Disclaimer: This is it. We've reached the finale of the record-breaking Avengers/Justice League superhero crossover. I most definite have to thank everyone that had stuck with me through it all. So, here we go…
Like usual, I don't own the Marvel or DC characters that have appeared.
Chapter XXV
United States Air Force Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes, better known to the public as War Machine, had been patrolling the Manhattan skyline for several days following the disappearance of the Avengers. Reed Richards had told Rhodey everything he knew about the mysterious device that appeared seemingly out of nowhere and how Doctor Doom had stolen it. Then the Avengers tried to take it back and they seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. Rhodey could only wonder why everything the Avengers did had to be so complicated.
Rhodey flew up onward toward through the city until he came up to Times Square. It was still the middle of the day but the neon lights were shining across the area. Rhodey dropped atop a building overlooking crisscrossing streets and the bustling hordes of tourists from near and far. Somehow, the daily chaos of the world paled in comparison to one day in Times Square. Rhodey heard a ping in his helmet and checked his heads up display, finding an incoming call from Pepper Potts.
"Rhodey, has there been any new info on Tony's location?"
"Nothing yet, Pepper. Dr. Richards said he'd keep me informed of anything, but so far, there's been hardly any word from Tony or the other Avengers." Rhodey replied.
"Leave it to Tony to cut and run on some wild goose chase. Should I grab a flight to New York just to be sure?" Pepper asked.
"No, you stay in Los Angeles for now. I keep you posted of any changes." Rhodey said.
"Okay but when Tony does get back, tell I'm kicking his metal butt for leaving on short notice." Pepper joked.
"I'll help. Later, Pepper." Rhodey said and ended the call.
A faint sound caught Rhodey's attention and Johnny Storm flew into view and landed beside the Colonel. "What's up, Rhodes? Taking in the sights?"
"More like keeping a lid on things until the Avengers come back from wherever they went… if they come back." Rhodey stated.
"Reed said that they went to some alternate universe, probably the same that that Kali… Kofi… whatever he called himself."
Rhodey chucked before he and Johnny suddenly heard a faint but still audible booming sound from the sky. Down in Times Square, it seemed like every single person suddenly stopped whatever they were doing and looked up at toward the blue sky. Pedestrians stopped walking, cab drivers stopped the cars and even the police officers on active duty looked up. Back up on the rooftop, Rhodey and Johnny continued to watch the sky before an apparent tear opened and then assumed a circular shape.
Something began to come through the portal, and Rhodey knew enough to instantly determine that it was some kind of alien ship. But it wasn't like anything he'd seen before. As the ship was just clearing the portal, hordes of alien bird creature spilled forth and quickly descended on Times Square.
"Uh, Rhodey? Please tell me you're seeing this." Johnny said.
"I'm seeing it, but still working on believing it."
Down in Times Square, the first wave of Parademons dropped onto parked vehicles and streetlights and some let out blood churning screeches. People instantly started running in every direction available to them, knocking over each other in their attempts to get to some safe haven. The Parademons started attacking, slashing at hapless victims or shooting lance-like rifle in all directions with reckless abandon. The police officers that were present immediately pulled out their guns and opened fired, and it seemed like the bullets simply bounced off the armor of the Parademons.
One Parademon lunged forward and startled an officer, causing him to stumble to the ground. The Parademon lurched forward and made a grab for the officer before a rocket suddenly hit it from behind. War Machine flew into the fray and launched another rocket, hitting the Parademon in the face. Another Parademon took flight and made a move on War Machine, who quickly responded with his shoulder-mounted min-gun. The spray of bullets slowed the creature down but didn't stop its advance, but the Human Torch instantly blasted it with a fireball. War Machine lunged forward and leveled the Parademon with a hard punch to the face.
The Human Torch dropped beside the fallen officer and quelled his flames before help him up. "I'm pretty sure you can walk this one off, chief." Johnny quipped.
War Machine then said to the officer, "I need you to coordinate with the other authorities in the immediate area. You have to get these streets clear of civilians. Go!"
The officer nodded and rushed as Johnny received a call from Ben Grimm saying, "Hey flame head, where ya at?"
"Ben, I'm down in Times Square with Colonel Rhodes. This huge alien ship I've never seen before just showed up and it brought some ugly mother…"
"LOOK OUT!" War Machine shouted and tackled Johnny to the ground before a huge blast of energy could strike them. A Parademon appeared and War Machine shot it with his mini-gun.
"Johnny! Johnny, are you there? Talk to me!" Sue suddenly called out over the radio in Johnny's ear.
Johnny recovered with War Machine helping him up, and Johnny quickly responded, "Just get down to Times Square. We're going to get overrun."
"We're on our way to your location. Just hang on!" Sue shouted over the radio, and Johnny reignited his flames.
A Boom Tube suddenly opened a few meters from where the Human Torch and War Machine stood. A ground tank appeared flanked by a stream of otherworldly soldiers walking single file. More Parademons emerged from the Boom Tube. Neither War Machine nor Human Torch could heads or tails as to what was happening other than the obvious invasion. But these were enemies they'd never faced before. Regardless of the who, what and why, the Human Torch took flight and scorched the first Parademon that came near him. Then he burned another one and punched out a third.
War Machine deployed his armaments and started firing a barraged of rounds from his gauntlets and his mini-gun, taking out a string of unlucky soldiers while forcing others to break formation. The giant tank rolled forward toward War Machine, prompting him to blast its base in response. The shot slowed the tank but didn't stop it, and it took a shot at War Machine and forced him to take to the air. War Machine quickly fired a rocket at the turret and he managed to land the hit, but the turret still fired up and him. He moved clear of the blast and the Human Torch quickly let a fireball fly, striking the tank on its right side.
A pair of Parademons tackled both War Machine and the Human Torch to the ground and tried to attack them there, but they were suddenly stopped by an invisible force field. Before the Parademons knew what was happening, the Thing suddenly dropped from the sky and landed a hard punch to one of the creatures. Mister Fantastic appeared with his body spread out like a tarp, engulfing the second creature to subdue it. He then immediately broke away and allowed the Thing to clobber the creature to ground. A group of soldiers converged on them but the Invisible Woman appeared and hit them with an invisible blast.
Helping the Torch and War Machine up to their feet, the Thing asked, "You good, flame head?"
"I'm a little bit better now, Ben." Johnny replied while he dusted himself off.
War Machine got up from the ground and quickly asked Mister Fantastic, "Is that the same portal you sent the Avengers through?"
"It's virtually identical to the one the Avengers entered as well as the most recent one from which we encountered that otherworldly creature. I have to say though, that tank is fascinating. I cant' help but wonder about the technology it holds." Mister Fantastic seemed to trail off.
"Uh Reed, save the fascination for later. There's a massive alien death machine hovering over Time Square flanked by hordes of avian monsters flying overhead." Sue stated.
"Yeah, I don't think I'll be able to clobber that thing." Ben said.
"Yeah, I think that alien ship is the least of our worries right now, Ben." Johnny stated as more Parademons and troops converged on the Fantastic Four and War Machine.
"Ugh, where the Avengers when you need them?" Ben asked, not expecting a reply from anyone.
Above Times Square on the hull of the command ship, Darkseid sauntered toward the edge of his vessel with his arm behind his back and a cold expression on his face. Kalibak flanked him on one side and Doctor Doom flanked the opposing side. Doctor Doom looked over the edge of the ship and could make out five figures in the streets of Times Square. He instantly deduced that the figures were the Fantastic Four and War Machine. Doom looked out of the corner of his at Kalibak and saw the seething anger in the hairy beast. Darkseid saw it as well and gave Kalibak a single glance, and Kalibak backed away.
Darkseid returned his gaze down toward Times Square and watched his Parademons run roughshod, commenting, "A good start. In time, my armies shall spread across this world so that it shall be remade in my image."
"I trust you mean our image, Darkseid." Doctor Doom said.
"Of course, Doom." Darkseid claimed while fighting back a telling smirk.
Doom knew otherwise that Darkseid was lying. So was he, but he played along. "Just remember one thing, Darkseid; my sovereign homeland of Latveria is NOT to be invaded."
"You do not get to make such foolish demands of the Lord Darkseid." Kalibak claimed, only for Doom to backhand him in the face.
"I was not talking to you, monkey," Doom snapped before returning his attention to Darkseid." As I said, Latveria is NOT to be invaded. If so much as one of your creatures is seen on Latverian soil, you will answer for it."
Darkseid looked at Doom with a frightening glare that didn't phase Doom and replied, "Very well, Doom." Then he turned his gaze back to the battle below.
Doctor Doom folded his arms with some satisfaction, but he thought to himself, Play your hand, Darkseid. Soon, I shall play mine.
A Boom Tube opened in the Research & Development laboratory at Avengers Tower and the Avengers finally returned to their universe. The Justice League followed soon after, accompanied by Vibe and Killer Frost. Within seconds of arriving in the R&D lab, Vibe's jaw appeared to drop and he took off his visor to reveal his saucer-wide eyes. The Flash could only let out a subtle gasp before he took off running. He ran the length of the surrounding areas beyond the R&D lab before returning and stopping running in front of Black Widow, almost inadvertently starting her.
"You guys seriously live here?" he asked.
"More or less." Widow replied.
Vibe started to wander around the lab like a child in a candy store, saying, "Oh, somebody please pinch me 'cause I've died and gone to Heaven."
"Hey Cisco, maybe you should roll your tongue back into your mouth before you trip over it." Killer Frost said with a much colder edge to her voice.
"She's right. Darkseid has likely begun his invasion by now, which means we need to act now," Iron Man said. "Jocasta are you there?"
Jocasta's voice sounded throughout the entire level the teams found themselves. "I am here and fully functional, Tony."
"Bring up the latest news from the city and put it on the big screen." Iron Man said.
The teams made their way to the recreational room, which also doubled as a strategy room. A large screen flickered and spread across the room, providing a full 360-degree image of every corner of Manhattan. It appeared as if most of the city was quiet, but on of the screens displayed Times Square. Hordes of Parademons and foot soldiers littered and flew over the streets. Civilians were running for cover and the Fantastic Four and War Machine were shown trying to fight off the invaders.
"Well, I'd say we can classify that as particularly horrible." Hawkeye said.
Captain America gritted his teeth but maintained his composer before he turned to Superman. "You've fought Darkseid before. How long do we have before he accomplishes his mission?"
"Right now, Darkseid has his forces fixed at that particular area, but it won't be long before he spreads them out across the globe." Superman stated.
"So we need to keep them contained in Times Square." Captain America concluded.
"Just like the Chitauri." Black Widow added.
"Even with the combined strength of both teams, Darkseid's forces will eventually overwhelm us." Wonder Woman stated.
"It would not be first time, and I for one have unfinished business with Darkseid." Thor claimed with his grip tightening on Mjolnir.
"You'll get your chance, but right now, we need a plan of attack." Batman said.
Captain America glanced at the Dark Knight with slight skepticism in his eyes. "You sure you'll be comfortable taking my orders?"
Batman met Cap's gaze and said plainly, "Your world, your rules."
Cap nodded his approval and said, "Follow me."
Captain America led Batman and the rest of the two teams into the hanger bay, where the Quinjet was on standby along with a series of hover bikes. The Flash, Cyborg and Vibe instantly spread out to get a closer at the Avenger's specialize transport while Hawkeye and Iron Man followed them. Superman took flight and hovered over the hanger, while Wonder Woman and Aquaman studied the hover bikes. Green Lantern approached the Quinjet and looked at it with wide-eyed astonishment, and Captain Marvel approached him and gave him a knock on his shoulder.
"Okay, I'm now officially jealous." Lantern said, and Captain Marvel knocked his shoulder a second time.
Batman gave Captain America a subtle nod before saying, "Impressive."
"Wait until she's in the air," Cap replied. "Alright, I need those of us flight capable to take to the air immediately and head for Time Square. The rest of us will board the Quinjet. We're not letting Darkseid destroy this Earth or any other Earth. Let's get this down."
The two teams split up with varying members going in different directions. Captain America led the non-fliers into the Quinjet. His group consisted of Batman, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Cyborg, Aquaman, the Flash, Killer Frost and Vibe. The still currently de-Hulked Bruce Banner accompanied Cap's group as well. Hawkeye made his way to the pilot's seat and got the engines started. Batman suddenly joined him in the opposite seat and Hawkeye gave the Dark Knight a raised eyebrow.
"Uh, what're you doing?" Hawkeye asked.
Batman didn't even bother turned his head to face Hawkeye but replied, "You're going to need a co-pilot."
"And you qualify as one?" Hawkeye asked.
"You'd be surprised." Batman claimed.
The Quinjet began its ascent toward and hovered up toward a set of opening shutters. As the Quinjet rose up through the shutters, and secondary shutter opened on the side of Avengers Tower. The flight-capable heroes started heading through the opening. This group consisted of Iron Man, Superman, Wonder Woman, Thor, Vision, Green Lantern, Captain Marvel and Raven. Iron Man and Superman took the lead and headed in the direction of Time Square. Then without warning, Thor bolted forth.
"What the… Thor, what're you doing?" Iron Man shouted.
Superman flew up to Iron Man and shouted, "He's going straight for Darkseid."
"Damn it! Go after him, Superman. We continue on to Time Square." Iron Man said, and Superman bolted off after Thor.
The Thing was thrown back and slammed into the pavement, but he was able to right himself back to his feet. A duo of Parademons flew right toward him, one of them brandishing a spear and the other reaching out with its talents. The latter Parademon reached the Thing first and swiped at him, but the Thing managed to dodge the oncoming swipes and landed a hard haymaker to the creature's face. He landed another haymaker before grabbing the Parademon and tossing it into a nearby streetlight. The spear-brandishing Parademon lunged forward before was suddenly caught the legs by another force. Looking back, it saw Mister Fantastic grabbing its feet with his outstretched arms. Mister Fantastic pulled hard on the feet and sent the Parademon crashing into the ground. The Thing quickly capitalized and landed an uppercut to put the creature down.
Across from Mister Fantastic and the Thing, the Invisible Woman was attempting to shield the civilians still caught in the chaos. Several times, a Parademon or a small group of soldiers tried to attack, but the Invisible Woman pushed them back with an invisible blast. Most of the soldiers were thrown to their back but several managed to rise back up. The Human Torch swooped in and created a wall of fire to keep the soldiers at bay. A trio of Parademons lunged forth, but War Machine quickly flew into the fray and shot them out of the sky.
More Parademons flew into view and both the Human Torch and War Machine took them out. "How long do you think we can hold against these things?" the Human Torch asked.
War Machine shot another Parademon down before he replied, "As long as it takes. We have to get these civilians away from here."
"Story of my life!" the Human Torch commented before he burned down another Parademon.
Darkseid continued to watch the conquest of the alternate Earth unfold, while Doctor Doom watched him from a short distance. Doom was waiting ever so patiently for the right time to act, but he continued to play Darkseid's game. But then he heard a faint booming sound in the distance. Darkseid heard it too, and they both turned to look in the direction that booming sound originated. The sound was like that of a thunder clash. The sky above became blanketed by a storm cloud and lightning. Doom knew within moment what, and who, was coming. Darkseid then turned his entire body to face the oncoming threat.
Thor appeared in the distance approaching Darkseid's command vessel like a literal bolt of lightning. He approached and landed hard the hull of the ship, causing it shudder from his landing. Thor looked directly at Darkseid, rage in his eyes not unlike the countless times he'd had to battle against Loki or Ultron. Doom was clearly nonplussed by Thor's arrival, but Kalibak was foolish enough to rush Thor. Thor swung his hammer wide and struck Kalibak in the face, sending him flying off the side of the ship. Kalibak crashed threw the windows of a nearby office building and fell unconscious. With Kalibak out of the way for now, Thor focused his wrath on Darkseid.
"DARKSEID!"
Darkseid, like Doom, appeared eerily calm and cool as he addressed Thor. "It would seem that the prodigal son has returned."
"You used me. You turned me against my fellow Avengers. My allies, my friends." Thor accused Darkseid.
"A narrow-minded assessment. I merely helped you to achieve the full potential of which you are truly capable. Had you remained at my side, you would easily become the single greatest warrior of this or any universe." Darkseid claimed.
"You mean had I remained your slave." Thor snarled, gripping his hammer.
"Be that as it may, there is still a place for you at my side. You need only swear your undying allegiance to me and watch as take this Earth as the first of many to fall at my sway." Darkseid stated, earning a telling and angered glare from Doctor Doom.
Thor gripped his hammer even tighter and defiantly replied, "I'll be standing where I belong… between you and my home," Thor raised Mjolnir to the sky and summon a massive lighting bolt. "FOR MIDGARD!"
Darkseid's eyes began glowing red as Thor launched himself straight at the despot. Doom stepped aside and allowed Thor to lunge forth. Darkseid unleashed his Omega Beam. The Omega Beam struck Mjolnir and slowed Thor's approach significantly, forcing the Asgardian to place his feet firmly on the hull of the ship. Thor was pushed back a few feet at a time, but he still held his ground. He started taking one laborious step after another, using the hammer to block the Omega Beam. Darkseid increased his attack, his face now laboring as much as Thor is pushing toward him, just as Superman once did.
Thor eventually got close enough. He drew his hammer back and swung as hard as he could manage, striking Darkseid in the face and sending the Omega Beam zipping every which way. Doctor Doom simply stepped one side without so much as a knee jerk reaction. Darkseid recovered relatively quickly but Thor wildly swung his hammer into the tyrant's face again, pushing Darkseid back. Every single strike with Mjolnir was filled to the brim with outrage. It took three hard, brutal shots to even bring Darkseid down; one inside swing of the hammer followed by an outside swing followed by an overhead strike. Darkseid was down to one knee, and Thor stop for no more than a split second before he wound up another overhead strike.
Darkseid used that slight hesitation to grab Thor by the throat. Thor tried to swing his hammer but Darkseid grabbed his arm before lifting him up. "You made a poor decision to betray me. Now, you shall die and this world shall die with you."
Another booming noise sounded in the distance and Superman sped right into Darkseid and Thor. The three super beings sailed over the streets from the hull of the command ship to a nearby rooftop. Darkseid landed hard at the far end of the rooftop, while Thor crashed near of the opposite end. As Darkseid stood up, Superman came right at him and landed a massive haymaker to his face. Superman landed another punch that pushed Darkseid back toward the edge of the rooftop before Darkseid landed a huge backhand that sent Superman in the opposite direction Superman landed near Thor as he was starting to get up, and the heroes regrouped and stood their ground as Darkseid approached them.
"It's over, Darkseid." Superman declared
Darkseid chuckled at the notion and claimed, "You are both foolish to think you can stop my conquest of this Earth. My invasion forces shall spread from this city to all corners of the world. Those who stand against my armies shall be exterminated and those who survive shall fall under my rule."
"Not as long as we are breathing." Thor declared.
"Then perhaps it is time that you stopped breathing." Darkseid as he cracked his knuckled and his neck. Thor and Superman readied themselves to battle to commence.
"No, Darkseid," A voice suddenly declared, and all three super beings turned to see Doctor Doom standing with his arms folded. "This world shall be conquered, but it is I, Victor Von Doom, who shall conquer it."
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: The invasion has begun! So here we come to final battle, which is taking placing in the middle of Times Square.
I've decided to make this into a multi-part event but I'm not sure how many parts will be need, so bear with me.
Since they already appeared earlier, the Fantastic Four are participating in the big finale. Also, War Machine makes an appearance in the finale and Pepper Potts make a voice cameo.
I did mingle with the idea of Spider-Man or Winter Soldier appearing but I opted not to include them since I've got a HUGE influx of superheroes already. Adding more could cause others to be lost in the shuffle. Besides, I've already got something else planned for the finale.
And finally, Doctor Doom makes his move against Darkseid. That's it's for Part I, so stayed tuned for more and don't forget to review. Peace out!