Disclaimer: Happy Belated National Turkey Day, AKA, Thanksgiving. I know that sounded strange but I just couldn't help myself. (gobble, gobble)
As always, I don't own the right to Marvel or DC Comics. I hope you like cameos…
Chapter XIII
The hanger gates were opened a crack just wide enough for Hal and Carol to step through. Hal used his power ring to light the darkened hanger while Carol searched the walls for a switch to turn on the lights. She found a level and pushed hard on it. The lights in the hanger flickered to life and illuminated the area, allowing Hal to reduce the light of his ring. The second that Carol turned around, she had a wide-eyed and awestruck look on her face at the planes in the hanger.
A smile morphed onto her face as she looked at the different variants of planes, some of them dating back to the 1930's or 40's and others made for the present day. She was especially fond of what appeared to be an old World War II single engine fighter, another similarity between her Earth and Hal's. Like a little girl in a candy store, Carol rushed to the WWII plane to get the best possible look at every single aspect and detail that she could find. Hal, for his part, maintained a cool and aloof expression along with a slight smirk on his face.
"Not bad, huh?" he asked.
Carol was ecstatic when she replied, "I've literally died an gone to Heaven. You own all these planes."
"Nah, I'm not nearly rich enough to own any of these bad boys. Still, I like to come down here every now and then to reacquaint with my old career." Hal explained.
"I assume you were in the United States Air Force." Carol said.
"More or less. I do have some military training under my belt, but I was mostly a test pilot for the Farris Airfield higher-ups… and my girlfriend who was also named Carol."
Carol (Danvers) climbed up the side of WWII plane to look into the cockpit. "You mentioned her before. What happened to her?"
Hal sighed, "She… went away… on business. You know how it is."
"I know exactly how it is. So, how exactly did you get your powers anyway?" Carol asked while she climbed into the cockpit of the plane.
A green aura surrounded Hal and he lifted from the floor to meet Carol. "Believe it or not, the ring chose me. After its previous owner, an alien named Abin Sur, died, I was selected to be part of the Green Lantern Corps. Each Green Lantern is charged with protecting their sector of space from galactic threats. I was the first human ever to be selected."
"I'm guessing that the other Green Lanterns, who I assume were all aliens, didn't take too well to having a human in their ranks." Carol said.
"I've had some scraps in my career, but I gained a hell of a lot of respect from the Corps, particularly from Kilowogg and Tomer-Re. You'd especially like Kilowogg." Hal claimed with a smirk.
"You had it pretty easy getting your powers, Hal. Back when I was with the Air Force in my universe, an explosion involving a Kree device critically injured me. If it hadn't been for a Kree soldier named Mar-Vell, I'd probably be dead by now."
"That must've hurt." Hal joked.
Carol climbed out of the cockpit and used her own powers to float to the floor. "It all worked out in the end. Now, I'm a card-carrying member of the Avengers. It's not bad."
"Ha, I'm liking your positive outlook on life, Carol. I guess our two teams can get along, and we're going to need to once it comes time to take the fight to Darkseid." Hal said.
"Well, I say 'bring it on'," Carol said before she took to the air. "In the meantime, how 'bout a race back to the Watchtower?"
"Ladies first." Hal said… and regretted it once Carol bolted. Hal gave chase after Carol as they left the hanger and flew into the sky.
Doctor Doom was allowed by Darkseid to tinker with one of his Mother Boxes, and tinker the Latvarian dictator did. In spite of the relative unfamiliarity of this alternate universe, Doctor Doom adapted to his new surroundings with ease. The single Mother Box that was currently in Doom's possession hummed a low sound while it floated in midair, while Doom carefully and expertly twisted and turned it around. Every edge and every groove was given a subtle touch from Doom's metallic groves. The gloves gave off tiny sparks from which Doom didn't flinch. By definition, this was precisely what Doom was trying to do in Latvaria before the Avengers interfered.
While Doctor Doom worked on the Mother Box, Kalibak approached with a pair of Parademons flanking him on each side. Doctor Doom gave Kalibak not even the smallest acknowledgement and instead chose to continue his work. Kalibak hated being ignored, considering the greatest insult for a warrior to suffer. He quietly motioned the two Parademons to either side of Doctor Doom. Again, Doom gave them no thought, but he was very much aware of their presence. He assumed that Kalibak was attempting to frighten him and if so, Kalibak needed to try harder.
"What are you doing?" Kalibak asked in a way that sounded like a threat.
Doctor Doom didn't even move when he replied, "The technology of your Mother Boxes is rudimentary. It's a wonder really that one of them appeared in my universe at all. I am simply making certain improvements to stabilize the Boom Tube's frequency."
"You do not have the authority to meddle with the technology of Apokolips, Doom." Kalibak said and drew his battle club.
"Your master has granted me the authority to do whatever I choose to do as I please. Seeing as you've not come to me to lend your assistance, I suggest that you leave now." Doctor Doom said.
"No, I suggest that you back away from that Mother Box or suffer the consequences." Kalibak threatened and the two Parademons moved on Doom slowly.
Doom stopped what was doing and leered at the Parademon closest to him. He said to the unintelligent fiend, "You'd be wise not to interfere with my work, creature."
The Parademon looked at Kalibak for instructions and Kalibak motioned his head ever so slightly. In an instant, the Parademon lunged at Doctor Doom… and right into his waiting metal gauntlet. Doctor Doom held the Parademon by the throat and lifted it off the floor, while the other Parademon moved on him. It was quickly blasted away by Doom, who then snapped the first Parademon's neck. The second Parademon recovered and lunged at Doom again, unknowingly activating the Mother Box and opening a Boom Tube. Doom sidestepped and blasted the Parademon into a wall.
Kalibak then made his move on Doom, coming in faster than Doom could've reacted and taking a hard a swing with his battle club as he could manage. Doom took the hit the swung his masked face to the side, and Kalibak smiled, as he knew he'd landed a decisive blow. Except… it wasn't a decisive blow. The smile on Kalibak's face instantly melted away as Doctor Doom looked directly at him, and it was as if Kalibak had struck his own master in Darkseid. Doctor Doom grabbed hold of Kalibak by the throat and hoisted him up just as with the dead Parademon.
"I could easily kill you now, Kalibak. But that would be too easy." Doom said before tossing Kalibak into the Boom Tube, and Kalibak vanished from sight.
At an outside delicatessen in Manhattan, numerous patrons were enjoying their meals during a warm afternoon without a cloud in the sky. Among those patrons was a large creature with rocky, orange skin under a brown trench coat and sitting a stone bench. Sitting across from him was an attractive, dark-skinned woman who was seemingly staring into space while the giant rock-skinned patron was reading the menu. The rest of the patrons had nothing to fear, as they all knew the giant to be Ben Grimm, the Fantastic Four's ever loving, blue-eyed Thing. The woman was Alicia Masters, Ben's blind girlfriend.
Alicia was always patient with Ben, especially now since Ben was still reading the menu. "Still haven't picked something for lunch, Ben?" she asked.
"Hey, I'm workin' on it. Some of these prices are kinda high. I'm startin' to think this is another one of Johnny's pranks." Ben quipped.
"You always think that, Ben. It doesn't hurt to cut Johnny some slack. He might be a goof, but he's at least a well-meaning goof." Alicia said, both insulting and defending Johnny Storm.
"Yeah, I know, Alicia. At least the kid's got gut when it counts." Ben exclaimed just as a young waitress rushed up to him with a tray of glasses of water.
She was clearly nervous given the presence of a superhero at the deli and it showed when she seemed to trip, dropping the glasses of water over's coat. "Oops. I'm… I'm really sorry, Mr. Grimm. I'll get a towel."
But Ben simply chuckled and said, "Eh, don't worry about it, sweetheart. It happens to the best of us."
The waitress smiled nervously while Alicia said, "The best of us, Ben?"
"Hey, it does. A pigeon pooped on me one day. Remember, I told you about that?" Ben asked.
Alicia replied, "Yep."
Ben chuckled just as he and Alicia and all the other patrons heard a loud bang in the street nearby. Ben was up instantly and suspected a car crash at first, but his expectations were dashed by something stranger. A portal suddenly opened in the middle of the street. A portal opening in New York wasn't anything new to Ben, but this was different. Ben looked briefly at Alicia and was worried for her safety. With her blindness, Alicia had no idea what was going on. Something else started happening within the portal and a figure flew out of it, crashing face first into the street and leaving a trail of asphalt. The people nearest to the portal immediately scattered while the new arrival started to rise up. Ben instantly didn't like the scowl of the new guy's face and motioned Alicia back.
"Stay here, Alicia. I got this." he assured.
"You'd better be careful, Ben." Alicia said to Ben, touching his shoulder to make sure he was there.
"Hey, it's me." Ben said before rushing off.
Alicia muttered, "That's what worries me."
Ben removed his coat to reveal the orange rock skin than earned him his of the Thing, and the lower trunks to signified his allegiance to the Fantastic Four. The new arrival was standing upright, holding a metallic club in one hand and still scowling. He looked around at his surrounding and quickly realized that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. Then he saw Ben standing across from him and tightened the grip of his club. Ben approached slowly without making too many sudden moves, but he subtly tapped a wristband on his arm to notify the rest of Fantastic Four… if they hadn't already figured out what was going on.
"Where am I? What is this place? This is not Apokolips."
"Hey, how you doin'? Uh, name's Ben Grimm. What should I call you?"
"I am Kalibak, General of the mighty armies of Apokolips and the son of the Lord Darkseid."
"Uh, right. I ain't ever heard of this Darkseid guy. Is he like one of the X-Men or somethin'?" Ben asked.
"You dare speak ill of the Lord Darkseid? You will pay dearly for you insolence." Kalibak said before charging straight at Ben.
"Uh, you take checks?" Ben asked just as Kalibak was right on him.
Kalibak swung his battle club and hit Ben right in the face to stagger him. Ben tried to recover from the blow but Kalibak repeated beat him with his weapon until he finally knocked Ben down. Kalibak stopped his attack and looked around at the people watching from the sidelines. Some ran from the scene and others were too afraid to move. Kalibak instantly hated this new world, but he had a feeling that Darkseid would've had no trouble conquering it. As he started to move away, Ben suddenly grabbed his shoulder and punched him in the face. Ben landed another strong hit that rocked Kalibak.
"You just picked a fight with the wrong guy, pal. You know what happens when someone picks a fight with the Thing?"
"What?" Kalibak daringly asked.
Ben, with a smirk on his face, balled up his rocky fist and bellowed, "This happens!"
Ben landed a hard right punch that caught Kalibak right in the face and sent him flying backward. Kalibak crashed hard into the pavement and slid across it like Ben did earlier. Ben rushed Kalibak and tackled him to the ground, mounting and landing punch after punch to the brute's face. Kalibak responded with his battle club and smashed it into Ben's face before reversing the mount. Kalibak brought his club down but Ben blocked the blow and kicked Kalibak away. Upon getting back to his feet, Ben landed more punches to Kalibak on his face and stomach.
Kalibak was staggered as Ben repeatedly landed heavy blows on him and continued to push him. But Kalibak managed to land a head butt and reply with his own series of shots, most of them with his battle club. Ben returned some of the shots and even countered a straight punch before throwing Kalibak over his shoulder back the other way. He then tackled Kalibak but Kalibak quickly reversed the move and mounted Ben. Kalibak beat Ben with his club, stopping to catch a breath and then smiling wickedly. Ben tried to recover but Kalibak reared his club back and quickly brought it down.
Something happened; the club never hit Ben but it did crash into something that wasn't there. Kalibak tried again and it was the same result. While the brutish fool tried repeatedly to strike, a sly grin crept onto Ben's rocky face since he knew what was happening. The next thing Kalibak didn't expect was to be blasted from behind by a ball of fire and thrown clear of Ben. As Ben got to his feet, Susan Storm-Richards and her brother Johnny Storm, the Invisible Woman and the Human Torch, arrived to the aid of their ally.
"Okay, Ben, what kind of trouble did you start without me this time?" Susan asked.
"Oh nothin', Sue. Just makin' a new friend from another world." Ben jokingly replied.
"Yeah, an ugly new friend! But I guess you ugly guys have to stick together, right?" Johnny said.
"Hey flame head, how 'bout ya stop roastin' me and roast him instead. That work for ya?" Ben asked.
Kalibak recovered and growled at the trio of heroes, "The three of you won't be enough to stop me."
"What about four," a voice called out, and Mister Fantastic quickly wrapped his elastic body around Kalibak. He then looked at the portal and said, "Incredible! This portal is vibrating at precisely the same frequency as the one the Avengers went through."
"Reed…?" Susan said.
"Oh, right. Johnny…" Mister Fantastic shouted.
"FLAME ON!" Johnny shouted and ignited his powers.
Mister Fantastic removed his elastic frame from Kalibak while the Human Torch took the to the air. From up high, the Torch threw several fireballs at Kalibak. One fireball slammed into Kalibak and burned his hair, while most of the fireballs slammed into the ground around him. The Thing rushed straight at Kalibak and landed a massive right cross that stunned Kalibak, while Mister Fantastic landed some solid blows of his own with his outstretched limbs. Kalibak managed to snag Mister Fantastic's arms and pulled him, and that turned out to be a mistake. Mister Fantastic outstretched his entire body to engulf like a tarp, and the Thing used the opportunity to land more big hits.
Kalibak managed to break free, sending Mister Fantastic and the Thing to the ground. As Kalibak stalked Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman ran in and erected a force around her and her husband. Kalibak continued to wail on the force field before the Thing knocked him to the ground, though Kalibak quickly recovered. The Human Torch let loose a stream of fire, while the Invisible Woman unleashed an onslaught of psionic projectiles. Kalibak tried to strike the Invisible Woman but she reformed her force field and pushed him back.
Recovering from the previous hit and looked toward the portal, Mister Fantastic said, "We have to send him back through the portal. Sue, think you can maneuver him closer to it?"
"Honey, have you forgotten who you're married to?" Sue quipped and expanded the field, pushing Kalibak further away from her and Reed.
"Johnny, rein fire down on this guy. Ben, on my mark, hit him as hard as you can." Reed shouted to Johnny and Ben.
"I'm ready when you are, kid." The Thing said to the Torch.
"Got it," the Human Torch said before redoubling his assault. "Hey hairball, they have meteor showers where you're from?"
Without waiting for an answer, the Human Torch unleashed a literally rein of fire on Kalibak, and Kalibak was pushed further toward the portal. Kalibak tried to respond by tossing a chunk of asphalt at the Human Torch, but the chunk didn't reach Johnny because the Invisible Woman shielded him with a force field. The Human Torch projected more fireballs while the Invisible Woman added her own invisible attacks to the assault. Mister Fantastic wrapped his body around Kalibak while reaching for a nearby streetlight. He then quickly let go and the momentum caused Kalibak to spin in place.
The Invisible Woman and the Human Torch worked together; the Torch sent out a fireball and the Invisible Woman encased it in a bubble. The bubble hit Kalibak and the fire inside engulfed Kalibak. Kalibak struggled before he eventually broke free, but the Thing was suddenly on him and landed some heavy blows that pushed Kalibak closer toward the portal. Once Kalibak was dazed, Mister Fantastic gave the signal.
"Ben, do it now!"
The Thing grabbed Kalibak by the fabric of his attire and loudly said, "IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!"
Kalibak had no time to react before the Thing landed the hardest and heaviest punch he could manage. It was enough to send Kalibak flying backward right into the portal and disappearing from sight. The portal finally closed and the Fantastic Four regrouped on the street. Johnny instantly embraced Ben before the latter marched off to check on Alicia. Johnny understood all too well and let Ben reunite with Alicia, while Reed and Susan approached the area of the portal.
"So, uh, that was kind of fun!" Johnny quipped.
"Okay, level with me, Reed. Who was that monster and where'd he come from?" Susan asked.
Reed studied the proximity of the point of origin for the portal and reply, "I know have the slightest idea who that maniac was or where he came from, Sue. But, the portal appeared identical to the one I opened for the Avengers."
"Does this have anything to do with weird machine you have back at the Baxter Building?" Johnny asked.
"Most likely, Johnny." Reed said.
"Yeah, it's same machine that Victor had one of his Doombots steal." Susan added.
"That hairball called himself Kalibak and he mentioned some guy named Darkseid or somethin'. You think that means anything, Reed?" Ben asked while checking on Alicia some more.
Alicia then asked, "What about the Avengers?"
Reed sighed, "I'm not sure we can do anything until they come back. If they come back…"
"So they're on their own…" Susan said, and Reed nodded.
Johnny shrugged, "Well, it's the Avengers. They can handle themselves. Right?"
Kalibak flew out of the portal and back into the place where he was before his trip to the other universe. The portal closed behind him as he tried to rise from the floor. He knew he was back on Apokolips judge by the extreme heat. He was also extremely enraged at having been thoroughly beaten by that alternate universe's heroes. Kalibak saw a pair of boots and looked up. The blood drained from his face once he saw Darkseid standing over him. Doctor Doom was standing beside him, but Darkseid barely gave the dictator any thought. His blood red eyes were fixed on his wayward son.
"Where did you go, Kalibak?" Darkseid asked.
"It was all his fault, Father," Kalibak pointed to Doctor Doom, who remained stoic. "Doctor Doom attack without provocation. He sent me through the Boom Tube...
"WHERE DID YOU GO?" Darkseid spoke loud enough to shake the entire citadel.
Kalibak couldn't hide his fear of his Father and he sheepishly replied, "I… found myself in another universe. I encountered some… exceptional individuals."
"Exceptional?" Darkseid repeated.
"A rock monster, a transparent female, a stretching man and…" Kalibak described.
Doom finished with, "A man on fire? You have just experienced an encounter with the Fantastic Four, my arch nemeses, The Thing, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and Mister Fantastic. Tell me, Kalibak; were you able to best them?"
"I do not need to answer to you, Doom." Kalibak defiantly claimed.
"But you SHALL answer to me," Darkseid said, causing Kalibak to cringe and huddle up in absolute terror. "Did you finish these exceptional individuals?"
"I… may have underestimated them." Kalibak said weakly, and Doom gave an audible huff.
"Leave now, Kalibak. I shall deal with you later." Darkseid said, and Kalibak slinked away like any typical coward.
Doctor Doom shook his head and returned to his work with the Mother Box. "Had that fool not interfered with my work, he would not have had to endure such a humiliating defeat."
"Perhaps, but I am now more intrigued by the apparent implications of his unintended jump to your universe. Tell me; what other forms powered individuals does your world possess."
"Why should I?" Doom asked.
"Because you are allowed to roam about my citadel at my discretion. Otherwise, I could vaporize you moment before you could begin to react." Darkseid stated, and Doom slowly turned to face the tyrant.
"You think you can intimidate Victor Von Doom? You think you can instill fear in my being as though I were one of you lackeys, like that look Kalibak? I have battled beings far more powerful and threatening than you, Darkseid."
Darkseid merely smirked while his eyes glowed brood red, but Doom remained unafraid. "I rather doubt that, Doctor."
Doctor Doom brought up his gauntlet and said, while raising one finger at a time, "Thanos, Loki, Ultron, Galactus, the Kree, the Skrulls… I've even faced down Odin, the King of Asgard himself, and Thor's father."
"I shall not doubt your accomplishments in your universe, Doctor. But this is MY universe, and here, I am God." Darkseid declared before calming walking away.
Behind Darkseid's back, Doctor Doom narrowed his eyes and whispered, "We'll see about that."
Author's Note: Poor Kalibak, always getting caught in the worst situations. Anyway, this chapter is finished and it appears that there's some tension between Darkseid and Doctor Doom at the end there.
Before that, Kalibak found himself in the Marvel Universe and battling the Fantastic Four. Bare in mind that even though the Fantastic Four make an appearance, this is still primarily an Avengers/Justice League so I wouldn't get too excited.
Feel free to drop a few reviews and stay tuned for more.