A/N: Alright, sorry for the delay, but now we've finally moved on to the final story arc of this fic! Be prepared to see a ton of new characters join the story, both good and evil! Oh, and there will be a little bit of politics thrown in, just to spice things up.
Music: "The Plan" from Dredd 2012 OST
Three Weeks Later
Washington DC
Inside the White House, a black and gray haired man with a weathered face and wearing a military dress uniform walked into the oval office, already noticing that another man in a dark blue suit and light gray hair and a mustache was waiting for him. To the left of the older man was the President of the United States himself, his short brown hair cropped on his egg-shaped head, wearing a black suit and gray tie, as he sat at his desk.
"Thank you for joining us, Secretary Fargo." the President greeted with a smile. "After coming back from being dead for ten years, Secretary Ross decided to catch up on all that has happened. Namely, how the last Commander in Chief he served under hasn't held office for eight years now."
"And now that everyone has returned, the homeless population has skyrocketed." Ross added. "Moreover, the number of enhanced individuals has increased, thanks to Vought. And because of Homelander's actions on Chaos Day, we need something stronger than the Sokovia Accords to police not only enhanced meta-humans, but also common criminals."
"I'm glad you mentioned that, because I've been working closely on a new type of police force." Fargo grinned. "One where the officers are judge, jury, and executioner."
Bracken raised an eyebrow, as the Secretary continued.
"They will be outfitted with state-of-the-art armor, weapons, and technology. They will be able to bring law to the lawless, even to supes and the like!"
Bracken's eyebrows were raised, clearly impressed, while Ross coughed to have the attention diverted towards him.
"You seem to have this figured out." the Secretary of the State said begrudgingly.
"Oh yes." Fargo nodded. "Ever since Frank Castle and his friend, the man calling himself 'Judge Dredd' stopped Homelander, I became inspired by their methods."
"Hence why they are given the authority to judge a criminal on the spot." the President smirked. "Which reminds me, I am planning on pardoning Castle later today for that mess in Bagalia. Same with Sergeant James Barnes for his crimes as the Winter Soldier."
Ross' eyes widened, before narrowing into a glare.
"You're pardoning them?" the Secretary of the State seethed. "They're vigilantes! They are prime examples of why the Sokovia Accords exist in the first place-"
"Didn't you just say we need something stronger than the Accords?" Fargo raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly." Ross nodded. "I propose that we expand it to lock up all enhanced individuals, as well as vigilantes such as the Punisher and the Batman."
Secretary Fargo sighed in exasperation, knowing that Ross had been after Gotham's Dark Knight for years, even after he mysteriously disappeared. Now, after coming back, and with his partner Batwoman no less, it appeared he wasn't letting up.
"In addition, I believe there's a simple solution to the rising homeless problem." Ross continued. "We make all crime legal for just one night. Let the civilians sort it out."
Fargo's jaw nearly hit the floor, hearing such an outrageous claim. Surely, the President wouldn't approve of this-
"Interesting proposal." Bracken nodded his head. "With half of the population being brought back, adding to the increased number of citizens over the last ten years, we very well could have use for a culling."
"Mister President, you can't be serious-" Fargo was about to say, but was interrupted.
"Tell you what, Ross. I'll run with your… 'Purge' idea." Bracken told him. "I want to see this done in a controlled environment as soon as possible, and then we will test it nationally within a week."
"But- Mister President-" Fargo fumbled his words, causing the Commander in Chief to turn towards him.
"Don't worry, Eustace. If things get out of hand, we will deploy your advanced police force." the President said reassuringly. "I believe you had recruited several of the top soldiers and agents from the CIA, FBI, and various branches of the military for this, correct? And you decided to label them the Judges?"
"I… yes. I have." Fargo slowly nodded.
"Excellent." Bracken grinned. "Then it's settled."
Ross nodded towards the President, before leaving his office. Fargo was about to follow suit, when Bracken spoke up.
"I do look forward to seeing your Judges in action, Eustace." the President smiled. "They may be exactly what this country needs."
Fargo silently nodded, before exiting the oval office, wondering just what he was getting into.
Music: "Nice Heels" from The Punisher Season 2 OST
New York
Been a few weeks since we brought everyone back, and crime's gone up. Of course it has. Thanos snapped half of all criminals away too.
Frank drove down the streets of New York in his van, scouring the concrete jungle for criminals. A murderer, a rapist, anyone. What he didn't expect was a sudden blast to his vehicle, which made it rollover in the middle of the street.
Dammit… I just had this fixed after the number Cage did on it.
Castle groaned as he pulled himself out of the now wrecked car, grabbing his pump action shotgun on the way out. Blood dribbled down a cut on his forehead, forcing him to blink away the obstruction to his vision, but he could clearly see who was standing in front of him.
A man stood several feet away, wearing a white suit with red and black shoulder pads. On his chest was a triangular shape with lines seeming to come out of it, but one look at his brown haired face told Frank who he was.
Ah shit. The shitheel that knocked over my car is Supersonic. Only reason I even know that is because Annie told me they used to date, back when he was known as Drummer Boy.
While Frank was busy thinking, Supersonic raised his hands, firing sonic blasts from his palms. The blasts struck Castle in the chest, forcing him back against the van. with another groan.
"God dammit." Frank muttered, as he pulled out his pistol and fired at the hip. Three bullets struck Supersonic in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground, gasping for breath. Castle cracked his neck, before walking over and pointing his shotgun at the supe.
"One batch, two batch… penny and a dime."
Frank squeezed the trigger, and the shotgun slug tore Supersonic's face apart, leaving a squishy pile of gore where his head used to be. If he had been a younger man, Castle probably would have been scrambling around, allowing the supe to cause more havoc. Not anymore. No, he learned over the years to finish the fight as quick as possible. One shot, one kill.
Just as Frank was about to return to his vehicle, a blur of golden lightning entered his vision, followed with the Flash standing right beside him.
"Hey Red." Castle murmured. "You missed the party."
"Yeah, kinda glad I did." Barry muttered, giving a wary glance at Supersonic's corpse.
Yeah… guess he never really accepted the fact I'll do what he won't. Oh well.
Allen shook his head, before looking over at Frank.
"I need your help. There's a new speedster in Central City."
"Another one?" Castle raised an eyebrow. "What do you think I can do?"
Flash sighed, before grabbing the Punisher's shoulders.
"It'll be better if I just show you."
Before Frank said another word, Barry sped off back to Central City, carrying Frank with him in his arms. Thankfully, they were going fast enough so no one could see them.
Music: "Order In The Chaos" from Dredd 2012 OST
Several blocks away from where Frank and Barry were, Judge Dredd drove his motorcycle, with Ryan flying overhead. As they traversed through the city, the Flash ran past them in a blur of golden lightning, making Joe tilt his head in confusion.
"Wonder what that was all about."
Ryan shrugged, as the two of them made their way to the bank at the end of the street, where Butcher had heard the alarms go off for armed robbery. By Dredd's calculations, it would take the cops five more minutes to arrive. Which meant they had plenty of time.
Once they arrived at the bank, there were four robbers already outside, shooting at police vehicles. The criminals didn't look special, wearing black ski masks and leather jackets, and appeared to be wielding AK-47s. Nothing the Judge or the supe couldn't handle.
Ryan flew faster, passing Joe on his motorcycle and hovering just overhead the robbers' black getaway van before dropping to the ground, producing cracks in the pavement. The robbers quickly turned their assault rifles towards the supe, firing rounds of white hot lead. Unfortunately for them, the bullets bounced off, just as Dredd caught up.
"Throw down your weapons, creeps!" Joseph bellowed, levelling his Lawgiver at the men in ski masks. The robbers looked from Dredd, to Ryan, then back to the Judge, before wisely lowering their weapons. Just as their rifles touched the ground, the getaway van's back doors opened up, revealing a fifth masked man wielding a shotgun.
"Suck on this!" the criminal roared, aiming his weapon at Joe and firing. Thankfully, the Judge's armor was enough to stop the blast, but given the close proximity it was fired from, it still made him stumble back. Before the robber could fire another slug, however, a crimson beam suddenly rained down upon him, striking the shotgun and causing it to rapidly melt. The criminal screamed in pain, as the red hot metal became crudely welded to his flesh, while Joe and Ryan looked up, seeing a humanoid figure with a cape slowly float down.
Joseph squinted his eyes, barely being able to see this new person wearing a type of dark red mask with crossed laces for a mouth, accompanied with a black suit and dark red cape. There was nothing remarkable about the suit itself, except for the symbol on his chest, consisting of what looked like four triangles that were lined up opposite of each other with a line running vertically down the middle.
"Greetings!" the humanoid said in a male voice, resting his feet on the ground and glancing at Ryan. Dredd formed his mouth in a thin line, feeling suspicion rising in his gut, while his hands stayed on his gun. Was this… new person a supe? Or was he something else?
"Who are you?" Joseph asked curiously, narrowing his eyes behind his visor. The masked figure turned to look at Dredd, before slowly taking off the dark red hood to reveal a head of short black hair and dark brown eyes.
"My name is Brightburn." the boy let out a small smile, as he looked over to Ryan. "And I've come for you."
"Me?" Ryan frowned, while folding his arms and raising an eyebrow. "Really?"
The supe-person, Brightburn, kept his smirk, as he slowly nodded.
"I've been watching you for weeks now." Brightburn revealed, as the unarmed robbers began to inch towards their van. "I've seen you bring these… these criminals to justice, but you're not using your powers to your full potential."
"What do you mean?" Ryan asked, just as the robbers got into their van and began to speed away. They didn't get far, as Brightburn suddenly pursed his lips and blew hard, like one would blow out birthday candles. Butcher felt an icy chill breeze past him, and when he looked towards the van, a thick layer of ice had stopped the vehicle in its tracks, with frost covering the windows. The supe's jaw dropped, having never seen someone with such similar powers do that before. Not even Homelander.
"Whoa…"
Brightburn grinned at Ryan's shock, before he continued speaking.
"You can do that too. I can train you."
Dredd tilted his head at the boy, before stepping forward.
"Are you a supe?"
Brightburn slowly turned to look at Joe, a frown creasing his face, before vanishing.
"Yes… I am." the superhuman murmured, as he turned back toward Ryan and held out his hand.
"My name… my real name… is Brandon Breyer."
Ryan cautiously grasped the other supe's hand and shook, while Dredd watched them both curiously. Just as the handshake ended, both heroes cocked their heads to the side, hearing a police dispatch in the distance.
"All units, requesting backup at Times Square! We got a supe with fire manipulating abilities!"
Butcher's mouth formed a grimace, while Brandon's seemed to quirk into a smile.
"This will be a great way to start your training!" Brightburn declared, as he began to hover several inches off the ground. Ryan gave Joe a wary look, before hovering up as well.
"Uncle Joe…"
Dredd simply shook his head, as he went back to his bike. Unfortunately, this new supe was right; Ryan did need proper training in his powers. Training that Joe himself would never be able to give him.
"It's okay, Ryan." Joseph told him, while revving the engine on his motorcycle. "Just… be careful, alright?"
Butcher slowly nodded, before taking off towards Times Square, with Brandon flying closely behind. Joseph's scowl deepened, watching the two supes become nothing more than pinpricks in his sight. Despite allowing Ryan to run off with this… Brandon Breyer, he couldn't help but feel like alarm bells were going off in his head. Maybe he shouldn't have let him go alone, but then again, he had his own mission he needed to focus on.
Chicago
Riley entered her and her mother's living room, seeing Billy sitting on the sofa, staring at his hands. She knew why he was staring, of course, as over the course of the last few weeks, Riley had helped Lenz's jaundice to get treated. Now, his skin took on a nearly healthy pigment, despite having trace amounts of yellow in them, while his eyes no longer had a deep golden hue. It took time, of course, for him to be properly treated, but Riley liked to believe that it was the Compound V in him that was speeding up the process. To her knowledge, Billy's jaundice was never bothered with all his life, thanks to his vile cunt of a mother-
Stone shook her head slightly, before joining Billy on the couch. The former serial killer and cannibal turned his head in her direction, and in his eyes, Riley could see a feeling of mirth, and… gratefulness.
"Riley… thank you." Lenz murmured, in a voice that was no longer as raspy as when she first heard it.
"No Billy. Thank you." Riley smiled, wrapping her arms around him for a hug. Just as her embrace began to tighten, there was a loud knock on the door, startling Stone and making her back away.
"Sorry." Riley sheepishly apologized, before getting up and opening the front door. Her mouth hung open for a few moments, seeing an older woman with short blonde hair and wearing a black suit standing before her.
"Mallory." Stone gasped, as Billy got up and stood behind her. "What are you doing here?"
Grace wore a grimace on her face, as she held up a tablet, showing Riley and Billy satellite footage of what looked like a snowy mountain side, depicting an image of a woman with flowing black hair and dark gray dress slowly strangling a man in peasant rags with a thick rope.
"Where is this?" Riley frowned, her gaze scrutinizing the image.
"According to the coordinates, Romania." Mallory admitted, as she zoomed out of the image. "Apparently, there's been a nearby remote village no one knew about for years. Possibly decades."
"So what changed?" Stone asked curiously.
"I don't know." Grace admitted. "But it could be that no one remembered it until Myers brought everyone back."
Riley tilted her head in confusion, processing what the CIA woman said.
"Are you saying… that we could have gotten new memories?"
"Exactly." Mallory nodded. "An old friend of mine told me that before Thanos snapped his fingers, myself, The Boys, and supes didn't exist in this world."
"And this village could have also not existed before Michael snapped his fingers." Riley guessed. "Same for this… this woman."
"That's right." Grace nodded. "But we'll have time to figure that out. For now, I'd like you and Mister Lenz to apprehend this woman, dead or alive."
"Why us?" Riley widened her eyes in surprise. "Why not Frank, or Dredd, or Millie-"
"Joe and Frank seem to be preoccupied at the moment. Flash even spirited Castle away to Central City earlier this morning." Mallory sighed. "As for Kessler, my colleague is meeting with her now for a different task."
Riley pursed her lips in a straight line, as she turned to look at Billy. After noticing Lenz was slowly nodding, as if telling her he agreed with Mallory, Stone opened her mouth.
"We'll do it." Riley murmured. "Whoever that… witch woman is, we'll find her."
Mallory's lips formed into a grin, as she began to lead Stone and Billy outside towards a sleek black car.
"Excellent. Chopper's waiting at the airport."
Blissfield
Millie exited her buick, waiting for her boyfriend Booker to get out of the passenger side, before they both began to walk up to the Kessler house. As they got closer, they both noticed an all black van sitting in the driveway.
"What the fuck?" Kessler frowned, as she and Booker opted to inch slightly closer to the door. Upon stepping onto the porch, Millie's eyes widened, seeing that the front door was slightly open. Unfortunately, given that her family never left the door closed, that meant someone else was here.
A million questions ran through Millie's head at that moment. Who was in the house? Was Dad there? But if he was supposed to be at work…
Kessler shook her head, before motioning to Booker to double around the back. Thompson wordlessly nodded, quietly moving around to the other side of the house, while Millie slowly opened the door, making her way through her kitchen and down the hall. She finally made it to the study, cautiously opening the door to find…
A dark skinned bald man sat in the study's armchair, his eyes looking at her in anticipation. Wait, no, not eyes- eye. The man wore an eyepatch over his face.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Kessler."
Millie opened the door the rest of the way, while Booker entered the house and joined her side.
"Nick Fury." she murmured, walking into the study and standing before the former director of SHIELD. "What do you want?"
Fury raised an eyebrow at the girl's tone, before standing up and clearing his throat.
"The world's been upside down ever since half the population came back." Nick announced. "People being dislocated from their homes. The dickwipes in charge are scrambling around like their heads are cut off, and more terrorist organizations are popping up around the globe…"
Fury pinched the bridge of his nose, while holding up a tablet. Millie and Booker stared down at the image in puzzlement, seeing a bulky man with long black hair, wearing a black face mask that had the image of a red palm engulfing the globe. A surveillance video began playing, depicting the man shooting fire from his hands, before brutally beating several police officers to death.
"Take these ones." Nick continued. "They've been robbing banks all over the world. The last one was in Switzerland."
"Do they have a name?" Booker asked, while Millie stared intently at the screen.
"According to supporters that were interviewed, they're called the Flag-Smashers." the director of SHIELD revealed. Kessler continued looking at the masked man, even as she spoke.
"What do you want me to do? Find them, and kill them?"
"Not just you." Nick told her. "I've notified the rest of your team, as well as two Avengers. They're waiting in a chopper that leaves in 0100 hours. As for finding them, don't worry, they were tracked to a building in Munich."
Fury began to walk out of the study, when Millie suddenly blocked his path, folding her arms. She had a dozen questions, particularly about which Avengers were going to be working with her, but that could wait. For now, she just wanted to know one thing.
"What about my dad?" Kessler asked. "He'll want to know where I am."
"Don't worry about him." Nick rolled his eye. "I let him know I need your help, and he's not worried, knowing that Frank Castle was like a second father to you."
At the mention of Frank, Millie felt her face heat up, as she turned to Booker.
"I'll come back. I promise." she whispered, as her boyfriend placed his hand on her cheek.
"You better…"
Kessler gave Booker a quick kiss on the lips, before turning around and following Fury out of her home, going outside and entering the black vehicle. After revving up the engine, Nick peeled out of the driveway, and the two of them made their way back towards town, where the chopper presumably was.
Music: "Anderson's Theme" from Dredd 2012 OST
New York
Cass rubbed her tired eyes, approaching the crime scene and ducking under the yellow tape with her new partner, Dinah Madani. A couple other officers were already on the scene, having draped a tarp over the victim's body.
"What do we got?" Detective Castle frowned, stepping toward the body.
"Victim's name is Shannon O'Malley." Dinah reported. "She was found about an hour ago, but the time of death must've been at three am."
Cass paused, lifting up the tarp to reveal a brunette woman's face, with two burning holes where her eyes should be. If not for her time spent as a Judge, she probably wouldn't have the stomach for this. Even so, her eyes still widened in mortification.
"Grud on a greenie." Castle murmured, before stepping up and rejoining Madani. "There any witnesses?"
"Just one." Madani told her, looking over her shoulder to see a man with short black hair, covered up in a towel and comforted by an officer.
"Witness describes the attacker as someone with dark green skin, some type of leather, and glowing red eyes."
Cass raised an eyebrow, as she focused on reading the witness' mind. The young man arched his back, feeling something cold at the back of his skull, while Castle closed her eyes in concentration. As she peered into the witness' mind, she came back to the entrance of the alley, where the victim was attacked by a green skinned humanoid in a black cape. Cass' eyes widened, witnessing the… the things kill the woman, before suddenly turning its angry red eyes toward her.
Castle gasped, leaving the witness' mind, and looked around to see Madani staring at her in confusion.
"What?" Dinah frowned. "What is it?"
Cass slightly shook her head, before stumbling away.
"It's nothing." the detective mumbled, hurrying past the crime scene and the witness. She didn't notice the man looking up, following Cass' movements, and smiled sinisterly.
Judge Dredd drove his bike back to his home, parking at the front of the drive, next to Becca's car. Before he could walk up to the front door, his wife had already opened it, walking out to greet the Judge with a smile.
"You're back." Becca grinned, throwing her arms around her husband in a hug. Joe seemingly melted into the embrace, but suddenly felt Rebecca pull away, a look of worry on her face.
"Where's Ryan?"
"Got a new friend. Name's Brightburn." Joseph shrugged. "Said he can teach Ryan how to use his powers."
"And you're concerned." Becca guessed, even while Joe nodded.
"There's just something about him…"
Becca shook her head, as she placed a hand on her husband's face, while her other slowly took his helmet off.
"Joe, you told me this was why you couldn't be a Judge in Mega City One anymore."
The Judge nodded, as he leaned in, giving his wife a passionate kiss. In the end, she was right; Joe didn't want to return to Mega City One because of the authoritarian power the system wielded. The best he could do now was change his ways here, in the hopes that Secretary Fargo, the man who would become the Father Of Law, would change the Justice System before it was too late.
Eventually, the kiss ended, and Dredd leaned back, before placing his helmet over his face.
"But... there's something else." Becca correctly guessed. Joe nodded, while walking back towards his bike.
"When Myers snapped his fingers, I got these… memory flashes." Joseph revealed, as his mind flashed back to the bearded man and the blonde woman in the black hood. "When I was… Butcher, I met a man named Redfield, and a woman. Bela, I think her name was. I need to find them."
Becca slowly nodded, as Dredd mounted his motorcycle and revved the engine.
"Do you know where to look for them?" Butcher suddenly asked, making Joe pause. The Judge frowned for a moment, considering his options. He could always check on Constantine… well, no, he couldn't. As far as he knew, the demonologist was still in Georgia. Drokk. But… there was a chance that someone else could help him… someone who he met only twice, and it was partially his fault that her husband was dead…
Joe grimaced, mentally preparing himself for the potential confrontation, before slowly backing the bike out of the driveway.
"Yes." he murmured, and a few moments later, the Judge drove off, back into the city. Becca sighed, rubbing her eyes, before walking back inside the house, making her way to the living room and turning on the television. The screen flickered on to show a breaking news report, depicting President Bracken speaking to the nation. Next to him was the Vice President, a woman with short blonde hair, and two men in suits.
"My fellow Americans. After giving us all a few weeks to process half of all life being returned to Earth, it is time I finally addressed this great country…"
Washington
Vice President Ashley Graham stood next to President Bracken, her face fighting hard to remain neutral. In reality though, she could feel herself fuming on the inside, at what the Commander in Chief was about to say in a few moments.
"I know these last few weeks have been… difficult. The world has been thrown into chaos." Bracken declared. "But do not worry. I have a plan. Together, we will get through this."
Ashley tried to hide the scoff lining her face, as she glanced to her left, seeing Secretaries Fargo and Ross standing off to the side. She'd been familiar with both of them, being the Vice President and all, and while she tended to get along with Eustace, it was Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross that she truly disliked. He always had it out for enhanced beings, dating back decades when he first tried to capture Doctor Bruce Banner, who was soon revealed to be the big green monster that helped the Avengers save New York. Then a few years later, he was the man that really set the Sokovia Accords in motion, which not only tried to place superhumans under his control, but also bioweapons that should be hunted by the BSAA.
Bioweapons… Ashley grimaced, as the thought alone cracked open memories she wished to forget. Back when her father was President, she had been abducted by a cult in Spain, who planned to unleash a parasite called Las Plagas onto the world. Thankfully, she was saved by the man who eventually became her personal bodyguard, Leon Kennedy, as well as Chief of Security. That was almost twenty five years ago, and now… now she could take care of herself, if need be. See, the whole reason she asked Leon to be her bodyguard was so he could teach her everything he knew about self defense, marksmanship, and combating rogue bioweapons. But that didn't mean she didn't need his help every now and then.
Speaking of Leon, Graham could feel him politely tapping her shoulder, causing her to slightly jolt and look to her right. Kennedy was right there, as was he wife, Claire Redfield. The moment her brain caught up with her eyes, Ashley realized that concern was written across Leon's face- most likely because she spaced out.
"You okay?" the bodyguard whispered, while Claire- wearing her favorite maroon leather jacket and having her hair in a ponytail- stared at her with raised eyebrows. Ashley had to bite her tongue as another memory of her kidnapping in Spain rose to the surface. This one was after Leon rescued her, and they were escaping on a jet ski. Graham nearly chuckled to herself, vividly remembering how she offered that she and Leon could have "overtime". Looking back, she realized that whatever she felt for Leon at that time was akin to high school crush, but she was glad it happened. After all, over the years, that crush transformed into a sibling like relationship, where Ashley began to see Leon as more of an older brother-
Ashley suddenly blinked a few times, realizing that she hadn't answered Kennedy's question, and nodded.
"Yes… thank you, Leon." Graham smiled, before looking back towards President Bracken.
"First and foremost, by the power vested in me as President of the United States, I am hereby pardoning both Frank Castle and James Buchanan Barnes." Bracken continued. "Mister Castle has done us a service with his war on crime, especially in rescuing Bruce Wayne from the foreign nation of Bagalia."
To that end, Ashley had no choice but to agree. Had the Punisher not uncovered that Wayne was being held prisoner there, Bagalia and her allies would have surely declared war on them. The threat of World War Three aside, Graham would be lying if she said she didn't partially support Castle's methods. After all, he and his team, The Boys, did kill Homelander and take down Vought, a company that was known for creating bioweapons. Well, the public called them supes, but Ashley, Leon, and others like them knew better. At the end of the day, supes were just another form of bioweapon. Just like the T-Virus. Just like the Las Plagas, and the Mold. Even Captain America, having taken the Super Soldier Serum, was considered a bioweapon- just the perfect BOW, as he always stayed true to who he was.
"As for Barnes, despite his crimes as the Winter Soldier, I have been told on good authority that he participated in the battle against Thanos in Wakanda ten years ago." Bracken announced. "Because of this revelation, not only is he pardoned, but I have assigned himself and former Avenger Sam Wilson to track down the terrorist organization the Flag-Smashers."
Again, Ashley suppressed a groan. Not for what the President was saying right now, but because of what he will in a few moments…
"But now, we have our own problems to work out." Bracken declared. "Namely, our homeless population has increased to an exponential rate in the last few weeks. Of course, this wasn't particularly a bad thing, as once again, Mister Castle and his allies were able to bring everyone back after ten years. However, we must face the facts. All this has done is force us to relocate our citizens, as well as strain already limited resources.
"This is why, with careful consideration, I have decided that the US will conduct a purge: one night, for twelve hours, all crime will be legal. Government officials such as myself and members of my cabinet are not to be harmed during this time." the President paused for a moment, before looking towards Thaddeus. "Secretary Ross will conduct this on a small scale in a controlled environment, and if successful, it will be implemented across the nation within the week."
Ashley forced a gasp back down, having not realized how serious this was. This… this wasn't legal… was it? Surely, there had to be some way to stop this.
"Mister President!" a news reporter suddenly asked, waving a microphone in Bracken's face. "Mister President, how did you get this pass? Did you go above Congress?"
"I have decided to sign an executive order." Bracken answer, before another reporter entered his field of view.
"Mister President, what if this fails?" the reporter asked. "What's stopping someone from breaking the rules and killing you on Purge Night?"
"I was just about to get to that." the President smiled. "I was informed by Secretary Fargo that he has been working on a new militaristic police force. Should this Purge get out of hand, he is to deploy his experimental officers effective immediately."
Before reporters could ask anymore questions, Bracken stepped down from the podium, as he, Ross, and Fargo walked off. Before they completely left, Ashley caught a glimpse of Eustace, seeing a grimace painted on his face, not unlike her own.
Graham cursed under her breath, while Leon and Claire led her away. How could Bracken be this naive? No one would be safe during this… Purge. This had to have been Ross' idea in the first place.
No matter the case, Ashley realized she'd been lying to Leon earlier. More importantly, she lied to herself.
She wasn't okay. Nothing was going to be okay, if the Purge was made reality.
Music: "Reverse Flash's Theme" from The Flash OST
Central City
Barry sped through Central City as fast as he could, carrying Frank with him by the arms. Even though it was the fastest way to move around, Castle still prayed they were going fast enough so no one could see them.
God dammit. I wasn't one to say no if Red ever needed help, but this is plain embarrassing.
Barry eventually stopped dead in his tracks, setting Frank down next to him, and looked straight ahead. The Punisher followed his gaze, seeing a man wearing a bulky red suit and cowl, with a yellow emblem and depiction of his helmet on his chest. In his hand was a red monkey wrench, which he was using to beat a man senseless.
"You don't butt in line, criminal scum!" the man yelled, swinging the wrench at the civilian's head.
Oh, Christ. This prick is beating a man for cutting ahead.
Frank looked on in morbid curiosity, even as the innocent man screamed out.
"Please, I'm sorry-"
"Shut up crime!" the deranged man in the crimson suit yelled, raising the wrench to swing again-
"HEY!"
The man in the colorful costume turned around, just now noticing Allen and Castle, the latter of which had barked at him.
"Who the fuck are you?" Frank shouted, as the psychopath stepped towards them.
"I… am the Crimson Bolt!" the man proudly proclaimed. "I'm here to rid the world of all crime!"
Great. This shitheel's got delusions of grandeur. But why the hell does Red need my help?
Frank scoffed, while gesturing to the quivering civilian on the ground.
"Is that what you're doing here?" Castle asked rhetorically. "Beating a man for cutting?"
"You don't butt in lines!" the Crimson Bolt yelled, without missing a beat. "You don't steal! You don't rape! You don't kill! The rules were made long ago, and they don't change!"
The Punisher rolled his eyes, reaching for his pistol. Before his fingers even grazed the cold steel, the man in the crimson suit zoomed forward in a reddish blur, knocking Frank off his feet.
Ah, shit. Forgot Barry mentioned he was a speedster.
Frank felt the wind get knocked out of him for a moment, while the Crimson Bolt towered over him. The speedster was about to smash the wrench into Castle's face, when Barry suddenly zoomed forward, catching Bolt's wrist.
"That's enough." the Flash declared. "I know you think you're doing good, but you are taking things too far-"
Crimson Bolt smacked the wrench against Allen's head, making him reel back in pain. Meanwhile, Frank pulled out a syringe from his vest and jabbed it into the psycho's thigh.
Thank god I still got extra nanites. I was hoping I wouldn't need them after offing Thawne, but you can't be too careful.
The deranged speedster groaned, just as Barry recovered and decked him in the face. At the same time, Castle got back up and delivered a devastating upper caught, knocking the Crimson Bolt to the ground and rendering him unconscious.
"Don't think you can sway this one with a speech, Red." Frank murmured, while pulling out his pistols. Just as he was about to aim for Bolt's head, Barry stepped between the two, blocking Castle's shot.
"Frank, wait." Allen pleaded. "Let me take him to STAR Labs."
"What, so he has a chance to escape?" Frank snorted, thumbing the hammer back on his gun.
"No, to question him." Barry revealed. "I think he's from another Earth."
"That right?" Frank raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Allen nodded. "When we brought everyone back, we opened up our universe to new threats. I think he might be one of them."
"So what, you're gonna try to find out which one he's from?" Castle inquired, folding his arms.
"Exactly. And I don't think he's the last one."
God dammit. Of course he wouldn't be-
Frank suddenly heard a gust of wind, causing him to look back down at the ground to find the Crimson Bolt was no longer there.
"Shit!" Castle yelled, looking over to Barry for an explanation.
"Did you know he could phase the nanites out?"
"No!" Allen shook his head. "I thought he was inexperienced! He must've been trained!"
Frank scowled, pausing to kick a nearby pebble. The Punisher wracked his brain, trying to come up with a solution, until he finally thought of one.
"Okay… okay." Castle murmured, taking out a couple more syringes. "You take these, and you stick them in him when you find him, yeah?"
"You're not staying?" Barry's face dropped.
"Nah, I better get back home to the boss." Frank shook his head, referring to Cass. "But hey, you ever need me, you know my number, alright?"
Barry nodded, as a grin creeped on his face.
"Need a lift?"
Castle sighed, remembering how he didn't really have a vehicle on him.
"Yeah, what the hell."
The Flash grinned, before grabbing his friend by the shoulders and sped back towards New York.
New York
Ryan and Brightburn floated down towards the ground, seeing a man with red skin and rather long horns standing in front of the steps of Times Square.. The dispatch they heard was right; it was the supe known as El Diablo. Not much was known about him, except that Homelander used him as a scapegoat for Translucent's death years ago, even though it was later revealed that Dredd, Frank, and The Boys had killed him. His powers were supposed to be firebased, similar to the Lamplighter's, but how his appearance mutated to take on a more devilish form was not because of Compound V. No, the horns and red skin were courtesy of additional experimentation from Smith's Grove Sanitarium. Apparently, he was released from the psych ward the moment Vought found out that Translucent was dead, in order to keep their cover story.
Ryan blinked a few times, shuffling that information to the back of his mind, and focused on the threat in front of him and Brightburn.
"El Diablo!" the Traveller declared, placing his hands on his hips. "Stop this assault-"
The fiery supe thrusted his hands forward, as streams of fire shot out of his fingertips. Ryan would've been content with letting the flames crash against his suit, but Brightburn had other plans, stepping forward and blowing outward. Cold met hot, as frost exited the other supe's lips like before, and the flames crystallized and shattered in mid air.
"Who the fuck are you guys?" El Diablo ranted, shooting more flames out of his hands. This time, Brightburn decided to let Ryan try to put out the flames, as evidenced when the orange fire engulfed the teenage supe. Butcher took a deep breath, before blowing outward, trying to put out the flames around him. Unfortunately, due to his inexperience, all Ryan accomplished was causing the fire to hiss and steam, with whatever frost quickly melting.
Brandon saw this, and he quickly turned back towards the Traveller, quickly blowing the flames out with his own super breath. Once the flames were extinguished, Breyer glared at El Diablo, his eyes glowing a deep crimson. Before anyone could react, Brightburn flew straight towards the super villain, grabbed him by the throat, and rammed his fist through his chest.
"Wait!" Ryan spoke too late, as Brandon carelessly tossed El Diablo's body to the side. "You weren't supposed to kill him!"
Brightburn glanced back at Butcher, taking off his mask to reveal a frown on his face.
"Why not?" Breyer raised an eyebrow, floating towards Ryan. "He attacked innocent civilians. He attacked us. Now, he won't do it again."
"I… that's true…" Ryan fumbled for words. "But usually…"
"You let Dredd make that decision." Brandon interrupted. "But he's not here right now, is he?"
Ryan looked off to the side, trying to think of what to say. In response, Brightburn hovered into his field of vision.
"How about this: I train you into honing your powers, and you teach me how you fight crime here, alright?" Breyer smirked. Butcher's face split into a grin of his own, causing him to nod in agreement.
"Great." Brandon exclaimed, before preparing to leave. "First thing tomorrow!"
"Wait!" Ryan suddenly shouted. "Where are we going to meet up?"
"Don't worry, you'll hear me!" Brightburn smiled. "You do have super-hearing, right?"
Ryan winced, remembering when he and Homelander were assaulted by Vought speakers years ago. Granted, Dredd, Uncle Frank, and The Boys used it in order to get him to safety from his father, but it still hurt.
"Yeah." Butcher murmured. "Yeah, I do."
"Perfect." Brandon smiled wider, and with that, he flew away, leaving Ryan alone in Times Square.
"I hope this goes well." Butcher said optimistically, while slowly flying back to his and his family's house.
Munich
When Fury first told Millie about how two Avengers would be with her and her team, she wasn't expecting them to be Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. Two of Captain America's best friends, but both appeared to dislike each other. One thing they did appear to agree on though was that they didn't need Hellhound Squad, evidenced when the two heroes sat side by side on the chopper, with Kessler, Alice, William, and Harley sitting on the other side. Both parties gave each other scrutinizing gazes, until Mill suddenly stood up, clearly annoyed by the tension.
"We going to get along here, or just act like children?" she sighed sarcastically. Bucky was the first to let out an annoyed exhale, before standing up, folding his arms over his black combat suit, the exposed metallic appendage over the one made of flesh.
"But you and your team are children." Barnes scoffed. "Fury didn't need to send you to help us."
Alice narrowed her eyes at the older man, before standing up and pointing towards her friend.
"You don't know what she's gone through- what any of us have gone through."
Wilson pinched the bridge of his nose, as he slowly stood up.
"Look, we get it." Sam announced. "You guys joined up and served your country, just like us. But you're still kids that have only been doing this for a couple years."
A bit more than that, Millie thought, as she continued to glare at the two Avengers. Before she could give them a piece of her mind, a man in uniform suddenly walked out of the pilot's cockpit, eyeing everyone.
"One minute to drop!"
Kessler gave Sam and Bucky the side eye, silently promising to hash this out later, before walking to the front of the plane, sliding open the door. Taking one last look to see the rest of her team was fastening their parachutes, Millie gave a short nod, before jumping out of the plane, free falling towards the trees below. Five seconds later, she opened her chute, slowing her descent, and safely landed on the ground.
"Everyone okay?" Millie asked into her earpiece, looking up and seeing Sam flying with his Falcon wing suit overhead.
"Affirmative, Butcher." Alice's voice crackled in her ear. "The rest of the squad is right behind you."
"Copy." Kessler muttered, walking through the forest, eventually coming upon a red warehouse on the edge of a village. Hearing footsteps behind her, Millie turned around, seeing that Alice, William, and Harley caught up to her.
"Where's Wilson and Barnes?" Clayton inquired.
"Probably trying to ditch us." Kessler scowled, as the squad made their way through the warehouse. Sure enough, when they got to an open area, Sam and Bucky were already there, with Falcon staring at his wrist gauntlet.
"So what do you think this is?" Harley asked out loud. "That guy in the video Fury sent us was pretty damn strong, and could shoot fire out of his hands."
"Probably one of the Big Three." Sam shrugged. All of Hellhound Squad, as well as Bucky, stared at Wilson in confusion.
"The Big Three?" Barnes furrowed his brow. "What's the Big Three?"
"C'mon. The Big Three." Falcon repeated. "Aliens, androids, and wizards."
"That right?" Millie snorted. "You think these guys are aliens?"
"Could be." Sam reasoned. "I mean, we usually fight one of those three."
"Not this time." Kessler shook her head, as a memory of the Blissfield Butcher flashed through her head. "I've seen that kind of strength before. They're supes."
"Well, whatever they are, they're in there." Sam jerked his head to the room ahead of them, still staring at his gauntlet. "Looks like their smuggling weapons."
"Doesn't matter what they're smuggling, we gotta end it." Millie said in a low tone. "Arrow, find a vantage point. Mechanic, Good Girl, see if you can cut off their exit."
"What about you?" Alice asked. Millie grimaced, as she looked at the two Avengers.
"I'll be accompanying our new friends."
"Whoa, whoa. Who put you in charge?" Sam asked, placing a hand on Kessler's shoulder to hold her back. Mill flicked her eyes towards his palm, prompting him to quickly back off, before her eyes slowly trailed up to meet his own.
"I see a clear path. I'm taking it."
"I think we got different ideas of 'ending it'." Wilson scoffed. Millie glared at Falcon, and if looks could kill, he'd be dead to rights. What he didn't notice was that Bucky also shot him a dirty look, but didn't say anything.
"Fuck you." she hissed, before pulling her skull mask over her face. Without warning, Kessler stormed ahead, deliberately hitting Sam's shoulder with her own, while the rest of her squad spread out. Falcon looked over to Bucky, but the moment he saw his own angry expression, he realized he made a mistake.
"Come on, Buck, I didn't mean it like that-"
"Don't call me Buck." Barnes growled, before following after Millie. "Only Steve got to call me that, and he knew me way longer."
Kessler moved stealthily behind boxes and metal shelves, seeing two semi-trucks outside, with several people loading up crates and tanks. While she was observing, Bucky shuffled forward, crouching down next to her.
"Look, sorry about what happened back there. He didn't mean it that way." Barnes apologized. "Between you and me, I don't think Castle's wrong in what he does."
Millie looked over to the former Winter Soldier, shooting him a grateful smile behind her mask.
"I appreciate that, but now isn't the time." she murmured, looking back at the trucks. "Mechanic, you got eyes?"
"Yeah, I got em." Harley replied. "I'm seeing five- no, six- hostiles. They all look like they've been eating their wheaties."
As soon as he said that, one of the criminals lifted up three crates all by himself, heaving them over his shoulder and carrying them to the front truck.
"I'm seeing one more- inside the truck." Falcon revealed, looking at his gauntlet. "I think they got a hostage."
Music: "Outmatched" from Falcon And The Winter Soldier OST
"Shit." Millie groaned, just as the trucks were all loaded up and began to drive off. "Arrow, I need you to distract the back vehicle."
"On it." William answered, and a second later, an arrow whizzed through the warehouse, hitting the ground in front of the second truck and unleashing a blinding white light. The light lasted only a few seconds, but that was all the time Millie needed, as she ran up to the truck and threw open the doors. As a reward, she was met by a fist to the stomach, one which sent her flying backwards onto the ground, as a figure leapt down, wearing a black mask with a red palm print. Just like in the surveillance video.
"Dammit." Millie winced in pain, looking up to see the Flag Smasher looming over her. The terrorist, looking to be a thin young man, lifted his hands up, and every pebble and piece of loose gravel began to shake and levitate around Kessler. Thinking quickly, the squad leader pulled out her pistol, firing three shots, all center mass. The Flag Smasher's body jerked with each bullet, before crumpling to the ground, while another suddenly jumped out of the passenger seat, their eyes glowing a bright blue.
Before the super villain could attack, an arrow suddenly pierced his left eye, causing the blue light to fade from his eyes and kill him instantly. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Millie jumped back up and climbed into the truck's driver side, while Alice took the passenger seat.
"Mechanic, Arrow, where the fuck are you guys?!" Kessler shouted, seeing the front truck take off, with Falcon and Bucky in pursuit.
"Go! We'll catch up!" William shouted.
"You don't have to tell me twice." Millie murmured, stomping on the gas pedal. The truck zoomed forward, away from the warehouse and onto an empty road, with Alice looking in the rearview mirror to see Clayton and Harley on a motorcycle behind them. Kessler sped up, coming up right behind the first truck, just in time to see Bucky run up on the road, rip open the truck's doors, and climb inside.
"What the… they're stealing polio vaccines." Barnes said into his comms. Millie frowned, trying to recall why alarm bells were going off. Something about a convention Frank infiltrated years ago… with a supe named Ezekiel…
The boxes are disguised as polio vaccines. They're shipped out across the country.
Millie's eyes suddenly widened, as she tried to follow Bucky's movement's in the truck.
"Can you open the crates to see what's inside?" Kessler asked.
"Yeah, hang on… what the hell?" Bucky's bewilderment could be heard even through the earpiece, as his form inside the truck cracked open a lid. Millie tried to squint to see what was inside, just barely seeing several vials of a bluish liquid.
"These look like the Super Soldier Serum."
"It's not." Kessler shook her head. "It's Compound V. You need to get out of there-"
"Hold on, I found the hostage."
Moments later, Bucky was flung out of the truck in front of Kessler and Pierce, smashing against their windshield and forcing them to slam on the breaks.
"Jesus!" Millie shouted, as two sets of footsteps could be heard on top of the vehicle. Meanwhile, the figure of a girl with red hair emerged from the truck Barnes was thrown out of, pausing for a moment to put on a Flag Smasher mask, then leapt towards James.
"Guess she wasn't a hostage." Alice muttered, pulling out her gun.
"Kessler, you got three bogeys on your truck." Falcon reported, as he suddenly flew down and kicked the two Flag Smashers on top of the vehicle. Meanwhile, William and Harley were gaining on them, with Clayton shooting another arrow to break open the truck's doors. Harley proceeded to jump inside, looking around to see boxes of weapons and ammunition.
"Our truck's carrying weapons and ammo. There's no sign of Compound V."
"Great. We gotta focus on the one in front of us." Millie ordered, just as Bucky jumped up to the top of the truck to help Sam out. "William, fire an explosive arrow, or something."
"Roger." Clayton nodded, nocking back another arrow in his bow. In a few seconds, the motorcycle would need steering, but that was all Clayton needed, as he fired the arrow right past the truck Millie was driving and into the one carrying the Compound V.
The moment the arrow struck the crates, it unleashed a fiery explosion, engulfing the entire truck in flames. Millie slammed both feet on the brakes, throwing Sam, Bucky, and the three supes off her truck and into the road. A few seconds later, William arrived on his motorcycle, dismounting and pulling out his bow. Alice and Kessler got out of their vehicle, with Harley joining them, as Bucky and Sam slowly stood up, backing away from the three supes. Just as Millie raised her gun, a blast of fire suddenly knocked her off her feet, making everyone look up to see the Flag Smasher from the footage walking out of the burning wreckage, his hands set ablaze.
"Oh shit." Millie murmured. The other three terrorists scrambled towards the fiery supe, who slammed his fists into the ground, creating a wall of fire that separated the two parties. Kessler took off her skull mask, glaring at the Flag Smasher with red hair, before the terrorists turned around and ran off.
"Damn." Kessler growled, watching the bodies of the terrorists get smaller and smaller. "We still have four super terrorists running around."
"But more importantly, we gotta make sure there's no more Compound V." Sam declared. "That batch on the truck couldn't have been the only one."
"He's right." Alice agreed. "But the CIA saw to it that every drop of it was wiped out of New York. So where the hell is it being made now?"
"Could be here." William suggested.
"No, that warehouse was a hangar." Sam shook his head. "It got shipped here from somewhere."
"You got an idea where from?" Harley asked, folding his arms.
"I do." Bucky spoke up. "Back when I was the Winter Soldier, I would be sent to escort Russian officials to a place called Madripoor."
Madripoor. Right. One of the countries that allied with Bagalia… back when Zemo was still alive.
"There were rumors that samples of the Super Soldier Serum were being stashed there for the program." Barnes continued. "With any luck, the V will be there."
"Only problem is, the US has no jurisdiction there." Wilson pointed out. "We go there, we'll basically be inviting a war- especially if they see an American bird."
Millie grit her teeth, having no choice but to agree with the Falcon. Unless.
"Maybe not." Kessler smirked, as she pulled out her personal cellphone. After dialling a number, she held the phone up to her ear, waiting for the other person to answer.
"Hey, Val? I need a favor. How fast can you and your team get to Munich? And are you guys able to drop us off in Madripoor?"
Romania
Riley and Billy sat in the backseats of Mallory's chopper, looking out the windows to see a snowy landscape filled with trees. Stone frowned, looking over to Billy, who gave her a reassuring smile.
"How close are we?" Riley shouted to the pilot, fighting to make her voice heard above the wind.
"A few minutes, give or take." the pilot replied, turning his head slightly. Whatever expression was on his face was a mystery to Riley, as his eyes were covered by sunglasses, while a bulky helmet was placed over his head. Meanwhile, Billy looked up, seeing what appeared to be a small village just up ahead. Lenz stared at the area, nudging his elbow into Riley's side to get her to look as well, just as a gothic looking castle entered their view, being perched on a hill above the village.
"Did Mallory know about this place?" Stone asked the pilot.
"Negative!" the man in uniform shouted over his shoulder. "I'm as surprised as you! There's supposed to be nothing but trees here-"
Music: "Descent Into The Village" from Resident Evil Village OST
The pilot's sentence was suddenly cut off, as a thick rope suddenly shattered the windshield and wrapped around his neck. The three individuals in the chopper had no time to react, as the rope tugged, and the pilot's neck was snapped with a sickening twist.
"Shit!" Riley yelled, witnessing the body get pulled through the windshield, revealing a woman with long black hair and wearing a gray dress, hovering in the air. The same woman from the video Mallory showed them. Stone's eyes widened, before she suddenly realized something:
She and Billy were still in the chopper.
Fear raced up Riley's spine as she leapt into the pilot's chair, grabbing the controls and praying to god that she could somewhat fly the chopper. Whatever hope she had were quickly dispelled, as the aerial vehicle suddenly pitched forward and took a nosedive, straight to the ground. Riley's life flashed before her eyes, seeing the ground get closer and closer, until she suddenly felt Billy's arms wrap around her and press her body to the ground, with himself laying on top of her.
The chopper crashed into the ground sooner than Riley expected, with the metal bird rolling against several trees, before eventually stopping upside down. Riley groaned in slight pain, feeling at least two of her ribs being broken, as Billy slowly pulled her up and gently pulled her out of the destroyed chopper. Just in time too, as a few moments after they escaped the bird, it exploded, throwing Stone and Lenz forward.
Riley grit her teeth, while Billy picked her up as gently as possible. The two of them began stumbling away from the wreckage, but the woman in the gray dress suddenly landed a few feet in front of them, having a murderous look in her eyes.
"Who are you?!" Riley yelled, trying to mask her fear with anger. The woman tilted her head to the side, before stepping forward.
"You can call me… Achlys."
Riley narrowed her eyes, finding the name to be odd.
"Not that it'll matter, you'll be dead." the woman sneered, rushing forward. Billy had just enough time to push Riley out of the way. The young woman rolled along the ground, while Lenz ran forward, swinging his fist into Achlys' face. The attacker turned her head only slightly, before suddenly kicking Billy in the chest, sending him flying off his feet and into a tree.
"Billy!" Riley yelled, as Achlys leapt forward, reaching the supe in mere seconds. Lenz continued punching her in the face, trying to stun her, but she barely even registered his hits, as she wrapped her rope around his neck.
Knowing that he wasn't going to survive, Billy cast his gaze to look at Riley, seeing her getting up on the ground. He could already feel the rope constricting his throat, making it difficult to speak, but he still had enough time to tell her one last thing.
"Riley… run."
Riley's eyes widened in horror, as seconds later, the powerful woman jerked her hands to the side, causing the rope around Billy's neck to brutally snap his neck. Just like the pilot's.
"NO!" Riley screamed out, quickly standing back up. Achlys slowly turned her attention towards Stone, and that's when she followed Billy's advice.
She ran.
At the center of the village, an old man with a gray beard and wearing light black peasant wear tended to several goats, when he heard a scream from the outskirts just beyond the tree line. The man looked up with the rest of the surrounding villagers, just in time to see a young woman in a tan sweater and green coat bolt from the woods, straight towards the village. The woman in question ran and ran, until she made it to the village center, where she fell to her knees, panting for breath.
"Help… help me…" the woman whimpered, prompting the old man to quickly walk over towards her.
"Are you alright, Miss?" he asked, seeing her frantically shake her head.
"No… no, there's this woman, with this rope… she attacked me and my friend…" the young woman cried "Oh god, she killed him… choked him out, snapped his neck-"
"Miss, slow down." the old man requested. "Can you tell me your name?"
The woman began to calm down, and slowly nodded.
"Riley… my name is Riley."
"Okay Riley. Mine's Leonardo." the old man told her, while pulling out a sleek black cellphone. If Riley wasn't so scared at the moment, she would have considered this man having a phone to be… out of place. Especially since the village appeared fairly remote.
The old man speed dialed a number, before placing the phone to his ear, while Riley scanned their surroundings.
"Hello? Lady Dimitrescu, it's Leonardo. We have an outsider who claims her friend was murdered." Leonardo announced. "I think they were attacked by the woman who has been killing villagers for the past few weeks-"
"There she is!" Riley shouted, pointing back to the tree line to see the woman in the gray dress slowly walking towards them, absently playing with her rope. The sight caused all the other villagers to quickly head back to their homes, locking their doors and closing their windows.
"Send your eldest down here, the woman's here!" Leonardo quickly said into the phone, before ending the call.
Riley pulled out the .44 hand cannon Frank had given to her months ago, pointing it right at Achlys' head and firing off three shots. All three bullets hit their target, but to Stone's dread, they didn't pierce the skin. The evil woman didn't even flinch, and continued walking forward.
"Fuck." Riley murmured, her eyes widening as Achlys ran forward, going faster than a normal human. Stone only had a few seconds to push Leonardo away from her, similar to how Billy pushed her out of the way earlier, before the witch grabbed her by the throat and began to wrap the rope around her neck. Thinking quickly, Riley pulled out a hunting knife from her coat, gifted to her by her best friend Millie, and began hacking the rope, eventually severing the cord from tightening around her any further. In response, Achlys backhanded her, displaying increased strength that forced Riley to the ground, as well as spit out a wad of blood.
"You dare try to harm me?" the witch seethed, leaning down and grabbing Riley by the throat again. Even as she felt the oxygen begin to cut off, Riley still spat blood in her attacker's face.
"Fuck you, you witch cunt." Stone growled. "You killed Billy."
"Don't worry, you'll be joining him soon-"
A black covered leg suddenly slammed into Achlys' side, making the witch stumble and drop Riley to the ground, but not seriously hurt her. Stone gasped for breath, but looked up to see a woman with paling skin and blonde hair, wearing a black combat suit that was outfitted with a hood and flexible skirt. In her hands was a combat pistol and sickle, making Riley raise her eyebrows in curiosity.
"So… you're the one who has been killing these villagers." The woman drawled, before rushing forward, swinging her sickle. As Riley expected, the sickle's blade glanced off Achlys' body, and when the blonde fired her pistol, bullets yielded the same result.
"Your bullets cannot harm me!" the witch laughed, before punching the hooded woman in the chest and causing her to be knocked off her feet. Achlys levitates a few feet off the ground, flying straight towards the blonde, who performed a backflip and landed on her feet, before charging towards the witch. Just as they were a foot apart, Riley's savior jumped into the air, kicking the witch in the chest, but her leg was grabbed and thrown to the ground, making Riley wince in pain.
"I should've killed you when I first arrived here, three weeks ago." Achlys sneered. Riley's eyes widened at the declaration, or more importantly, the part where the witch mentioned she arrived here three weeks ago. Three weeks… that had been about the same time The Boys had pulled the Infinity Stones out of the timeline to bring everyone back. Did they… did they pull this woman into their world because of it?
Shaking the thought out of her head, Riley swallowed her fear, as she fired the three remaining shots from her .44. The bullets did nothing but get Achlys' attention of course, but that had been her plan… or at least, it was. Now, as the witch glared at Riley, she wasn't sure what to do.
With Achlys distracted, the blonde woman reached up to her ear, activating an earpiece and speaking as quickly as she could.
"Chris, I need backup. How quick can you return to the village square?"
At the South side of the village, two men and a woman wearing military gear and holding silenced machine guns stood inside a small boathouse, overlooking the docks. Next to them was a man wearing a black cloak over suit, having a slight hunch with strands of his hair hanging loose at the sides. One of the men, having his face obscured with a helmet and goggles, patiently waited with the woman, a brunette who wore her hair in a ponytail, for their leader to be finished speaking. The third man, having a brown beard and wearing a black trench coat over his combat attire, had his own earpiece activated, as a grim expression was plastered on his face.
"We'll try to get back as fast as possible." the man, named Chris, murmured, before turning to look at his allies.
"What is it?" the man with the helmet.
"Lupa didn't say." Chris murmured, checking his rifle's ammunition. "But we need to get back to the village, and fast-"
"Wait." the woman interrupted, looking into the water beyond the boathouse. "Something's moving. Something big."
Chris turned around, staring into the face after to see what looked like a humanoid shape darting through the water, before suddenly bursting up to the surface.
"Watch out!" the helmeted man yelled, grabbing the ground woman and tackling her to the ground, while Chris dove for the man in the cloak. The humanoid shape landed onto the dock, and Chris' eyes widened, seeing what looked like a gray skinned man with sharp teeth and a fin on his back. Just like a shark's.
Chris was the first to react, getting up and firing his rifle. If the bullets did anything. This half shark half man didn't show it, as the brass seemed to do nothing against its skin. The monster raised its arms, and streams of water shot out from his hands, knocking everyone back. Chris sputtered, coughing up lungfuls of water, while the sea monster began to move forward.
"Let me up." the man in the cloak more or less ordered, prompting Chris to grab him by the shoulder and pull him to his feet. The man flicked his wrist, and a gooey green slime suddenly grew along the ground, rapidly covering the fish monster in a putrid caccoon.
"That won't hold for long." the man warned Chris, as the man in the helmet helped the woman up. "Go. Help my niece."
Chris nodded in thanks, and the four of them turned their backs on the creature, beginning to race back to the center of the village.
Riley began to step backwards, while Achlys menacingly stepped forward, her teeth a wild grin. Her grin widened further, when Leonardo suddenly stepped in front of Stone, gripping a machete so hard that his knuckles were turning white. The sight was enough to make the witch let loose an amused laugh, making Riley's eyes widen in fear. None of them noticed the hooded blonde reach towards a belt on her suit, pulling out a syringe that housed a dark blue liquid.
"What do you think that will do, old man?" Achlys gloated, just as the blonde stabbed the syringe into her neck. The act caused her to cry out in discomfort, making the witch look back in time to see the hooded fighter drop the syringe, her lips curled into a humorless smile.
"Riley… get down." Leonardo whispered, grabbing Riley and forcing her to the ground. Before Stone's very eyes, the blonde woman exploded into a flurry of black flies, rushing forward and forcing themselves through Achlys' open mouth and nostrils, making making the witch yell in surprise. Normally, Riley would be horrified at the display, but for now, she was just hoping that whatever the hooded woman was doing, it was killing Achlys from the inside.
Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case, as within seconds, the swarm of flies exited the witch's body, reforming into the blonde woman from before.
"Impossible… how?" the woman panted, beginning to feel tired.
"Did you believe I was one of you pathetic mortals?" Achlys gloated. "You may have some power, but I am a god-"
A metal canister was suddenly thrown into the ground, right under the witch, and exploded into a light gray gas. Leonardo began to push Riley out of the way, while the blonde rolled back to her feet, holding her breath.
"Smoke?" Achlys smirked. "You think you can hide from me in smoke?"
The witch opened her mouth, taking in a great lungful of air. In the process, the gas was sucked in through her mouth, like a vacuum.
"It's not smoke." the blonde let out a strained smile, looking over Achlys' shoulder to see three men and a woman walking towards them, one of which had thrown the smoke bomb. Chris.
"It's a fact acting knockout gas, which you just sucked up, you dumb bitch."
In an instant, the witch began to cough and retch, while Chris and his friends got closer. Not allowing herself to be beat, Achlys made a last ditch effort to fly into the air, beginning to get away from the village… only to be seen falling into the woods in the distance.
Riley had been waiting, with bated breath, for the witch to return, despite having seen her ingest the knockout gas. When she didn't, she slowly got up, with Leonardo helping her.
"Are you alright?" one of the men, wearing a helmet and combat fatigues asked her, while a woman with a brown ponytail, a man with a black cloak, and a man in a trench coat walked over to the blonde.
"Yes. Thank you." Stone nodded.
While Riley was looked over, Chris approached Lupa, searching for any signs of damage.
"Sorry I'm late." he murmured. "We got attacked by that monster lurking in the Reservoir."
Lupa nodded, through tired breaths, as she struggled to stand.
"Hey, you okay?"
The blonde slowly shook her head, looking at Chris with worry.
"I… I took the modified V…"
Chris' eyes widened, realizing she was becoming exhausted, before tugging down the collar of his coat.
"Bite me." he told her. "Come on, you need your strength."
Lupa panted heavily, before suddenly lunging forward, biting deep into his neck. Chris visibly flinched from the sheer force of her jaws, while Riley witnessed the scene, her jaw hanging loosely.
"Miss… Miss!" the man wearing the helmet snapped his fingers, bringing Riley's attention back to her. "Leonardo said that you and your friend were attacked. Where's your friend?"
Riley felt tears form in her eyes, as the image of Billy's neck being snapped flashed through her mind.
"He… he's back there." Riley whispered, pointing back towards the tree line. The man in the helmet nodded, before he and Leonardo began ushering Riley away from the village square, towards the castle to the North.
"We'll send a team to look for the body." the soldier promised. "But for now, we need to get you safe. Lupa, can you-"
The man turned around, seeing both Lupa and Chris collapse to the ground, both unconscious. For the blonde, it was from exhaustion, while blood loss was what did Chris in.
"Damn." the soldier cursed. "Elena, can you…"
The woman with the ponytail smiled, slinging the rifle over her shoulder. Then, in a show of inhuman strength, she picked up Chris and Bela, putting them both over her shoulders and walking towards the castle at a brisk pace. The confusing sight, coupled with everything that had happened in the last hour, appeared to finally be too much for Riley, and she suddenly fell into unconsciousness as well, allowing her vision to be overcome with darkness.
New York
Becca sat in her and Dredd's living room, researching the name Brightburn on her laptop. Despite what she told Joe, she had her own suspicions of this new supe, even though she'd never seen him before. But something felt… off.
Butcher pursed her lips in frustration, finding nothing about Brightburn in the search engine. Nothing except for a YouTube video, run by some kind of conspiracy theorist. With nothing else to go off of, Becca clicked into the video, selecting the option of full screen, and seeing a bald man with a gray goatee and headphones at a desk, with a picture of a supe wearing a dark red and black costume right next to him.
"The fake news media is trying to seek us on the idea that Brightburn is a hero of the people, but I know the truth!" the man screamed into his microphone, making Becca turn the volume down. "Three weeks ago, I was just sleeping in my bed, and the next thing I knew, I'm in a completely different state! Shit, before that, there weren't all these supers that everyone talks about! And I'm thinking whatever happened to me also happened to him and his cronies!"
As the conspiracy theorist finished speaking, more images popped up, depicting a woman holding a rope like a noise, a man in a red suit holding a wrench, a humanoid man with green skin and a cape, a half man half sea creature in water, and some type of bat creature next to the picture of Brightburn.
"These people might act like they're heroes, but it's all bullshit!" the conspiracy theorist continued. "Where I'm from, they fucking destroyed the world and turned everyone who sucked their dicks into their personal Third Reich! Don't be fooled by them, they are pure evil, and they need to be stopped-"
Becca suddenly shut the laptop, piecing things together. Three weeks ago lined up with Michael Myers snapping his fingers and bringing everyone back. If the Infinity Stones were powerful to bring half of all living things back to life, then who's to say they couldn't pull individuals from another universe? And if what the conspiracy theorist said was true…
"Oh shit."
A/N: And another chapter's done! This wasn't supposed to go as long as it did, I didn't even have Batman's segment in here, but it'll be one of the first things I write for the next chapter.
So, there's really not too much I can say for the characters going forward. They're all doing their separate things, but they will eventually come together when they realize that just about everything is connected. And they'll be joined by the new characters that were introduced during the interlude.
Speaking of, I purposely didn't write anything for Wanda Maximoff or John Constantine in this chapter for a reason. They'll both have bigger roles starting in the next chapter.
Lastly, I'm trying to not have the characters be OOC, namely Falcon and Bucky. Those guys were actually the hardest to write, because I wanted them to be extremely bitter to the fact that Steve has been dead for ten years by now, and the first thing that happens when they're brought back is that Fury assigns them to work with a Marine squad where the members are at least 20 years younger than them.
Oh yeah, and nearly every single character from Resident Evil Village, and some of the other games, will have major roles going forward. It's gonna be sick!
That's it for now. Take care everyone!