Volume 5.5.
In Darkness Dwells
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"Hold on babies!"
Derek turned his head, letting out a squeak moments before Vally began to push the stroller containing him and a sleepy Gabriel through the main hall. The baby's eyes widened, letting out a squeal of protest, while Gabriel seemed to wake up and let out a happy laugh. Vally grinned herself, applying just a bit of superspeed as she rounded the corner…
Hank's foot stopped the stroller dead.
Vally let out a cry as she flipped over the handles and went flying through the air, over Hank's head and right through a wall into the bathroom.
Tina blinked as Vally fell into the bathtub she was currently seated in, just managing to protect the JLA: Earth 2 graphic novel she was reading as the water splashed all around her.
The almost 5 year old girl's head popped up, covered in bubbles.
"Vally…" Hank called out from the toddler-shapped hole in the wall, a cooing Derek and a squirming Gabriel in his arms.
"…we was just playing?" Vally offered.
"…Hank…I'm still naked." Tina said sternly.
Hank turned around, though Derek and Gabriel were still peaking over his shoulder.
"Boys…" Tina warned, but being infants, the boys merely blinked. Vally giggled.
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(Japan)
Lyger looked over at the man he had killed.
In any other situation, he would be looking down at a cold, still body, eyes staring back at him like beads of glass.
But this was not any situation.
And Lyger himself was already dead.
The corpse of the cemetery caretaker silently dug into the earth, removing shovelful of soil with each heave.
He did not know why his brother/master commanded him to bring this old man out of his grave and back to the catacombs, but it was not his place to ask, even if he did care to know. Fredrick knew what was best.
All he did know that this man was not to be part of the family. He was to be a servant, nothing more. That was a slight disappointment…so far his brother had been slow to bring about new family members. Only he, Tess, Molly and Nikalus had been brought back. Lyger wished for their mother and father to be reborn, but Fredrick reminded him that they had to choose special bodies for them.
The caretaker let out a groan, and Lyger moved from where he had been meditating. The one thing he disliked about these corpses his brother brought back were they were too much like the zombies one saw in bad horror films. Fredrick would only give speech to those he cared to have it, and even then, he could do little to make this one smarter without being on this side of the globe.
Lyger shoved the caretaker away, Fredrick's power leaving the body and reducing it to a crumpled corpse once more. Lyger lifted the suited body out of the coffin and made his escape.
"Welcome to the team, Mr. Nakamura."
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Carter drew his blade, narrowing his eyes. "We settle this once and for all, Harbringer."
"Indeed, Metatron." Sarah Daniels said sternly, drawing her own blade.
Their dusters were already kicked away, the two of them circling one another before they rushed forward, weapons clashing together. Whammy flames exploded from their bodies as brother and sister lashed out with all their might. Were anyone else watching, they would have been hardpressed to follow the action. Even without the flames, they were moving at superspeed, their blades growing hot from the air rushing past them. The reinforced floor groaned in protest at each of their leaps and falls, trying to withstand muscle force that was now designed to allow the Daniels siblings to move like Superman.
Finally, with a quick flourish, Carter flipped Sarah's blade away, point it at her throat.
"I win." Carter said coldly. "I get the last piece of cake."
Sarah stomped her foot. "Damn it Carter!"
Carter laughed, going to retrieve her blade. "Fine, we will cut it in half."
Sarah nodded. "After I take a shower…" She sniffed herself, grimacing. "We need to talk to Vally about removing sweat glands."
"No one said all this didn't come with a price." Carter said with a laugh, wrapping an arm around his sister. "Besides, you just don't like Lee seeing you all sweaty."
"Carter!" Sarah shouted, blushing. It was a poorly kept secret that Sarah, after getting over the fact Lee had tried to kill Carter, had become smitten with the artist.
"I for one like getting sweaty, especially if Madrid-"
"If Madrid what?" Madrid asked, walking towards them, Vally slung over her shoulder, the girl pouting.
"I will explain later." Carter said. He looked at Vally. "What did she do now?"
"Made a window for Tina's bathroom."
Carter was about to say something…when he saw Biddy walk by…
"THAT'S OUR CAKE!" Sarah screamed, taking off after a fleeing Biddy."
"I would say this day couldn't get worse, but that would be cliché."
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"This is where your brother lives?" West asked.
Terrance sighed. "Apparently."
"…wow." Micah whispered.
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Drago looked over at Fredrick. "It is time, Doctor."
Fredrick nodded, waving his hand lazily, commanding several of his corpse servants to bring him his chosen man. "I do not see why you do not simply allow me to kill this boy."
Drago's arm darted out of is dark robes, a monsterous claw where his right hand should be around Fredrick's neck.
"Abaddon is not to be harmed, do you hear me?" He roared. From under the shadows of his cloak, red fire glowed. "My brother was my savoir, my father and my friend. I will free him from that shell Carter Daniels, one way or another." He released Fredrick. "And you may have any scrapes that remain."
Drago turned away from the doctor and stared down at the cavernous room below them. He had waited for this moment for 10,000 years, and now at last, he would get his family back and he would bring down the Heavens. The only problem was the cruelest of ironies: Abaddon, the destroyer of worlds, had been reborn as Carter Daniels, the Metatron and voice of "God". Drago scoffed.
More than once, he considered abandoning this plan and going after Biathia first. To see his dear little sister, the cunning wicked spitfire that had enslaved entire kingdoms just by opening her legs, reduced to an airhead cheerleader drove him nearly mad. That fact that she was still Abaddon's sister, albeit half sister, in this life was another cruel twist.
But no…Abaddon had to be first. Carter Daniels was a dangerous enemy, one that Drago was loathe to take on. Already the boy had killed his Seven Horns, and every day he allowed Abaddon to stay around Daniels' family, the more entrenched he became.
No. Abaddon came first.
He looked over at Fredrick. The doctor was one he did not want to work with…but he had no choice. Fredrick was also powerful, and should an accident befall the doctor….well, Drago would be ready to claim him.
"Fredrick…" he said at last. "I have something else I want done…an insurance policy." He smirked. "Tell me…do you know the man named Joseph?"
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"Carter!" Helena called out. "You need to get down here, now!"
Carter glared at Vally. "We will talk about you taking the babies for a joyride later."
"We were just playing!" Vally protested, following after her father like a puppy. Madrid tried hard not to laugh.
Her laughter died when she saw who was in their home.
"Terrance." Carter snapped, going for his sword.
To his credit, Terrance raised his hands. "I mean you no harm, brother."
"We agreed, one night we fought side by side. After that, all bets were off." Carter said, moving to keep his parents, wife and children behind him. Sarah joined him, as did Hank and Tina. Biddy cradled a wiggling Derek, while Gabriel merely yawned. Carter was seriously regretting letting most of his friends head off for their much needed vacations.
Kelly and her parents had gone to Italy, Renee having got it into her head to have Kelly trained by the same "Prince of Thieves" she had learned under. Lee and his mother had gone towards Russia, to claim what remained of Merrick's fortune. Linda had made her way to the United States in hope of finding Micah…wouldn't she be pissed to know he was here. And Malcolm and Ellie had returned to England to settle legal matters before they returned to work for Carter full time.
That left him with a former Company agent, his age defying father, an acid spewer, an invisible man, his superpowered wife and sister, and a litteral human shield.
Following Carter's logic, Madrid handed Gabriel to Biddy, her power enough to shield both infants if needed. She grew several pairs of arms, each one armed with a one of the 4 guns she kept strapped to her at all times.
Micah blinked. "Wow…you don't see that every day."
"Losing my patience." Carter warned, igniting his body, Sarah mimicking him. Vally, refusing to be protected, peaked out from behind Carter's eyes, own body in flames as she stuck her tongue out.
"We need your help." West said at last. "As in world ending, super villain stomping help."
Laughter roared all around them.
Terrance, Micah and West looked on, confused.
Carter calmed down in an instant, flames receeded. "Sorry you made the trip for nothing, Terrance, but you got the wrong man." He turned away, the family moving towards the living room. "We aren't heroes anymore…we retired."
"…wait, what?"
"You heard him!" Vally shouted. "We're re-ti-red." She paused for a moment. "Uncle Hank, what does retired mean?"
"It means we no longer run around attacking supervillians."
"Oh, ok." Vally said, before she realized exactly what that meant. "Wait…wait…not…" Her eyes went wide. "DADDY!" She screamed in a panic, racing after her father.