Metropolis is exactly what it sounds like; a huge, sprawling city. Vehicles fly through the air, following streams of traffic that are hard to determine from an outside viewpoint. Skyscrapers of smooth, futuristic architecture take up half the skyline, but the city's urbanity is pleasantly contrasted by an abundance of gardens and general greenery. It was in one of these public gardens that our next three heroes suddenly found themselves.

One was wearing a suit of advanced armour which he seemed very comfortable in; fitting, as he had designed and built it himself. The metal was mostly red with gold being a secondary colour. The face of the armour seemed to be scowling, but the eyes glowed a soft, friendly blue. The same light came from the suit's palms and soles of feet, as well as an important-seeming circular component in the chest. He spun on his heel and analysed the two others.

Similar to him in appearance was the another hero. He was a tall and bulky android, red in colour. He wore gloves, boots and a cape, all blue. A "T" was marked on his torso in yellow, and his shoulders were covered in grey metal. His eyes were mostly black with a green centre. He, too, activated a few sensors to attempt to decipher the situation.

In contrast to the other two, the third was barely taller than a meter. He was spherical in shape, although he had limbs. Any cuteness from his size was completely offset by the stern metal mask which covered his entire front, revealing glowing yellow eyes. On his shoulders were epaulettes of curved, black metal. A purple cape billowed out behind him, and he held a large, spiked sword made of gleaming gold. He brandished this sword defensively and took a smart hop backwards, but after a few moments of watching his unmoving opponents, he relaxed his stance, if not his guard.

"Hey there," said the man in the suit. His voice was pleasant, and clearly used to conversing at length. "You two as confused as I am? I'm pretty confused."

"My readings are unhelpful," said the robot.

"I too am lost," rumbled the masked one in a deep voice. "Perhaps a truce would be wise."

"Cool. Name's Tony Stark," said Iron Man matter-of-factly. "Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. Currently at a loss for words. If I were you I'd enjoy this while it lasts."

"I am called Red Tornado," said the robot. "I work alongside the Justice League to keep the peace."

"And I am Meta Knight," said the final one, bowing. "I am captain of the battleship Halberd, and serve as an advisor to King Dedede, ruler of Dreamland."

"Super," said Iron Man. "Now we have the who. Doesn't explain the what, where, how or why."

Meta Knight reached into his cape and produced a piece of paper. "Hmm," he said. "A note."

"I can see that," said Iron Man. "I'd be a little more concerned with what the note says."

Meta Knight shot him a glare, quickly tiring of his attitude. Then his large eyes moved slightly as he skimmed through the information on the letter. "There is one here named Clockwerk," he summarized. "We are tasked with finding him and defeating him."

"Defeating him?" asked Iron Man. "Define 'defeating'."

"To win victory over," stated Red Tornado, "to frustrate, eg a hope; in law, to nullify something."

"I was kinda talking in the context of the letter..."

Meta Knight scanned the letter a second time. "We have two choices. Death, or exile."

"Exile?"

"Removing Clockwerk from this area will result in our victory."

Iron Man turned slowly on his thrusters, taking in the vista that surrounded them. "That last one sounds like a lot of work. For a start, we'd have to find an edge to this place. Jarvis, run a scan."

There was a pause.

"Jarvis?" asked Tony.

"Who are you talking to?" said Meta Knight.

"My suit has an AI," explained Iron Man. "Or, it should. I don't like this."

"In any case, it appears termination is our only option," Red Tornado said.

"Sounds like it," agreed Iron Man. "Not always pretty, but hey, sometimes there's just no option."

Meta Knight looked doubtful. "I can only hope that our opponent is deserving of such a fate. It is not to be given lightly."

One of the nearby skyscrapers rocked with an explosion. Iron Man lifted into the air. "We'll discuss the morality of the situation later. Right now, it's time for action." He looked down at his team-mates, and his smile was evident in his voice. "Sure hope you two can fly."

The reasoning behind Red Tornado's name became apparent when his legs disappeared into a red whirlwind, and he rose to Tony's height. Meta Knight's cape transformed into a pair of purple bat wings, and he too matched Iron Man's altitude.

Iron Man nodded. "Good, good. But now the question is whether you can fly this fast."

He sent a surge of energy into his thrusters and rocketed away at high speed, leaving his two team-mates struggling to match his pace. Tony smirked to himself.

"I do so love being me."


In Maleficent's castle, Dr Horrible tapped on the thick wooden door that led to the small side-room where Doom was working. It was open, but Horrible felt it was polite.

Dr Doom turned around from the metal circle he was building, his cape flourishing to match his movement. If Horrible was surprised by his intimidating metal mask, he didn't show it.

"Who dares to disturb Doom in his work?" thundered the older villain.

"I was sent down here to help you out?" said Horrible, more question than statement. "I'm an evil Scientist too."

"Doom is not evil," replied the other doctor. "His morality is merely far removed from that of his bleeding-heart adversaries."

"Right." Dr Horrible walked up to the portal and looked it over. "What are we making?"

"Doom is making a trans-dimensional portal, having been commissioned to construct one upon informing Maleficent that I arrived here by such means," said Doom. "You will stand there and render assistance toDoom the rare times it will be necessary."

"Well, okay. Reminds me of my work experience placement," said Horrible, seating himself on a box.

"Doom told you to stand!"

"Agh, sorry!" yelped Horrible, hopping to his feet.


They had docked the glider in a large, empty hangar. Upon seeing the Death Star, both Scar and Loki had been eager to land on it, albeit mostly because it was the only object they had found since leaving the Goa'uld ship. Judging from its fearsome appearance, they had expected resistance, but the space station hadn't even acknowledged them, let alone fired on their tiny vessel. When they landed, there had been no party to welcome or board them. As they walked the corridors, they didn't meet a single soul.

"It's all very unnerving," commented Scar. "Where is everyone?"

"An installation this large shouldn't be unmanned," agreed Loki. "Curious. Very curious."

After a lengthy time spent exploring, they eventually happened upon the signs of a struggle. Soldiers in pristine white armour lay scattered on the floor of the hallway like broken toys. On one side, the causes of death were as numerous as they were painful, but they all seemed to be based on electrocution. On the other side of corridor, there was but one factor which had taken the soldier's lives; a very copious amount of bullets.

As Loki dropped into a crouch to inspect the bodies, Scar repressed a shudder. "How disquieting this place is. I'm not sure I want to continue."

Loki grinned mischievously at him. "Oh? So shall I continue on by myself, and leave you here with all these corpses?"

"That's not what I was suggesting," pouted Scar.

Loki nodded. "Good, because I'm not entirely sure these bodies are dead!" He kicked one towards Scar and the lion jumped back, terrified. He regained his composure and growled at Loki.

Loki laughed. "Oh, how marvellously paranoid you are. I'll never tire of scaring you." He cleared his throat. "But seriously, these bodies are days old. Whoever or whatever dispatched them, it's long since moved on." He stood up and smiled down at Scar. "So do try to calm down."

Scar glared at him. "It's far easier to be relaxed about this kind of thing when you're immortal."

"Yes," beamed Loki. "It most certainly is."

The elevator which Doom had exploded in his attempt to kill Cole was, bizarrely enough, still not operational. Nonetheless, they eventually managed to find their way to the bridge.

Loki whistled, examining the Dr Doom-shaped hole left in the wall. "My word," he said. "Quite a battle took place here. Wouldn't you agree, Scar?" No response. "Scar?"

Scar had paused, sniffing the air. He narrowed his eyes in confusion. He had been investigating the control panel when Loki had given in to impatience and kicked him.

"What are you doing?" asked Loki.

Scar shook his head. "It's probably nothing. Just thought I picked up... a familiar scent."

"Yes, of course," said Loki sceptically. "An animal you just happen to know just happened to leave your distant homeland and just happened to pass by this exact spot in desolate outer space."

"It's no less likely than the rest of this ridiculous situation," countered Scar. "And still more likely than you ever beating your brother in a fight."

"Ha!" scoffed Loki. "As if you're one to talk."

"I am, actually. I remind you I succeeded in my fratricide attempt."

Loki glared at the dark lion. "You win this round, Taka."

"I thought I told you that name in confidence!"

They bickered for some time before Loki noticed the portal which still stood in its alcove in the corner of the room. He approached it and tapped it experimentally with what was left of his staff.

"Perhaps I'll be able to repair this."

"Where will it lead?" asked Scar.

Loki shrugged. "Who can say? Judging from its hasty design, it might not even sent us to the same co-ordinates it was aimed at when last used."

Scar cast his eye around the bridge, noting the dents, burns and singes which littered the walls. His mind drifted back to the unfortunate Stormtroopers. "Well, wherever it goes, I'm sure it will be an improvement from here."


"Pew, pew," said Iron Man as he blasted away another robot with his repulsors. His voice bordered on bored. "Eat laser, criminal scum."

Meta Knight flew along the street they stood on, slicing robots cleanly in half as he went. "Stark, behind you!" he called.

Tony glanced behind to see a robot far bigger than the others bearing down on him. He blasted it a few times with his thrusters, to little effect. Just before the robot attacked him, a red cyclone of air slammed into its side, sending it careening off of the high street and into the seemingly bottomless city.

Red Tornado landed next to Tony, his arm reverting back from a hurricane.

"Thanks for the assist there, Big Red," said Iron Man. "Good timing."

Red Tornado didn't reply, instead staring straight ahead.

"Hey." Iron Man whistled and waved an armoured hand in front of Red Tornado's face. "Do I need to turn you off and turn you back on again?"

Meta Knight flew up to them and came to a smart stop. "What seems to be the problem?"

Red Tornado blinked. "My apologies. I was distracted by my sensors. A very large robotic unit has entered our vicinity."

Iron Man and Meta Knight shared a look.

"Clockwerk?"queried Meta Knight.

"Just maybe," replied Iron Man. "Okay gang, split up and look for clues."

Iron Man shot away from them, and Red Tornado and Meta Knight took two other directions. Iron Man flew gracefully over a skyscrapers and arced around another, twisting and turning.

Meta Knight uncertainly activated the handheld communicator Tony had loaned him. "Tornado. How large is this creature?"

"Very large," replied Red Tornado gravely. "Roughly the size of -"

"An especially unfriendly family condo?" interjected Iron Man.

"...Yes, that would be accurate."

"Yeah, thought so," said Iron Man, landing on a skyscraper's roof. "I found him."

Below him, Clockwerk flew slowly through the air, beating his massive wings. He was an owl; key word being was. Now, he was a huge, owl-shaped cyborg with glowing golden eyes which broadcasted pure, seething hate. His grey, metal body was augmented with several additions, such as jets on the backs of his wings and cannons on their fronts. His talons were so sharp, Tony cold almost hear them slice the air.

"Huh," said Tony. "Sesame Street's changed since I was a kid."

"What do you see?" asked Meta Knight urgently over the radio.

"Suspect is giant owl, repeat, giant owl," said Iron Man, leaping off the roof. "Moving to engage."

"Stark, wait!"

It was too late. Iron Man locked his various weapons on Clockwerk, hitting the bird with a salvo of missiles, both physical and made of energy. The physical missiles had no effect, but the energy weapons caused a curious yellow crackling to be visible just above the owl's metallic skin.

Clockwerk's golden eyes snapped into focus on Tony as the first few projectiles struck him.

"You are the one to face my perfection?" His voice was loud and robotic, and yet jarringly sophisticated and uninterested. "You cannot hope to win."

He returned fire, shooting several missiles from his wings which, while proportionally small to him, were all thicker than Tony's head.

"Whuh oh," Iron Man said, as he nimbly dodged the first few rounds. Clockwerk emitted a large ring, roughly two and a half meters across. Inside the ring was crackling electricity. This fact became very apparent to Tony when he became entangled within its centre. The electricity burned through his suit's workings, and elicited a cry of pain from the human within. Every light bar the vital Arc Reactor failed, and Iron Man began to fall rapidly.

Tony was working out a solution as quickly as he could when he felt an upward pull. A red cyclone dragged him up into an alcove where Meta Knight and Red Tornado were standing, the latter using his arm to catch Tony.

The suit came back online at length. Tony stood and made an annoyed grunt. "Damn. Bet that messed with the circuitry to no end." He looked up to see the two glaring at him. "What?" he said innocently.

"Your actions were foolish," chided Red Tornado.

"Indeed," added Meta Knight. "We may have lost valuable time to formulate a plan."

"Relax. He's strong, but not that fast."

"We have approximately 47 seconds before he returns," said Red Tornado.

"See? Plenty of time. Listen. He's tough, but energy bullets degrade some kind of shield he has. We need to combine energy with conventional weaponry."

"You are the only one possessing energy weapons," stated Red Tornado.

"Then I'll be the one to soften him up."

"And Galaxia will serve as our physical offensive," said Meta Knight, raising his golden sword into the air.

"Cool. One thing. The degradation doesn't last long. We gotta be quick about taking him down."

Meta Knight glanced at his cape, seeing the shape of his wings. "I believe I can manage that."

A missile exploded against the ceiling of the room they were in.

"Good, because we're on!" yelled Iron Man. He and Red Tornado flew out towards Clockwerk. "Hold 'em in place!"

Red Tornado flew below the huge owl and then summoned two massive cyclone using both his arms. He aimed one at each of Clockwerk's wings, slowing his movement to almost nothing. Iron Man then flew close and peppered Clockwerk's body with as many repulsor shots as he could, tearing several small holes in his shielding.

"Your efforts are in vain," taunted Clockwerk. He didn't sound mocking; he was so conceited, it was if the possibility of his loss was so unfathomable it wasn't even amusing. "I will prevail. Clockwerk is perfection."

"I don't understand how I can constantly meet people more egotistical than I am," noted Tony. "I mean, honestly. You'd think it was impossible."

Meta Knight stood above them, readying his sword. He had an idea of where to strike, but had to wait for Tony to loosen the shielding there. He would have directed the superhero as such were he not certain Clockwerk was fully aware of him and hence would hear of his plan.

"I tire of you insects," announced Clockwerk. "Prepare to face your end."

He fired another electric ring at Red Tornado. Unable to release his unorthodox hold of Clockwerk's wings, the robot watched helplessly as it approached him.

Tony swore and fired some missiles at the centre of the ring, but it failed to slow or change course. He saw Red Tornado be consumed by the electricity. He convulsed pitifully as it raked through his circuitry, and his legs ceased to be a whirlwind, causing him to plummet to the ground.

Tony roared and unleashed everything he had on Clockwerk. He struck the joint between Clockwerk's wing and his body, breaking the shielding there.

High above, Meta Knight saw the opportunity he had been waiting for. He flew forward, driving Galaxia directly into the affected joint... and then continuing out the other side. His wings burst open and he came to a stop mid-air.

Clockwerk screeched, partly in pain, partly in shock, and mostly in shock at feeling pain. His severed wing fell gracelessly into the depths of Metropolis, following Red Tornado. He spun out of control and slammed into a courtyard, digging up concrete as he fell. Iron Man touched down just in front of his face.

"My body!" shrieked Clockwerk. "My perfect body! You've ruined it!"

"Yep," said Iron Man, his tone clipped.

"Clockwerk will know revenge for this heinous crime!"

"Nope," said Iron Man, in the same tone. He then raised his arms and fired several blasts of his repulsors into the bird's face.

Clockwerk thrashed, screeching violently. There was a terrible buzzing in Tony's ears from the sound. He activated his armour's sound muting function, but even that seemed to be insufficient as the sound rang in his helmet. He pulled it off, scowling at it from under his neat black goatee.

Meta Knight landed beside him. "Is he vanquished?"

Tony glanced at Clockwerk. "His eyes. Look. They're off. Whole thing is off. We win."

He replaced his helmet. "Where's Red?" he asked urgently. "Maybe I can fix him. Where is he?"

Without even waiting for a response, Iron Man blasted off from the ground at speed. It was at this moment they teleported to the ship.

When dealing with advanced (read: ridiculous) physics concepts such as instantaneous teleportation, there are few universally acknowledged truths. However, it is generally observed that when an object moving at a velocity is teleported, it maintains that same velocity. In layman's terms, speedy thing go in, speedy thing go out.

Thus, when Tony appeared on the bridge, he slammed into the wooden wall so hard it left a sizeable dent.

Tony groaned as his suit sank to the floor. The lights of its eyes flickered off, turning grey.

"Hey, Starky!" called Deadpool brightly. "That was some entrance! Just a shame we didn't have any AC/DC handy." He chuckled turning to Meta Knight. "Howdy. Who are you?"

The knight ignored him, his eyes wide. He took in the room they had appeared in. "This..." said Meta Knight slowly, taking reverential steps towards the steering wheel. He lay one hand it softly. "This is my ship."


I reckon you're sick of these constant reminders for reviews ruining the ruminating final lines. I am too. But we'll always have alliteration.