh girls, couldn't we just use the light gate generator and have Danny meet us somewhere public?" I asked trying to defuse the situation. "Or does Theo have a scroll to New York?"
"And what show up in the sewers like one of your turtle forms?" Gina asked with a smirk.
"I don't know, maybe just pop into her apartment?" I ask. "Or how about we teleport to a dock-yard and I transform into a car and we drive to her place?"
"In what Ironhide again? He's kind of big you know." Gina chided me on that, on a level that felt like she just wanted to poke holes of any sort into my ideas.
"I have access to more Autobots than just Ironhide you know."
"But that other guy is a corvette muffin, only two seats right?" Britanny asks.
"I have more than Sideswipe as well. Now Optimus Prime would be a huge problem but may be useful if you want to stay in hybrid form. But if you would be willing to be in human form for just a bit I have someone who may be to your tastes and has room for four people."
"And he is a?" Britanny asked.
"A Z-28 Camaro." I smile at her. "I may be more of a Mustang man, but as none of the characters I can use turn into Shelby GT 500s, a brand-new Z-28 sound good?"
Britanny's eyes lit up at this. "And what color is he?"
"Yellow with black racing stripes." I said remembering movie verse Bumblebee's paint color.
"Oh perfect." Britanny said with bright eyes and a huge smile on her face. "So sis give us the do-hicky and let's be off." Gina grudgingly did so, with no small amount of frustration.
"Do you have Danny's new address?" Brianna asked as she walked in looking like she was begging for a fight, well at least armed for one as she too was dressed in what looked like reasonable civilian clothing. "New York is huge afterall."
"No, but I got her phone-number." We all just looked at her like she was nuts. "Look she didn't give out her address over the phone, but I'm sure that we can call her and meet up somewhere in public that she knows I would know about."
"Well it's better than running around the city screaming her name." Gina groaned at this oversight, but didn't do much more as she started pressing buttons on her datapad thing and headed for the elevator to the lower levels of the house.
"So where is Tark?" I asked seeing where everyone else was and surprise surprise there was no elf to be seen anywhere. "Didn't he promise to join us?"
"Yea where is elf-boy?" Brianna asked as she popped in a new thermal clip into the collapsible blackwidow sniper rifle and slammed a fresh magazine into her M-42A2 pulse rifle. Why was she bringing such serious firepower? She's Brianna Diggers people she brings full auto carbines when she gets the milk for her cereal at the local grocery store. "His magic abilities would seriously kick ass against supervillains."
"No clue sis." Britanny said as she tapped her toes with limited patience. "Hey Tark you joining us or what?" Britanny yelled out through the house about to run around and if needed drag him with us. I wasn't sure if it was her desire to help her friend, her obsession with doing things fast, or just her lack of patience with waiting when she wanted to go do something with limited impulse control that she had which was causing her to start to do a very good impression of an annoyed sonic the hedgehog. If she shuffled her feet any faster she may have started causing the carpet to smoke.
"This is taking way too long." Britanny growled as her fangs started to show and her muscles were tense.
"My dear what is troubling you?" Theo asked as he walked into the room.
"Oh hey daddy, just waiting on Tark so we can go help Danny and it's taking way too long."
"You mean the time I took to help him with a concealment scroll to help block anyone from seeing you show up from Gina's lightgate?" Theo smiled with a smug and knowing look on his face.
"Oh sorry daddy…" Britanny groaned.
"It is okay Britanny you want to help your friend, just remember not everything moves at supersonic speed like you do." Theo patted his daughter on the shoulder. "Just open it when you show up on the other side and no on will notice you showing up. I believe this should make things easier helping Danny."
"Thanks daddy." Britanny said and hugged her adoptive father tight.
"I learned a few thing about keeping secrets." Theo said as he held his favorite pipe in his hands. "Now please give your friend my best as I remember how long you two have been close."
Britanny smiled the biggest heroic smile and looked at the lightgate generator in her hand. "So how do I use this thing?"
"Let me sis. Last thing we need is to have us pop into the middle of a wall or something." Brianna offered to take the lightgate unit and gentlely try to remove it from Brit's hands.
"Hey I'm not an idiot okay." Britanny said defensively. "I may not have all those fancy degrees and speak in mathematical formulas, but I do know how to operate a remote control and won't press a button that I don't know what it does…unlike some people I can think of." Britanny smugly looked at the door where Gina had left.
"Not saying you are, just…well a lot of the calculations for this are not in the machine so that if someone found it and tried to get into our house…"
"Let me guess I don't just select the state and poof we are there?" Britanny said as she passively started to twirl the thing in her hand.
"Okay sis please just don't do that with that…" Brianna was almost at a panic. "Please just hand it over carefully and…" Brianna tried to coax the thing from Britanny, who was getting somewhat annoyed at this delay so was trying to just let Brianna take it. What Britanny did not do was notice where she was s Brianna scrambled to hit the stop button on the thing, welp there it happened.
FABOOM! In an instant the portal opened in the room and we found ourselves with one active lightgate portal and the five of us at a loss at what happened.
"Okay Brianna is that portal linked to New York City at all?" I ask as we all just stared at the thing before us.
"Well thankfully yes it should, but no idea where in New York it will appear beyond ground level." Brianna said as she looked at the readout.
Not as embarrassing as Britanny flashing everyone when it was activated while she was getting dressed, but still not ideal as we had no idea where we were going to be.
"Well destiny favors the bold…and starships name enterprise." I smiled as I became the first to walk through the portal and into the city scape of New York.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting on the other end, but what I absolutely did not expect was to show up in the middle of a department store.
"Where are we now?" I ask as the others cleared the light gate's portal and discovered that we had landed in one of the worst places to start helping Danny…
"Oh my gahddd." Britanny's eyes went wide as she looked upon the rows upon rows of clothing and jewelry. "We have gone to heaven!" Britanny was already about to pull out her credit cards, which were likely almost overdrawn at this point, and was about to go to town on the place.
"Oh no no no no, we are not doing this right now." I said as I tried, with very little success, to try and get Britanny to focus on leaving as we had attracted the entire store and someone was likely going to cry about "aliens" showing up as this wasn't Atlanta.
"Already on it." Brianna opened the scroll and instantly is was if someone had used one of those M.I.B. flash devices and everyone just went back to what they were doing.
"Oh cool now we…" Britanny started.
"Can go help Danny right?" I ask as I am unable to even budge Britanny in her hybrid form.
"Can go help Danny…." Britanny agreed as she put her cards back in her purse and quickly tried to make it to the door without any more distractions.
"What is this place? Some sort of massive city of markets?" Brian said as he was in shock at all the people we had walking around noticing us and commenting about weirdos and such. We paid them little mind as we made our way out of the store. Britanny and Brianna only briefly looking at the pretty bobbles and perfume along the way.
"Sort of." I responded as we finally got out the door and onto the streets. The storefront said "Tiffany's" On it. I figured as much. If anyone could find a high-end retail store without trying it was my love.
"And we will be coming back right muffin?" Britanny pleaded a bit. "And let Bri and I discuss things like brides made dresses."
"Yes, but first we need to find Danny and find out what is going on here." I said as I tried to find some sort of garage to change asap. That or find a payphone for Britanny to call up Danny on. Keep in mind this was way before private cellphones and so everyone carried a few coins on them for calls and the like. "Anyone see a payphone?"
We were now out on the streets looking around and avoiding trying to make a scene. Not that two werecats (including a 7' tall woman), a lycanthropoid, and an elf weren't obvious enough.
"A what?" Brian asked completely lost at the moment.
"A phone…it's how people can contact at long distance without magic." I said as we found a parking garage and quickly headed to the top level where we could have some privacy to change.
"It's a box with a black mouthpiece and listening device" Brianna said as she was now looking as well. "Still got her number Brit?"
"Yes I have her number sis don't worry." Britanny said pulling out a small strip of paper from her purse and now too was looking about for a phone. Thankfully as this was the 90s there was one at the top of the parking deck and thankfully enough room to do what I need to do. As Britanny darted to the phone fiddling with her coins, I shifted into a yellow and grey metallic being that stood heads and shoulders above even Britanny.
On my back were the doors of the car form that resembled wings, my feet had pistons on the back and a pair of bright blue eyes that powered up as I released a happy "weep" as I finished my transformation.
"Oh great another one of these things." Brian groaned. "Okay let's get the organic hate out of the way now.
I looked sad for a moment as my mouth guard dropped and I turned on the radio.
"You've got a friend in me…."
Brianna giggled a bit at this. "Another Autobot huh?"
I nodded as I moved my mouth plate in a smile.
"That is correct." That one came from Robin William's performance of Genie. I clapped my hands together in joy at this.
"What does that mean?" Brian asked scratching his head as I dropped down to my knees and elbows as my chest moved forward and my head dropped under the now expanding hood while the grill pushed ahead and my wheels dropped down. As I finished my transformation was complete I roared my engine and opened my doors and let Tark and Brian occupy the back seats while Brianna sat in the "shotgun" position.
"Man this is tight." Brian said as she tried to squeeze into my backseat.
"Only human, born to make mistakes…" I replied through the radio.
"What?" Brian said in confusion.
"If you need more room switch to human form pal." Brianna joked while adjusting the seat to allow herself more leg room. I made sure everyone was buckled up and shifted gears while pulling alongside Britanny.
As I saw my stunning lady hanging up the phone and shaking her hips from side to side as she approached me. I don't know if she was just showing off or if she was just so used to doing sexually suggestive things all the time, but she looked amazing.
"Hey Hey You, get into my car…" I said to her as I rolled down the window and opened the door for her.
"Dang babe that you?" Britanny said in awe of my form. "Sweet ride." Britanny smiled and took a moment to run her fingers over my exterior. She instantly shifted into her human form to fit into the space of the driver's seat as I shut the door and rolled the window back up. The constant pawing if you would at my seats and wheel were doing things to me I was rather embarrised to say. This was especially true when she started teasing my "stick" as she was trying to get a feel for this car from about twenty years in the future.
"So Brit where is Danny living?" Brianna asked in thought.
"We are actually picking her up at work. Something about a paralegal office." Britanny said handing Brianna the address. I attempted to pull up the address on my GPS unit…only to find that there was no actual satellite signal.
"Cars in the future have built in GPS!?" Brianna said as she looked at the screen blinking on the central consol.
"Yesh Bri not so loud." Brit said with her fingers in her ears. "Just pull up a map or something and we are off."
With a squeal of tire rubber and the roar of a 7.0 liter VS with 505 HP we were off, and yes after everyone was buckled up. Beyond a few stares from onlookers, and one punk trying to drag race me, it was a more or less uneventful drive to the front of a brownstone building. There a young lady with brown hair, glasses, and a case was walking down the stairs talking to herself. With advanced cybertronian audio-receivers I started to pick-up what she was saying and started to transmit over the stereo.
"Okay Danny think where was Brit supposed to be, and dang it Barbra I know things are hard but I need you." Yep that was her. I pulled up to the curb and honked the horn. Instantly her attention shot to me as Britanny almost leapt out and grabbed the now taller woman.
"Danny I missed you girl how are you?" Britanny smiled as Danny was guided to me and people played musical chairs.
"Wow Brit where did you get this ride? And I take it you are Alex?" Danny said offering her hand to shake to Brian.
"Uh no I am Brian Savemore, the royal protector of Princess Britanny. Not her consort."
"A pleasure. Then are you?" She next looked at Tark.
"Uh no no, my name is..Tark pleasure to meet you." Tark said stammering as he took Danny's offered hand in friendship."
"Oh so who is…" At this I shut the doors, adjusted seats, and shifted gears as I pulled away from the curb. Danielle was in shock for a moment as I started to drive without Britanny's input and activated the screen in the console to try and form a face of my normal form on it.
"Danny meet my fianc Alex, or rather him in one of his many alternative forms." Britanny said as I moved through traffic with ease.
"So he's controlling the car by remote."
"No babe, he is the car. Which is isn't a car but a transforming alien robot." Britanny said as I just tried to keep up with the other vehicles.
"Uh Brit you aren't using catnip are you?" Dannielle asked in confusion.
"Say I believe…" I said turning on the music again.
"What the?"
"Hello my friend, it's good to see you too…."
"Uh pleasure to meet you as well. Look why don't we go to my apartment and we can all talk this over…provided you can fit in the elevator."
I just smile on the screen as I raced to the skyscraper's parking area.
"And what exactly is this car anyway?"
"Oh it's a Camaro Z28, from 2015." Britanny bragged as I pulled into the lot and everyone emptied out.
"Okay I know this is going to be a long story so if you would kindly wait till…." As Danny held her head in her hands and was a few feet away from me I started to shift my body again and was one more in the robot form of the famous Bumblebee.
"Oh wow…." She said as I kneeled down a bit and looked her in the face. "You're you really are a robot…but how?" She pressed her fingers to my arm and to the top of my head feeling the Autobot symbol on my forehead.
"Doesn't he have the cutest face?" Britanny giggled a bit as I tried to smile. She shifted into her hybrid form now that she had more room than the cramped space inside my interior.
"He's…he's Alex?"
"You've got a friend in me…" I played over the radio and nodded.
Britanny giggled at this again.
"My princess we are far too exposed out here." Brian said tapping Britanny on the shoulder. "Perhaps it is best if we get inside and discuss this in more…secure location.
"Fine fine." Britanny said as I became my normal form and shook Danny's hand.
"Name's Alex, and a pleasure to meet you."
"A pleasure to meet you, now let's head to my apartment."
Her apartment was on one of the middle floors of a massive skyscraper and looked like something out of Ghostbusters or the like. Kind of small place to live, but as it was New York and she was a single woman that would probably be all she needed.
"Okay so tell me everything, and don't skip on the details Brit."
"Sure, and you do the same for me." Britanny said to her friend as my love nodded to Brian to show his true form. Danny was again in awe and smiled.
"You found more of you people?" Danny was overjoyed for her friend.
"Oh Danny that isn't even the start of it." The next twenty minutes Britanny filled her friend in on everything we had done and Danny told Brit all about Crime Syndicate X and Barbra's actions disappearance and actions with Vector.
"So as you see I need some serious help." Danny said as she got herself a cup of coffee. "And now one of my closest partner is…"
"Forced to work for them because they know where her family is and if she doesn't do their bidding then her family gets killed. Likely she did what she did with extreme amounts of grief." I said as Danny was in thought.
"How did you know that?"
"Apparently we are comic characters in his world, or movie characters, or…whatever trust me he knows some things that have helped us a lot. Doesn't know everything, but so far he is trustworthy." Brianna said as she took the pulse rifle out of weapon's space. "So where are they and when do we go…"
Before any of us could do anything the window exploded into a cascade of glass shards and someone who looked like they stole Deadpool and Deathstroke's laundry attacked us with a lightsaber.
"Lady you ain't going anywhere." He yelled as Danny scrambled for her mask and the guy pulled out a nunchuk. "Now you must face the might of Techninja….." while he was busy trying to intimidate us, to little effect as Britanny was unfazed by the attack along with Brian while Brianna had already activated something half-way between a zero-suite and Halo powerarmor. I however took a more direct approach to the situation and attacked the intruder. As I rushed at him I shifted forms and ignited my own lightsaber and bore down on him so fast he barely had time to realize he hit the ground.
My frame was that of a man over 6' tall, my right hand was in a strapped leather glove, and the brilliant blue of my saber's stable blade was pressed down on his own weapon so hard it was making sparks as the magnetic field of the plasma arc couldn't hold it back much.
"Techninja? Really?" I smirk. "Ninja's are supposed to be unknown silent warriors and you come in weapons drawn screaming your name? Well pal so we are on equal footing you face the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker." It really didn't take much to keep him pinned down as he was nowhere near the abilities of even a padawan, much less a Jedi knight like Anakin. And yes that is Jedi not Sith thank you DLC alt skins and AU timelines in videogames.
"Okay pal let's start that over shall we?" Britanny said as she cracked her knuckles and Brianna pointed the barrel of the pulse rifle right at his head.
"And I really don't suggest doing something stupid as this gun fires armor pearicing explosive rounds that would be rather unpleasant to say the least." Brianna was doing her best evil smirk as the would be assailant was in a position he did not expect himself to be in at all.
"Indeed lets." I could feel the Force telling me that someone was coming in hard and fast and Britanny and Brianna got the same feeling. This time a rather tall African American man was literally flying into the room aiming at me. I grabbed this Techninja guy by his shirt, jumped back, and summoned the Force knocking the guy in my hand not only into the other guy, but hit them both with a Force Push powerful enough to send them both flying out to into the night's sky.
"What was that all about?" The other guy said as he barely had enough time to stop the two of them hitting the pavement.
"Uh Avenger we have trouble." Brianna said looking out the window and seeing the rest of this Crime Syndicate X was below us in some sort of hovercar. By this time Danny was already dressed as needed and Britanny had decided not to be left out of the fun either and did a fairly good impersonation of the Flash shifting into some sort of new superhero costume.
"What on earth are you doing?" Avenger asked smiling.
"Hey I don't want to ruin my good suits Avenger, so I decided when in New York do as the New Yorkers do." Britanny even had one of those chip 'n dale masks on. "Uh Alex to Jedi have the ability to fly?"
"No." I said dropping the use of Anakin, but I know someone who does.
"Insullent insects! I shall crush you all for your incompetence." I guess the guy down there was the leader of sorts as he was dressed like some knock-off Lex Luthor and started charging and electric field around himself. The only other individual I saw was someone who looked like a BDSM Lasher cosplayer with a Harely Quinn like smile on her face.
"Okay if you want to play let's…." I was already out of the window leading the charge when someone who looked like a fried corpse with Baraka's face grabbed me.
"Oh no I want to have a word with you." He said.
"You want a word? Here's one." I smiled "SHAZAM!" Instantaneously a bolt of lighting struck me sending whoever that guy was through the hole in Danny's window and right into Britanny's incoming fist. I however was hovering in mid-air about to do this superhero vs supervillain fight right. Dressed in red and gold with a white cape and a great big lightning bolt on my chest, whoever it was who was I was facing was going to have to deal with the mightiest of mortals, Captain Marvel.
"Who does this bafoon think he is? THawk deal with him."
"Right away boss." The guy flew as fast as he could at me and trying to lay a powerful haymaker on me, only to find I grabbed his hand in mine faster than he could blink and squeezed ever so slightly causing this THawk to cry out in pain. "What in the hell?"
"A little bit of Solomonic wisdom to you, it is very unwise to fight someone with the speed of Mercury and the strength of Hercules." I said with a smile. "Now if you care to wise up and surrender then there will be no more need for violence." He continued to struggle and tried to punch with his other hand. "Well if you want to do this the hard way…" I spun around superfast and twisted this THawk around before tossing him over the horizon. "Happy landings." I smiled as I looked down at this new foe and lowered myself to him.
"Okay before you try your usual speal let me stop you. First I am not joining your group of fools no mater what you tempt me with, second you are going to surrender to the authorities and release Ms. Duncan from the threats you gave to her, and finally nothing you have can match my power so how about we cut to the chase before someone gets hurt."
"Of all the delusions of grandeur I have ever heard. You dare dictate to Tirant what to do?" At this he summoned a massive amount of electrical power and sent what to him was probably a huge lightning bold right at me. What did I do? I just stood there and took it. Yep hit me right in the chest and I just yawned. "Why is it you guys always take the hard way?" I smiled as I floated down to the hover craft not even annoyed by this lightshow and flicked this guy on the nose. This sent him flying into his chair with a bloody nose and in shock. "Who are you?"
"Well I'll tell you who I'm not. Your friend." I said as the lady tried to whip me with her steel weapon.
"Oh come on dearie, try to lighten up." I was really not in the mood for this as I tossed her up to Danny.
"Hey Avenger could you do me a solid?" I smile as I tossed whoever this chick was up to Danny who smiled snagging her foe with the gummy part of her tube thing.
"Any time uh…."
"Just call me Captain Marvel." I said directing my attention back at Tirant, who was currently at a complete loss having zero control of the situation at hand. "And by the way, that was what people where I come from call weaksauce."
"So Captain Marvel, I take if fighting you would probably be a waste of time or effort, but what about those people down there?" He tried to charge again, but I was having none of this. In a bust of speed he couldn't even see, I grabbed his wrist and pinned it behind his back. "What on earth are you…"
"It would behoove you to stop resisting and perhaps turn yourself over to the authorities." I pointed out as I just absorbed all the charge he tried to build. "Honestly you could have done so much with your abilities and you waste them inspiring fear in others just for a small amount of power that dies when you do. And not even that you inspire others to become as corrupt as you manipulating their fear of the lives of their families and friends? Talk about pathetic." I just held him with little effort as he continued to waste his electrical powers.
"And you? You could rule the world with but a fraction of your strength and you don't feel the rush of power that gives you?" He said with a smirk. I just sighed.
"Power? You think what I have is power?" I said as I shot right up into the air. "Look below you. You see that? Tens of thousands of people, millions of people living their lives every day. In spite of hardship, in spite of loss or fear untold numbers of them help their fellow man in minor ways every day. Simple acts like holding a door open, seeing the sick or infirm, having a meal with someone in need, giving to those less fortunate than others, every day they struggle with their own weaknesses and yet still they build on the generosity others have given them, or give knowing what it is like to need. That is power. That makes the world a better place. Are any of them perfect? No and many do act against their fellow human beings for many reasons, and yet still there in the chance for goodness in every last one of them."
I said as I continued to hold him fast. "Human beings, people helping others in small and big ways. It may be their job, maybe they volunteer, and it may be just a one-time act that they feel is right. That is power. That is the greatest power any person can ever hold: free will. And what do you do with your gifts? Your mind, your abilities go wasted in self-serving acts of terror bringing people down to a level you feel to just because you think the world is as twisted and sick as you are." I continued. "And why? For money? Money doesn't hold power it just is a unit of exchange. Do you give it power over you?" I tried to make him see the light summoning as much of the wisdom of Solomon as I could to end this whole incident as peacefully as possible and perhaps offer him the chance to turn over a new leaf.
"You are so sanctimonious you know that." He almost spat at me. "You are a fool to waste your gifts 'helping others' and I will show you how corruptible people really are." He was still very much unable to do much of anything beyond squirm a bit. "THAWK get his fool off of me."
"Okay trying again." Again this guy was trying to face me and I just let him grab me from behind. His attempt at a headlock was…okay honestly pathetic.
"Are you really trying to choke-hold me?" I ask without being in the least bit bothered.
"Oh come on already.." THawk huffed and puffed as he couldn't do much against my muscles. "This guy can't be real."
"That's enough." Tirant yelled as he screamed to the heavens. "SLASHER detonate the aircraft!" There was some sort of communicator on him and I saw instantly his lacky was pressing buttons on the console below. I dropped as fast as possible with Tirant being held in one hand and THawk screaming for dear life. I tossed both of them aside as hit the ground and rushed at the craft then launched myself into the air fast enough that I was well beyond the range of damage in moments. Not having enough time to toss the thing into space, I put myself between it and the populous below and started to crush the thing in my hands as fast as I could while the counter was continuing to drop. Before I got it below the size of a compact car it blew up in my face. I just slapped my hands together without much of a care and rushed back to see that Tirant, the girl (I guessed Slasher), Techninja, and THawk were gone but Britanny was in the middle of a fight with someone who was seriously a bad Sabertooth rip-off.
"Okay ugly are you done being stupid already?" Britanny smiled as she elbowed him hard in the stomach. "Because I've seen the guy you are ripping off and he is far better a fighter than you are."
"My lady we are still in the middle of fight here. I suggest we focus and try to not get too enthusiastic." Brian said as he sweep-kicked the rotting thing knocking it to the ground followed by punching it right in the head.
Brianna was busy changing magazines as she unloaded on the punk with full auto-fire right into the chest. I thought that she had killed him as that rifle could rip xenomorphs to shreds, but instead it knocked him back rendering whoever it was unconscious.
"I thought that think fired armor piercing explosive rounds Brianna?" I asked smiling at her.
"Oh it does, but these are kind of knock-out rounds." She smiled back at me. "Or at least are to undead."
"So anyone want to help Britanny?" I asked.
At this point she was making bodyshots at this Rabid guy and slammed him in the face with a powerful uppercut. "And that is for calling my outfit tacky."
"And spoil her fun?" Brianna smirked as Britanny was slamming her knee into the guy's sternum, dodging his swipes, and then punched him right in the face before elbowing him upside the head. He was not knocked out though, instead he was in a blind rage that caused him to miss his mark and instead of being aimed at Brit, he was aimed at some unlucky couple on the street.
"Not in my town punk." Avenger instantly shot out that cord of hers and snagged her target and pulled her end around a lamp-post causing him to snap around and crash into the side of a brick building. "Now where is the rest of your crew hiding out?" She said tying his hands and feet.
"Like I would tell you…" He said trying to gain his strength and bolt.
I ducked into an allyway and shouted "SHAZAM" again. Thankfully turning into me and not a 10 year old Billy Batson. As I needed another hero I shifted into a dark-clad hero and fired off a grappling line to get to Danny.
"So think that he's finished?" Avenger asked Britanny and Brian. "Or does he need a few more punches to the head?"
This guy was now pure feral as he tried to slip his bindings. "Well I still think he's dangerous." Brian said with his claws extended. "He is a threat to others and can't be allowed to continue."
"Stop." I said grabbing his hand. "Not like this." At this Rabid broke out of the cord holding him and bolted. I shot out a tracking device that hit him hard on the back.
"What was that for?" Brian yelled at me. "Now he may hurt other people and we still don't know where the rest of them got off to."
"Oh no?" I smirk in that famous Batman smirk. Then I pulled up a radar device. "He's leading us right to them. By the way where is Tark?"
"You mean Genn?" Brianna groaned. "He's right there." She pointed to her usual sex-toy.
"Where is Tark then?" I ask.
"Probably back in Georgia. Genn shifted to Tark for some reason and so here we are."
"So we follow this guy?" Avenger asked looking at the screen.
"And he leads us right to the rest of them, and to Crush."
"Then what? She still broke a man's back." Avenger said in pain from having to choose to bring her friend in or not.
"If I heal the man's back will you consider not turning her in?" I ask her in that complete stoic face Batman is known for.
"Heal his…look if he is healed and he forgives her then yes I'll consider it, but still it won't be easy to fight a friend." Avenger said as she retracted the cord into the tube she had.
"What are you thinking Alex?" Britanny asked. "Use Silver Surfer again or…"
"No, he won't do. Wayne Tech and Stark Enterprise cybernetic implants though would allow us to no only heal the damage nerves but also promote the medical technology and research that could help others. Just giving the whole hospital a healing won't help future patients or allow doctors to develop new medical treatments."
"He always like this?" Avenger asked.
"Batman is…unusual to say the least." Brianna smiled. "So we drop-off ugly here at the nearest police station and then follow that lycan wanabe to their hide-out?"
"Actually Genn can drop off the perp while we find Tirant." I said pulling out a grapple unit. "Britanny and Brian can track him buy scent while Brianna, Avenger, and I take to the airborne route. We meet up at their base and wait. No one enters or approaches their hide-out until we form an entry plan as they will be prepared and entrenched." I fire the grapple up and use the extra powerful launching jet boost to get a lot of altitude.
"Where does he get all those neat toys?" I could almost head Avenger ask as I ascended into the sky and used my cape as a guiding surface.
"Oh you have no idea girl." Brianna smiled as she activated a jet pack and followed me. "Hey Alex got a frequency for that chip I can follow?"
"Standard frequency for bat tracking units." I replied over the com unit in my helmet. "Should be on your HUD system."
We followed the animal for several blocks, him leaving an easy trail even without the tracking device in his back as he ruined lamp-posts and the sides of buildings along the way. He didn't seem to be making any attempt to evade us though, and I didn't trust such an easy trail. This was going to have to go down without a hitch if we were going to stop Tirant and save Barbra and her family.
"Hey Alex, not sure if you can tell but he's stopped outside this what looks like some sort of run-down warehouse." Britanny said over the communicator as she approached from ground level. I landed on a rooftop above the complex and switched to detective vision and watched as he and Techninja started talking. The word "AJAX" with a fallen "J" on the side was not lost as to irony for me.
"So now what?" Avenger said as she too landed and walked up to me.
"He likely has a fortress set up inside there." I said. "And Barbra's family is probably under threat of harm if she doesn't comply. There is also a chance that your own family may be found out."
"What how do you?" Her confusion was understandable, and my knowledge of the comic universe was a complete unknown to her, and I had no time to explain. Therefore I choose another explanation.
"Common supervillain practice." I said. "He is a sociopath and will threaten those you love. The only way to not let them get harmed is to not listen to him and let him win. Evil will try every temptation in the book to get you to do what they want. You have to have the will not to let them use the fear of others getting hurt to stop them. It takes their power away from them." I told her as I returned my binoculars to my utility belt.
"So now what?"
"I'll need you to trust me, and to possibly hold me up."
"What?" Avenger said as I shifted to my normal form and then to the form of a bald man who's legs gave out from under me. Instantly she caught me and held me up.
"Thank you. Now do you trust me?" I ask her.
"So far? Yes I trust you."
"And if you gave Barbra a second chance would you trust her too?" I ask looking into Avenger's eyes.
"If she…if she helps us stop them then yes I will trust her again…but how will we…" Avenger's question was cut off as I placed my hands to my head as a focus. "What where are we?"
"The astral or mental plane Ms. Carter. Here we and your friend are going to figure out a plan to stop Tirant once and for all. And please call me Charles. I smile as we seem to float to the mind of one rather tall and built woman with a scowl on her face.
"So it seems your friend has allies Crush. Tell me do you know anything of them?" Tirant asked enraged at the situation.
"No I don't. I never heard of anyone called Captain Marvel and I don't know any cheetah people." She replied.
"Are you absolutely sure of that? Because if you are holding anything from us then your little brother and your parents will pay for your actions." He stormed off to where Slasher was working on a computer looking through records.
"Now as we are down some muscle, I want you to go and guard the front entrance from any…intruders."
"Got it." Crush said almost in tears. When she was far from earshot, I made my move.
"Greetings Barbra, my name is Charles Xavier and I am here to help. And please don't talk I am speaking to you in your mind." This got her to turn around mentally as I welcomed her into the Astral plane.
"Oh good you are here. I know what you are in what seems to be an impossible situation, but we are here to help save you. But you need to help us."
"Who, what is going on?" She asked as her astral projection looked to see myself standing there with her partner Danny. "Danny wait please before you…"
"I know Barbra." She said with a heavy heart. "I don't know how this is working, but I do know that you aren't doing this because you want to...and I know you and I have trust issues now but what I do know is that you can trust this man. He just helped stop Tirant's forces and one of them is in custody already. So if you trust us we can help you."
"But what about…" Crush started to think about all she had to done because she was forced to do so, her friends she hurt physically and betrayed.
"He can walk again, but first we need to stop Tirant and his men. Can you please tell us the lay-out of his base, any defenses he has, any surveillance equipment?" I asked as I contacted Britanny, Brianna, Genn, and Brian as well telepathically.
"There are cameras on the rooftops, and inside the building, it's reinforced to withstand heavy firepower and we all practice emergency situations regularly in case we are found. Also there is back-up power units that keep the place running even if you cut the lines form the city." She went on.
"Would someone with super strength be able to tear the doors down?" Britanny asked.
"I can, so if you can lift as much as I then you should be able to tear out a door or two, but the alarms will sound as soon as anyone gets inside."
"Very good Barbra, you are doing perfectly. Now I need to have a layout of the place to your best knowledge. So please concentrate."
Crush thought in as much detail as she could. Layout, weaknesses of the Crime Syndicate, anything she could.
"Barbra thank you so much." I said as I smiled at her, easing her fears. "In a few moments the entire building is going to go dark. Britanny you and Brian will tear out two of the doors, as soon as you are in Brianna will drop a plasma shield blocking anyone from leaving. Then she and Genn will provide air support while I and Avenger jump in through the roof. We converge from all sides in the center and Barbra you need to make sure that entrance is clear for us to get it. Your family will be okay and we will stop the Crime Syndicate tonight."
"Okay just, don't make a promise you can't keep." Crush said as she teared up a bit. We broke the telepathic contact and I appeared again next to Avenger as she was holding me up.
"Thank you. You ready for this?"
"Sure. So how are you going to take out all their equipment in one move?" Avenger said as I returned to my normal form and got up on my feet.
"Like this." I smiled as I used Xavier's long-time friend and foe Magneto's form. In less than a second, I summoned a massive magnetic disturbance hand hit the building with a concentrated EMP burst that shut down all the equipment, lights, and security for the building. I then levitated her and myself to the roof of this "AJAX building".
That done I returned to my normal form to use a more heroic choice for the real fighting.
"Ready for this Avenger?" I smile at her under the blue helm with big white letter A above it.
"Born ready." She replied as I yelled the battle cry of
"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!" I activated the MUA boost of Captain America causing myself and my team to boost our speed and strength as I slammed my shield into the window in the ceiling and acted as a barrier for Avenger so that all the broken shards didn't hit her.
"What the heck?" Techninja said as the crash drew his attention. Avenger jumped up my back as she landed and shot out her sticky cord catching the would-be Stormshadow in the ankle causing him to stumble to the ground and get dragged along the floor, and right into me backhanding him in the face with my vibranium/adamantium shield. With the speed that we moved and the benefit of the shock of being attacked he was left unconscious on the floor.
"Team we're in. How is everyone else doing?" I said over the com unit in my helmet. Avenger quickly zip-tied Techninja's limbs while tossing his gear to the other side of the room.
"Doing alright muffin." Britanny said in reply.
"Yep. Barriers up; no ones going anywhere." Brianna said over the sound of her boost jets and the hum of the plasma barrier we were now trapped in with the Crime Syndicate, or rather they were all trapped in here with us.
"Good. Watch the corners and eachother's backs." I said opening the door and heading out of the room with Avenger.
"What happened to the lights?" I heard the growling voice of Rabid down the hallway. At that I heard a crash of wooden door being blown off its hinges. I head the sound of someone getting hit fast and hard as the shadows of a very tall catwoman bounced off the wall and slammed her fists into the thug. She then curled herself into a ball in mid-air and kicked him in the head as a male cat-form ran into the punk and punched him several times in the chest so fast he was creating vacuum blades.
"You are so dead." I heard him roar as he tried to slash at Brian and Britanny with his clawed hands.
"Okay ew is that blood or drool?" I heard Britanny ask as she kicked him right in the head with her super-fast reflexes.
Rabid then roared in pain as he clumsily charged down the hall in fury, right towards myself and Avenger. I pulled my arm back ready to slam my shield into him with all my supersoldier strength, but as was about to send Rabid to lala land Britanny already caught up to him and she and Brian slammed down hard on his back slamming Rabid into the ground leaving a rather large hole in the floor.
"Fancy meeting you here." I smiled as Rabid too found himself tied up with zip-ties like some sort of lassoed calf at a rodeo.
"Infrared vision makes this a cakewalk." Britanny said as she stretched her neck after her victory.
"Don't get too confident." I said politely. "We aren't done yet and we still need to join Brianna and Genn before stopping this punk. But after this, first round will be on me."
We headed down to the stairway getting closer to the lower and more secured areas of the base.
"I'm getting tired of you guys just rolling all over us." THawk yelled as I heard Genn's distressed voice and a thud echo the hall.
"Genn you okay?" I said running faster than any normal human could ever try followed by the rest of our team.
"Cap hold up we're coming." Avenger said as she tried to keep up.
"Genn you okay?" I asked holding the now very male looking individual up while taking a look at the bump on his noggin.
"I'll be okay." He said as he was helped to his feet. "The guy just got the jump on me." Genn recovered quickly, but I could see the rather big dent in the archway.
"Let's be careful." Brian said taking point. "We are in the heart of the beast as it were and our greatest challenge is up ahead."
I nodded.
"How do you want to play this Avenger?" I ask Danny.
"Me? Why are you asking me?" She said in shock.
"Barbra is your friend, and Tirant is your foe. Plus this is your city so how do you want to do this?"
"Brit you still can see in the dark?" Danny asked as she came up with an idea.
In a few minutes we were right outside the door leading where Tirant, THawk, and Slasher were held up.
"How did we just lose control of this situation. Techninja where are you, what is going on? Rabid get down here you animal." We could hear Tirant yell on the other side of the door
"Ready team?" Avenger asked.
"On your mark." I answered, the others nodded with various confident smiles.
"Good. GO GO GO!" I slammed into the door with my shield in front of my face. Crashing through the entrance, I dropped down as Brianna with one of the most manic grins on her face tossed out a pair of spheres.
"Let's see how you like to play with these balls." Brianna laughed as they bounced around a bit before exploding in a flash of light, sound, and electricity as the Sonio-Electric Ball Breakers exploded hitting the three foes were rendered to shock.
Blocked by my shield though, we were protected from the discharges of noise, flash, and taser effects. I activated the boost again as I thrust my arm into the air indicating the room was clear. Britanny and Brian started running around the room keeping the three remaining foes from knowing what was going on.
"Slasher you take the guy with the shield, THawk you are to take on the flying pair. Crush get in here and deal with Avenger while I deal with these speedy pests."
At this an extremely large, built, and agitated blonde woman with a cape walked into the room and crushed the doorframe.
"So Avenger, ready to face your one-time friend? Remember Crush I know where your family is."
"I remember." Crush said in a rather deep roar. "Avenger you forgive me?"
"Crush please don't." Avenger said, worried her friend had turned on us again.
"So looks like we have a stalemate." Slasher said. I just threw my shield at her, missing by a few feet.
"Huh you missed." She bragged bringing out a flaming sword this time as well as her whip.
"I wasn't aiming at you." I said running towards her as my shield bounced off the wall, Britanny grabbed, threw I at Slasher's feet knocking her over, I grabbed it as I jumped up and slapped at Slasher's hands knocking her weapons far from her.
"Oh you are going to be fun." She smiled as I saw a bright light build in the room as Tirant was charging his electrical abilities. I tucked and rolled away as he let loose an AOE discharge. Britanny and Brian stumbled a bit evading the bolts while Brianna activated a barrier shield that tanked the damage she was dealing with. In the confusion Slasher grabbed her tools again and took aim at me.
"Ready to play cutie?"
"Kid you couldn't play in my league. Crush the door is wooden."
"So what does…oh oh…" Crush said a she tossed the door right at Tirant. "Consider this my resignation asshole."
"You dare? Do you forget that I still know about your parents, and your brother?" Tirant barely had time to dodge as the wooden door crashed right into the floor behind him. Splinters shattered everywhere and Tirant groaned at this additional failure.
"No, but I'm not letting you threaten me or my family again." Crush said as she was extremely enraged at the villain. Game was on.
I was dodging, blocking, and parrying Slasher's attacks. She was fast, and her distance control was great, but she was no where near the physical level I was at. I grabbed her whip as she tried to strike me and snapped the cord right out of her hand.
"Sword against shield? I love it." She attacked with some sort of enthusiasm bordering on erogenous desire.
"Lady I would suggest cooling that fire of yours."
"Oh you are no fun after all are you?" She joked at me.
"Oh he's fun alright, but hands off my muffin you dominatrix wanna be." Britanny calmly said as she jumped and weaved from the lightning strikes. She landed and bolted back and forth keeping making it hard to guess her next step.
"Hey bird boy, want round two?" Genn asked taking on the male form and levitating in the air.
"Oh this is going to be easy." THawk shot at Genn in an attempt to clothsline the shapeshifter, only for Genn to shoot above THawk at the last minute as Brianna jetted under THawk and tossed a handful of small balls to him.
"Enjoy." Brianna smiled as THAwk held them in his hand for a moment as Genn flew away.
"What the?"
KABOOM! THawk was shot right into the ceiling and then crashed hard onto the floor.
"Compressed air bombs." Brianna smiled as she jabbed a taser dart into THawk's back. "He'll recover later."
"This is absolutely ridiculous. I am surrounded by idiots." Tirant's focus was disctracted as he was now severely outnumbered and Britanny tackled Slasher faster than you could blink, dropped the black-clad villain to her knees while twisting the gal's wrist. Britanny smiled as she then held her free hand up to Brianna.
"Hey sis any more of those things?"
Brianna happily obliged and Britanny jabbed Slasher in the back as the girl's voluntary muscles spasmed and then when limp.
"So Tirant ready to surrender and turn yourself over to the proper authorities?" Avenger said as we circled the super villain. Faced with a ring of foes and no where to run, Tirant was absolutely livid at his change of fate.
"This isn't over you pathetic fools." He summoned up the biggest discharge yet and the whole room was alight with his electrical power. "I will bring you all to your knees."
We all blocked him as best we could. My shield took the brunt of his attacks and covered me from the blinding flash. The rest were covering their eyes as it looked like Tirant was about to go into overload.
"Captain what is that shield made of?" Avenger asked me, yelling at the top of her voice. She was covering her face with her huge hat and trying to see Slasher's whip, which sadly had become electrified due to the atmosphere's now charged state. I however knew exactly what Avenger was thinking. I tossed my shield somewhat blindly, but as it hit Tirant hard in the gut all the power went right through the path of least resistance, and vibranium absorbs all vibrations. Thrown several feet across the room and with all the power he built up now shot into the shield, Avenger grabbed the whip and lassoed Tirant and then drove a dagger into the ground through the whip. Tirant was absolutely pissed off at this point and tried to build up another discharge, only to find he couldn't even build up static.
"What did you do to me?"
"Who am I Dr. Wizard?" Avenger smiled as she stood up to the one who had forced her friend to be a villain. "Figure it out."
"You, you grounded me…"
"I think you are going to be 'grounded' for a very long time Tirant." I said picking up my shield from the floor and smiling.
"No, he can't be allowed to just be turned over to the police." Crush said as she stepped up and was about to literally Crush the life out of Tirant. "He knows my family, he forced me to do things…forced me to hurt people to keep my family safe. He can't be allowed to live."
"Crush please no." Brianna pleaded.
"Girl you don't want to do that, trust me I know what it is like to want to kill but this won't make things right." Britanny said as she found herself no more than a kitten to the giantess before her.
"You don't understand he..he made me into a monster and used my family to do it." Crush had her hands around Tirant's neck and could have snapped it as easily as you could a toothpick.
"Crush stop please. This isn't you, and you know this isn't you." Avenger tried to plead with her friend.
"You don't understand, how could you understand…"
"You're right they don't." I said placing my hand on her massive arm. "But I do. I understand exactly what you are dealing with and believe me there isn't a shred of human dignity left inside the man to justify him not being brought to his Maker to answer for what he has done to you and others, but I also know this: you Barbra Duncan are no killer, you are not a murder." I continued. "You may think this is the way to keep your family safe, willing to take the ultimate measure to make sure they never again have to worry for their lives, but this isn't the way. I've seen it the eyes of those who kill, many justified in doing so in war, to safe a life…many of my closest friends have had to make that choice and I know I have had to in combat. But you? It's not your nature to take a life, and doing so when your foe is at your complete mercy? You are no murder."
"But, but he knows my parents, my little brother…how could you possibly understand what I am up against?"
"Because I saw my best friend be forced into a monster by some of the most evil people ever to walk the earth. Completely against his will, one of the most noble and honorable men I ever knew was made into a killing machine by a NAZI Intelligence agency and my archfoe the Red Skull had my best pal turned to a mind-controlled weapon activated to take out a target and then put back in suspended animation for years if not decades at a time. And when I found out what he was forced to do, after I freed him from that control, it nearly killed him because he wasn't a murder but forced to be one. Don't go down this path Barbra. You aren't a soldier in war, you aren't a police officer forced to defend yourself with a firearm, you are a living symbol that people look up to and in your heart you know that is what you are."
"But he knows my name, how we just let him go? Even if the computer is fried they all know my name, my address, my…"
"Well if that is the problem." I smiled as I pulled my armored cowl back. "My name is Steve Rogers, Captain United States Army, commissioned in 1940 during Operation Rebirth. My friend's name was…no is James Buchanan Barnes, or as all our friends called him 'Bucky'. He was forced to become the killer 'Winter Soldier', but I didn't give up on him and after almost 80 years of him being the puppet of Hydra, he got back his mind, and his soul."
"But how?" She looked at me perplexed. "That would make you what? 80 years old at least? But you look like 30 something."
"Oh that is a whole other story I could share, but the important part is it is true."
Barbra said easing her grip around Tirant's neck. "So when I say I understand, believe me I understand a whole lot more than you realize. And that isn't even talking about my chum Logan and his torments and body count. I'll tell you about Wolverine later if you like." I smile the most genuine smile I could at her and it seemed to get through. "But please don't go down that road. It's a pit you can't easily pull back out of."
"Oh of all the sentimental garbage." Tirant said. "You think that I won't use what I know against you? I will."
THUNK
"That is enough out of you." Avenger said as she cold-cocked Tirant laying him out on the floor in a heap. "But still how are we going to deal with them knowing Barbra's name and family? It is a real concern."
"Perhaps I can help." Genn smiled. "I have limited telepathic abilities and as I feed on their aura, I can remove certain memories from them. If Alex uses Xavier again, he probably can verify there are no mental back-ups and everyone will be safe."
"But what about Vector?" Crush said as she started tearing up a bit. "I still…he was my friend and I."
"It may be hard, but I think that a rebuilt spine would go a long way to make things right." Brianna said.
"You can do that?" Crush asked in confusion.
"At this point I can believe anything about now." Avenger said as she bound Tirants limbs together.
Later, a few blocks away.
"I can't, really can't thank you enough." Barbra said in her more diminutive form. A rather lithe and lovely young lady with a sweet smile. "I just…this was a nightmare for too long."
"Well we are friends, just wish I could have done more Barb." Avenger said as she looked at the police vans hauling the Crime Syndicate away for hopefully a very long time.
"So what about you Brit? Are you leaving or do you have a few days to catch up?" Danny asked Brit, who was smiling at our accomplishment.
"I've got about a month before we can even have the peace talks, so this is perfect time to catch up and do some shopping, especially for bride's made stuff."
"Oh count me in." Danny smiled. "But anyone have a clue where we are going to stay for a while? My apartment is completely ruined after tonight."
"And I do need to get home, try to make amends with my family." Barbra said.
"How big a house do they have?" Brianna asked.
"Oh no that would be way too much of an imposition on any family. Seven more people in a crowded home?" I point out, having returned to my true nature a while ago.
"I think they would be overjoyed actually." Barbra said. "And if it's only for one night I don't think they would be too upset." Barbra smiled at us, almost considering us all as family at that point.
"Okay so how are we getting there?" Brian asked, completely confused. "And I am not riding in that flying abrasive jerk again."
"Couldn't use Grindor here anyway pal there is no room to maneuver." I point out. Brian was still rubbing me the wrong way any time he could.
"What on earth are they bickering about?" Barbra asked in confusion.
"Look it's very late, and Barbra you offer is very generous…but really there is no way that we could just pop-up in the middle of the night and crash. Tell you what I'll…I'll splurge a bit with some of the money from Dreadwing's cave I have and just get us a nice hotel somewhere."
"Oh muffin that's so kind of you." Britanny said kissing my head.
"Just not the Presidential suite okay." I just about pleaded that point knowing how very expensive Britanny and Brianna's tastes truly are.
"Uh actually we could….I sort of stole Tirant's bank account information." Genn said with a smile. "And erased the accounts from his memories." At this we all smiled and had a hearty laugh.
"Oh I like him." Barbra said relieved.
"Alright now to get us some transportation." I said making my way down to an open parking lot.
"Uh what is he up to now?" Danny asked as she scratched her head.
"Just watch. This is the fun bit." Brianna smiled as I shifted into one of the biggest forms I have yet to take. A bold red body, blue head, blue feet and shins that looked like boots, silver chromed legs, crotch and ab region, and a pair of bright blue eyes adorned me now. My mouth was covered in what looked like a faceplate and in my hands was a big ion cannon. My chest now had windows where my pecs would be and smoke-stacks now were on the outside of my upper arms. That's right I was G1 Optimus Prime himself.
"I hope that my current form does not frighten you." I said to all of them as I helped them down to the ground from the top of the roof we were watching from.
"Are you kidding?" Danny smiled as she looked me over. "This is amazing." She was acting like a kid in a toy store.
"I think that Ms. Carter and Ms. Duncan may have some catching up to do. My cargo area can be modified to be more…accommodating if you wish." I walked back a bit and in an instant my head folded into my torso, my arms folded into my chest, my legs extended into the wheels and axel, and out of nowhere appeared the huge cargo trailer of the real G1 Prime. Barbra took her more massive and more comfortable form as she and Danny walked into the climate-controlled area while the others hopped into my cab and got comfortable.
"Alright everyone time to roll out." I blew my smoke stacks a bit as I rolled onto the main road.
To be continued.
Okay so hopefully this was a more dynamic update and I hope everyone likes it. Still more plans coming in the future and I will be working on this fic for a long time to come. Please be so kind as to review as it means a lot to have feedback.
