Misfitverse: The Korvac Saga

Disclaimer: "He's tougher than a two-dollar steak!" - Jim "JR" Ross.

Chapter 27: A Force to Reckon With, Part 4

Outer Space

Streaking through the stars on a chariot provided to him by his fellow Greco-Roman god, Apollo, the demi-god powerhouse known as Hercules was doing something he had grown to love over the centuries: Exploring the vast bounds of space. Over his long travels, the demi-god had many adventures, and made many friends. The brown-haired hero smiled as he headed towards a familiar planet.

"Ah, Klattu..." Hercules smiled. "It has been a long time. I was wondering how my old friend Mainframe was doing. I think that perhaps it is time that I pay a visit." He ordered the white horses that were driving the chariot to take him towards Klattu. His entry into the planet's atmosphere was uneventful, thanks to the divine powers of the chariot. The demigod landed on a grassy plain. "Mainframe, my old friend. How has it been?"

Hercules! Mainframe yelled desperately. Help me! I am under attack! Ultra-Max has invaded my systems, and he is trying to take over me!

"What?!" Hercules blinked.

BZZOW! BZZOW!

"Zounds!" The demi-god yelled as he ducked under laser fire. It got the chariot-drawing horses incredibly spooked. They started bucking and whinnying in fear. "Mainframe! What madness is this?!" Several futuristic silver jets streaked towards Hercules. "Why are you sending your defenses after me? We hare old comrades! Have you gone insane?!"

It is not me! Mainframe answered. It is Ultra-Max, the living compu-virus! He is trying to conquer and take over my systems! Please, Hercules! Help me fight him off!

"Ultra-Max?!" Hercules blinked. "That foul binary abomination?!" His mighty fists, fists that had smashed mountains, clenched in rage. "Evidently, that virus did not learn its lesson at Galileo City. Fine, then. Mainframe! If you can, teleport me inside! I shall see if I can help you wipe out this intruder! If he wishes to battle the God of Strength, then he shall! He shall feel the fistic frenzy of Hercules!" The God of Strength vanished in a flash of pink and yellow light.

Haven

"More tea, Ember?" Oracle offered the zombie mutant Ember McLain, known in the distant past as Dead Girl. The two were enjoying tea at a balcony in Rancor's castle.

"No, I'm good, thanks." Ember shook her head, sipping her tea. "Technically, I don't need any real sustenance, being undead and all."

"I see." Oracle nodded. "Well, what brings you to Haven, if I may ask?"

"You're the precognitive, you tell me." Ember smirked, taking another sip of her tea.

"I found that some people tend to get really annoyed with my future-predicting." Oracle explained.

"It's not your fault, Oracle." Ember reassured the pink-haired white-clad precognitive. "And as for why I'm here, well...I'm here to see the Lost Mutants again."

"Especially the ones that were members of the old X-Men." Oracle deduced. Ember nodded.

"My body was an old friend and teammate of theirs." Ember explained. "My spirit fought them once. Even used the Hellions against them." (1)

"So, you think they'll be happy to see you?" Oracle blinked.

"That's the thing." Ember sighed. "I don't know if they will be happy to see me."

"I think they will be thrilled to meet another survivor of their era." Oracle smiled.

"I suppose." Ember shrugged. "I just hope they're willing to forgive the whole 'Spirit-tried-to-destroy-them-at-a-concert' thing a thousand years ago."

"I'm sure they will." Oracle nodded. "Your body and soul didn't find peace and reunify then. And..." The pink-haired young woman's face formed a small smirk. "I know you, Ember. You don't want to find the Lost Mutants just to say hello. You have another motive."

"It's not an ulterior one." Ember reassured. "If there's anything I know about the New Mutants and the Hellions...they're not going to have an easy time gelling together."

"That's understandable." Oracle sighed, sipping her tea. "Considering the crimes the Hellions committed, it will be difficult. But they must gel together. They must for the universe's sake."

"That's why I want to find them." Ember nodded. "Let's just say that with the Hellions' time under the Hellfire Club...things weren't exactly what they seemed."

"What do you mean?" Oracle blinked.

"What I mean is, I have to find the former Hellions." Ember answered. "They have to know something about their time in the Hellfire Club..."

The surface of the planet Klattu

The two Quinships landed on Klattu's surface.

"Last stop!" Jocasta announced. "Everyone off." The heroes started to disembark.

"Finally." Doug sighed, unbuckling his seatbelt. "I was feeling a little antsy. Space travel is crazy."

"Here, it's as common as the cold used to be." Sam told the mutant translator as he unbuckled his seat and got up from his seat. "People travel through space all the time now."

"I thought it was very nice." Marie smiled. "I thought that the stars were so beautiful."

"There at last." Jennifer sighed. "I needed to stretch my legs."

"I'll be happy to be away from you." Amara scowled as she started to leave the Quinship.

"Sorry, Aquilla. Looks like fate's got other plans." The blonde luck-manipulator grinned as she followed the Nova Roman.

"Hey, can somebody help us out here?" Ray called. He and Roberto were shackled in their seats.

"Yeah, this ain't funny!" Roberto snapped.

"Hang on." Jocasta pressed a button on the control panel, and the shackles retracted into the chair, allowing Ray and Roberto to get up.

"Thank God." The Brazilian solar battery grumbled as he got up, rubbing his wrists.

"You really did not need to do that." Ray glared at Jocasta. The silver nanotech woman smiled in response.

"I do apologize for that, Raymond and Roberto." Jocasta apologized sincerely. "But it was necessary to keep you two from wrecking the Quinjet with your brawling."

"I get flashbacks to the Mansion thinking about it." Sam chuckled.

"Haroun, we can get off now." Dani told the Moroccan mutant as she got up. She turned around and noticed Haroun was very deep in thought. "Jetstream...Jetstream..." She poked him slightly. "JETSTREAM!"

"Hmm?" The young cyborg blinked.

"Wake up." Dani smirked. "We're here."

"Ah." Haroun got up and followed Dani out.

"What the heck were you daydreaming about, anyway?" The Cheyenne mutant asked in curiosity.

"I was not daydreaming." Haroun answered. "I was merely...thinking."

"About what?"

"I was looking back on my life." Haroun answered. "Particularly my time with the Hellions."

"Regrets?" Danielle surmised.

"You...could say that." Haroun admitted. "Although, when I think back on the things I did...they seem...strange. Almost like...!"

"Hey!" The two Lost Mutants turned around and saw Sam at the Quinship's door. "Get out here!"

"Sorry, Sam." Dani apologized as she got up, Haroun following her. The two were the last to emerge from the Quinship.

"Alright." Commander America ordered all the heroes together. "We're going to need a plan here."

"Can't we just send this Mainframe guy an anti-virus program or something?" Ray blinked.

"Good luck delivering it, son." Commander America answered. "Mainframe is more than just a simple computer program."

"Indeed." Jocasta nodded. "Over the last thousand years, Mainframe has evolved into the form he is now."

"How old is he exactly?" Doug blinked.

"Technically, not much-!" Jocasta never got to finish her sentence.

KZZAT! KZZAT!

Energy blasts started raining down on the heroes.

"Whoa!" Kid Razor yelped as she plucked her guitar and activated her protective aura.

"Dammit!" Commander America cursed, using his shield to protect himself.

"GET DOWN!" Sam roared at the Lost Mutants. He quickly used the Quantum Bands to form an energy field around them.

"Man, what's his problem?" Jennifer blinked. Several futuristic silver aircraft swooped over the heroes, firing energy beams at them.

"He seemed strangely protective of us there." Amara blinked.

"He's probably just scared." Doug realized. "He's afraid we'll get hurt. Or worse."

"He does have a point." Haroun admitted. "If any one of us is harmed now, it could have an adverse effect on this Lost Mutants prophecy."

"That does not mean we can't help fight!" Dani snapped. "Sam! Let us out of this bubble! We can help!" However, the young Cheyenne's plea fell on deaf ears.

"Mainframe, stop this!" Sam yelled. "We're here to help you!"

I am trying, old friend. Mainframe's voice could be heard answering from the jets. But there is another system trying to take over me. Another voice butted into the conversation.

I am Ultra-Max. The second voice bellowed. And I will no longer tolerate you heroes bothering me!

"Ultra-Max?!" Randall blinked. "I thought we finally destroyed that thing in Galileo City!"

"A piece of its code must've survived." Commander America grumbled.

"Who is Ultra-Max?" Doug asked.

"Sentient computer virus." Sam explained as he blasted at a couple of the jets with his Quantum Bands. "First battled the original Punisher back in the 21st Century."

"And has been an annoyance to everyone to wear a costume ever since." Commander America grumbled as he pitched his shield at one of the jets. "Iron Man! Captain Marvel! Get up there and shoot those things down!"

"You got it, Commander!" Iron Man and Captain Marvel answered, taking to the air to bring the fight to the jets.

"Commander, I can help fight those things!" Harry Storm, the Tachyon Torch, reminded the Commander as he dodged a laser blast.

"Negative, Torch!" Commander America answered, using his shield to make one jet blast another. "You can't use your powers with Miss Stavros here. You'll trigger her pyrophobia. Get back to the Quinship!"

"Dammit!" Harry grumbled, trudging back to the Quinship.

"Those jets won't stop coming!" Marie yelped as she looked up in the sky. More of the jets started flying in.

"That's it! We gotta back 'em up!" Dani growled. "We gotta get this dome off us." She started beating the dome's wall with her bow. "Dammit! SAM! SHUT THIS THING OFF!"

"Sorry, Dani!" Sam apologized as he rocketed through another jet. "We can't afford to have anything happen to any of you!"

"Stupid damned prophecy..." Danielle grumbled under her breath.

"Danielle, he means well." Haroun tried to console the young Cheyenne.

"That really doesn't help right now."

"I don't really mind." Doug admitted. "I can't really do anything."

Avengers! Mainframe announced. Hercules is here! He is here to help!

"Good!" Commander America nodded. "We'll need all the help we can get!"

"Herakles?!" Amara gasped in shock.

"Hey Princess, who's Herakles?" Jennifer blinked.

"Amara's from Roma Nova." Ray explained. "They still worship the Greco-Roman gods there."

"They use the Roman names." Doug added. "When the Romans started worshiping the Greek gods, they changed their names. Herakles is the Roman name of Hercules."

"That big stupid palooka is here?!" Harry groaned. "Wonderful. Ten creds says the half-wit half-god makes things worse." Amara shook with anger. "Like that time in Arcadia."

"That wasn't his fault!" Sam snapped, blasting a jet. "

"Oh, no..." Ray groaned.

"Here we go..." Roberto shook his head.

"What?" Jennifer blinked.

"If this bubble weren't here, he'd be getting it right now." Doug explained.

"YOU ARROGANT LITTLE PEASANT!" Amara roared at the Torch. "HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT A SCION OF THE GODS LIKE THAT!"

"Whoa!" Jennifer yelped.

"Oh dear..." Marie blinked.

"YOU SHOULD SHOW SOME RESPECT TOWARDS A SCION OF THE GODS!" Amara screamed angrily at the Torch. "OR I SHALL SHOW YOU SOME HEAT!" Amara erupted into her Magma form angrily.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Jennifer screamed in horror. She screamed and tried to claw her way out of the bubble. "NOT AGAIN! NOOOOOOO!!"

"Amara, you idiot!" Ray yelled. "Power down! Blondie's freaking out!"

FWACK!

"OW!" Amara screamed. The Roma Novan clutched her head as she returned to human form. "Who-?!" She noticed Dani glaring at her, clutching her bow. Amara then realized Dani clobbered her with it. "That hurts."

"Warned you." Dani glared. The Lost Mutants and the Avengers vanished in a flash of pink and yellow light. They found themselves inside of Klattu, pipes, tubes, computer banks and all. "Now where are we?"

"We're inside Klattu." Sam explained. "This is Mainframe."

"He must've teleported us inside." Commander America realized. Another flash of light erupted, and when it ended... "Force!"

"Indeed, Commander." Interface nodded. "We've come for the virus."

Well, well, well! Looks like the action is ratcheting up! What insanity will happen next? Can our heroes save the day? What does Ember have to tell the Lost Mutants? Will I stop asking stupid questions? Find out in the next chapter! Suggestions needed badly!

(1) – In NebulaBelt's "Misfit Mania", Ember McLain, the Ghost Rocker, fought the X-Men. The story also revealed that X-Men member Dead Girl and Ember McLain, were the same person.