A/N: Welcome to another extra long chapter! I'll be honest, there aren't a lot of characters that get to shine really, mostly because I more or less focus on scenes taken directly from the MCU shows, but I hope that everyone still enjoys them!

The moment Ryan left the house, Becca immediately remembered the video she watched of Brightburn last night. The one of the conspiracy theorist, claiming that he, Brightburn, and five others were from a different universe. And now, it seemed that Ryan was going to meet with Brightburn. Or so Dredd told her. Maybe if she found out what world they were from-

Becca stood up from the kitchen table, realizing that she could find out. She just needed to make a phone call. Butcher grinned to herself, as she pulled out her cellphone, thumbing through the contacts, until she landed on the one she needed.

John Constantine.

Music: Constantine Main Theme

On the other side of New York City, Constantine sat in Josie's Bar, nursing a bottle of Jack Daniels. To the right of him was his old friend Gibb Smith, wearing her jean jacket and red baseball cap, and had just downed another shot of Templeton Rye.

"I told you I could outdrink you." Gibb smirked, setting down her glass. "When Jason brought me back with the Necronomicon, I found out quick I couldn't get drunk."

"That's fucking cheating." John slurred out, as Luke Cage walked over from behind the bar and forcibly took the bottle away.

"You've had enough, John."

"Ah, piss off, Cage." Constantine murmurred, just as he felt his phone vibrate.

"Who the fuck is it now?" John groaned, as he fumbled to take his device out and see who was calling.

Becca Butcher.

"Bollocks." the demonologist muttered, flipping his phone on.

"Becca, it's been awhile! What's it been, two weeks since we brought everyone back?"

"Three." Becca corrected. "John, I need your help."

"What for, love?" Constantine slowly asked, while Gibb looked at him curiously. "Doncha got Ole' Stoneyface with you?"

"Dredd's taking a trip to Romania." Becca explained. "Right now, I need your expertise in magic. Have you noticed the… visitors we've gotten?"

"You mean that kid hanging out with your boy? Sure." Constantine shrugged. "What's his name… his name…"

"Brightburn?" Gibb asked helpfully.

"Yeah, that's the one!" John smirked. "Yeah, he's popped up on the news a couple times. What, you think he's another Homelander?"

"That's exactly what I think." Butcher said frantically over the phone. "But I need to be sure."

"What do you want me to do, read his mind?" Constantine snorted. "If he really is like Homelander, he'll kill me before I touch him."

"Not him, John." Becca groaned. "There's this conspiracy theorist who claims he was brought here with Brightburn, along with five others. I need to find him to be sure."

"Right." the exorcist mumbled. "Don't suppose you know where he is, eh?"

"No, but I can show you his picture once I get to you."

"No need, love. We'll bring you here."

John stumbled off of the bar stool, only to be caught by Gibb.

"Whoa, you sure you're good enough to cast a spell?" Smith asked worriedly. John blinked a few times, before leaning back against the bar.

"You're right Gibb. I knew there was a reason I made you the designated driver."

"And designated caster." Gibb muttered, as she held out her hands.

"Sume Nome Becca Butcher A Ma."

An orange light began to take the form of a woman in the center of the bar, before Becca Butcher appeared, in the flesh and holding onto her crowbar.

"What the fuck, John?!" Rebecca glared at the demonologist. "Next time, give a warning!"

"Hey, wasn't me this time." Constantine shrugged, pointing towards Gibb.

"Who's this?" Butcher frowned, sizing up the woman in the jean jacket. Smith arched an eyebrow, stepping forward and offering her hand.

"Gibb Smith. Friend of John's."

"Becca." the redhead said evenly, shaking her hand.

"Pleasure. Now, you said something about a conspiracy theorist?" Gibb chuckled.

"Yes. His name is Tony Bigelow, but he goes by 'The Big T'." Becca told them, pulling out her phone and showing them a video of the conspiracy theorist. Right next to him were six photos, all showing costumed individuals, including Brightburn.

"They are all out there. They are all waiting, and they are all gonna eat us for fucking breakfast unless we get our shit together and do something!"

"Too easy." John smirked, cracking his knuckles and pulling out a tiny needle.

"Viendes Locuse Tony Bigelow."

The needle glowed golden, as it shot out towards a map of the US, circling around and touching down in an area of New York City.

"Huh. Guess he's close to home." Gibb shrugged, while placing her hands on John and Becca's shoulders.

"Sume Nome, A La Tony Bigelow En New York City…"

An orange light engulfed Becca's vision, and the trio vanished from Josie's Bar, much to Cage's annoyance.

"Dammit, John. You didn't even pay your tab."

Romania

Riley felt herself being carried all throughout Castle Dimitrescu, with Daniela's swarm keeping her levitating through the air at a quickened pace. The so called "tour" the bubbly redhead had in mind was more of just speeding around the place like a maniac, quickly going by the dining room, kitchen, library, armory, and other rooms, while only stopping at two locations. Surprisingly, Daniela's antics didn't seem to bother anyone passing through the halls, most likely because this was a common occurrence.

One of the locations the bug woman stopped at was a room on the second floor that was opposite to the library, which opened up to reveal what Riley could only describe as a man cave. Well, woman cave, she supposed, if this castle was occupied mostly by Daniela and her sisters.

"And here's our little hidey hole!" the bug girl grinned, reforming into her human shape. Riley's eyes widened, looking around to see a pool table, dart boards, video games, arcade cabinets, a stage with microphones and speakers, even a giant seventy five inch tv screen. All of which were being used by women in maid's uniforms, or men and women in what looked like private military getup. She's seen sorority and frat houses have such luxuries, but this…

"How did you get all this?" Stone asked curiously.

"Oh, we buy most of our items from our friendly merchant the Duke!" Daniela smiled, waving her hand away. "Other times, Bela or the rest of the squad brings it over! It's a nice break room for anyone who needs it!"

At the same time, Riley realized that two people were busy playing video games on the bigscreen, with one of the characters looking almost exactly like Chris.

"What game is that?"

One of the men turned around, revealing a head of short blonde hair and brown eyes.

"It's called 'Resident Evil'. Apparently, it's supposed to tell the events of the outbreak in Raccoon City back in '98."

"Ethan." Daniela smiled warmly, making the father avert his gaze.

Stone frowned, remembering hearing about that from somewhere. Not that she was even born yet, just something she learned in a history class-

"The name's a bit on the nose, if you ask me. But what can you expect, when it's made by Vought Gaming." the blonde snorted, turning back towards the screen- just in time to see himself get shot in the head by another avatar, appearing as a man with black hair running down one side of his face, and wearing a police officer's uniform.

"Dammit, Dion!" the man shouted, pausing the game. "I wasn't looking!"

"Sounds like a you problem." Dion, a man with curly red hair, chuckled. The blonde grumbled to himself, standing up, and tossed his controller onto the couch.

"Dad, don't curse!" a high pitched voice yelled, and Riley looked over to one of the tables, just now noticing a little girl with long blonde hair, wearing a tan trench coat that was way too big for her. Connecting the dots, Stone realized it was the father's.

"Ah, sorry, Rosie." the man shook his head, while pointing over to Daniela.

"But look, Aunt Daniela's here. And she brought a friend."

The little girl's eyes lit up, quickly scooting off the seat and ran towards the bug girl with open arms.

"Aunt Daniela!" the little girl shrieked happily.

"Rose!" Daniela playfully screamed back, picking up the bundle of joy. "Oh my gosh, you're getting so big!"

While the bug woman began to play with Rose, Ethan turned back towards Riley, extending his hand.

"Sorry, I got caught up in the moment. Ethan Winters."

"Riley Stone." Riley told him, shaking his hand.

"So you're the one who got attacked by that woman in the forest?" Winters raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I- how did you know?"

Ethan sighed, while Dion went to join him.

"Let's just say news travels fast." Winters shrugged, while looking past Riley. Stone swiftly turned around, seeing Chris and Bela standing in the doorway, with grim expressions.

"Time to cut the tour short, Dani." Bela announced. "Mom and Chris have called a meeting."

Daniela's face fell, as she looked over to Riley.

"Can she come too? We didn't get to that room yet…"

"Yes. Alcina actually requested that she joins us." Chris revealed.

Riley felt her face heat up, as all eyes were now on her.

"Me?" Stone asked out loud. "But why?"

Redfield sighed, as he took a step forward.

"Miss Stone, you are the last person that saw this Witch Woman. Furthermore, you're the only one who was able to get her name, as well as have a plan to stop her." Chris stated. "To that end, she insists you join us."

Riley slowly nodded, as she, Daniela carrying Rose, Ethan, Bela, and Chris filed out of the break room. As they began to walk down the halls, Stone's ears picked up a familiar humming sound. It almost sounded like… some kind of aerial vehicle, like a jet… was landing not too far from the castle…

"Do you guys hear that?"

Music: "Cornered" from Dredd 2012 OST

The moment the private jet touched down on the outskirts of the village, Dredd quickly leapt out, making his way towards the castle up ahead. Ever the cautious street Judge, he kept his Lawgiver out, on account of running afoul of any hostiles, while sticking to the treeline. If this was Mega City One, he would've marched straight through the village, but if the past several years- drokk, the past decade and a half- had taught him anything, it's that he often needed to think smarter in these kinds of situations. Especially when a woman who could transform into a swarm of flies was involved.

As Joe got closer to the castle, the doors suddenly opened, revealing a peculiar quartet of individuals.

The first two people who walked out were easily recognizable to Dredd, being the reason he was here in the first place. Chris Redfield and Bela… well, he didn't think he ever got her last name. Right next to the pair was a blonde man wearing a regular white button down shit, looking at him with surprised eyes. But behind the adults…

"Stone?" Dredd raised an eyebrow behind his helmet, seeing Riley partially hidden between Chris and Bela.

"Dredd?" Riley exclaimed, pushing past everyone else to stand a few feet in front of the Judge. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for them." Joe nodded towards Chris and Bela. "What are you?"

"Mallory… Mallory sent Billy and I here, to catch this 'Witch Woman'." Riley told him, her head hanging low.

Joe clenched his fists, wondering why he was hearing about this now, but that would have to come later. That's probably not what Riley wanted to see, given that she was close to Billy.

"And she killed Lenz." Dredd murmured, connecting the dots. "I'm sorry."

In truth, Joseph didn't particularly care for Billy Lenz… at first. But learning that he was willing to risk his life more than once for Riley, and how he had worked hard to redeem himself like Michael Myers… the former cannibal began to grow on him. And if those two could change… then perhaps the entire justice system of Mega City One could as well.

As the moment of silence passed, Chris cleared his throat, stepping forward and in front of Bela.

"What did you mean you were looking for us, Dredd?" Redfield asked in a low voice. "Or do you still answer to Butcher from time to time?"

Joe looked back up, slowly shaking his head.

"I'm not that man anymore." Dredd told him, before getting down to business. "Ever since everyone was brought back, I've been having these memories I didn't know I had. Memories that involve you and her."

At the last line, Joe gestured to Chris and Bela, while the soldier folded his arms.

"You're saying up until now, you don't remember meeting Bela or myself?"

"Affirmative." the Judge nodded. "It isn't uncommon, given the timeline has been rewritten before."

Bela had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but she filed that away in her memory, while rubbing the sides of her head.

"We'll have to figure this out later. Mother and the rest of the Lords are probably wondering where we are."

"Right." Chris nodded, as he, Dimitrescu, and the blonde man turned around and headed back into the castle, leaving Riley and Dredd to follow in after them.

"Drokking Mallory…"

Dredd, Riley, Ethan, Bela, and Chris walked into the main hall, where a swarm of flies zoomed straight towards the group- or more specifically, towards Joe.

"Rah!" Cassandra yelled playfully, once the swarm partially shifted to form her body. Ever vigilant, Dredd quickly raised his Lawgiver to point at the brunette's head, though he didn't touch the trigger… yet.

"Go ahead and shoot." Cassandra grinned, placing her hands on her hips. "Your bullets cannot harm me!"

"I'll bet an incendiary round would." Joseph challenged, just as the gun made an electronic hum.

"Dammit, enough." Bela said sternly, glaring at her sister. "Cassandra, will you stop harassing our guests?"

"Jeez sis, I was just having fun." Cassandra muttered, rolling her eyes. "Mom's wondering where you guys went."

"Just reconnecting with an old friend." Bela shrugged, looking over and giving Dredd a sly wink. Her expression turned serious for a moment, before asking, "Could you really have killed her so easily?"

Joe let out a low grunt, while holstering his Lawgiver.

"I might not be Billy Butcher anymore, but I wasn't lying when I once told you I've fought worse."

Bela's eyes widened, as that simple truth sank in. After Chris opened up her eyes to the world seven years ago, full of supes, magic, and aliens, Bela knew that she and her sisters were not special creatures, let alone superior. But what, she wondered, did Judge Dredd face that was more dangerous than herself and her sisters? Was he referring to Homelander? No, no, he killed that one months after they first met.

So who, or what, was he referring to at the time?

The blonde was suddenly shaken out of her thoughts, when Cassandra ushered them all into the dining hall, where the Lords and some members of Hound Wolf Squad were waiting. Bela looked around the long table, seeing her mother Alcina, dressed in a form fitting white under armor, sitting down on one end, with her uncle, Karl Heisenberg, stood right next to her, his glasses off and leaning on his gigantic hammer like it was a cane. On the other end of the table sat that hunched man in the black cloak that Riley saw, whom Bela knew as Salvatore Moreau, while a woman dressed in all black and had her hair tied in a bun sat next to him, with a wooden doll wearing a white dress sat in her lap. Donna Beneviento and her doll Angie. Ever since the other Lords were brought back to life, Alcina, Karl, and Bela helped them heal both mentally and physically, able to cure their deformities. The process was quite easy, on account that vile woman Mother Miranda was no longer ruling over them. Next to them, on the left side of the table, was Cassandra and Daniela, with the latter holding onto little Rose. Right next to them was a brunette wearing a black beret, whom Bela knew as Jill Valentine, along with Leonardo and his daughter Elena, who was decked out in military getup. Finally, sitting in a large chair in the corner because of his size, was the enigmatic merchant known as the Duke, who was holding a diamond studded cane in his right hand.

"Welcome, Judge Dredd!" the Duke clapped his hands. "We've been expecting you!"

"You know me?" Joseph asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Anyone who knows anyone knows of the famous Judge Dredd!" Duke chuckled. "The man who defeated Homelander and ended Vought International's reign!"

While the portly man continued laughing, the pale woman turned towards Bela, looking at her with affection.

"Ah, there you are, Bela." Alcina smiled. "I see you have brought Miss Stone with you, as well as… Dredd, isn't it?"

"Yes." Joseph nodded in affirmation. "I don't believe we've met."

"We have not. I am Bela's mother. However, we have heard of your exploits over the last fifteen years- as both William Butcher and Judge Dredd."

Alcina stood up to show her full height, while extending her hand. Joe carefully grasped hers in his, while eyeing her curiously.

"I would like to express my gratitude for killing Homelander. I would have liked to do it myself, but…"

With her other hand, the Dimitrescu matriarch flexed her fingers, causing her nails to elongate into claws almost as long as the lawman himself, shocking Riley.

"I imagine these wouldn't do much about the 'world's greatest superhero'." Alcina scoffed, retracting her claws.

Dredd frowned for a moment, realizing that the pale woman was speaking like she held a grudge against the supe.

"Homelander do something to you?" Joe asked.

"Come on, Dredd." Bela snorted. "You remember when he tried to kill Chris, right?"

In fact he did remember. The moment the bug woman mentioned it, a new memory detailed itself in Joseph's memory- one where he, as Butcher, helped Bela infiltrate Vought and rescue Chris, after he was taken hostage. But prior to that, Homelander tried killing them both, using a supe named Malchemical as bait.

"Not just for that either." Heisenberg groused, standing up and walking around towards Chris.

"Seven years ago, just a few months before you killed that fuck Homelander, Redfield and his buddies graced us with their presence, and they freed us from the bitch who ruled this village, 'Mother Miranda'!" Karl said mockingly, while slapping a hand on Chris' shoulder. "To do that, Chris teamed up with yours truly and Alcina's dearest Bela, in order to stop Miranda, and save Ethan's daughter Rose!"

Heisenberg grinned, pointing first to the blonde man, then to the little girl in Daniela's arms.

"I love this story, Uncle Karl!" Rose suddenly squealed, while squirming in the redhead's grasp.

Continuing his showmanship, Heisenberg took a dramatic bow, while still telling his tale.

"But it turns out that bitch had a few friends of her own. She called in some reinforcements from Vought." Karl chuckled. "Now, she was only able to get Shockwave and Ice Princess to fight for her, but when one of our beloved boulder puncher's friends investigated Miranda's calls, she originally wanted Homelander as her personal lapdog."

Huh. Dredd always wondered what happened to Ice Princess and Shockwave after their sudden disappearances years ago. It wasn't hard to put two and two together now-

"Hey, dummy!" the white doll sitting on Donna's lap shouted, while jumping onto the table. "Tell him the part where we were all just experiments to her so she could get her daughter back, and then help start that weird thing called Necropolis!"

Bela quickly shot a glance towards Dredd and Riley, expecting at least one of them to have a reaction. Instead, both guests merely looked over at the doll for a moment, not even blinking, before the Judge turned back to Karl.

"You're not afraid of Angie?" the blonde asked in confusion. "Not even surprised?"

"Not exactly." Riley said sheepishly. "My best friend, one of her squad mates has tangled with a living doll before."

"Oh, you're talking about that little fucker named Chucky, right?" Heisenberg grinned.

"Yes, I- how do you know about that?" Riley questioned.

"And how do you know about Necropolis?" Dredd added, tilting his head in curiosity. Riley's embarrassment deepened, shooting Joe an apologetic look.

"Sorry Joe. I meant to tell you."

Joseph looked over to Riley, about to reassure her she did nothing wrong, when Karl slapped his shoulder.

"I think there's some catching up we gotta do, Dredd." Heisenberg smirked. "Ethan, you mind joining us? You were the one who told us about Necropolis and the Sisters, after all."

"Sure." Ethan shrugged, following Joseph and Karl out of the dining room. Just before they were completely gone, the Judge turned back towards Riley, looking at her with concern.

"Will you be alright?"

Stone looked towards Bela and Chris, seeing them give her reassuring smiles.

"Yes." Riley murmured. Joe gave her a satisfied nod, and the doors to the dining hall closed behind him, leaving the rest of the Lords, their allies, and Stone to discuss the Witch Woman that had been attacking the village for weeks.

Music: "Cuba Chase" from No Time To Die OST

Madripoor

Millie, Hellhound Squad, Sam, Bucky, Bond, Paloma, and Yelena fanned out across the shipping dock, moving around and past shipping containers.

"Not that I don't appreciate the backup…" Millie murmured, looking to her right to see James and Paloma inching past a red container, while to her left, on the opposite end was James and Yelena, jumping on top of a blue container to gain a vantage point.

"But this feels like overkill."

"No, no, this is good." Yelena told her. "The longer you stay in Madripoor, the less likely you can leave. It's good to have more help, yes?"

"Besides, better to have your own personal army than going alone, right?" Sam's voice crackled in her ear. "What was the container number Nagel used?"

"4262." Alice listed off, as she, William, and Harley were checking shipping containers on the other side of the dock. "Jesus, why can't these be organized?"

"Don't worry, we found it!" Paloma called out to her right, prompting Hellhound Squad to quickly make their way towards the CIA agent and Bond. The soldiers arrived to their location within seconds, staring at a red container.

"Good work." Bucky complimented, jumping down onto the ground with Yelena. The super soldier used his vibranium arm to easily open up the container's doors, just as Sam arrived to see the insides of the box were empty.

"You guys sure this is the right one?" Wilson asked, arching an eyebrow.

"It's the number Selby gave me." Millie shrugged, slowly entering the rectangular container with the rest of her squad. Kessler walked all the way down to the other end, feeling up the corners of the back wall, until…

There. Millie's hand stopped, feeling a light breeze push out from the container wall. The squad leader grinned, pushing the wall back, and a hidden staircase was revealed.

"Maybe you should try thinking outside of the box." Kessler smirked, while leading her squad up the stairs and into a lab. Before Bucky and Sam followed, Yelena grabbed Barnes' arm, pulling him into a kiss. The embrace only lasted a few seconds, but when Belova pulled back, she looked lovingly into James' eyes.

"Thanks." Bucky murmured, cracking a smile for the first time since he was brought back.

"We'll guard you out here." Yelena told him, nudging her head towards Bond and Paloma. Barnes nodded, and turned back toward the container, following Sam and Hellhound Squad inside.

Once the squad entered the lab, the first thing Millie noticed that the song "Comin' Home Baby" by Mel Torme was blasting in the back, prompting her to narrow her eyes and lead everyone else in that direction. All around them were shelves full of test tubes, surgical equipment, computer monitors… and at the center of it all was a man with unkempt black hair, wearing a dark blue jacket with their back turned toward him. On a table behind him was a record player, which William quickly shut off.

"Doctor Nagel." Sam murmured, causing the man to gasp and turn around, revealing a tube of dark blue liquid was in his hand.

"Who are you, and what the fuck do you want-"

Nagel's jaw suddenly hung open, seeing Bucky and Sam standing there, along with what looked like a black ops unit.

"We know you've been experimenting with Compound V." Millie announced, stepping forward and grabbing the doctor by his collar and slamming him against a nearby wall.

"You seem like a smart guy, and you clearly know who they are." Kessler nodded towards Bucky and Sam while speaking, before looking at Nagel in disgust. "So you better be conversational real quick. Tell us what we need to know, or-"

"How about a counter proposal?" Wilfred asked in a nasally voice. "Try making a better offer, then we'll talk."

Millie narrowed her eyes, pulling out a gun and putting it to Nagel's head.

"Wanna play games, huh?" she sneered. "Fine, here's the better offer: you tell us what we want to know, and I don't blow your brains out. Take it or leave it."

"Uh, James?" Yelena's voice suddenly echoed in Bucky's earpiece. "We're about to have some company."

Back outside, Yelena rushed towards a pair of criminals, extending a stun stick and smashing the men's faces with it, while Bond shot at a sniper perched on top of a nearby container. Meanwhile, Paloma charged at a thug that was coming just around the corner, jumping up and kicking him in the chest, before taking his machinegun and began firing on a trio of criminals that were making their way towards her.

"Every bounty hunter in Madripoor is here. You must hurry!" Paloma's voice said frantically in Millie's ear, causing her to let out an annoyed growl and shove Nagel to the floor. Before he could get up, she fired two bullets, each hitting the man's kneecaps and make him scream loudly.

"Okay, okay!" Wilfred shouted. "I was originally recruited by Homelander to manufacture Compound V without Vought's knowledge. He gave me samples that I could reverse engineer, which I would then duplicate and send off to various locations like Smith's Grove or Arkham Asylum. After Chaos Day, the CIA caught me, but offered me a deal: to give them samples of Compound V, in exchange for never having to go to prison."

Millie suddenly clenched her fists in anger, while her gun began to shake. This wasn't just a mission to stop supes like they believed. No, they were here to clean up the CIA's mess, and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Mallory had collaborated with Fury over this. But there was one piece of the puzzle that didn't sit right.

"So why did the CIA and SHIELD send us now?" Sam asked, voicing everyone's thoughts. "What, did he run over their dogs or something?"

"Good question." Kessler muttered, looking back at Nagel. "What happened?"

Wilfred grinned, taking a cocky step forward.

"Let's just say I found a better business partner a few weeks ago." Nagel boasted. "The Power Broker was more than happy to hide me away here, protect me from the American government while funding my work."

A few weeks ago… that lined up when everyone was brought back to life. Was he saying… the Power Broker vanished during Thanos' snap?

Kessler took a deep breath, deciding to file that question for later, and instead focused on the task at hand.

"How many did you make?" Millie asked. "No, scratch that. How many are out there?"

"Honestly… I lost track." Nagel shrugged. "I just know that Karli Morgenthau stole them all. I can only imagine what the Power Broker has planned for her."

"Where's Karli now?" Sam inquired.

"Not sure. But a couple days ago, she asked if I could help with someone named Donya Madani. Not like it mattered to me. Not my pig, not my farm." Nagel smugly grinned.

At the docks, Paloma and James continued firing on the bounty hunters, while Yelena jumped and flipped around, knocking out criminals left and right with her bare hands, stun sticks, and the widow's bite gauntlet on her wrists.

"What's taking them so long?" Paloma shouted, while shooting one of the bounty hunters center mass.

"I don't know, but James should be wrapping up!" Yelena called back, as she smashed a man's head into the side of the container.

"Are any of the vials in this lab?" Bucky asked, staring down at Nagel. Wilfred rolled his eyes, and shook his head.

"No."

"Not good enough." Millie snarled, putting her gun to the doctor's head. "Who's the Power Broker?"

"I don't know!" Nagel pleaded. "He never contacted me directly, only through phone calls and text messages!"

"Where's your phone?" William asked, seeing Wilfred point to his desk in the corner. Clayton and Harley walked over, finding a small flip phone device laying next to a test tube rack, and pocketed it.

"I think we're done here." Kessler muttered, squeezing the trigger on her gun and blowing off half of Nagel's head.

"Arrow, destroy the place."

William nodded, nocking back and shooting an incendiary arrow and a bomb arrow at the lab's testing racks.

"Come on, we only got a couple seconds." Clayton announced, leading the rest of the squad out of the lab and down the stairs of the container. Seconds after they got out of the box, an explosion could be heard behind them, as well as the sight of solid steel caving in, signalling the destruction of the lab.

If Millie was expecting any breathing room, she was massively disappointed, as bounty hunters were coming straight towards them.

"God dammit." Kessler mutterered, just as her squad, Sam, and Bucky all began firing at the opposing criminals. Soon enough, they were joined by Bond, Paloma, and Yelena, who formed a line in front of them and rapidly shot them with ease, eventually killing all the criminals in the vicinity from their sheer firepower.

"Well. That was fun." Yelena smiled half-heartedly, while looking over to Bond and Paloma. "You guys were good."

"You too!" Paloma said cheerfully, while looking over to Millie. "Good luck on the rest of your mission."

"You're not coming with us?" Kessler frowned.

"We were only tasked with gaining information about the Power Broker… and we got it, thanks to you, Miss Kessler." Bond told her.

"How did you-"

Millie stopped, mentally cursing herself.

"Those nanites do more than track my location."

Paloma sheepishly nodded, while Yelena looked over to Bucky.

"Good luck James."

Barnes nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"When this is over, I'll come back for you."

Belova smiled at him, before giving a quick peck on his cheek, and turned away, walking from the docks. Bond and Paloma were about to do the same, when Millie called out to James.

"Bond… you should go see your wife and daughter. They should know you're still alive."

The former MI6 agent looked over his shoulder, barely nodded, and walked away, leaving Sam, Bucky, and Hellhound Squad standing in the middle of the docks.

"Now what?" Wilson asked, while Harley activated a device on his wrist gauntlet.

"I'm contacting Pepper right now. She says she's able to send the remote private jet here to pick us up." Keener announced. "Huh. That's odd."

"What's odd?" Bucky asked. Harley frowned, while looking over to Millie.

"The jet's tracker is in Romania. And according to the jet's internal camera, your friend Dredd was last in it Mill."

Kessler's brow creased in confusion, wondering what Judge Dredd was doing in Romania of all places. Oh well, she'd just have to find out the why later.

"How long will it take?" Alice asked.

"About an hour or two." Harley shrugged.

"Great." Sam rolled his eyes, just as Millie sat down. "So what, we just sit here and hope no one comes and tries to kill us?"

"You got a better idea?" Kessler shot back, while the rest of Hellhound Squad sat down next to her.

New York

"Thank you, Chief Judge." Anderson murmured, shutting off her communication device and turning towards Frank. After being attacked by what Castle said was a martian last night, Cass decided first thing in the morning was to contact Chief Judge McGruder in Mega City One, in order to find out anything else about their mystery intruder. Still, Cass couldn't help but have an uneasy feeling in her gut.

"Hey." Frank whispered, placing his hands on his wife's shoulders. "We'll figure this out, yeah?"

Cassandra looked up at the Punisher, her lips quirking up into a sad smile. She was about to lean in for a kiss, when they both heard a whooshing of air, followed by a crackle of lightning outside.

"Dammit, Red." Frank sighed, turning around and walking to the front door, opening it to see the Flash standing before him again.

"That prick 'Crimson Bolt' running around again?"

"Actually no." Barry shook his head. "Nick Fury sent me."

"Fury?" Anderson raised an eyebrow, having heard of the SHIELD director before. "What does he want?"

"He needs your help on a case in Westview, New Jersey." Allen explained. "You remember that one Avenger, Wanda Maximoff?"

Frank nodded, as the gears turned in his head. How couldn't he, since she is- was- his daughter's favorite Avenger?

"Yeah. Yeah, I remember." Castle murmured. "What happened?"

"She's taken control of the entire town." Barry told her. "SWORD's there, and according to Fury, their director Tyler Hayward wants to kill her. And he reluctantly agrees, if there's no other way."

"And what do you think?" Cass asked. Flash wore a grim expression, while looking down at the ground.

"I think there's always another way." Allen told them. "Everyone has a reason for doing what they do. We just need to figure out the why."

Much as I'd usually just kill Maximoff and be done with it, Red had a point. Besides, she was an Avenger after all. An Avenger who just came back from Thanos' snap. There had to be some reason as to why she suddenly brainwashed an entire town.

Frank sighed and nodded, agreeing to Barry's logic.

"Okay… okay. You get us there, and we'll do the rest, yeah?"

Allen smiled, as he reached out and grabbed Frank and Cass by their collars.

"Might wanna hold on." the Flash told them, before speeding out of the house and through the streets of New York.

While Barry ran through the city, Constantine, Becca, and Gibb spontaneously appeared in front of a building via magic, with Butcher having to hunch over and place her hands on her knees.

"Sorry love." John mumbled, as Gibb helped her back up. "Magic can be such a bitch."

Becca groaned in agreement, but what made her groan even more was when she looked up to see the name of the building they were in front of.

"The Daily Bugle?" she read with disgust. "Isn't this run by the same asshole who calls Spider-Man a menace to the city?"

"Jameson, yeah." John muttered, pausing to light up a cigarette and take a puff. "Don't know if you've noticed, but he's been expanding his little operation to more than just the web-head."

Butcher clenched her fists in annoyance, as the three of them headed inside the Bugle, walking up to a desk with a blonde haired woman.

"Hello, love." Constantine grinned. "We're here to see one of Jameson's partners. Tony Bigelow."

"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked. Becca glanced over at her nametag, seeing the name Betty Brandt, while John took out what appeared to be an eight of diamonds playing card.

"Not necessarily, but I happen to know the guy well." Constantine grinned. Brandt's eyes widened, grabbing the phone on her desk and making a call.

"Mister Bigelow, your brother's here to see you."

"Thanks love." John smirked, pocketing the card and heading away from the desk. Gibb gave Becca a sly wink, before the two followed the demonologist down a hall.

"More magic?" Butcher asked.

"Precisely." Constantine smirked. "What I used was a card that becomes whatever I need it to be at any given time. Like right now, she thought I was Bigelow's brother and partner for his own network."

The trio came to a stop at a door with Tony's name on the glass, and not even bothering to knock, John and Gibb strolled right in, seeing a man with short gray hair and goatee sitting in a chair, wearing a black turtleneck and headphones that were resting on his collar. Next to him was another man with brown hair on the sides of an otherwise bald head, with a bushy mustache to boot.

"Hello, Timmy." Constantine grinned, while the man with headphones stood up.

"Who the fuck are you?" Bigelow shouted, while the other man looked at them in disdain.

"Great. Bad enough we have menaces like Spider-Man running around this city, now we have them coming in here." the man with the mustache groaned.

"Piss off, Jameson." Gibb rolled her eyes, just as Becca entered the room. "We both know he's done more than you ever will."

"And who's this?" Tony shouted, pointing over to Butcher.

"Don't worry about her, mate." John told him while flashing a grin. "We just want to know about that new guy flying around and shooting lasers from his eyes. Brightburn's his name, right?"

Bigelow's eyes widened in nervousness, as he leaned back in his chair. Becca noticed his reaction, and a sickening feeling pooled in her stomach

"What is he? Is he like Homelander?"

"'Like Homelander'?" Tony laughed. "He's fucking worse than Homelander!"

That accusation caused Butcher's eyes to widen more, as her hands began to shake.

"Before I came here, Brightburn murdered millions! He toppled governments, turned the world into some tyrannical regime, and killed anyone who didn't comply!"

"Where was this?" Gibb asked curiously. "Are you talking about your universe?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, honey!" Bigelow shouted. "Three weeks ago, I wake up to find myself with someone in my apartment, and apparently, heroes like the Avengers and the Seven have existed for years!"

"Slow down, mate." Constantine ordered, before placing his hand on The Big T's forehead.

"Sleep…"

"What are you doing?!" Jameson demanded, about to march towards John. He was only stopped by Becca, who stood in front of him.

"He's trying to see who this Brightburn really is."

Bigelow slowly closed his eyes, almost like he was resting, as John used magic to peer into his mind. As memories flashed by, Constantine's own eyes widened in shock, as what he saw horrified even him.

A distant figure in a cape and mask flying straight through buildings and structures, causing them to instantly crumble. That same figure firing crimson beams from his eyes and setting the ground ablaze, burning civilians alive. Buildings such as the Empire State, the Vatican, and the Eiffel Tower get destroyed just from the figure flying through them. And finally, a gigantic symbol of four spikes facing outward from each other, which Constantine realized spelled a double B back to back, was burned into the ground, which was also shown on the shoulders of armored soldiers dressed in a dark red and black.

The demonologist gasped, withdrawing his hand from Tony's head and inadvertently causing him to wake up prematurely.

"It's all true." Constantine murmured. "The little bastard turned his world into a dictatorship, with him on a throne."

Becca felt her heart skip a beat, realizing that this boy- no, this monster- was now "mentoring" her son in using his powers. God, what was he planning for him-

"Out of my way!" Jameson suddenly snarled, pushing Becca to the side. The man was about to lash out at Constantine for attacking one of his employees, when Gibb forcibly held him back with one hand.

"Dammit, we're trying to help here!" Smith exasperated, before turning back to John.

"So what Earth are they from?"

"Gimme a minute, yeah?" Constantine muttered, pulling out two cigarettes and quickly lighting them.

"Boros Mundos."

The cigarettes completely disintegrated into sparks, which John manipulated and shaped to create what looked like a golden holographic map of multiple universes, all with different Earths.

"What is that?" Jameson asked aloud, now curious to what he was seeing. "Some kind of trick?"

"Parallel Earths, separated by vibrational frequencies." John answered, while still staring at the maps. A moment later, his eyes widened in horror, as he realized where Bigelow and Brightburn were from.

"Oh bollocks. They're not from a normal Earth."

"What do you mean?" Becca asked nervously. "What are you seeing?"

Constantine glanced her way, wearing a grim expression, before chanting again.

"muéstrame el mundo oscuro…"

The golden maps fizzled away into nothing, replaced by what appeared to be living shadows. One such shadow was shaped like an orb, giving the appearance of a twisted reflection of one of the Earths.

"That's where they're from. Earth Negative Ten." John revealed. "They hail from the multiverse beneath our own- the Dark Multiverse."

"I've heard about this." Gibb murmured. "The Necronomicon mentioned this as a counterpart to ours."

Constantine slowly nodded, wiping his hand through the projection and causing it to disappear.

"Think of every fear, every bad decision you or a version of you will ever make or dream of. That's what the Dark Multiverse is born of." John announced. "Whatever Brightburn did on his world, whatever decisions he made, must have made him a twisted and monstrous reflection of Superman. More so than Homelander ever was."

Becca shivered, remembering what Homelander did to both her and the world. And if Brightburn was even worse…

"I have to find my son!" Butcher exclaimed, quickly running out of the office. Constantine pursed his lips in a tight line, before looking at Bigelow and Jameson.

"Cheers mates." the demonologist muttered, as he and Gibb left the Bugle as well.

Ryan and Brightburn flew through the skyline of New York, looking over the vast city and its citizens. The two superheroes scanned the grounds, using their powers to pinpoint any criminals and villains, but to no avail.

"Are you picking up anything?" Brandon asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Nothing." Butcher shook his head. "All I hear is some faint buzzing… behind us…"

Ryan quickly turned around, just in time to see a dark red and yellow humanoid crash into Brightburn, while what appeared to be bees surrounded their forms.

"Brandon!" the Traveller shouted, watching his mentor and the attacker dive down towards the street. Ryan quickly dove after them, seeing Brightburn use his freeze breath to stop the bees in their tracks, before delivering a brutal headbutt that cracked the humanoid's forehead open.

Once Butcher finally reached Brandon and the… red thing on the ground, he took a good long look at their attacker, seeing a metal plate with wires jutting out of the crack that Brightburn made.

"It's not human." Ryan frowned. "It's a robot."

"I figured." Breyer muttered, just as said robot began spinning his hands, creating a small whirlwind that knocked Brightburn off his feet. Butcher flew straight towards the humanoid, kicking it in the chest, but the act only caused it to stumble back a ways, before turning its full attention on the supe. Ryan proceeded to throw a right hook at the robot, catching it in the face, and when it tried to respond with its own punch, Butcher ducked and slammed his elbow into its midsection. The red machine stumbled backward, and Ryan took advantage of its stunned state by jumping up and kicking it in the chest with both feet, sending it falling to the ground. As the robot tried to get up, it desperately swung its arm out to hit the Traveller, who easily caught it and smashed his palm at its elbow, completely breaking the arm off. By that time, Brightburn flew back towards them, picking up the scarlet machine and firing lasers from his eyes, concentrating directly on the chest area and blasting a whole through the body. The robot's red eyes instantly faded, becoming limp and falling unceremoniously to the ground, with Ryan staring down at it in puzzlement.

"Why would this robot attack us? Who the hell sent it?"

"Not sure." Brightburn shrugged. "But you fight well."

"Thanks." Butcher smirked, though he was still staring down at the robot. "I had Uncle Joe train me to fight without my powers, should I ever lose them."

"A good man." Brandon nodded, while looking up towards the sky. "But, I think I see who was controlling that thing."

Before Ryan could ask who, Brightburn took to the sky, causing Butcher to quickly fly up after him, following him towards a nearby building. Ryan squinted his eyes, just barely seeing a blonde haired woman in a black and yellow suit, with some kind of gauntlet attached to her wrist. That was the only glimpse Butcher got though, as Brandon quickly flew over and rammed his fist through her chest, killing her instantly.

"What the fuck did you do?!" Ryan shouted, finally catching up to the other supe and landing on the roof. "We didn't know if she was controlling the robot!"

"Sure we do." Brightburn argued, reaching down and ripping off the woman's gauntlet to reveal the image of the robot they fought on the screen, with the robotic bees surrounding the machine. Directly under the figure was the name "Red Tornado MKIII", along with the designer's name as Brie Larvan.

"See?" Breyer asked, before crushing the gauntlet. "She sent that robot after us."

"But we didn't know why." Ryan told him.

"You need a reason?" Brightburn tilted his head. "She was a criminal. Probably wanted a big shot against two of the most powerful superheroes."

Butcher frowned, looking between Brightburn and the woman, who now had a gaping whole in her chest, while Brandon cleared his throat.

"Look, I saw an easy win, so I took it. Besides, you're the one who saved me, remember?"

To be fair, he wasn't entirely wrong. Ryan did keep Red Tornado occupied until Brandon returned to destroy it. But then… why did that last thing he said sound so familiar-

"Oh shit, we gotta go!" Brightburn suddenly exclaimed, flying back up into the air. Butcher's frown deepened, wondering why he didn't hear anything before. No sirens, no screams. Nothing. Unfortunately, seeing no other choice, Ryan quickly flew upwards as well, trailing after Breyer along the horizon, all the while wondering where they were going next.

Westview, New Jersey

Red seemed to be going faster than usual, because we arrived in Westview in under a minute. Wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. Wish he stayed, but we can't all have what we want.

Flash dropped off Frank and Cass- who was now in her Judge's armor- in front of several armored military trucks with blue uniformed guards, before running off in a flash of golden lightning. The Castles took a moment to look around, seeing the soldiers having a patch with the acronym SWORD on their shoulders, being led by a gray haired man in a black suit and coat, with a massive crimson colored forcefield standing behind them. The moment Barry had sped them here, the soldiers turned towards them, with leader stepping forward.

"Mister Castle. What are you doing here?"

"Nick Fury sent us to eliminate Maximoff… Director Hayward." Cass lied, while reading the man's mind. "He figured you'd need backup."

"He figured wrong." Hayward muttered. "We have this under control."

Just as he finished speaking, a humanoid form suddenly burst through the red barrier behind them, causing everyone to look over and see what appeared to be a red skinned man in a green suit and golden cape begin to walk towards them, before falling to his knees.

Didn't take a genius to see that was that android Vision coming towards us. Former Avenger should be dead by about ten years. Must be some kind of projection created by Maximoff.

The Vision screamed in pain, and if Frank and Cass squinted hard enough, they could see bits and pieces of the robot being ripped off of him and flying back into the barrier.

Definitely a projection.

Despite Vision being literally ripped apart, he still looked up towards Hayward and the Castles, reaching out to them.

"He really wants to get out, doesn't he?" the director murmured, while Vision opened his mouth to speak.

"Help! The people… the people need help!"

Cass' eyes widened, realizing what he was saying.

Frank, we need to get him back inside- then stop this.

Right, Frank replied in his thoughts, as he quickly moved towards the android, who now collapsed on the ground.

"Mister Castle, stop!" Hayward suddenly shouted, while SWORD agents trained their weapons on him. In response, Cass put herself between the soldiers and her husband, pulling out her Lawgiver.

"Rapid Fire."

The gun made an electronic hum, while Cass pointed her gun at the SWORD agents.

"Stay the drokk back."

With Cass keeping the agents at bay, Frank picked up Vision and slung an arm over his shoulder, before making his way towards the force field. Once they were a foot away, the Punisher felt Vision's arm begin to crumble in his grasp, forcing him to pick up the android's body bridal style and surge forward, ramming into the barrier. Cass looked over her shoulder, and seeing that her husband and Vision were trying to get through the barrier, turned around and charged. The Psi-Judge slammed into the force field as well, pushing and shoving against the crimson barrier, ignoring the bullets that the SWORD agents were now firing at them, until they suddenly broke free, finding themselves in a scarlet covered void. Almost instantaneously, Frank began to feel like his legs were moving through water, straining to move forward, while an invisible force seemed to try to cloud his mind. A red haze began to cover his eyes, sapping himself of his will, when-

Frank, fight it! Cass psychically screamed out. I can hold her off fine, but it'll go easier if you resist!

Despite what was happening, Castle mentally chuckled at his wife's snarky comment, being reminded of one of the reasons he loved her in the first place. Just as he was about to actively block out the haze, it suddenly vanished from his mind's eye, but not before the image of Wanda Maximoff's face flashed by, wearing the expression of… relief? Mixed with gratefulness, but also confusion?

Not sure what that look was she gave me. Maybe she saw me carrying Vision and stopped.

Frank and Cass continued trudging along the whirlwind of red energy without any more resistance, as the barrier seemed to get closer to them. A few seconds later, the Punisher realized that it was getting closer, like it was being pushed towards them.

Before they knew it, the scarlet barrier suddenly moved past them, coming to a stop a few feet behind. The Castles blinked a few moments, looking around to see grass all around them, but the small town of Westview could be seen in the distance. They started to walk towards the town, Frank still carrying Vision, when he suddenly realized the android was whole again. But even more interesting was the fact that Frank's and Cass' clothes changed. Instead of their Judge's armors, the Castles appeared to be wearing what looked like black jumpsuits, with Frank's having a big white skull painted on the chest, while Cass' sported a large golden badge with a chain attached. They both wore gloves; Frank's were white and Cass' were green, but the Psi-Judge also had golden pauldrons on her shoulders, with the right shaped as an eagle.

The Castles began to wonder why their appearances changed, but it suddenly hit them: being inside the barrier caused their clothes to look different. But that wasn't important, as Frank looked back down at Vision, who was now knocked out from exhaustion.

His life must be tied to the town- or the barrier at least. Frank realized.

And if she brings down the barrier… Cass added, while glancing at her husband with a sad expression. At that moment, Frank understood why Wanda was doing this, taking over an entire town. She lost the love of her life to Thanos, and unlike the rest of the world, she didn't get them back.

Despite what Wanda had done, Frank and Cass couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Speaking of Wanda, the Castles suddenly saw her form flying towards them, red energy bursting from her palms. She was wearing a bright red dress and cape to match, with a headband-like headpiece shaped like an M. Within seconds, Maximoff reached the trio, slowly touching down onto the ground in front of them.

"Thank you." she whispered, as Frank set down the unconscious Vision. That was when he really got a good look at his- and his wife's- clothes, realizing they looked akin to Halloween costumes. Further evidence to prove his point was the fact that his twin pistols on his hips now looked more plastic than metal now, with bright orange tips to resemble toy guns. A glance towards Cass' Lawgiver confirmed that it took on similar characteristics, making him wonder if they could be fired at all now.

Meanwhile, Wanda's eyes widened in shock, realizing who was standing in front of her- and who helped save Vision.

"You… you're…"

Frank sighed, murmuring out a quiet "yeah". He should've known Maximoff would know who he was, or at the very least heard of him by now.

"Are you here to kill me?" Wanda asked, her voice sounding nervous. Not what Castle expected to hear from a woman who was enslaving an entire town.

Didn't think she'd sound scared, with what she's doing now- and what she can do.

Frank… she's afraid. Cass told him in his mind. She thinks we're with SWORD.

Frank wore a grim expression, before clearing his throat.

"We're not with SWORD, and I'm not here to kill you." Frank murmured, holding his hands up steadily. "You can read our minds if you think we're lying."

Maximoff frowned for a moment, looking like she was concentrating. After what felt like an eternity, the frown deepened, as she shook her head.

"I… I can't."

Now it was Frank's turn to concentrate, focusing on his mind's eye, where he saw what looked like a blank white barrier in his head, which were blocking out red tendrils from peering into his thoughts. Before he could question it, his wife confirmed his suspicions.

After what happened during Necropolis, with Judge Fear and the Sisters, I set up psi-shields for both our minds. Cass revealed.

Frank swallowed the lump in his throat, taking a calculated risk, before throwing a sideways look at his wife.

Let her in. And let me talk to her, yeah?

But Frank-

"Do it." he said out loud, startling both women. Cass nodded, and Frank could see the white barrier crumble in his mind, allowing the red tendrils to seep into his memories.

"I get why you're doing this. Trust me, I do." Frank murmured. "But you gotta stop."

Wanda's anger flared, her eyes beginning to glow a deep crimson, while an orb of energy formed in her hand.

"What?! How could you-"

"Listen to me. I am not your enemy." Frank told her evenly. "You lost the one you loved. You lost your friends, the Avengers, yeah? And you're never getting them back. I get that. But this has to end. So take the barrier down, yeah? Just do it. No one else needs to get hurt."

Castle paused for a moment, feeling Wanda psychically reaching into his mind to see his first family… Maria, Lisa, Frank Junior. All dead. Just like Vision. Just like Wanda's brother, Pietro Maximoff.

"You and I… we aren't so different." Frank murmured, ignoring the scarlet tendrils probing his brain. "We've both lost… we've lost friends, family. And we're…"

Castle never finished his sentence, as he suddenly flashbacked to Necropolis, specifically to when Judge Fear made him experience visions of his family and friends dying.

Music: "Quiet Reflection" from Punisher Season 1 OST

Of all the times for this, it had to be now that I remembered what Judge Fear did to me. Making me watch Maria and the kids die all over again. Showing me Dredd and The Boys getting killed. Maybe it was just Maximoff digging them back up again. Maybe not. Not sure at this point.

Having seen enough, Frank felt Wanda's presence recede from his mind, as she gave him a sympathetic look.

"I understand you lost your family too." Maximoff whispered, causing Frank to reply with a nod.

"Yeah… yeah, that's right."

Wanda looked up, staring between the Castles in their eyes.

"If you had a chance to bring them back, what would you do?"

"Anything." Frank quickly answered, while Cass nodded. "I would've done anything."

Wanda sadly smiled, knowing that neither of them were lying.

"Here we are."

As if on cue, a white and blue blur flashed through Frank and Cass' vision, and once it stopped, it revealed two boys, both appearing to be ten years old. One of them wore a light blue costume with white hair, while the other wore a red cape and blue headband.

"Mom!" the kids shouted, looking between Maximoff and Vision.

"Dad!"

These must be her kids. One inherited her brother's powers, and the other, her own.

"Here we are." Frank murmured in agreement, feeling his heart ache from what he was about to say.

"So… you uh, you good if I call you Wanda, or should we stick to Maximoff?"

Wanda furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, before replying, "Wanda's fine."

"Okay. Okay, here's the thing, Wanda." Frank cleared his throat. "If you had asked me a few years back, I'd have told you that I'd bring Maria and the kids back in a heartbeat if I could do what you could. You know I would've."

"But?" Wanda gulped, having an idea what he was going to say.

"But by bringing your family back, you've taken all these people from theirs." Castle finished. "You're hurting. I get it. But these people, they got wives, husbands. Children. You're keeping them from each other."

Frank watched Wanda squeeze her eyes shut, as a tear broke out and slid down her cheek.

"Let them go, Wanda." Punisher said softly. "What's the plan here? You gonna keep the entire town under your control? Is that who you are?"

Maximoff opened her eyes, her pupils glowing crimson, as she glared at Frank in anger-

"Wanda… he's right."

Everyone looked down to see the one speaking was Vision, who was now conscious, and was slowly getting up.

"Vis?" Maximoff asked in a high pitched voice, as she felt her heart shatter. "What… what do you mean?"

"Wanda, I spoke to Agnes." the android revealed, standing up and looking her in the eye. "She told me I was dead. I can't remember anything before Westview, and now… I think I know why."

Vision looked back towards Frank and Cass, giving them an uneasy smile, before turning back towards his wife.

"I am truly grateful that these two brought me back, but this is not living, being confined to this town, while everyone else is held prisoner."

"Vis, it's not like that-"

"Yes, it is." Vision insisted. "Wanda, you must let these people go."

"But… if I do that… you'll die." Wanda whispered, looking down at her kids. "And Tommy and Billy…"

Maximoff's voice trailed off, while the kids looked up at her with uncertainty.

"Wanda… something isn't beautiful because it lasts." Vision murmured, reaching out and touching her face. "I'll always be with you… where it matters most."

The android leaned in, softly kissing Wanda, while everyone else watched. The embrace was shortlived though, as Vision pulled away, looking his wife in the eye.

"What you're doing Wanda… it's wrong." he murmured. "It is wrong. You have to see that."

Maximoff reluctantly nodded, looking down at her children- their children.

"I'm sorry…" Wanda sobbed, before looking back up at Vision. "You're right."

The former Avenger looked at the android one last time, before shutting her eyes. Frank tilted his head, before he and Cass looked over their shoulder, seeing the scarlet barrier beginning to move towards them again.

"That's it, Wanda." Castle murmured. "That's it, you can do it."

Soon enough, the barrier passed the group, and Frank looked down, seeing that both his and Cass' reverted to their normal appearance. The couple turned back towards Wanda- now wearing a bright red leather jacket, Vision, and the kids, only to find… Wanda was just standing there, with golden sparks quickly fizzling away.

While the barrier got smaller and smaller, Cass suddenly heard the sound of trucks driving towards them, most likely SWORD's. The Psi-Judge looked down at her Lawgiver, and upon seeing it was, thankfully, reverted to its original state, she quickly turned around, aiming her gun at the small convoy. Frank quickly followed suit, taking out his pistols and pointing them at the SWORD agents filing out of vehicles, just as Wanda took down the last of the scarlet force field.

Director Hayward was the last to leave his truck, striding forward until he was in front of his men, staring down Wanda and the Castles.

"Mister Castle!" the director called out. "Well done in talking Maximoff down! We'll take it from here!"

"I didn't do it for you, asshole!" Frank shouted back, while Wanda looked at him quizzically. She was about to open her mouth, but Cass beat her to it.

"Wanda, we're not with SWORD. If we were, you would've seen it in Frank's mind."

Frank nodded, while giving the Avenger the side eye.

"Look Wanda, you gotta walk away."

Wanda stared straight at Director Hayward and SWORD, with Cass feeling waves of fear emanating from her, yet she stood her ground, narrowing her eyes in determination.

"No." she said defiantly. "I am not leaving you two here."

She's got heart, I'll give her that. Hope it doesn't get her- and us- killed.

Frank sighed and nodded, before turning back to Hayward.

"I'm not gonna let you take her." Castle told the director. "The Accords would ensure whatever trial she gets would be a joke."

"It's what she deserves." Hayward argued. "She took an entire town hostage! You should be helping us, Mister Castle, we both want to punish criminals-"

"For fuck's sake." Castle muttered. "You are nothing like me. We are not the same. I kill criminals because the system doesn't work. It's broken, and the Sokovia Accords are proof of that!"

Frank stopped for a moment, before clearing his throat.

"Now look, we're gonna walk that way-"

He pointed past the soldiers.

"And Wanda's coming with us. Now what're you gonna do, kill us? You gonna shoot me and Wanda, you ready for that?"

Hayward huffed in annoyance, turning to the SWORD agents.

"If they try to run, shoot them."

Frank let out a sneer, as he began to walk forward.

"You do what you gotta do." the Punisher murmured, as he prepared to pull out his firearms.

No cover, and our Judge armor might not be enough for whatever SWORD's got. Dammit.

Even with the odds seemingly stacked against them, Frank and Cass pulled out their guns, beginning to fire right at the SWORD agents. The soldiers were about to respond, when a streak of golden lightning flashed through, and within seconds, it was just Wanda, Frank, and Cass standing there. A moment later, the streak of lightning returned, slowing down to reveal Barry in his red Flash uniform.

"You always this late Red?" Frank groaned, putting away his weapons.

"Sorry, force of habit." Flash smirked, while looking at Wanda. "See Frank? Not every situation has to end in killing."

The speedster began to walk forward, pulling out a set of handcuffs with a glowing blue light at the middle, when Frank put himself in front of him.

"The hell are you doing, Red?"

Barry sighed, sparing a glance at Maximoff, before dropping his voice to a murmur.

"She still took control of an entire town and its citizens, Frank. She has to face some sort of punishment."

"Like what? Shoving her into your prison at STAR Labs?" Castle snorted.

"It's not that different from the Iso-Cubes in Mega City One." Cass added, while Wanda widened her eyes in nervousness.

"Frank, you know no normal prison will hold her. I know that she was imprisoned in the Raft for a short time, but I promise you, she will be treated better in the pipeline."

Don't know why, but something inside was telling me to believe him. I didn't want to kill Wanda, and I knew what would happen if any government stooge got their hands on her- they'd treat her less than human, no better than the murderers and rapists I've put down. Sure, she'd deserve some kind of punishment like Red said, but what they'd do, at the Raft or at SWORD… they'd go too far.

Maybe I'm gettin soft. Maybe I'd have put a bullet in her myself a few years ago, when I first started this war. Or maybe…

Frank sighed, looking over to his wife, who gave him a hopeful smile.

…maybe Cass changed me to be better.

Castle slowly nodded, before turning towards Wanda.

"Wanda… I'm sorry."

Maximoff blinked a couple tears out of her eyes, but held up her arms, welcoming her punishment.

"It's okay." she murmured. "I deserve this."

Allen strode forward, preparing to handcuff the former Avenger, when Cass put a hand up to her head.

"Frank… something's wrong… someone else is coming-"

The Psi-Judge suddenly screamed, falling down to one knee, while Barry and Frank rushed to help her up.

"Cass!" the Punisher yelled, looking frantically around and drawing his pistol.

Who the fuck is-

A purple strand of energy- similar to Wanda's scarlet wisps- suddenly wrapped around Frank's hand and ripped the gun out of his hand, flying away, as a black haired woman dressed in a black garb hovered towards them, the same purple energy coiling around her hands.

"My my, you're quite the mind-reader, aren't you?" the woman said mockingly to Cass, who was still holding her head in pain.

"What did you do?" Frank growled, glaring at the woman.

"P-psi… blast…" Cass whispered, before falling unconscious. Barry quickly shot out a stream of lightning from his fingers, directed toward this new threat. The woman simply held up her hand, and the golden bolts crashed into her palm, before condensing into a violet colored ball that sparked with electricity.

"Sorry Speedy." the woman smirked, before shooting a stream of purple lightning bolts back at the speedster.

"I take power from the undeserving. It's kind of my thing."

The lightning crashed directly into the Flash, knocking him to the ground and rendering him unconscious. The only two who were left were Frank and Wanda, but with a lazy flick of her hand, the woman in black tossed the former away like a ragdoll. Finally, Maximoff found her voice, as her brain realized she was staring at someone she thought was her friend.

"Ag-Agnes?"

"Nope, not Agnes hun. You didn't think you were the only magical girl around her, did you?" the woman grinned coldly. "The name's Agatha Harkness. It's so good to finally meet you."

Wanda's eyes widened with fear, as Agatha suddenly bound her arms and legs together in violet energy. Maximoff struggled to get free, while her eyes glowed a faint red, before flickering out.

"Oh, you are so adorable!" Harkness chuckled. "But my thoughts aren't available to you, they never were. Honestly, you have all this power, yet you have no idea how to use it! Look at her-"

Agatha pointed towards Cass, who was still struggling from the pain in her head.

"A low level psychic could block you out of not only her mind, but Frank Castle's!" Harkness sneered in disgust. "We had such high hopes for you, after what you did to Westview, but now I see that you have no idea how you did it!"

Agatha calmed down, before conjuring a portal out of her violet magic and darkness.

"We?" Wanda asked in fear. "Who's we?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Harkness smirked, before telekinetically shoving Maximoff through the portal. "It's time to return to my master."

Agatha flew through the portal, which closed up right behind her, leaving Cass and Barry on the ground. Minutes later, the Flash woke up, looking around in confusion, before speeding away and returning with Frank in tow. Castle looked down at his wife, his eyes widening, as he bent down and held her body close.

"Cass." Frank murmured, planting a kiss to her head.

Wake up, Cass. Please.

The psychic's eyes fluttered open, staring up at her husband in worry.

"I'm sorry Frank. Her mind, it… it was too powerful…"

"Hey, shh." Castle whispered. "It's okay. You're okay."

Music: "Strange Days Ahead" from Doctor Strange 2016 OST

While Frank kept consoling Cass, an orange ringed portal appeared, and out stepped a man in a blue tunic, red cloak, and a neatly trimmed black beard. Castle merely glanced at the man, before turning back to his wife, sneering in annoyance.

"The fuck do you want, Strange?"

Doctor Stephen Strange. Former surgeon at Metro General, was last seen fighting those alien assholes in New York with some magic shit. Must've been snapped away too.

Strange sighed, as he waved his hands, creating a new portal.

"I had hoped you would be able to apprehend Wanda, but I did not anticipate a witch such as Harkness to appear."

"And where were you?" Barry asked, frowning in irritation. "If you knew about this Agatha, why weren't you here?"

"I was busy plugging the holes in our reality, Mister Allen." Strange snapped, shooting a look at everyone.

"When you all brought everyone back with the Infinity Stones, you created tears in space and time, allowing visitors from other universes to cross over. I believe you've already met some of them."

Barry's eyes widened, and Frank could just barely hear him whisper, "The Crimson Bolt."

"And Russo and his brother." Cass added, remembering their clash with Jigsaw and Loony Bin Jim months prior.

"With the fabric of reality being torn, I could not divert my attention away to stop Wanda." Stephen explained. "But now that I know that Harkness is involved, I can't simply stand by any longer."

With that, Strange waved his hands and created another portal, this one showing the same dark void that Agatha's projected moments ago.

"We have to go to Hell to retrieve Wanda."

Of all the weird shit I've seen and heard, this one's towards the top. I used to be a religious man, but that didn't mean I was fully on board with Hell being something you could physically step foot in.

Frank formed his mouth in a grim line, while turning to Flash.

"Red, you take Cass home. I'll go with Strange."

"What?!" the Psi-Judge nearly shouted. "Frank, I'm not letting you go into Hell alone-"

"I'm not going to lose you!" Castle yelled, cutting her off mid sentence.

"I can't- I won't lose you."

Cass rested a sympathetic hand on her husband's shoulder, leaning in to bring his face a few inches from hers. She wanted to join him in saving Wanda. She did. But he was stubborn in wanting to protect his family. And that's why she loves him.

"You won't." she whispered, before pressing her lips to his in a deep kiss. Once their embrace ended, Cass gave Frank a playful wink.

"Now go to Hell."

Frank smirked at his wife's joke, before turning to look at the Flash.

"Allen, you mind…"

"Sure." Barry nodded, grabbing the Psi-Judge and speeding off. Castle swallowed the lump growing in his throat, and turned back to a patiently waiting Strange.

"Are you ready to go?" the Sorcerer Supreme asked. Frank nodded his head, glancing at the portal.

"Yeah."

Stephen nodded in respect as well, as the two of them walked into the fiery ringed portal, the gateway closing right behind them and leaving the outskirts of Westview as a barren valley.

Romania

"-So let's go through this again." Chris cleared his throat, looking straight at Riley.

"You've seen first hand what this Witch Woman can do. She's killed your friend, and not even Bela could stop her when she gave herself a powerup. Sorry Bell…"

The blonde bug woman shot Redfield a flirting smile, running her hand up his arm.

"It's alright, Chris." she murmured, looking solemnly at her hands.

"It's the truth."

Redfield planted a kiss on his lover's cheek, before continuing.

"But you believe that the Scarecrow's Fear Toxin will kill her?"

"Yes." Riley eagerly nodded. "You saw what happened when she inhaled the sleeping gas. She got knocked out cold."

Chris looked across the table, seeing the Lords' uneasiness of the idea. The notion was visibly shared by Hound Wolf Squad, or at least the ones who were there.

"Well I say we try it!" Cassandra fiercely yelled, breaking the silence by smashing her fist into the table. "No one hurts my family and gets away with it!"

The outburst earned a round of chuckles from everyone, before Alcina cleared her throat.

"Did the BSAA issued gas have such an effect on this woman?"

Bela nodded her head, smirking at Chris.

"Yes. She tried to fly away, but she didn't get far."

"And do you have this Fear Toxin?"

"I know someone who might." Riley offered, as she proceeded to pull out her cellphone and dial a number.

Music: "I'm Not A Hero" from The Dark Knight OST

Gotham

In the Batcave underneath Wayne Manor, Billy and Beth had the batcomputer perform one last sweep of the city, but were once again disappointed when nothing came up.

"Dammit!" Batwoman yelled, slamming her fists into the keyboard and beginning to storm off. Russo looked up at her, curious about this sudden mood change, and decided to speak up.

"Beth, wait!"

The vigilante turned around, showing visibly anger in her eyes, while Billy raised his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"What's wrong?"

Beth's lip trembled, as she slowly took off her cowl, allowing Billy to see that she wasn't actually angry- she was crying.

"I… I can't get him out of my head." she revealed. "Sionis. He knew who I was… what I'd done… and I can't help thinking that he's right."

"Hey, no." Russo murmured, striding forward and closing the distance between them. Once they were inches apart, he cupped his hands around her face, pulling her in closer.

"You are doing better. You are." Billy whispered. "You were the one who got us all looking for Bruce in Bagalia, not Frank, and sure as hell not me. You're the one who accepted your sister's mantle, and it was your choice to fight crime in her honor. Don't listen to whatever 'Black Mask' said."

"But what if…" Beth gulped, looking in his eyes. "What if he's right?"

Russo paused for a moment, looking away, as a painful memory came forward. One that he never knew he had, until a few months ago, when he met himself- from another world.

"Beth, before all this… before Crisis, before Thanos… I killed Frank's family." Billy swallowed. "Or at least, I knew about it, and didn't stop it. And then I set out to kill him, twice. But I was given a second chance."

Kane's mouth hung open in shock, as she fumbled for words.

"How do you know this?"

"You remember that doppelganger I had?" Russo sighed. "He and his friend had this device that could let me see my memories before Crisis. And that's what I saw. So don't think you're beyond redemption."

Just as Billy finished speaking, they both heard the sound of an engine rumbling, and looking up, saw the Batmobile tear into the cave, stopping at a circular platform. The vehicle itself appeared to be more of a tank than anything, having massive wheels on them, despite the front two being significantly smaller. When needed, a turret could pop out the back and fire high caliber rounds, mostly at unmanned vehicles, or at rioters with plastic rounds.

The Tumbler is what it used to be called, until Bruce procured it.

Batman stepped out of his vehicle, stomping over to where Billy and Batwoman were with a scowl on his face.

"Nothing." Bruce muttered, pulling off his cowl. "I visited Doctor Langstrom in Arkham. Not only is he there, but he has no idea what this new thing is that's terrorizing Gotham."

As soon as Batman finished, Billy felt his phone vibrate, and he quickly pulled the device out to see the caller ID:

Riley Stone.

Russo had no idea why Riley was calling, but deciding it was important, quickly answered, holding the phone to his ear.

"Riley, what's wrong? Are you-"

"I'm fine, Uncle Billy. I just need some help." Riley said quickly. "Are you still with Bruce and Beth?"

Billy looked up at Batman and Batwoman, pressing the speaker button.

"Yeah, we're all here. What do you need?"

"Is there a chance that Bruce has some of the Scarecrow's Fear Toxin?" Stone asked. "Mallory sent Billy and I to Romania to find this Witch Woman, but she's almost as indestructible as Homelander. The only thing that can hurt her was this sleeping gas-"

"Where are you, kid?" Russo interrupted. There was an audible pause on Riley's end, before she finally answered.

"I'm… I'm in a castle, in a remote village, in Romania?"

"Found her." Bruce announced, having gone to the Batcomputer and triangulated the signal. Billy and Beth looked over to the screen, seeing satellite footage of a gothic castle, placed North of some type of village.

"Castle Dimitrescu. Located in a Romanian village that isn't even on the map."

"Is that Bruce Wayne?" a new voice, sounding deep yet soft, suddenly cut in. "It's been such a long time!"

Bruce wore a stoic look, before replying, "Yes, Alcina. It's me."

A silence befell the cave for a short time, until this Alcina person broke it.

"You have this Fear Toxin, as Miss Stone suggested?"

"Yes." Wayne muttered. "Will it only be used on this 'Witch Woman'- to immobilize her?"

"Bruce, she killed Billy." Riley's voice suddenly interjected. The sentence left hanging, as if that was supposed to mean something to Wayne. But then again… he killed the Joker after the madman killed so many close to him. So who was he to judge?

"I'll deliver it myself." Bruce declared, placing his cowl back on.

"Good, Daniela would love to see you!" Alcina said joyfully. "She became quite a fan of you, you see!"

The phone call abruptly ended, with Bruce walking over to a section of the cave containing trophies of all his past villains. A pink flower that could spit acid, belonging to the Joker. A top hat that could control minds, belonging to the Mad Hatter. A black and white spiral umbrella, belonging to the Penguin. But that's not what Bruce was after, as he pulled out a small vial of a yellowish-red liquid, as well as another one with a brown colored gas.

"Scarecrow's Fear Toxin." Batman announced, knowing that Billy and Beth were watching him. "After the Battle Of New York, HYDRA approached Doctor Crane in creating a new toxin- one that could make the hallucination's injuries real."

"Yeah, I felt." Beth murmured, shuddering from when she was under the effects of such a toxin.

"But the toxin was incomplete." Bruce continued, placing the vials in his utility belt. "When the Avengers took down HYDRA in Sokovia, Crane lost funding, and then his work halted altogether when he become one of the Vanished."

"Has he started business again?" Russo asked.

"We haven't seen him rear his head lately." Wayne mused, while walking past the Batmobile, towards a corner that had a giant black jet.

"Do you need backup?" Batwoman asked, while Bruce climbed into the Batwing.

"No." Wayne shook his head, as the cockpit closed. "Alcina's an old friend. I'll be fine."

With that, the Batwing ignited its engine and took off out of the Batcave, leaving Billy and Beth alone- that is, until the elevator opened up, and Luke stepped into the cave, holding onto his tablet.

"Okay, I might have found a way to track this bat-creature-"

Fox looked around, seeing Batman was nowhere in sight, as well as the Batwing was missing.

"And, he's gone."

"What do you have?" Batwoman asked. Luke cleared his throat, striding forward towards the Batcomputer, and plugged his tablet in.

"Okay, so I was able to create a tracking system that goes off of sonic waves and high pitched frequencies." Luke announced, as a radar appeared on the screen. "Basically, I can track that bat-thing the next time it screams like last night, and pinpoint its position."

"Good work." Billy said, clearly impressed. "How'd you manage this?"

"My father once created a sonar tracking system." Luke explained. "Basically, a device would send out a high frequency pulse and record the response time for mapping the environment."

"Just like a bat. Clever." Beth smirked.

"All it took was a little time to reverse it. Instead of generating sonar signals, it receives and triangulates them." Luke finished.

"Great." Russo nodded, as the three of them stared at the screen. "Then let's get to work."

"Donya Madani. She's a refugee." William spoke into his phone, while the rest of Hellhound Squad, Sam, and Bucky sat in the private jet's first class seats. "Let me know when you get something, Felicity."

"Sure thing, William." Felicity Smoak's cheerful voice chirped out. "Be safe!"

"You too." Clayton chuckled. "And give Mia a kiss for me."

Arrow ended his call and sat down next to Harley and Alice, while Millie looked over to Barnes.

"Hey." Kessler murmured to the soldier. "You good?"

James gave her an inquisitive look, before shaking his head.

"No. I'm not good." he admitted. "I come back after ten years, and things are more warped than when I was the Winter Soldier. The world's upside down, heroes like the Avengers are gone, and the rest are largely vilified because of Homelander and The Seven."

Millie looked down at the ground, not knowing where to begin with how to respond, when William's phone suddenly vibrated. Without missing a beat, Clayton answererd the call, already knowing who it was.

"Yeah? Great. Thanks, Felicity."

"She found Madani?" Alice asked hopefully, once the call ended.

"Yeah... but she's dead." William murmured. "She died in Riga, a city near the Baltic Sea."

"That's in Latvia's backyard." Millie said grimly, remembering Latvia as one of Balgalia's allies. "We can't just walk around there in broad daylight."

"I'll call Mallory." Harley announced. "If she can't think of something, then we'll have to improvise."

Music: "Back To MI6" from No Time To Die OST

MI6 Headquarters, London

Outside of the MI6 building, a man in a navy blue suit and tie with slicked brown hair watched a black car pull up in front of him, the doors opening to reveal Grace Mallory and Nick Fury in the backseats. The two spies quickly got out, meeting the man on the sidewalk, who ushered them into the headquarters.

"Grace, Nicholas. Good to see you both again." the man nodded in a British voice.

"You as well, Gareth." Mallory smiled, while the three of them walked up flights of stairs and through halls, eventually coming to a door labelled "Gareth Mallory- M". Gareth opened the door and let his guests walk through, seeing a woman with curly hair working at a desk.

"Welcome back M." the woman said cheerfully, while turning her gaze to Mallory and Fury.

"Director Fury, Grace, good to see you."

"Thank you, Moneypenny." Nick politely nodded, as the three made their way into Gareth's personal office, just past the woman's desk. Once the trio was inside with the door shut, M approached his own desk, while pouring a glass of scotch.

"As much as I love seeing my older sister, with our old friend and mentor, we know this isn't just some happy reunion." Gareth muttered.

"Hell no. With the US President's statement about letting the civilian population kill each other for one night, he made it pretty clear that shit's gonna hit the fan pretty quick." Nick grumbled. "And that's without all the little things going on."

"I wouldn't exactly call global terrorists such as the Flag Smashers to be a 'little thing'." M pointed out.

"Nick and I are having that taken care of." Grace reminded everyone. "Miss Kessler's team, Wilson, and Barnes made progress in Madripoor, especially with agents Paloma and Bond. However, I was just alerted by one of their members that they are on their way to Latvia."

"And Westview?" Gareth asked Nick. "Apparently, SWORD considered reaching out to MI6 for assistance, particularly for specialized weapons from our quartermaster. Worse still is that this will only add fuel to the Sokovia Accords being expanded."

"Being taken care of as well." Fury answered. "I had the Flash transport Frank Castle and his psychic wife there to talk Maximoff down. As for the Accords, an old friend of mine by the name of Murdock will be giving a speech to the United Nations today about why they should be abolished altogether."

"Good. But there also was that enhanced woman in Romania, wasn't there Grace?" M inquired.

"Yes, but I had a couple of Joseph's friends go to apprehend her." Mallory stated. "However, the fact that she's only started showing up on satellites three weeks prior, coupled with that new hero Brightburn flying around with Ryan Butcher, a new speedster in Central City, and sightings of a bat-like creature in Gotham, gives me reason to believe they're all connected somehow."

"Interesting." Gareth mused. "So that leaves us with one more problem: the Power Broker."

Grace visibly stiffened, while Nick's eye narrowed.

"He appears to have been responsible for the remanufacturing of Compound V, with rumors that it is being tampered to reanimate corpses." M announced, pausing to down his entire shot of whiskey.

"I think it's time we bring the BSAA into the fold."

"You know Redfield won't allow it." Fury muttered. "Not after it was revealed the European branch was sending bioweapons out into the field."

"We don't have a choice." Gareth insisted. "The Power Broker has dabbled in bioterrorism ever since he appeared. There are reports that suggest he has ties to the remnants of HYDRA, The Connections, small-time gangs such as the False Face Society in Gotham and has even infiltrated government organizations. If we want to find him, we will all have to work together."

Grace solemnly nodded, as she thought about all she learned from the surveillance in Madripoor. How Wilfred Nagel was contacted by the Power Broker to reverse engineer Compound V and was hidden from the US, after Homelander approached him years ago. God only knows what would have happened if Dredd and The Boys didn't stop him in time…

"Where are we on figuring out who he is?" M suddenly asked, breaking Grace out of her thoughts.

"We believe that he might be one of ours." Nick spoke up. "Call it a hunch."

"A hunch isn't good enough. We need concrete proof."

"And we're getting it." Grace inputted. "Kessler's team is currently searching for the Flag Smashers in Latvia, and has made contact with two members of Redfield's Hound Wolf Squad. As it seems, they are also after the Power Broker, and are currently collaborating on the mission."

Gareth slowly nodded, rubbing his chin while looking out the window.

"Then let's hope we find the Power Broker before it's too late. After all, your US government's 'Purge Night' is now five days away…"

A/N: So, all the characters are starting to be brought back together. Most of them, at least. There's still a lot of moving pieces, but they all connect together, similar to how they did during my Justice And Judgement story.

Throwing in the bit where Brightburn is from the Dark Multiverse was thought up rather late for this story. I couldn't think of what Earth to place him on, and then I decided to why not tie him in with the place that the Batman Who Laughs is from in the actual comics? Sadly, I'm not planning on having BWL in here, or any story at the moment. Oh well.

Gibb Smith is more or less a recycled character from some of my previous stories. She was originally one of Jason's victims in the movie Freddy VS Jason, but I decided to change it up a bit. Both she and Constantine will have a larger role in the coming chapters.

Oh, for anyone who has played Resident Evil Village, the room that I described as being the Dimitrescu's woman-cave is supposed to be the Atelier. I'm crediting Hellraptor for the idea, since one of his fics describes a similar cave, but in the dungeon area.

Speaking of, the next chapter will largely focus on Millie's squad, Batman, the RE Village characters, and Punisher and Doctor Strange. Everyone else is more or less sidelined for now. Hell, I might actually have to split the chapter in two, depending on how long each segment is.

Cheers everyone.