Chapter 5 – The Ikebukuro Factor
Ikebukuro Station – Ikebukuro District Of Tokyo, Japan
It was early morning in Tokyo, Japan. The Narita Express train had just arrived from the Narita International Airport Terminal. As the doors to the Narita Express opened, riders quickly exited to either the exit or to get onto another terminal.
There were three riders, foreigners, who stepped out.
The first foreigner was an athletically-built woman of Asian heritage. This woman looked like she was in her mid-40s to early-50s. She seemed moody and didn't want to be bothered with any small talk.
Following her was the second foreigner, a tall African-American man who was built like a football player. He, too, felt groggy and sleepy.
The third foreigner was a Hispanic woman in her early to late-20s. She, too, felt sleepy. The Hispanic woman yet out a yawn and stretched out, revealing that she had prosthetic arms.
"Hey, May, where's Coulson meeting us?" the Hispanic woman asked before letting out another yawn.
"Phil said to meet him outside the west exit." May answered, letting out a yawn.
"I'll meet y'all outside. I'm going to get some coffee." said the African-American man.
"Get me one, too, will you?" the Hispanic woman asked.
"Got it, Yo-Yo. What about you May?" the African-American man asked.
"I'll take a green tea, Al." the Asian-American woman, known as "May," answered the African-American man who was referred to as "Al."
15 Minutes Later...
May, Al, and Yo-Yo waited outside the west entrance to Ikebukuro Station. They slowly drank their drinks, waiting for this "Phil" to arrive.
"Hey, I think I see him." Al said, pointing at a vintage red American-style convertible driving down the street, slowing down, and pulling up to the curb.
A middle-aged white man in a business suit sat in the driver's side. He had short brown hair with a receding hairline. The man was obviously "Phil Coulson." "How as the flight?"
"Not bad." Yo-Yo answered.
"Get in, we got a lot to talk about."
Phil pressed a button that popped open the trunk of the car.
Al put his luggage into the trunk, then did the same for May and Yo-Yo's luggage. He closed the trunk and then followed Yo-Yo to the front of the car, where they sat in the rear.
May sat in the passenger's side.
"I hope you guys don't mind eating sushi and sashimi for breakfast." Coulson suggested.
May, Yo-Yo, and Al immediately shot Coulson puzzled looks.
"Phil, who the hell eats sushi in the morning?" May asked, thinking that Coulson's suggestion was just plain stupid.
Russia Sushi – Ikebukuro District Of Tokyo, Japan
The four S.H.I.E.L.D agents shared a booth at the infamous "Russia Sushi," a sushi and sashimi joint that was owned and operated by a Russian expat named Denis.
Coulson eyed his rainbow roll, grabbed a piece with his chopsticks, dipped it in a small tub of soy sauce, and put the piece in his mouth.
May, Al, and Yo-Yo looked at Coulson in disbelief. They were all thinking "Who the hell eats raw fish before the crack of dawn!?"
Coulson looked back at his three teammates. "Hey, it's lunch or dinner somewhere in the world." He grabbed another piece of his rainbow roll and repeated the process.
May shrugged her shoulders and admitted defeat. "Yeah, sure. Does this place serve Philadelphia rolls or king crab rolls?"
Coulson signalled to an elderly white man who worked behind the sushi bar. "One Philadelphia roll and one king crab roll," Coulson instructed, in Russian.
The elderly white man, Denis, nodded, and got straight to work.
"I'll take a Philadelphia roll, an Alaska roll, and a dragon roll." Yo-Yo said.
"Yeah, I'll have what May and Yo-Yo are having." Al added.
Coulson nodded and smiled.
40 Minutes Later...
Because sushi and sashimi digest fast, the four S.H.I.E.L.D agents had stacks of empty plates in front of them, and they wanted MORE.
Al had just finished his second bowl of miso soup.
"I got your assignments while you're in the Tokyo Metropolitan area." Coulson said, sipping his glass of freshly brewed green tea.
"What do you got for us?" Al inquired.
"Al, you're remaining here in Ikebukuro." Coulson answered, taking another sip of his green tea.
"What's going on in Ikebukuro?" Al asked.
"Ikebukuro is a potential hot zone. So far, no criminal organization has been able to hold any sort of power or influence in this district." Coulson explained.
"What? The Hand, A.I.M, nor H.Y.D.R.A are not gaining any momentum here in Ikebukuro?" Al asked, surprised.
"Nope." Coulson bluntly answered.
"Really? Damn..." Al said.
"Al, you're going to be Dr. Linford Garnett. You hold a PhD in mechanic engineering at Pepperdine University and a PhD in robotics at UC – Berkeley. Your cover is that you're taking a 1-year sabbatical to Japan." Coulson explained.
"Okay, got it." Al said, nodding.
"You're going to get to know the people of Ikebukuro. You're going to investigate the power players of Ikebukuro because they're the ones keeping this district safe." Coulson added.
"Any leads?" Al asked.
Coulson nodded. "Start at Ikebukuro West Gate Park and look up a known troubleshooter named Makoto Majima, I hear he works at some fruit shop."
"Makoto Majima, fruit shop, got it." Al replied, grabbing a piece of sushi, dipping it in soy sauce, putting in his mouth, and chewing.
"Also, investigate rumors of this gang called the 'Dollars,' and see if it exists or not. I keep hitting dead ends on my part. I think this Dollars gang is playing a role in keeping H.Y.D.R.A and 'friends' at bay." Coulson added.
"Damn, you got me doing a lot of stuff in Ikebukuro." Al said.
"Oh, I think you'll have a fun time here." Coulson assured.
"You have to admit, it's funny as fuck that a bunch of street gangs are kicking the asses of mega criminal organizations." Al mused.
Coulson turned to Yo-Yo, who finished a glass of water. "Yo-Yo, you won't need a cover. You're going to be an attache with the American Government."
"Where am I going?" Yo-Yo asked.
"You're going to be an observer for Class 3-E at Kunugigaoka Junior High School." Coulson answered.
Yo-Yo arched her brow. She initially felt insulted but kept her composure, knowing that Coulson wouldn't send her to a mere school, unless something strange was going on. "I'm guessing that there's something VERY special about this junior high school."
Coulson nodded. "You know how that second moon appeared?"
"The one that's permanently shaped like a crescent?" Yo-Yo asked.
"One in the same." Coulson responded.
"I take it that the source responsible is at this school..." Yo-Yo said, starting to NOT like the assignment at all.
"I would disclose additional details but you wouldn't believe me if I did. It's SOMETHING that you'll NEED to see for yourself." Coulson warned.
Yo-Yo shook her head and took a deep breath. "I have a feeling I'm walking into a death trap."
"Oh c'mon, it's just a bunch of middle school kids." Al said, trying to alleviate Yo-Yo's concerns.
Yo-Yo shot him a death glare. "You have a way BETTER cover than I do..."
Al quickly looked the other way, and ate another piece of sushi.
Coulson turned to May. "You're heading to Western Tokyo, you're going to be at a sovereign city-state called 'Academy City' which decades ahead of the rest of the world in technology."
"What's at this Academy City?" May asked.
"It's a city that's solely made of schools, serving kindergarten to college." Coulson answered. "S.H.I.E.L.D wants to keep an eye on that place to see if there's any developments. There's also talks about the possibility of Krakoa and Wakanda establishing diplomatic relations with Academy City, too."
"I can understand Wakanda because they're both technologically superior compared to most of the world, but why Krakoa?" May asked, curious.
"This Academy City is a sanctuary for people called 'Espers,' who have superhuman powers or the potential to have superhuman powers. They're different from mutants and mutates, but the Krakoan government believes that it might be beneficial to have diplomatic ties." Coulson explained.
"What about New Attilan?" May asked.
"New Attilan immediately reached out and there's an embassy within Academy City." Coulson answered.
"What's the government of Academy City like?" May inquired, wanting to get as much information as possible.
"Academy City is run by a board of directors and the Chairman of the Board has absolute power over everything in Academy City. Adults have absolutely NO say in the policies and there's no voting because most of Academy City's residents are minors." Coulson added.
"Okay, that's interesting." Yo-Yo added.
"It's split into 23 districts. May, you're going to be embedded with an organization called Anti-Skill." Coulson explained further.
"Anti-Skill?" May asked.
"You're going to be an observer for S.H.I.E.L.D. Anti-Skill is Academy City's police and military force, it's made up of ordinary adults on a volunteer basis." Coulson added.
"Okay... Will I have to do any fighting?" May asked.
"Maybe. Anti-Skill is called in to handle dangerous situations that members of Academy City's junior security force, Judgment, is either unable or not allowed to." Coulson further explained.
"Judgment?" May asked.
"It's like Anti-Skill, but to a lesser extent and its made up of students who attend Academy City's schools." Coulson answered.
"Judgment is decentralized as each school is in charge of its own branch of the organization. Collaboration between the different branche sof Judgment is allowed. The authority of Judgment members is limited to the jurisdiction of their schools and districts." Coulson added.
"How many branches of Judgment are there?" May asked, then eating a piece of sushi.
"There's a confirmed total of 177 branches." Coulson answered.
"Jesus, that's a lot..." Al said.
"Shouldn't Fitz and Simmons be going to Academy City?" May asked.
"Simmons is already there in Academy City. She has been embedded as a teacher at Tokiwadai Middle School as part of the JET Program. Fitz is the computer programming and graphic design teacher at a 'certain' high school but I keep forgetting the name." Coulson answered.
"I guess they'll be meeting me in Academy City?" May asked.
"Yeah, in secret. Nobody is to know that the three of you are working on assignment together." Coulson instructed.
"Shouldn't Quake be on this mission, too?" May asked.
"Quake told me that she got put on a reconnaissance mission on that mysterious continent that popped up in the Pacific Ocean, she's keeping tabs on the Jura Tempest Federation." Coulson answered. "Especially since New Attilan already has an embassy there."
Before they could continue with the conversation, there was the sound of a jingling bell that signalled that someone had entered.
"You're open in the morning?" asked a young adult, early 20s, Japanese, who wore a black beanie over his head. He also wore a teal-colored athletic zip-up jacket.
"Dotachin!" Coulson exclaimed, giving this person named "Dotachin" a friendly wave.
Dotachin turned to Coulson's direction and politely waved back. "Oh, that's why this place is open. How are you, Coulson-san?" he asked, in Japanese.
Coulson left the table, walked up to this "Dotachin," and shook hands with him. They gave each other a friendly hug after.
"I never imagined you as someone who eats sushi in the morning." the young man said, in Japanese, a little surprised and amused.
"Special occasion, Dotachin," Coulson responded, in Japanese.
"Dotachin" turned to the table where Coulson was just sitting at and looked at May, Yo-Yo, and Al.
"Your friends?" Dotachin asked, in Japanese.
Coulson turned to his fellow S.H.I.E.L.D members. "Guys, this is Kyohei Kadota. People call him "Dotachin" most of the time." Coulson said, in English, introducing his team to Kyohei "Dotachin" Kadota.
"Nice to meet you." Kadota said, in broken English, before politely bowing to them.
"Likewise." Al said, nodding his head.
"Dotachin, I'd like to meet May, Elena, and Linford." Coulson said, introducing Kadota to his team.
"My pleasure." Yo-Yo said, introducing herself in a friendly manner.
"Dotachin works as a professional carpenter." Coulson added. He then turned to Dotachin. "Perfect timing, is it not too much for you to drive Linford to his new apartment? I can text you the address."
Dotachin nodded. "Of course. If he doesn't mind sharing a ride with my crew."
Coulson nodded, then turned to Al. "Dotachin's going to take you to your new apartment. I'll take May and Yo-Yo to where they need to be."
Al nodded. "Yeah, sure."
"The ride might be a bit crowded. Dotachin's crew is in the van, waiting for him." Coulson said.
"I guess I better get going then. I see you guys on the flip-side." Al said, getting up, and waving "bye" to his fellow S.H.I.E.L.D agents.
"Hey Dotachin, let me buy you guys something. Anything you want, it's the least I can do to thank you for driving Linford for me." Coulson offered, in Japanese.
Grand Army Plaza – Brooklyn, New York
The Genma threat was NOT limited to New York City's Manhattan borough, Brooklyn was also suffering. A small band of well-known (and superpowered) locals and their new alternate universe allies were busy fighting it out with the Genma at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza.
Miles Morales, a teenage Afro-Latino boy, stood at the top of the Solders' and Sailors' Arch, fighting against four Genma soldiers. He was the borough's resident "Spider-Man," especially after being brought into this world after a recent "Incursion" between worlds.
"Hey, hey... I'd hook y'all up if I had anymore Snickers bars." Miles said, jokingly, to the Genma soldiers.
The Gemna soldiers were incapable of free thought, they didn't buy Miles' humor.
The four Genma inched closer to Miles, axes in hand, ready to hack him into pieces.
"I know you're all hangry, but NO excuse to take it out on the rest of us!" Miles said, still trying to alleviate the situation with humor.
"I don't think they're capable of humor!" exclaimed someone from below.
"You're NOT exactly the funniest person I met, Alex!" Miles exclaimed to the person on street level, who went by the name "Alex."
Alex was a muscular young man who stood at 6'5 and weighing almost 250 pounds. He had long blonde hair that was tied back into a long ponytail and long wavy bangs. A folded red bandana was tied around his head to keep the hair from getting into his eyes. He wore a pair of green military-style overalls with the suspenders down, exposing his bare chest.
Red markings were on Alex's body too, below his eyes and on his shoulders. Alex's clothing also consisted of a pair of green-colored fingerless gloves over his hands and a pair of brown combat boots over his feet. He was dressed like some sort of street-level combatant and Miles was dressed in his Spider-Man uniform.
"I don't need to be funny. I just need to kick their asses, enough said." Alex said, the tone of his voice having a Manhattan accent.
"I can multitask!" Miles fired back at Alex, then turning his attention back at the Genma. "You just deal with your "share" of these zombie freaks!"
"The sooner we can clean up, the sooner we can get pizza." Alex said, eyeing his (larger) "share" of the Genma soldiers that were slowly approaching him.
"Speak no more!" Miles said, aiming his arms in opposite ends, and firing webbing from his wrists. The Genma soldiers were blinded by the webbing. He shot a rope of webbing at one of the other Genma then lifted it up and swung it at the other three Gemna at full force.
The four Genma soldiers hit the ground with a thud, killing them (again).
"Flash!" Alex exclaimed as he dashed toward one of the Genma soldiers and hitting it in the face with a knife-hand chop with his right hand, which left behind a bright yellow stream of energy. The impact of Alex's "Flash Chop" special attack disoriented the Genma soldier.
Alex charged at the Genma soldier, jumped, and executed a flying double front kick.
**WHAM!**
The force of impact knocked the Genma soldier on the ground, but Alex didn't stop and quickly stomped on its head, killing it.
Three Genma soldiers, armed with katanas, approached Alex from behind, and swung down at him, trying to hurt him from behind.
"Flash!" Alex yelled, turning around, and executing that same special attack. He cleanly sliced the katana blades in half before they could even touch him. He turned in the direction of another Genma, rushed it, and knocked it violently on the ground with a lariat.
**WHAM!**
Alex finished it off by stomping its head repeatedly until there was nothing left.
Miles, still standing on top of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch, watched Alex take down the other Genma soldiers with his wrestling and MMA moves. A figurative lightbulb dinged over Miles' head and he formed a gleeful grin behind his mask.
"Alex, we might as well make this more fun!"
"Yeah, what do you got in mind?" Alex asked, then jumping at another Genma soldier and knocking it down with a missile drop kick.
"I'll set them up and you knock them down HARD!" Miles exclaimed.
Alex grinned and gave Miles the thumbs up. "Sure, send them my way!"
Miles aimed his web slingers at one of the closest Genma on ground-level, fired his webbing, and swung the Genma in Alex's direction.
"Incoming!" Miles shouted.
Alex ran at the incoming Genma soldier flung in his way, lifted up his left foot, and delivered the "boot to the face."
**WHAM!**
The force was more than enough to kill the Genma soldier who dissipated into nothing.
"Weak..." Alex said, giving a thumbs down to the Genma soldier before it completely disintegrated. He quickly turned to another Genma soldier, grabbed it, and slammed on the ground with a belly-to-back suplex.
**WHAM!**
Alex then rolled to the side, crouched down, and knocked another Genma with a foot sweep. He sprung to his feet, jumped at the downed Genma, and executed a flying elbow drop.
**WHAM!**
He sprung to his feet and hit another Genma soldier with a "Savate kick."
**WHACK!**
Miles quickly filed more webbing at a random Genma, grabbing it, and sending it flying in Alex's direction.
"Here comes the pain!" Alex exclaimed, running at the incoming Genma, and hitting it with an uppercut to the stomach.
The force and impact violently snapped the Gemna's body in half.
Miles looked to his right and saw three approaching Genma soldiers, then executed his "Triple Web Shot" special attack, sending three well-placed web shots at the three Genma soldiers, effectively slowing them down for Alex.
"Alex, I left some presents!" Miles exclaimed, signalling to Alex.
Alex turned his attention at the three immobilized Genma soldiers, ran at the first one, and dispatched it with a volley of punches. He turned to the second one, clinched it, and headbutted it repeatedly. Alex ran to the third one, lifted it up, and slammed it on the ground with a spinebuster.
At a distance, Alex watched an anthropomorphic dinosaur, almost looking like a velociraptor, effortlessly fighting off a small group of Genma soldiers.
"I think the other Alex has the hang of it!" Alex said, proudly.
The dinosaur, who was also named "Alex," had green scaly skin and wore a pair of blue boxing gloves over his hands.
Dino Alex leaped at one of the Genma, wrapped his legs around its neck, and performed his "Frankensteiner" special attack.
**WHAM!**
"This has been an INTERESTING day..." Miles commented. He charged himself up with bioelectricity and executed his "Venom Blast" special attacking, sending a blast of electricity at a large group of Genma soldiers who marched in their direction.
"Flash!" Alex shouted, executing his "Flash Chop" special attack on another random Genma.
"I still can't believe we're teaming up with a dinosaur." Miles added.
Alex laughed, agreeing with Miles. "I never thought I'd be teaming up with a dinosaur and a masked superhero."
Miles laughed along with Alex. Fighting a bunch of undead soldiers wasn't so bad, especially if you had companions you could casually laugh with.
More Genma appeared out of nowhere, but these weren't the typical zombie soldiers. They appeared en masse, surrounding Miles and the two Alexes.
Alex gestured for Dino Alex to regroup with them.
Dino Alex understood the gesture and quickly made his way back to human Alex where they kept their backs to each other.
The newly arrived Genma monsters, the Doldekko, were menacing by appearance. They were armed with swords whose blades spun like drills.
"What the hell are those things?" Alex asked, rhetoriclly, knowing that nobody had the answer.
"Same freaks, different day, fam." Miles answered, hopping off the top of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch.
The Doldekkos marched closer to the trio of heros, ready to tear them apart.
"I don't think we can talk this through and settle this with nonviolence?" Miles asked, jokingly and sarcastically.
A hexagonal portal suddenly opened above Miles, Alex, and Dino Alex. There was a purple-colored gateway behind the tunnel, too, something that was familiar to Miles.
"Oh god, what now?" Alex asked, sarcastically.
"Relax, this is a good thing. A real good thing," Mile said, confident and assuring.
Three figures jumped down from the portal, in front of Miles, wearing variations of the Spider-Man outfit that he was wearing.
"Okay, this has just gotten weird..." Alex said, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Weirder than teaming up with a self-aware dinosaur with mad brawling skills?" Miles asked.
Dino Alex roared, feeling loved by Miles.
One of the variations, an athletic-looking girl in a white & pink outfit that had a hood, walked over to Miles.
"Yo... It's been a while, Miles," the girl said, walking up to Miles and hugging him.
"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Miles rhetorically asked, hugging her back.
"Miles, what the hell is going on here?" Alex asked.
"Who's your friend?" asked one of the variations, who had an outfit that resembled that of a punk rocker. The mask had a metal spikes on his head, resembling a mohawk. He also wore a a torn blue denim vest over his outfit, sneakers over his feet, a leather choker around his neck, and an electric guitar slung over his back. He had a British accent, Cockney variation, too.
"Guys, this is Alex. He's from an alternate universe, too." Miles said, introducing Alex to his variations.
"Who's the dino?" the girl asked, looking at Dino Alex with curiosity.
"Yeah, his name is also Alex and he's from another alternate universe, too." Miles said, introducing Dino Alex to his variations.
"Alex and Alex, meet Gwen," Miles said, introducing the girl to them.
"Yeah, I'd love to get to know your buddies but now isn't the time. I'm happy they're here, though, really, but we got more important stuff to deal with!" Alex stressed, pinting to the Doldekko's who continue to march in their direction.
"Damn it, I forgot, my bad, my bad!" Miles said.
"Who the bloody hell are these freaks?" asked the punk rocker variation.
"Freaks from a different dimension, Hobie." Miles casually answered.
"Good enough for me, mate." the punker rocker, known as "Hobie," said, eyeing the Doldekkos. "All right, all right, let's F them up!" Hobie exclaimed, charging at the Doldekkos, grabbing his guitar, and swinging it at one random Doldekko after the other.
Human Alex smiled. "Hey, I like him already!" He followed Hobie and joined in fighting the Doldekkos.
Dino Alex shrieked in agreement, then followed Human Alex and Hobie in fighting the Doldekkos.
Miles turned his attention back to Gwen and the other Spider-Man variants. "Gwen, what's the 4-1-1 in yur world right now?"
"Mine's perfectly 'normal,' thank God... We got alerted by Hobie who Takuya reached out to." Gwen explained to Miles.
Miles looked around and didn't see this "Takuya" among the group.
"Where is Takuya?" Miles asked, curiously.
"He'll be here soon, Takuya is getting Leopardon ready to bring to this world. It'll take some time, y'know, given how big it is." Gwen answered.
Miles nodded, "Takuya better get here with Leopardon fast... No telling what other freaks are going to invade this world."
Gwen looked up at these giant monsters flying in the air, dropping off Genma footsoldiers.
"Yeah, I can see..." Gwen said, eyeing those flying Genma monsters.
"Entire city is in chaos..." Miles added.
"Guess classes are cancelled for the unforeseeable future..." Gwen groaned. "On the bright side, the organic biochemistry exam is postponed."
Miles laughed a bit. "That means school's out for a while."
"Miles, you going to let us have ALL of the fun to ourselves!?" Alex sarcastically barked.
"Alright, alright, hold on, bruh, jeez!" Miles barked back in good stride.
"I want a selfie with your dino friend after," Gwen said, eyeing Dino Alex.
"Yeah, deal." Miles said.
Gwen gave a thumbs up, then ran at a platoon of the Genma footsoldiers. She quickly fired webbing at the feet of the already slow-moving Genma footsoldiers, making them sluggish.
One of the other variants, one who wore a black outfit complete with a trenchcoat and fedora, brandished a tommy gun. He aimed the tommy gun at the immobilized Genma soldiers and opened fire.
**RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!**
"Stay down!" said the variant that was dressed like a gangster.
"I hope you got enough ammo, Noir," Miles said to the gangster-dressed variant.
"Ammo's not a problem," Spider-Man Noir responded back to Miles as he ejected the empty ammo drum from his tommy gun, pulling out another ammo drum from his coat, and loading it back into the tommy gun. He aimed his tommy gun back at the Genma footsoldiers and opened fire again.
"This is going to be YET another interesting and entertaining diary entry!" Gwen openly commented as she dispatched a Doldekko. She quickly ran at another Doldekko, jumped, and nailed it in the head with a flying missile drop kick.
"Feels good to go out and cut loose, eh?" Hobie said as he somersaulted over another Doldekko and bashed it in the skull with his guitar.
Gwen quickly turned to her right, aimed her wrists, and fired webbing at two more Doldekkos.
"Flash!" Alex shouted as he attacked a random Doldekko with his "Flash Chop" special attack. As the Doldekko was stunned from the attack, Alex jumped at it and executed a flying clothesline.
**WHAM!**
"Let me assist, guv!" Hobie said, following up by swinging his guitar onto the head of the Doldokko that Alex had just knocked to the ground.
"Have some venom!" Miles exclaimed, charging up his fists with bioelectricity, running at random Genma footsoldiers, and punching them repeatedly. The Genma footsoldiers quickly succumbed to the power of Miles' venom punches as they died (again) and disintegrating in the process.
The ground started rumbling, it was a rumbling that Miles was familiar with.
"Whoa... Everyone regroup!" Miles exclaimed.
"What the hell's going to happen now?" asked Spider-Man Noir.
"Something's about to come and it's not of this world!" Miles stressed as he was on his guard, preparing for the worst possible outcome.
"This happens a lot?" asked Spider-Man Noir.
"More than you know." Miles answered.
Several columns of glowing rings appeared, teleporting two figures into this world. The glowing rings disappeared shortly after.
One of the unknown figures was a young teenage boy who looked like he belonged in a fantasy world. He had azure-colored hair and red markings on his face. The color of his clothing, a bright tomato red, stood out. The boy wore a "unique-looking" cap over his head and wore a tunic over his chest. There was also a white scarf around the boy's neck, too.
It looked like the boy could fight, too, as he held a pair of short swords in his hands.
Gwen quickly dispatched a Genma footsoldier and took a good look at the newcomer who was ALSO from another universe.
Standing next to the young teenage boy was a teenage girl, taller, and dressed like someone from a fantasy story with barbarians. The girl had short rose pink-colored hair and tanned skin. She brandished a heavy broadsword and certainly knew how to use it. The girl wore bikini-like armor, too.
"Whoa... We're being invaded by people from online games now?" Gwen sarcastically asked, while sizing up the newcomers, trying to figure out if they're friends or foes.
The blue-haired boy turned to the pink-haired warrior girl, they had surprised looks on their faces.
"Kite, you think Aura took us to a new server?" the pink-haired girl asked.
The blue-haired boy known as "Kite" looked around, watching the battle between Miles' group and the demonic army of Genma. He could easily tell who were the enemies by seeing the manacing looks of the Genma soldiers.
"It doesn't look like a typical Root Town and it doesn't look like a typical battlefield." Kite said.
The pink-haired girl got into a contemplative stance, then it DAWNED on her. "Oh God, it's happening again! We're being pulled from The World to fight some major threat, AGAIN!"
Gwen only had to hear "major threat" before she walked over to Kite and the pink-haired girl to join the conversation. "You're familiar with extradimensional threats and lived to tell the tale, perfect, there's no need to give you the Cliff's Notes on the situation."
The pink-haired warrior girl turned to face Gwen. She looked up and down at Gwen's outfit not knowing what to make of it.
"Who are you? I'm guessing you're not an NPC from The World." the pink-haired warrior girl bluntly said to Gwen.
"Nope, not an NPC. This is a world, but not 'The World' you two keep talking about." Gwen answered. "Like you two, I'm from a different world. I do travel back and forth between my world and this world though but that's another story, not important right now."
The pink-haired girl nodded, she knew this wasn't the time or place to talk about alternate universes.
"I'm glad we're on the same page, can you at least tell us where we're at?" the pink-haired girl asked.
"Yeah, I can at least help with that." Gwen responded. "You're in New York City, specifically the Brooklyn borough of the city."
"We're in America!?" Kite asked, shocked.
The pink-haired girl turned to Kite with an annoyed look. "Don't be surprised, we've been pulled into other worlds. Just because we're in a version of America doesn't mean we should be surprised."
"Sorry, BlackRose..." Kite said, apologetically, identifying the pink-haired warrior girl as "Blackrose."
"I'm known in The World as BlackRose, this is my friend and companion Kite." BlackRose said, introducing herself to Gwen.
"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Gwen but the public knows me as Ghost-Spider." Gwen said, introducing herself in return to BlackRose and Kite.
BlackRose and Gwen shook hands, then looked at the large army of enemies.
"Are they from your world?" Kite asked.
Gwen shook her head.
"Nope, I'm guessing they're not from your world."
BlackRose shook her head.
Kite looked around and saw Dino Alex fighting against a bunch of Genma footsoldiers. "Whoa, is that an actual dinosaur!?"
"Dinosaur, where!?" BlackRose asked, looking around until she saw Dino Alex. "Holy shit, you have a dinosaur fighting with you guys?"
"Yeah, also took me by surprise!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Hey, guys, I don't mean to cut into your girl talk, but..." Miles interjected, pointing in the direction of the Gemna banding together and headed in their direction.
"We better get ready, guv!" Hobie said, holding his guitar like a sword.
Faint sounds of a large vehicle was heard, it was something coming their way.
"Something's coming, get ready!" Gwen said.
A large military vehicle, heavily armored, drove into the park and quickly parked itself between Miles' group and the marching army of Gemna soldiers.
"Guys, be on your guards..." Miles said.
Spider-Man Noir aimed his tommy gun at the military vehicle.
"Hey, it's M.J." said a woman's voice, coming from the speaker system.
"Mary Jane?" Gwen asked, recognizing the voice as the Mary Jane Watson of this world.
"M.J?" Miles asked.
"Yeah... Don't shoot!"
Spider-Man Noir lowered his tommy gun.
The top hatch of the large armored military vehicle opened and an attractive white female with long red hair climbed out. She wore casual clothes but wore a tactical vest over.
"What are you doing here, M.J?" Miles asked, concerned for her well-being. "I don't think Peter would want you out there risking your life."
"Peter knows I'm grown and can handle myself." Mary Jane retorted. "Look, I ran into some government agent named Leon. He gave me the rundown on what to expect."
"Government agent named Leon..." Kite said to himself, then he realized who Mary Jane was talking about. "Is it Leon Kennedy?"
"Bingo, jackpot. Who are you and how do you know Leon?" Mary Jane asked, looking at Kite.
"Long story, very long story." Gwen said.
"You can tell it on the ride back to shelter. I heard from Leon that S.H.I.E.L.D is sending a squadron to bomb this place and send aerial assault troopers to clean up. I heard you guys were fighting in the area, so I stole this vehicle and came to get you guys," Mary Jane explained.
"S.H.I.E.L.D?" Kite asked.
"Massive government agency," Miles answered.
Mary Jane climbed back inside the military vehicle and the back doors opened a few seconds later.
"Get in!" Mary Jane requested, over the speaker.
"Alex, Alex, we're going!" Miles said.
"Alex, c'mon!" Alex said to his dinosaur companion.
Dino Alex roared, understanding Alex's words.
Gwen, Hobie, and Spider-Man Noir made their way to the back of the vehicle. Kite and BlackRose quickly followed behind.
Miles stayed by the vehicle waiting for Alex and Dino Alex.
"Hurry your butts up, guys!" Miles exclaimed.
Alex and Dino Alex sprinted to the heavily armored military vehicle while being chased by the growing number of Genma footsoldiers and demonic monstrosities.
Suddenly, small missiles rained down on the marching horde of Genma soldiers.
**KABOOM!**
A man in black armor, similar to what Tony Stark a.k.a the famous Iron-Man, descended from the sky, and landed by the military vehicle. The person's face mask was a metallic gray.
"James?" Mary Jane asked over the radio.
"I heard over the radio that you were headed here." the armored man, known as "James," explained.
"Wait, you're War Machine!" Miles called out, surprised to be standing in front of a very established hero.
"At your service, Morales." James a.k.a War Machine said. "Yeah, I heard all about you from Parker and Rogers."
"James, what's going on?"
"The mayor set up Central Park as a safety zone. Anybody alive and able are being evacuated there but this is a big as hell city." War Machine explained.
"Central Park's in Manhattan, though, that's NOT an option for us."
"Can you make it to the Triskelion?" War Machine asked.
"It's between Brooklyn and Manhattan, so it's closer."
"Fury said that they're headed back to the Triskelion to formulate a plan to strike back at these freaks. I bet S.H.I.E.L.D could use your help, too." War Machine added.
"Just clear us a path, James."
"Not a problem, Watson."
Khan Family Residence – Jersey City, New Jersey
Kamala Khan, currently holding the mantle of "Ms. Marvel," sat on the couch in the living room, watching the breaking news report on everything happening in New York City. She was concerned for her friends and allies who were still in NYC, fighting off the invading horde of Genma warriors and monstrosities. Kamala was used to fighting extraplanetary and extradimensional threats, but there was something SINISTER about the Genma.
Sitting next to her was a teenage Pakistani boy, Laal Khanjeer, who was staying with them as part of the exchange student program at Coles Academic High School.
"The 28th Infantry Division has issued orders to deploy to New York City which has been embattled with extradimensional threats for past several months. Additional troops have been called from Fort Drum and Fort Smith to assist in this endeavor."
The two heard the sounds of fighter jets flying over their home.
"They even called in help from McGuire." Kamala lamented.
"You think those things are going to reach here?" Laal asked, concerned.
"I wouldn't doubt it." Kamala responded, keeping her eyes peeled on the TV screen. "This world keeps getting insane."
The conversation was interrupted by someone outside, who rang the doorbell. Kamala lazily stood up from the couch, walked to the front door, and opened it.
A tall blonde-haired woman, athletic, stood outside the front entrance to the house. She wore a red hoodie over her chest, black sweat pants over her legs, and a pair of running shoes over her feet. It looked like she was about to go for a run but it didn't look like she broke a sweat.
"Carol?" Kamala asked.
The blonde-haired woman who Kamala knew as "Carol" smiled and politely waved to her.
"What are you doing here?" Kamala asked, surprised but happy to see her.
"I came to drop by and check on you guys. I'm glad to see the danger hasn't reached you, yet." Carol said to Kamala.
"Come in, it's just Laal and me." Kamala said, inviting Carol inside.
Carol obliged and entered through the front doorway with Kamala closing the door shortly after. She turned to Laal and politely waved to him. "Hello."
"Hi." Laal responded back, then waving at her.
"It's okay, Laal knows about me. I also know about Laal, he's also a crime fighter." Kamala explained.
"Heh, small world." Carol said. She then turned to the TV which was still airing the news stream. "All of New York City's in a panic. Fury is having people mobilize at the Triskelion while Iron Man and the others are mobilizing at Avengers Tower."
"You going to the Tower or the Triskelion?" Kamala asked.
"Triskelion. James is headed there, Miles is following him there." Carol added.
"Give me a few minutes, I can get ready." Kamala said, ready to join Carol at the Triskelion.
Carol shook her head. "No, it's important you stay here. The both of you. No, this isn't just for your safety. If those things get across the Hudson, Jersey City's in their crosshairs."
Kamala felt disappointed but remained composed, she understood. "I get it. We have a priority to protect the people of Jersey City."
Carol smiled. "I'm glad you two understand. Don't worry, it won't be just the two of you. I got in touch with Viv, Ironheart, Wasp, Brawn, and Patriot. They're going to rendezvous at your school in like an hour."
"We'll do what we can if they cross over the Hudson." Kamala said. "Stay safe, Carol."
"You too, Kamala." Carol said, then hugging Kamala.
Holland Tunnel, Jersey City Entrance – Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City PD cordoned off Holland Tunnel to the general public. A convoy of police vehicles, including SWAT vehicles, were strategically parked outside of the Jersey City Entrance. They were under orders to guard the entrance and only allow members of the U.S. Armed Services through.
Inside the tunnel was a lone man.
The man was a white male was shirtless, showing off a well-toned and sculpted muscular body. He had short white hair with bangs hanging out. There were scars all over his chest and a vertical scar along his left eye. It was obvious this man had seen his fair share of intense fighting. He had black tribal markings on both sides of his neck, too.
He wore a pair of black military-style cargo pants over his legs, a pair of combat boots over his feet with the pant legs tucked in, a pair of fingerless gloves over his hands, a band of shotgun shells worn over his right bicep, and a folded red bandana tied around his left bicep. There was a stylish leather belt worn around the waist with two grenades attached to the side. He wore a spiked band around his right shin, too, which was above the boot.
This was a person who obviously wanted that SMOKE!
The man was armed with an M134 Minigun and was eager to use it, on the members of the Jersey City PD standing guard on the opposite end of the tunnel.
"I'm enjoying this world even more..." the man said to himself, with a menacing tone of voice. He laughed hysterically and maniacally as he continued down the Holland Tunnel, about to participate in one of the biggest mass shootings in the history of this world.
Jersey City PD was UNPREPARED for the man who was coming their way. The same thing applies to the moiblized troops who would be called out from Fort Dix to assist in the efforts in NYC.
Author's Note – That concludes Chapter 5. I wanted to complete this earlier but work has kept me busy and exhausted the past couple of weeks. Can you spot all of the non-Marvel characters who appear or mentioned in this chapter? If so, leave a comment in the reviews.