Finally...the end has come. After months of college and writer's block, this story is finally finished.
DISCLAIMER: I own Borderline. The universe that this story takes place in belongs to Persiana13, and everything else belongs to Marvel.
Chapter 10: The Final Battle
Chaos erupted in the streets of New York. Remy and Daken engaged one other, each using their respective weapons—Remy's staff and Daken's claws—to block the other's strikes. Angelica and Omega traded blasts of energy, and Toxin's arms rapidly extended into Dark Beast's stomach, sending the furry mutant into a wall. The alternate-reality Hank McCoy, however, recovered quickly.
"You will come to regret that, my friend," Dark Beast growled.
"Not as much as you'll regret fighting me!" Dr. Connors cried, fiddling with his belt and becoming the Lizard. "I have complete control of my reptilian form, which means that you shall meet your end!"
Meanwhile, Moon Knight stared down not only the wheelchair-bound Mystique, but Cloak and Dagger as well.
"Your guise shares your evil, Mystique," Moon Knight growled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mystique said innocently, attempting to maintain her façade as Charles Xavier.
"How is Xavier evil?" Dagger asked. Meanwhile, Cloak noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
"Simply the ramblings of a man with multiple personalities," Mystique said with a wave of Xavier's hand. "Nothing more."
"Is that so?" Moon Knight said, advancing on Mystique. "Then Xavier did not conspire with prominent so-called 'heroes' with the purpose of reshaping society according to their whims? Then he did not send the Hulk into space, giving up on Bruce Banner rather than offering him help?"
Dagger stared. She had not known that Charles Xavier, the founder of the X-Men, had done such things. While she knew that no one was perfect, she also decided that it was possibly time to re-evaluate her and Cloak's allegiances.
"Take this, you Ezio Auditore reject!" Mimic cried, firing a crimson beam of energy from his eyes at Moon Knight. Cloak, however, warped in front of the white-garbed vigilante and with a swoop of his cape, he, Moon Knight, and Dagger were gone. "What?"
"You fool!" Mystique growled. "He saw you coming a mile away!"
Borderline, however, simply evaded Emma Frost's swinging legs, seemingly ignoring the fact that the latter's body was now completely composed of diamond. He extended one pole and swept it across the ground, tripping Emma up and, due to the density of her body, leaving a crater in the pavement when she fell.
"How…?" Emma gasped.
"Adamantium poles," Borderline said. "Adamantium beats diamond. You lose. Again."
"Not while I still breathe!" Emma declared, only for a giant metallic foot to step on her.
"Can remedy that, yes?" Death's Head said, grinding his foot into the pavement. "Ow, note to self: never step on a diamond woman again, eh?"
Death's Head suddenly shrieked in pain, largely due to Emma's fist punching through his foot. The former White Queen pulled herself out of his foot, breathing heavily.
"And I thought mercenaries were negotiable," she said.
Death's Head reached down and gripped Emma's head with his forefinger and thumb, pulling her into the air.
"Don't…ever…call…me…a…mercenary!" Death's Head yelled, winding his arm back and throwing Emma Frost off into the distance. The giant alien robot then turned to Borderline. "So, current client, what should I use to finish her friends?"
He used his one actual hand to remove various weapons and ammunitions from his back.
"I have missiles, battles axes, blasters…the list goes on, yes?" Death's Head said. "Even have a thermonuclear bomb somewhere in here, eh?"
"Stick with blasters," Borderline said. "Don't want whole area to explode."
"You're the client, yes?" Death's Head shrugged. He adjusted the blaster that currently served as his right hand and prepared for further battle.
Dark Beast was currently struggling against the Lizard and Toxin, eventually losing when Lizard's tail struck him down. Toxin then went on to completely bind Omega in symbiote tentacles, shortly before slamming the latter into a wall. Remy finished his fight with Daken by bashing his head against the Cajun's staff, disorienting the son of Wolverine. This left Mystique, who still remained in her guise of Professor Xavier. Cloak, Dagger, and Moon Knight reappeared as well.
"You're finished," Borderline said.
"Now, what makes you say that?" Mystique asked. "I am, after all, Charles Xavier. I can wipe you all out with a single mental blast."
"Don't think so," Borderline said. He stepped forward and jabbed one of his poles into the false Xavier's stomach, discharging a significant amount of electricity into his wheelchair-bound foe. Due to the intense pain she was in, Mystique was unable to hold her disguise, reverting to her usual blue-skinned form.
"Mystique," Borderline said. "Real name Raven Darkholme. Former member of Brotherhood of Mutants. Powers include shape-shifting and longevity...not telepathy."
He then struck her in the head with his remaining pole, knocking her unconscious.
"Currently inactive," Borderline finished. He then turned to his group. "Everyone done?"
"All present and accounted for," Remy smirked.
"Except Daken," Moon Knight said.
"What do you—" Remy began, only to look and find that Daken had vanished. "Oh."
"Where do you think he went?" Angelica asked, Dr. Connors approaching as he reverted from his Lizard form.
"Probably back to Osborn's Avengers," Borderline said.
Death's Head leaned down, intending to speak to the humans on their level.
"Well, fleshy client, I fought your anti-X-Men or whatever," the giant mechanoid said. "Our business appears to be concluded, yes?"
"Not yet," Borderline said. "One more job for you."
"And I will be paid, yes?" Death's Head asked.
"More money goes to your account," Borderline said. "But only if you do this."
"No harm in that, eh?" Death's Head said. "What do I need to do?"
"Need you to track down someone," Borderline said. He tapped some buttons on his cell phone-like device. "Info sent to your ship. Let me know if you find him. You'll get your money then."
"Fair enough," Death's Head said. "You're an unusually clever fleshy, yes? Hope to see you again, we do good business together, eh?"
Death's Head returned to his ship via a tractor beam, leaving Borderline and his group.
"Who are you having him search for?" Dr. Connors asked.
"Hulk," Borderline said simply.
"He was unjustly ejected from Earth," Moon Knight nodded. "He must be returned here."
"Okay, we beat Osborn's X-Men," Toxin said, "Up next is his fake Avenger team, right? The one Daken ran away to?"
"Not yet," Borderline said. "Osborn's missing. Need to take an opportunity."
"Would that opportunity not be to simply destroy his Avengers while he is unable to lead them?" Moon Knight suggested.
"Different opportunity," Borderline said, holding up his cell phone device. "Osborn tortured superpowered teens. Told them he would make them normal. Amplified their powers instead. Found locations of six Osborn tortured the most."
Displayed on the device's screen was an image of a dark haired boy.
"Reptil," Borderline said. "Real name Humberto Lopez. Powers include minor shape-shifting involving dinosaur body parts. Former member of pro-Registration Initiative Program. Currently incarcerated."
Next was another dark-haired boy, this one with a lightning-shaped scar under one eye and a streak of white in his hair.
"Striker," Borderline explained. "Real name Brandon Sharpe. Powers include electrokinesis. Former performer for demolition derbies. Currently incarcerated."
Following Striker was a girl with short dark hair.
"Jeanne Foucault," Borderline said. "No code-name. Powers include photographic reflexes and eidetic memory. Currently incarcerated."
After Jeanne was another girl, this one with red hair.
"Madeline Berry," Borderline said. "No code-name. Powers include ability to transform body into various gaseous compounds. Currently incarcerated."
Following Madeline was another male, this one looking as if he was a younger version of the Red Skull.
"Ken Mack," Borderline said. "No code-name. Powers include super-strength and dense metallic skin. Currently incarcerated."
Finally came a girl with dark hair.
"Jennifer Takeda," Borderline said. "No code-name. Powers include generation of various types of radiation. Currently incarcerated."
A short pause followed.
"Sheesh," Remy said, "that might just be the longest you went on. Remy's head's starting to hurt."
"And all these teens are trapped?" Dr. Connors asked. "Locked in H.A.M.M.E.R facilities?"
"Yep," Borderline said. "We get them out."
He looked over to Cloak and Dagger.
"Want to join up?" he asked.
"We'd love to, but…I don't know," Dagger said, "we need some time to think after what we heard about Xavier."
Borderline simply shrugged.
"No argument," he said. He then looked to Moon Knight. "Coordinates to facilities in your ship. We go A.S.A.P."
Moon Knight nodded, leading Remy, Dr. Connors, and Toxin to the ship. Angelica, however, remained behind.
"Borderline?" she asked. "Is now a good time to talk for a second?"
Borderline stared into space for a moment, then shrugged.
"Probably," he said, walking to the ship with Angelica in tow. "What about?"
"Well," Angelica began, "I know we haven't known each other long, but…I want to know more about you. What's your real name?"
Borderline stopped. To a passerby, it looked as if he was contemplating the secrets of the universe, when in reality he was simply trying to decide if he should tell her. Instead, he sighed.
"Maybe later," he said.
"Fair enough," Angelica nodded. "See you at the ship?"
Borderline nodded, and Angelica left. Borderline looked at his phone, gazing at the image of him and his sister standing in front of her school.
"We're one step closer," he thought. "The people who killed you will face justice. I promise."
He then followed Angelica to Moon Knight's ship, hoping to strike another blow against Norman Osborn. After Osborn fell, and the world was safe, Tony Stark would finally face justice for his crimes performed with the Illuminati. Borderline's sister would be avenged.
Although he rode on the edge of sanity, on the edge of disaster, he would make sure that justice was served…no matter what.
And so it ends. About time, huh?