Opening File: Madame Web
Madame Web was a very powerful cosmic being that was born in an alternate dimension. Madame Web was a servant to a powerful cosmic being known as the Beyonder. Madame Web and the Beyonder then learned that an alternate reality version of Spider-Man called Spider-Carnage was going to destroy all reality. Upon learning this Madame Web and Beyonder decided to train various Spider-Men from alternate dimensions to defend all of reality.
Madame Web later decided to begin to train the Spider-Man of Earth-92131. As Peter Parker was contemplating quitting being Spider-Man he was approached by Madame Web in an alley way. Madame Web then teleported Spider-Man into her parlor. Peter's Spider-Man costume then magically appeared on him. Spider-Man then met Madame Web. Madame Web then revealed to Spider-Man that she was about to start training him for a mission she would require of him.
Madame Web then gave Spider-Man a cryptic message saying that he must have the faith of a child and then vanished. Later that night Spider-Man met a child named Maria Taina Elizando who was his biggest fan. That same night Spider-Man was captured by Doctor Octopus and Dock Ock erased Spider-Man's memory and made him believe they were partners in crime. However, Taina tracked down Spider-Man was was able to make him remember who he was.
Spider-Man then defeated Doctor Octopus and because of Taina he regained faith in himself. Spider-Man then realized what Madame Web was trying to teach him. After defeating Doctor Octopus, Madame Web reappeared before Spider-Man. Madame Web told Spider-Man that they have work to do and he will eventually face his greatest challenge. As Spider-Man starts to wonder what the challenge could be Madame Web vanishes.
Spider-Man then said to himself that whatever the challenge is it wouldn't matter because he knew he would be ready to face it.
It's not the how you must master it's the why
Shortly after Kingpin had Alistair Smythe turned into a Spider Slayer he attacked Spider-Man on a rooftop. Smythe was about to kill Spider-Man. However, Madame Web teleported Spider-Man away. As Spider-Man and Madame Web talked Spidey asked how he could beat Smythe because now he was incredibly strong.
Madame Web answered that he should not how but instead ask why. Such as why Smythe wants to kill him. As Spider-Man left the parlor Madame Web told him "It's not the how you must master it's the why."
Later Spider-Man broke into Crime Central to rescue Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn, and Norman Osborn who had been kidnapped by Alistair Smythe. Spider-Man ease dropped on Kingpin and learned that Alistair's father, Spencer Smythe, was still alive and was being kept inside Crime Central. A guard saw Spider-Man and Kingpin had Alistair Smythe attack Spider-Man. As Spider-Man and Smythe fought Smythe was able to overpower Spider-Man and nearly killed him.
Spider-Man realized that Smythe was far too strong for him to defeat by brute force. Spider-Man then remembered what Madame Web told him, "It's not the how you must master it's the why." Spider-Man then realized that if he wanted to defeat Smythe he would have to use his brain instead of his muscles. Spider-Man was able to break free from Smythe's grasp and activated a large computer monitor and showed Smythe that his father was still alive and being held by Kingpin inside Crime Central. Smythe then turned against Kingpin.
Believe in the human spirit
When Spider-Man went to fight Tombstone he was stopped by Madame Web. Madame Web told Spider-Man that he fought Tombstone twice before and lost both times. Madame web then told Spider-Man that he couldn't use brute strength to defeat Tombstone and that some evil could only be fought with the human heart. Madame Web then vanished and Spider-Man was left wondering what Madame Web was talking about.
Around this time Joseph Robertson's son, Randy Robertson, had joined Tombstone's new gang, the Bandanna Gang. Spider-Man eventually showed Randy that out of love Robbie risked his life to save him from Tombstone. Robbie then decided to fight Tombstone to save his father. Tombstone was then defeated and arrested. Spider-Man learned that even though Randy turned to a life of crime the people that loved and cared for him were willing to risk their lives to save someone they loved.
This affection caused Randy to turn away from his life of crime. Spider-Man then realized that Madame Web was trying to teach him that he had to believe in the human spirit and that brute force is not always the answer.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer
Shortly after Spider-Man helped the police capture Cletus Kasady, Madame Web appeared to and told him that the evil he would soon face would be unstoppable unless he learned to rely on unlikely allies. Madame Web then told Spider-Man to remember that a warrior keeps his friends close and his enemies even closer. Madame Web then vanished. Around this time Baron Mordo had come up with a new plan to free Dormammu from the Dark Dimension. Mordo was able to gain control of the John Jameson Probe and used it to bring the Venom symbiote back to Earth.
Mordo then gave the symbiote back to Eddie Brock once again turning him into Venom. The Venom symbiote also reproduced and Mordo gave the new symbiote to Cletus Kasady which turned him into Carnage. Mordo then sent Venom and Carnage to Stark Enterprises to steal their Inter-Dimensional Probe so he could use it to free Dormammu from the Dark Dimension. Despite Spider-Man and War Machine's efforts Venom and Carnage were still able to steal the Inter-Dimensional Probe and give it to Baron Mordo.
Venom then told Mordo that his debt to him was paid and quit working for him. Spider-Man and Iron Man then joined forces to find Venom, Carnage, and the Inter-Dimensional Probe. As the two of them searched the city Madame Web teleported Spider-Man to her. Madame Web showed Spider-Man events that had already transpired.
Madame Web showed Spider-Man that begged Dr. Ashley Kafka to separate him from the symbiote. Spider-Man continued to watch as Madame Web showed him that Dr. Kafka took Venom to Empire State University and had Dr. Curt Connors separate him from the symbiote. Madame Web also showed Spider-Man and image of Cletus Kasady sitting in an apartment and then told him that Kasady was waiting for a "mutual acquaintance of theirs." As Madame Web sent Spider-Man on his way she once again told him that "a warrior keeps his friends close and his enemies even closer." As Spider-Man left left Madame Web he began to think who both he and Carnage knew.
Spider-Man soon realized that their "mutual acquaintance" was Terri Lee and Spider-Man hurried to her apartment to protect her. However, Spider-Man was unable to save Terri Lee and Carnage ended up stealing her life force. After this Carnage managed to get away. After this Spider-Man remembered what Madame Web said about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.
The only "friend" Spider-Man could think of was Iron Man. After thinking for a while Spider-Man realized that the "enemy" Madame Web was talking about was Eddie Brock. Spider-Man knew he needed Brock's help to find Baron Mordo and Carnage because he had been to their lair as Venom. Spider-Man and Iron Man then went to Empire State University and to ask Eddie Brock where they could find Carnage.
However, Brock knew that Spider-Man and Iron Man couldn't defeat Carnage, Dormammu, and Baron Mordo alone so he re-bonded to the symbiote to help them. Venom then took Spider-Man and Iron Man to Mordo's lair. As the three heroes arrived they attacked Carnage and Mordo. However, Mordo was still able to free Dormammu from the Dark Dimension.
Despite this Spider-Man was able to reverse the polarity of the Inter-Dimensional Probe and used it to send Dormammu back to his home dimension. Venom then sacrificed himself to send Carnage through the portal and in the process went through the portal himself. With Carnage and Dormammu in the Dark Dimension, Spider-Man used the Inter-Dimensional Probe to close the portal. Iron Man then destroyed the Inter-Dimensional Probe.
With his enemies defeated Spider-Man thought about the sacrifice Eddie Brock made. Spider-Man was shock that one of his worst enemies turned out to be one of his greatest allies. Spider-Man then realized what Madame Web meant by "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
When Peter Parker began to date Mary Jane Peter then began to think that everything in his life was now perfect. Because of this Peter approached Madame Web and told her he wanted to end their partnership. Madame Web then gave Spider-Man a warning saying that one day he would yearn for her wisdom, and told him that day would come when "the two headed monster rises from the netherworld." Green Goblin later learned that Spider-Man was really Peter Parker.
To torment Peter, Green Goblin kidnapped Mary Jane Watson. While Spider-Man fought Green Goblin, Mary Jane fell into a time dilation portal and was trapped in limbo. After defeating Green Goblin, Spider-Man called out to Madame Web and begged her to bring Mary Jane back. However, Madame Web refused to bring Mary Jane back from limbo because Peter had already made the decision that he wanted to do things without her. Spider-Man became furious at Madame Web and yelled at her to never enter his life again.
Before vanishing Madame Web said that for now she would leave him alone. However, she reminded Spider-Man that he still had to fight in a great battle and told him that when the time came she would return. When the time came, she introduced him to the Beyonder, who placed him in a test battlefield, before assembling him into a group of Spider-Men from different realities to fight against a being named Spider-Carnage who threatened to destroy all of reality.
After Spider-Carnage was defeated, Madame Webb took Spider-Man to meet his creator, Stan Lee, in another reality where he was a fictional character, and later to find the real Mary Jane Watson.
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Opening File: Spider-Man
Peter Parker was orphaned as a young child when his parents were killed in an airplane crash overseas. He went to live with his uncle and aunt, Ben and May Parker, in Queens, New York City. Parker was extremely bright and became a high honors student. His shyness and scholastic interest often made him a social outcast.
While attending a public exhibition demonstrating Dr. Farley Stillwell new invention, the Neogenic Recombinator, a device that can enhance and heal a living DNA, Peter was bitten by a spider that had been exposed to the energy. Making his way home afterwards, Peter discovered he had somehow gained incredible strength, agility, and the ability to cling to walls, spider-like traits that he immediately associated with the spider bite. Peter decided to go on television with his "act". Designing a costume and some wrist-mounted web-spinners, Peter called himself Spider-Man, becoming an immediate sensation. Encountering an ad offering a cash prize for a wrestling match, Peter decided this would be a good way to test his powers.
Peter easily defeated his opponent. Following the wrestling match, Peter failed to act to stop an escaping thief, claiming that it was not his responsibility. However, he returned home to find his Uncle Ben had been murdered. Learning the police had the burglar responsible holed up in a warehouse, Peter easily captured him only to discover that he was the same thief that he had allowed to escape earlier.
Filled with remorse, he realized that with great power comes great responsibility. Early in his crimefighting career, Spider-Man fought the Lizard, Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, Scorpion, Kraven the Hunter, Hobgoblin and the Chameleon, some of whom would later form the Insidious Six, under the command of the Kingpin. As Peter Parker, he secured a job working as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle under J. Jonah Jameson, a man who claimed Spider-Man was a menace and a vigilante. Peter also attended Empire State University and dated both Felicia Hardy and Mary Jane Watson.
When Spider-Man failed to stop the Rhino from stealing the 'Prometheum X' from the John Jameson shuttle (which had crashed on the George Washington Bridge), a black, slimy substance which had entered the shuttle beforehand (and caused the distraction resulting in the crash) stuck to Spider-Man's costume. Agitated by Jameson's claims that Spider-Man had robbed the shuttle, he discarded his costume vowing to quit crimefighting. The symbiote moved and attached itself to Peter's body whilst he was sleeping, causing him a nightmare about being eaten by a black figure, and then he awoke to find himself in a black costume. Peter realized that the costume behaved in an unusual way; it enhanced his strength, speed and agility, produced organic webbing that was commanded by his thoughts, and had the ability to morph into normal clothing.
Pleased with this new development, Peter went to the college where he morphed his costume into a classy suit and tried to hit on Felicia Hardy, but Flash Thompson provoked Peter; he reacted in an aggressive manner, which startled both Flash and Felicia. Later at home, Peter saw Jameson on TV accusing Spider-Man of putting his son in the hospital, thanks to Eddie Brock, with Aunt May in agreement, causing Peter to leave in a flash of anger. When the Rhino was sent by the Kingpin to steal a shipment of metal, Spider-Man arrived on the scene to stop him, and with his enhanced strength, easily defeated Rhino and interrogated him on the whereabouts of the Prometheum X; when Rhino refused, Spider-Man ran out of patience and grabbed a heavy metal door and threatened to crush him, but Rhino screamed in terror that he couldn't betray his employer. Recognizing his own change in character, Spider-Man threw away the door and departed.
Spider-Man was later attacked by bounty hunters, where he discovered that the costume was defending itself from sonic attacks and fire, helping the weakened Peter to defeat the hunters. Jameson learns from his hospitalized son that there was a man with a Rhino costume at the shuttle crash site and that Brock was lying about Spider-Man being the thief. Jameson subsequently fires Brock and withdraws his reward for Spider-Man's capture. Meanwhile, Spider-Man had Doctor Connors examine his black suit, where he learned that the 'costume' was a symbiote that would eventually bond to him permanently. Connors warned Spider-Man about removing the costume immediately, but he refused because he needed its powers to finish off some business.
Spider-Man later confronted Shocker as he threatened Eddie Brock over his crash site photos, and was buried under rubble from Shocker's attack. Believing him neutralized, Shocker rendezvoused with Alistaire Smythe at a hidden lab, where the Prometheum X was held. Spider-Man followed him and destroyed the door, easily evading Shocker's blasts and immobilizing Alistaire Smythe with his organic webbing, before grabbing the Prometheum X and leaving. The Kingpin, angered because Spider-Man took the Prometheum X, kidnapped Jameson's son and forced him to contact Spider-Man and take him to a church, where Alistair was waiting to exchange the Prometheum for the hostage.
Spider-Man remained behind while Jameson escaped with his son, but the Shocker then appeared and attacked him. In the midst of the fight, Brock wanting revenge for the fact he was fired from the Bugle, distracts Spider-Man with a mace, but was intimidated by Shocker and fled. A furious Spider-Man, then grabbed a stone pillar and threw it at Shocker, who realized that he didn't stand a chance and fled, with Spidey in pursuit. Cornering him atop the bell tower, Spider-Man restrained Shocker in a bear hug, but Brock interrupted them again and knocked Spider-Man down, though he quickly recovered and bound Brock in a web cocoon, promising to deal with him later.
Spider-Man then destroyed Shocker's hand-weapons, and threatened to force him over the ledge to his doom, with Shocker surrendering and begging for mercy. Regaining control of his anger, he prepared to leave Shocker alone, but not before the costume pushed him off itself, forcing Spidey to save him with his web-line just in time. Deciding that the symbiote was too dangerous to keep, Spider-Man attempted to remove it, but to no avail. As the church bell began ringing, Spidey recalled the effect of sound waves on the symbiote, and approached the bell, causing it to separate from him and itself.
It was then that the symbiote merged with Eddie Brock, who sought revenge on Spider-Man for his ruined life, creating the villain 'Venom'. Venom challenged Manhattan. The symbiote through Brock communicated with Spider-Man that he refused the highest of gifts given to him, and whilst Brock seemed able to easily overpower him and relentlessly stalk him, the wall-crawler got the better hand and managed to detach Brock from the symbiote using a rocket engine and had the symbiote flown back into space. Spider-Man began to notice that he was losing his powers, and was easily defeated when faced with the Insidious Six. They unmasked him, but concluded that Peter Parker wasn't in fact Spider-Man because of his poor performance against them.
After partially gaining his powers back, Spider-Man managed to defeat them. However, Doctor Connors carried out some tests on him at his request and revealed that a mutation was beginning, which could have disastrous consequences. Spider-Man sought advice from Professor Charles Xavier, who told him that he couldn't help him as his job was to help mutants to accept themselves, although Beast mentioned that Doctor Herbert Landon of the Brand Corporation was working on a cure for mutancy. However, it transpired that Landon's real intention was to destroy all mutants, and Spider-Man teamed up with the X-Men to stop him.
Michael Morbius, a fellow student of Peter's at university, unintentionally came into contact with a sample of his mutated blood. Seconds later, Morbius was bitten by a vampire bat, resulting in him transforming into a vampire, and feeding on plasma. At the same time, Spider-Man's mutation advanced and he sprouted four extra arms. Following struggles with both the Punisher and Blade, Morbius was driven into hibernation.
Spider-Man, meanwhile, reached the peak of his mutation and turned into the "Man-Spider". Doctor Mariah Crawford temporarily lifted his mutation. He was kept from mutating again under the condition that he took a serum every twenty-four hours. When the Vulture, whose ambition was to restore his youth, absorbed Spider-Man's youth, he also absorbed the wall-crawler's disease.
This effectively freed Spider-Man from his mutation for good, and he was no longer forced to take the serum. Mary Jane was guided by a cult managed by Baron Mordo, who had her believe that he could reunite her with her father. Mordo's intention was to use his hypnotized followers to steal the Wand of Watoomb in order to allow Dormammu to escape his dimension. Spider-Man teamed up with Doctor Strange to counter the plot, and rescue Mary Jane.
It was at this point that Peter came under the wisdom of Madame Web, who claimed to need and prepare Spider-Man for an "ultimate battle". Madame Web gave Spider-Man advice during his battles against supervillains including Doctor Octopus, Alistair Smythe and Tombstone, although much to his chagrin. Spider-Man also faced off against the Green Goblin for the first time. Peter later quit working for the Daily Bugle and began work for Fisktronics.
However, the Kingpin had his son Richard frame Parker in order to cover up his criminal activities. Peter was convicted. His lawyer was Matt Murdock, who held a grudge against the Kingpin for the death of his father. Spider-Man teamed up with Matt's alter ago, Daredevil, to clear Peter's name and defeat the Kingpin, although the criminal mastermind managed to escape.
From that point, Spider-Man was aware that Wilson Fisk and the Kingpin were one and the same. Johnathon Ohnn, the creator of interdimensional portal technology, was fired by Tony Stark after Baron Mordo reunited Venom and tried to use him and the symbiotes spawn, Carnage, to release Dormammu by stealing the technology from Stark Enterprises. However, Ohnn continued his research under employ of the Kingpin. In an accident, Johnathon became attached to the portals and learned to control them, although he accidentally opened a portal which grew in size and threatened to engulf the entire Earth. He managed to close it with help from Spider-Man, at the cost of his own life.
Despite the portal technology being seemingly lost, the Hobgoblin apparently still had access to it. The Hobgoblin struck up a deal with the Kingpin for the technology, although the crimelord became agitated at Hobgoblin's interference in his criminal activities and demanded that Norman Osborn reveal the identity of the Goblin to him, threatening to harm his son Harry should he fail. The stress caused Norman to be driven insane and become the Green Goblin again, defeating the Hobgoblin. He also discovered Spider-Man's identity, and believed that Peter had got together with Mary Jane in order to hurt Harry, in an attempt to get at him.
The Goblin subsequently kidnapped Mary Jane and she was lost through an interdimensional portal, which the goblin was also sent through after Spider-Man defeated him. Peter was emotionally damaged due to the loss of Mary Jane, but sought distraction after the Black Cat came into his life, who wanted to become partners with Spider-Man in crime fighting. Harry also discovered Peter's alter ego, and was soon haunted by images of his father, leading him into becoming the second Green Goblin. Harry was sent to Ravencroft for treatment after being defeated.
Mary Jane also mysteriously returned to a delighted Peter. Peter later discovered that his parents were spies for the American government, but were branded as traitors during World War II with Soviet Union against America. Peter also married Mary Jane (or at least a clone of the woman, unbeknownst to him until minutes before her death). Madame Web also revealed the ultimate battle she had been preparing him for - he'd been chosen by the Beyonder to prevent the creature from a parallel reality known as Spider-Carnage from destroying all of reality.
A group of Spider-Men from other realities were also chosen, and they all worked together to defeat Spider-Carnage. Spider-Man used Uncle Ben who was still alive in one of the Spider-Men's realities to get through to the Peter Parker inside Spider-Carnage. After, Madame Web decided to help Spider-Man find the real Mary Jane. What happened afterwards is currently unknown.
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Opening File: Symbiote
The Klyntar, originally and better known as the Symbiotes, are a species of inorganic, amorphous, symbiotic extraterrestrials created from the "living abyss" at the beginning of the universe by the primordial deity Knull, who manifested a sword of living darkness called All-Black from his shadow to slaughter the Celestials and other deities. Symbiotes can feed on their host's adrenaline, usually released into the bloodstream during the fight-or-flight response. They have also been shown to depend on their hosts for a steady supply of phenethylamine, a chemical found as a neurotransmitter in the human brain. While this has been known to lead some symbiotes to consume the brains of others, the chemical can also be ready found in processed chocolate.
Other symbiotes - like the clone of the Venom symbiote - deliberately drain their hosts' vital fluids and/or physically consume them from the inside-out. While the symbiotes are connected to a host, they raise their host's dopamine levels. They can apparently be killed, or at least be forced into some sort of death-like state, by an overdose of dopamine-inhibitor. Symbiotes aren't able to bond with hosts who have high levels of vitamin C in their blood streams.
There are several levels of biological symbiosis, or "bonding" that can be achieved between a symbiote and its host, each with different biological consequences. When bonded to a superhuman host, a symbiote can interface with their genomes and physiology to imprint their unique powers and abilities into itself, granting subsequent hosts access to those powers. Symbiotes have some ability to sense the thoughts and emotions of sentient creatures, though to what extent remains unclear. The Venom symbiote was able to pattern itself after Spider-Man's thought, and respond to his mental commands even without significant bonding.
The psychic scream of the Venom symbiote was able to draw the attention of space-faring symbiotes, while powerful feelings of emotional anguish were able to actually kill many symbiotes. Symbiotes have a genetic memory, allowing them to exploit their parents' knowledge through ancestral recall. On Earth, this allows Venom's descendants to benefit from the symbiote's former bond with Spider-Man by gaining spider-like powers. Certain memories seem to be more readily accessible than others.
For example, the trauma of Galactus devouring a world populated by symbiotes so scarred the surviving members of the species that it still invokes an intense reaction in all symbiotes today. Symbiotes are genderless, usually reproduce asexually (though some symbiotes are hatched from eggs), and are thought to generally produce only one offspring in a lifetime. According to the Maker, symbiotes reproduce not at random as previously assumed, but to bolster their numbers in response to dire threats to the safety of their species. In the case of Venom, seeds were forcibly extracted to produce more offspring.
There is no family structure, and in fact it seems to be common among corrupted symbiotes for parent and offspring to hate each other. However, this observation is taken mostly from the relationship between the symbiote known as Venom and its children. Venom hates Carnage because of its murderous nature (owing to its first host being a nihilistic serial killer who had an antagonistic relationship with the Venom symbiote's preferred hosts). When its other "children" were born Eddie Brock thought that they would end up like Carnage, so he placed his hatred of him on them.
However, recently the Venom symbiote was pregnant after absorbing a clone of itself and wanted to rebond with Spider-Man because rebonding with Brock would kill the child because he had cancer. While they have a latent ability to sense the proximity of their progeny, they usually have no interest in them. The one exception comes once every 1,000 generations, when a symbiote is born with a high risk of psychotic breakdown, and must be guided by older symbiotes, or else destroyed. Their unique properties make the symbiotes immune to most conventional weapons.
They are dense enough to absorb the force of powerful blows and stop bullets before they reach the host being. They are able to process breathable gases for the host when it would otherwise be unable (underwater, for example). They seem to confer a weak healing factor on strongly-bonded hosts, but that bond can also send host and symbiote alike into shock if they are forcibly separated.
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Water
A man performed a series of a movement that manipulated the water around him.
Earth
Another man took a stance and with a few steps, lifted a large rock out of the ground.
Fire
A young woman performed an elegant dance, conjuring fire from her hands.
Air
A young boy landed on the ground and conjured a gust of wind.
Long ago the Four Nations lived in harmony
A map of the four nations was shown.
Then everything changed from the Fire Nation attack
Soldiers dressed in red and black armor marched onto a beach and fire erupted from their hands.
Only the Avatar, Master of the Four Elements could stop them.
An elderly man with long white hair and a beard, dressed in dark robes stood atop a cliff. He conjured earth, water, fire and in a gust of wind.
But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
The man immediately vanished, gone with the wind.
A hundred years past and my brother and I found the new Avatar. An Airbender named Aang.
A young girl and a boy found a boy close to their age frozen in ice.
He saved the world.
Aang stood before the fallen Fire Lord.
Peace was restored.
Aang stood with his friends before members of the four nations as an era of peace began.
That was what we thought.
The former Fire Lord, now a demon made purely of fire emerged from his prison.
"What happened here?" Aang whispered in shock, seeing the devastation to the Fire Nation capital.
The Fire Lord had become a demon of fire, desiring revenge.
"I am more powerful than I have ever been."
Former Fire Lord and Phoenix King Ozai entered his former palace, burning everything in his wake.
"Now I will finish what I started."
Only Aang can stop him.
Aang fired the fire demon that was once Ozai again, attempting to overpower him with the elements.
But it wasn't working.
"What's the matter, Avatar?" Ozai taunted with a mad cackle. "Can't take away my powers like before?!"
If he cannot…
The Fire Nation burned as Ozai let out a demented laugh. "This world shall burn and be born anew under me!"
The world may never be saved.
Presenting:
AVATAR: REVENGE OF THE PHOENIX KING
Xxx
"Your eyes do not deceive you. We have started covering what happened when the young heroine Dani Phantom and the Red Huntress Valerie Grey were taken from their universe. Now we cover what is happening when a dethroned tyrant suddenly gains a new, more dangerous power." TOM said once the trailer ended. "And we're still not done with Rise of the Phantom King but keep watching and we'll get there. We all believe that a happy ending is what awaits the hero when the bad guy is defeated but sometimes it's not that simple. When a war ends, the people don't just go home. There's a lot of work needed to be done to pick up all the pieces, homes to be rebuilt, families to be reunited and comforted for the ones lost and scars that need time to heal."
Xxx
Van Kleiss was standing in his control room with machines and insect like monsters monitoring the controls and everything else that was going on.
Van Kleiss was looking over at the main computer, observing it and how he was going to enact his plan. 'The virus should be ready soon. I have taken the appropriate measures into account. Still, there is something else not right here. Something…'
A grunt interrupted his musings. "I hope you appreciate us doing this little chore."
"Daddy!"
Van Kleiss turned around to see Bell skip into the room with a happy smile on her face, followed by Grodd, Rampage, Chuck, Hidekazu and Scaramouche. "Did you retrieve the girls?"
Bell nodded happily. "Yep!"
"The cloaked one is knocked out and in the medical room. Strapped to a table." Said Hidekazu.
"Excellent Hidekazu, I suspect you did all the work while Grodd just looked at himself in the mirror the whole time?" Asked Van Kleiss glancing at Grodd.
"Now that's uncalled for." Grodd grumbled.
"My apologies but maybe this will make you feel better. I want you to 'extract' as much useful information as you can out of that girl named Raven as you can. I have a feeling that she has information that may be... Useful, to our operations." Said Van Kleiss as Grodd smiled and nodded.
"Understood." He then turned around and left.
"And if she doesn't have anything useful?" Chuck asked.
"After Grodd is finished with his little 'interrogations', I will go in there and understand the secrets behind that girl's gift. And if she proves a problem while examining her, don't hesitate to show her the futility." Van Kleiss answered.
"Fine." Chuck said as he and the others turned and walked away.
"Though there is something else." Hidekazu brought up.
"Oh?"
"Hector-san brought back three hostages to keep them from following us." Hidekazu said, glaring at Chuck briefly. "An old farmer, his wife and their daughter."
"Hmph. They are probably useless but I am sure they can be used for something." Van Kleiss mused, waving them off. "Good job nonetheless."
"He said I did excellent work... OUR MASTER said I did excellent work..." Said Hidekazu incredibly excited as they walked out of the room.
"Teachers pet..." Chuck muttered as they left.
Van Kleiss turned back to what he was doing.
Xxx
As Grodd made his way to the room where Raven was being kept he made a quick detour and entered another laboratory.
Inside was the Green Goblin, chuckling sinisterly as stood over a pod with a young red haired woman kept in suspended animation.
"And how may I ask are we doing?" Grodd asked, walking up to the green colored villain.
"The symbiote is ready to bond with her as expected." The Goblin answered as he turned around with an excited grin on his face. "Best of all, Van Kleiss hasn't implanted the same nanites in her that he has with us."
When the woman had been brought to this world, a sample of a life form the Green Goblin had identified as a symbiote had arrived with her somehow. The Goblin had theorized that because the symbiote known as Carnage had been pulled into a dimensional portal and lost the same way he and Mary Jane had been it was possible a part of him had come into contact with her. Due to his expertise Van Kleiss had trust Goblin with studying it and seeing it could be used as a counter against the Grimm due to its nature being similar to the Dark Substance. Goblin had accepted and gained enough knowledge that he was actually able to create a new symbiote from the sample and was in the process of implanting in the woman.
How delicious it would be to turn the woman Spider-Man loves into a monster.
And best of all, Goblin would ensure it would be loyal to him and not Van Kleiss.
"Meaning once you are finished she will be free agent." Grodd said, looking over the woman.
"Even better." Goblin snickered. "She will be a symbiote Queen, able to give birth to many more symbiotes. They will spread, seeking human hosts and be perfect pawns."
"You say she is the Queen." Grodd remarked, raising an eyebrow. "So how do you plan to control her?"
"A little something I whipped up." Goblin said as he pointed to a collar around the woman's neck. "It will emit a high density sonic burst. Symbiotes are weak against fire or loud noises. If the Queen wishes to live she will have to do as we say."
"Don't you mean as Van Kleiss says? As long as his machines are in our bodies we have no choice but to obey him." Grodd reminded sourly.
"Not for long." Goblin beckoned Grodd to follow him to a table. "I took a sample of the symbiote and then some of my own blood that I had checked and sure enough it was infested with those nanites. Take a look."
Grodd looked through the microscope and saw the sample of the symbiote interacting with the nanites. The nanites tried to infect the sample but they seemed to have no effect. When they released mild shock the sample reacted violently, tearing the nanites to pieces.
"The sample of this…creature has neutralized the nanites." Grodd stood up with an impressed look on his face. "So in other words-"
"When she becomes a host for the symbiote she will be immune to Van Kleiss' nanites." Goblin finished with a sinister smile.
"And with that sound collar on her she will obey us. Or Van Kleiss if he has access to it." Grodd mused, a plan forming in his mind.
"Symbiotes are adaptable creatures. With some planning we can use her against Van Kleiss even if he has access to the collar." Goblin reassured the maniacal ape. "She can neutralize the nanites in us."
"I am not exactly comfortable with anymore alterations to my body." Grodd frowned, looking at the spider legs growing out of his back. "If not for the benefits I would be feeling like those meta-humans in my world."
"Or the mutants from mine." Goblin agreed.
"The only pleasure I can take from this is using the very power Van Kleiss has given us against him when the time is right." Grodd clenched a fist. "I underestimated one human already. I don't plan on making the same mistake again."
"So what will you?" Goblin asked.
"…First, see if this sample can be used to synthesize a cure for us without the symbiote infesting our bodies." Grodd answered. "Then proceed on schedule with creating more of these symbiotes. Let him think all is according to plan."
"And then?"
Grodd grinned. "We wait for the inevitable showdown of course. It won't be long before the good guys come to stop the bad guy."
Xxx
Meanwhile in another section of Van Kleiss' fortress, the Slab of King Ramses rested in a storage chamber. Van Kleiss had decided to store it somewhere out of the way, not seeing any practical need for it.
Since no one was paying attention to it, they never noticed the image of King Ramses vanish from the Slab.
Xxx
Raven slowly opened her eyes before looking around as her vision cleared. She saw she was in a laboratory of sorts but the room was dark except for a light above her before she tried to get up but couldn't. She looked down and saw restraints on her arms and legs and even her head to prevent her from moving. She struggled as best as she could but to no avail.
"Awake, are we?"
The lights turned on and Raven flinched from the sudden brightness before they adjusted. Before her was Grodd with his spider legs folded behind is back as he slowly approached her.
"Who are you?" Raven asked, refusing to show fear.
"Who am I? I guess either I don't exist in your universe which would be a pity or you have somehow never heard of me which is a pity in of itself. My name is Grodd but you can call me your lord and master." Grodd said, reaching out with his mental powers to try and take control of Raven's mind.
The young demoness grunted as she tried to fight back.
"Struggle all you want. The light shining down on you is designed to block the use of your powers which are darkness manipulation that allows for abilities like telekinesis, telepathy and even soul projection." Grodd said in an attempt to crush her strength. "You can't break free and you can't resist me."
"Maybe not…" Raven opened her eyes and glared back at him. "But it'll take more than an ape with such mediocre skill to break into my mind."
Grodd scowled. "Mediocre you say?"
"My powers may be weakened but I've trained my whole life to protect my mind from beings with stronger mental powers than yours." Raven grunted. "You won't break me."
"We'll see about that. I've been told to find out everything I can about you and your powers, especially since you seem to be stronger than the last time you were here." Grodd said, focusing his powers on breaking through her mental defenses.
Raven closed her eyes, focusing what powers she did have into keeping Grodd out. While the power dampening field did weaken her she could still feel her powers able to allow her to resist Grodd's own mind manipulation.
This gave her an idea.
"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos!" Raven's eyes flashed as she pushed back against the mind manipulation.
Grodd let out a scream as Raven took control of him before a brief second.
'Beast Boy, Scotty, Extor, Keanu, Rino!'
Xxx
Across the world in another continent, a pair of green eyes shot open. "Raven!"
Xxx
"All right. We're all assembled."
With a swipe of his sword, Scotty Blake led his team to their teammates who were waiting for them in GrimmFall.
Team BATL:
Baron Samedi.
Albert Forneus
Tiburon Akheilos
And Li Xiongmao.
"We have a problem though. The lass was kidnapped by that buffoon's lapdogs so we have another objective besides taking them out: rescue." Scotty said to the two teams assembled in Sebben's office. "Where are the other two?"
"Unfortunately there was a development." Sebben answered. "Apparently Superboy picked up a telepathic distress signal from a teammate of theirs being held captive somewhere on an island called Honey Swamp. They took off towards that placed through the transporters."
"Oh man! Right now?!" Keanu groaned. "We can't afford to wait for them."
"So don't." Baron suggested, twirling his cane. "Portal us there and we help them rescue their teammate. Get in, get out and then go after Van Kleiss."
"Do we even have the time for that? How long do we have before Sammael's army reaches Nowhere?" Tiburon asked.
"A week at most. Between the Darklands, the Wilds and the fact that Sammael is working to keep the army from being detected on radar by that tropical storm he has conjured it can't move very fast." Sebben answered. "There is still time rescue this other teammate."
"Can Raven even hold up that long?" Keanu asked. "Maybe we should split and rescue both."
"Not a good idea. Given what we've seen Van Kleiss' domain will be well guarded by forces strong enough to take us on. We need all the numbers and able bodies we can get." Extor advised.
"Agreed." Albert Forneus nodded in agreement.
That was when all of Team SKER felt something shouting in their heads and they all grunted for a second.
"Something wrong?" Callie asked.
"Aye, the lass just sent out a call for help." Scotty rubbed his head. "She's fighting back and we need to as well."
"So what's the plan?" Keanu asked.
"We're going to get the other two along with the Grimm Slayer and three Digi folk and we're going after them." Scotty held up his sword as the Celtic runes started glowing.
"Aren't we forgetting something?" Baron asked.
"Like what?" Rino asked.
"That Grimm army is going to rampage across Nowhere. It might be sparsely populated but's still populated." Baron said, gesturing to the other person Team SEKR had brought back. "Case in point."
Shirley had been silent up until now.
"She wants in because those guys kidnapped her clients…before they could pay her." Rino shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea to me."
"I agree with Baron. The town of Nowhere will be the biggest populated area that must be evacuated before Sammael's army arrives." Li nodded in agreement. "Perhaps Team BATL will be better suited to evacuation while Team SEKR tracks down our missing friends."
"Agreed." Sebben nodded. "I will arrange for some transportation to be sent to help."
"And what will you be doing?" Baron asked, looking at Shirley.
"I will assist in the evacuation but I want my things and my home to be loaded onto a separate ship." Shirley answered. "Nowhere is full of thieves and scoundrels."
"Case in point." Rino muttered.
"So I want my home to be somewhere safe when I get back." Shirley finished without batting an eye to Rino's comment.
"Very well." Sebben accepted the fortune teller's terms. "I will see to it your home is left safe and untouched."
"Good." Shirley nodded.
"And then after we get everyone together we go after those guys." Scotty declared with finality in his voice. "Time to end this."
Xxx
"There's no easy answer or path to what you must take, Peter Parker."
Somewhere, far out in the multi-verse, an elderly woman with grey hair and dressed in a black skin dress with a white outline resembling a spider on her chest.
"Originally your Mary Jane would have stumbled her way out of the limbo she fell into on her own." She began, speaking to the second person in her parlor.
"What do you mean? Has something happened?"
"The limbo she fell into does not follow the rules of linear time that mortal worlds do. She would have stumbled onto your nineteenth century with the effects of her time in limbo causing her to lose her memory. Only now it seems someone else has tampered with that path." The woman said stoically. "Mary Jane has been taken to another place. Another reality, different but similar to yours in so many ways."
The crystal ball showed the world she speaking of, with the young man seeing various people fighting against…monsters.
"They look like something Venom spit out." The man said.
"Though similar they are not the same. They are forces of destruction, much like Spider-Carnage was. This world is filled with powerful individuals, some becoming paragons of virtue, light and glory while others are soldiers of evil, darkness and calamity. When one battle ends a new one begins." The woman explained. "Someone has been tampering with the natural order, piercing the walls between realities and it is already causing severe damage that must be addressed."
"So MJ is with these guys?"
"Yes."
"Then send me there and I'll stop them."
"Not alone. You will need help."
"Who in that world would be willing to help?"
The crystal ball projected an image of Phil Ken Sebben. "Who indeed?"
Xxx
The people of Gravity Falls had gathered at Mayor Befufftlefumpter's memorial where the final debate was to take place.
The American Dude held up a box of bird seeds. "Seed here! Support your favorite candidate by throwing election seed!"
A man put the mayor picking eagle in the cage.
"Welcome all to the final debate in what sure to be on a cosmic scale a forgettable blip in human history." Shranda announced as the candidates walked up to the stage waving. "And here come the two most popular candidates! But what's this?"
Soos walked up the stage wearing the mind control tie.
"One new candidate has entered the ring!"
"Wait a minute. What?!" Stan gaped but then saw the tie the twins had used on him now controlling Soos. "Those backstabbing..."
Behind the stage, Dipper was just staring at Soos and Grunkle Stan, wondering if he was indeed crossing a line now. Sure it would be nice if either of them won but what was point was there now that he knew Bill didn't care about the election?
Why were they even doing this?
"Let the debate begin!" Shandra rang the bell.
"First question. What's your position on axes! Wait, I mean..." Manly Dan squinted on the card he was holding. "Taxes!"
"Easy! Taxes are the worst. I propose we stimulate the economy by waging wars on neighboring cities. We. Have. The cannons."
The crowd booed.
"What? Uh..." Stan looked desperately on his cue cards.
"I don't know much about taxes, but I can promise you a kitten in every pot!" Soos said and then pointed accusingly to the right. "That doesn't make sense, Mabel." Soo then pointed accusingly to the left. "You don't make sense, Dipper!"
The tie sparked up as Tyler spoke next.
"Friends, friends. Can't you see what's happening on this stage? These politicians are dancing around the issues. Well... I can sing around the issue!" Tyler ripped apart his clothes to reveal a blue tank top, red sparkly pants and a belt with a small screen on it, catching a guitar and started to sing. "Oh crime is bad! Crime is oh-so bad! Vote for Tyler and there ain't gonna be no crime! Crime's bad. Vote Tyler."
He laid down and winked.
"You may now throw your bird seed!" Shandra said and the crowd threw bird seeds into Bud's box. "And now a quick intermission. "
"We're getting eaten alive back there! Since when is Tyler been... creepily adorable?" Dipper wondered back stage with Mabel.
"I don't know! It doesn't make sense! He's almost acting just like... like..." Mabel trailed off at the mere mention of his name.
"Wittle ol' me." Mabel and Dipper gasped as Tyler walked towards them with Gideon appearing on the screen. "Aha! Hello there, long time no see! Except in my revenge fantasies where I see you on an hourly basis."
"Gideon! I knew you were somehow behind this! You've been controlling Tyler!" Dipper exclaimed, realizing now they had a reason to win.
If Tyler won he could get Gideon out of jail!
"And it seems you've been controlling Stanford! I figured it the both of y'all. You've got much eviller since I last saw you. Tyler!" Gideon snapped his fingers and Tyler walked towards them.
Xxx
"Let go of us!"
Tyler carried the twins to the elevator to the top of the mayor's memorial. He then proceeded to tie the twins up with the inside filled with fireworks.
"Behold, your grand view of the debate! Once I win this election, I'll finally rule this backwoods town!"
"You'll never get away with this, you creepy little dork!" Mabel exclaimed.
"Oh, I'd be happy to spare you Mabel. If you agree to be mine. I even made you this wedding dress in crafts class!" Gideon held up something that was supposed to look like a dress before whispering. "Don't ask what it's made of."
Mabel cringed. "Eww, I'd rather die, you creep!"
"Fine! Have it your way. Once I win, they'll hit the plunger for the fireworks display, finishing the mountain's construction, trapping y'all inside. I've been trapped behind concrete all summer, now see how you like it!" The twins gasped as he let out a laugh. "Say hello to the next mayor of Gravity Falls, kids! Muwahahahahahaha!"
Gideon then had Tyler leave the twins as they struggled to get out.
Xxx
"And uh, that is why, um... the Statue of Liberty is our hottest landmark." The crowd booed as Stan's audience approval rating went down. "Alright alright, she's kind of mannish. What do you want from me?"
The crowd continues to shower Tyler's box with the bird seeds as his audience approval ratings went up with Tyler smiling smugly at Stan.
"Augh." Stan grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket and wiped his forehead with it. "You're dying out there, Stan." He stopped to see that the paper was actually Dipper and Mabel's speech for him just as his approval went to zero. "You kids were right all along. I should have listened to you when I had the chance. "
"Help! Help us!" Mabel's voice shouted.
"What the-?" Stan looked to the mountain.
"We're tied to a bunch of fireworks!" Dipper called out.
The twins tried to jump out, but ended up cracking the rock under them, hanging from the nose screaming with the rope fraying fast. Tyler screamed and pointed to the twins hanging. Everyone looked up and gasped.
"KIDS!" Stan yelled.
The rope began to fray even more, almost completely snapped in two, making the twins cry out in fear.
Stan gasped before turning to audience. "Listen, everybody! This debate is over! I gotta go save my family!"
Tyler turned to audience next. "Those, uh, those are just some...demolition dummies. Nothing to see here!"
Stan points at Tyler. "Can it, Cutebiker!"
Stan ripped the sleeves off of his jacket and yelled. He ran backstage and began climbing up one of the towers near the memorial. The crowd got up from their seats and moved to watch Stan.
As this was happening, Shandra narrated the situation. "In a shocking turn of events, Stan Pines has run to the aid of two children who appear to be in danger!"
The excited crowd began throwing their bird seed at Stan himself.
"And the crowd is loving it!"
Stan kept on climbing tower and was adjacent to the twins while shrugging off birdseed. "No, stop it!" He took a second look at the crowd. "Thank you, but stop it!"
Eagles begin flying around Stan.
"Aah! Get back, you terror birds!"
Stan punched them out and keeps climbing, reaching the top of the tower and leapt from it to the memorial's nose as the crowd pointed at him. As he regained his balance, the rope snapped in two. Before it fell, Stan caught it and began pulling the twins up.
"Grunkle Stan!" Dipper and Mabel exclaimed in relief.
Stan kept on pulling the rope. "Kids! Look, I'm sorry I was being stubborn. I guess being the town's hero wasn't enough. I wanted to be yours too."
"We're sorry, Grunkle Stan. We should've supported you, win or lose." Mabel apologized.
However Dipper rolled his eyes. "Probably lose."
"I can still drop you, you know." Stan retorted but then finished pulling the kids up.
They and Stan were safe inside the memorial. Stan hugged the kids while they laughed. Outside the memorial, the crowd cheered as Stan stood on top of the memorial's nose with the twins on either side of him. Stan's box was overflowing with birdseed, and his approval rating is through the roof.
Tyler stared in shock before sitting down and banged his fists on the floor, in response to Gideon's own temper tantrum from jail.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, not again!" He stepped down and grabbed a primed remote detonator on the ground, glancing at the memorial. "Time to take care of you, once and for all!"
Dipper, Mabel, and Stan looked in shock as they spotted Tyler about to press the detonator.
"Oh no! We have to get out of here!" Dipper exclaimed.
"Kids. If I die, make sure I get a bigger tombstone than Ford." Stan said solemnly.
The kids nodded as Stan grabbed them and jumped off of the memorial as Tyler pressed the handle, blowing up the memorial. The kids and Stan screamed, landing in the huge pile of Stan's bird seed unharmed. The crowd screamed and ran away as chunks of the memorial rain down. One hit Tyler and knocked him on the ground.
Xxx
Gideon's TV filled with static, showing that he had lost control of Tyler.
"No!" The demented boy ripped his Journal page in half. "No!"
Then grabbed his TV, throwing it against the wall and yelled while tearing his hair.
Xxx
The timer had finished counting down, and the mayor picking eagle was set free. It cawed, flew overhead, and settled down near Stan, kissing his head. Half of the memorial was molten and destroyed while Stan was helping the twins out of the bird seed pile and then brushed himself off.
"Mayor Pines! Mayor Pines! Mayor Pines! Mayor Pines!" The crowd changed as fireworks begin to go off in the background.
"Well, guess we know who won." Dipper noted with a smile.
Xxx
"What's the ruckus?"
Ford came out from the basement to see Stan moving his things into a rather large truck. The noise was enough to distract from his work down below.
"Grunkle Ford!" Mabel greeted happily as she rushed to him. "You'll never believe it! Grunkle Stan won the election!"
"He did? Because of the tie I made for you." Ford stated with a smile.
"Well…" Mabel made a little circle in the floor with her foot. "Not exactly."
"Huh?"
"….winning an overwhelming 95% of the vote due to his brave actions in rescuing his nephew and niece from an unplanned demolition for the memorial of the previous mayor." Shandra said on live TV.
Stan happily turned the TV off, before looking around the room, smiling at his niece, nephew and grandkids. "And I owe it all to you guys."
Stan had decided to throw a party to celebrate his victory.
"Congratulations, grandpa." Zoe said, holding up a glass of fruit punch.
"Thanks kiddo. Say, what were you and Frida doing while Dipper and Mabel were using that mind control tie on me?" Stan asked curiously.
"Oh, we hacked into the federal database to make sure no one could look at your criminal records." Zoe answered nonchalantly.
Stan sputtered a bit. "You what?"
"It was a little hard work. First we had to look at the digital copies which me and Frida did. Then Mom and Grandma searched for all prisons and police precincts that had hard copies of your crimes, especially the ones before you went working for Sebben. They made sure to remove and destroy any and all copies but they had to call on a lot of favors. Us and Sky had our work cut out for us."
"You had Sky help?" Dipper asked.
"Yep." Frida nodded.
"So where is she?"
Xxx
"You hacked into a federal database?"
Where was Sky?
Getting scolded by her father.
Hoagie rubbed his face. "How'd you even learn how to do that?"
"You taught me, Daddy. When I was eight. You built that miniature computer and then showed me all the routines for hacking through high-level but not super encrypted files." Sky answered.
"I did…Oh." This time Hoagie smacked himself in the face. "Right I did. Your mother threatened to blow me up if you got caught and thrown in federal prison for that."
Sky giggled before becoming somber. "…Daddy?"
"Yeah?" Hoagie saw the sad look on his daughter's face.
"Will we see Mommy again?"
Hoagie sighed. "I hope so, princess. I hope so."
"So….Am I in trouble?"
Hoagie patted his daughter on the shoulder. "We'll talk in the morning. Now go to bed and no more disassembling the toys you find. That bed looks like a miniature factory instead of an actual bed."
Sky pouted but then smiled as she skipped forward and hugged her father. "G'night, Daddy."
Hoagie smiled as he hugged back. "Good night, my Sky Princess."
Sky giggled and then head off to bed. Hoagie sighed as she closed the door, leaving him alone and with what he was working on. He walked over to the work bench and looked at the computer on a nearby work desk.
On the screen were the digital schematics of some kind of battle armor along with a glider.
Xxx
"Probably with her dad." Frida shrugged.
"But let's focus more on your criminal past." Zoe continued as everyone gathered in the room. "Man, Grandpa you made the rest of us look like kids in a Brotherhood of Light school."
"Oh boy." Stan groaned with his grandkids now knowing all of his criminal past.
"Stan, what did you do?" Mabel asked, holding a glass of Mabel juice.
"What didn't I do?"
Zoe brought out her tablet. Crimes include shoplifting, teaching bears to drive, a new crime he invented called "burglebezzlement", first-degree llamacide..." Her expression became increasingly confused the more she read.
Stan shook his fist. "That llama knew too much."
"First-degree thermometer theft, Pug trafficking, Snacks Evasion, Pickpocketing, Woodpecker baiting, impersonating a dentist, general indecency, gold cart theft, bingo fraud. Telling jokes that just go on and on and the person who wrote this stopped with 'I mean, I have things to do today, really'." Zoe said, continuing to read the file.
"Well, sounds like they didn't list any of the bad ones." Stan sighed in relief. "On an unrelated topic, I have a lot of cheap pugs and I need to move them fast."
"Grunkle Stan," Dipper began with a sorry look on his face. "Sorry I doubted you. I think having you as mayor will be fun."
"Ah, don't sweat it." Stan patted his nephew on the back. "I would have doubted me too."
"Does this mean I get my house back?" Ford asked.
Stan scoffed. "Glad you got your priorities straight, Poindexter. And no, you agreed to wait until the end of the summer."
"What? You're going to be mayor and run this ship?" Ford questioned. "For what possible reason?"
"Because two jobs mean double the money. I'll just be leaving Mabel to supervise Soos and Wendy when I am not around." Stan gestured to Mabel who had a big smile.
"I am the woman of the house!" She declared proudly.
"I'll have my tablet on me so we can talk whenever we want. She'll be the adorable one when Soos and Wendy aren't doing their jobs she calls me, sets the volume to extra loud and I shout at them to get back to work. Also I may need Soos over at town hall to be a foot stool." Stan explained happily.
"I accept this responsibility!" Soos said and then knelt on all fours in front of Stan. "Would you like me to vibrate, Mr. Mayor?"
"Not now. Maybe later." Stan waved Soos away. "Anything else?"
"Hey, I knit you something." Mabel held up her arms and gave Stan a sash that read 'OUR HERO'. "It's not official yet, but I think it fits."
She gave the sash to Stan, who then sniffled.
"Grunkle Stan, are you crying?" Dipper asked.
Stan quickly wiped his eyes. "I got campaign confetti in my eyes!" He stood up and put on the sash. "Come on, who wants to go see the mayor's mansion I now live in? We can party there all night!"
"Yay!" Mabel along with Zoe and Frida cheered.
"Party!" Dipper pumped a fist into the air. "Can we invite Wendy?"
"And don't forget Soos." Mabel brought up.
"Heck, invite the whole town. Might as well start this with a crazy part!" Stan laughed as he along with his family headed out the door.
Except for one.
"Well, he actually did it." Ford said, watching them go. "Can't say I'm not wondering how this will go."
Xxx
"Stan Pines is our new mayor!"
"Are they DAFT?!"
This voice startled everyone in the mansion.
"They can't be serious?!"
"Uncle Scrooge?"
Three duck Mobians peeked their heads into the living room to see their Uncle pacing about and muttering angrily to himself.
"Scrooge, calm down." Scrooge's housekeeper Bentina said, trying to calm him down. "So what if Stan Pines is still alive?"
"It matters because that stunt he pulled that cost me a great deal of money back when he was working for me and Sebben!" Scrooge barked. "I always suspect he faked his death but now I find out he's now mayor of some town!"
"Uh…Can we pretend we have no idea what is going on?" Louie Duck asked, cutting into the conversation and looked at the man on TV. "You know this guy?"
"He's someone who worked for me when I was still running Skyfall Academy." Scrooge answered sourly. "I trust him and he stabbed me in the back."
"No way!" Louie said. "And he stole from you?"
"Aye, he did." Scrooge shook his head. "And odd thing is he is supposed to be dead. So he must have faked his death, no surprises there."
"So what will you do?" Huey asked. "Why not just call the police and have him arrested?"
"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Bentina replied. "All copies of Stan Pines' criminal records have gone missing."
"Huh?"
"Of course. He must have had someone get rid of them before he was elected so one would go looking. First I have some calls to make…and then I might go to this Gravity Falls and meet this new mayor myself. He owes me a lot of money!" Scrooge growled, banging his cane on the floor.
"Whoo-hoo!" Dewy pumped a fist in the air. "Road trip!"
Xxx
Gideon was sulking in the arts and crafts room of the prison due to his latest plan failing.
One of the larger prisoners with strange empty eyes came over and padded him on the back. "I'm sorry the election thing didn't work out for you, bro. But if it makes you feel any better, we're gonna throw a riot tonight! Does someone wanna throw a riot?"
"Thanks, Ghost-Eyes." Gideon sighed, deciding to turn in for the night. "I'm just not in the mood."
Back in his cell Gideon was in bed, wide awake.
He then sat up in his bed, looking at a poster that says 'HANG ON TO THAT BRANCH OR DIE, CAT!'. "This poster is the only thing keeping me going."
Gideon got up and ripped the poster off of his wall. Underneath it was a chalk drawing of the Zodiac. The symbols aren't in their normal positions, and some of them are shaped differently. Bill was drawn in the middle, without his eye.
Gideon then drew the eye using chalk. "I'm finally ready to make a deal."
A yellow glow enveloped Gideon.
Xxx
"Well, I was kind of hoping we could use Aunt Miranda's portal gun but this works too."
The Saturday Airship had reached Louisiana a few days after the Eternal Winter had ended landed on Honey Island. The Saturdays disembarked and stopped at the edge of the island, looking out at the swamp.
Doc took in a deep breath. "Isn't it great?"
Great was not the word Drew had in mind.
"When did they stop paying the gardener?" She asked, seeing how much the small town had fallen in disrepair.
"The government money was what kept this town alive." Doc answered.
Zak heard splashing sounds and looked around, spotting a shadow moving in the swamp between the trees. "Um, hey, Dad, you said you studied cryptids here. Any up close study sessions?"
"The Honey Island Swamp Monster." Doc said proudly, crossing his arms. "The first cryptid I ever tracked. Boy, this place brings back memories."
He grabbed his wife by the hand and took off, dragging her along. "Come on. I want to show you the lab."
Fiskerton and Komodo moved to follow but Zak stopped them, bringing a finger to his lips and pointed behind them. "It's watching us."
The creature made a hissing sound, making Fisk and Zak gasp and step back but rather than attack it turned and fled into the swamp.
"Fiskerton!" Zak scolded his brother for scaring the creature away. "Come on, let's go see what it's doing here."
Xxx
"The computer of the future, you say?"
Frankly Drew was surprised it was still actually working after all this time. It still used old style tapes for records. Doc had already replaced an old degraded one with a backup he had kept away in storage.
"A T-1500 super processor. I built it myself." Doc said proudly. "From a kit."
"Oh, you must have been the cutest little nerd in the whole computer club." Drew cooed and kissed her husband on the cheek. "How are Lancaster's files?"
Both turned to the main computer screen that displayed said files.
"They're incredible. He was even closer than I realized." Doc said, taking a seat. "Just a few key strands missing. Drew, I can finish this. Do you realize what this means?"
Drew leaned over his shoulder. "Hm, you'll have to admit I was right about the EVP?"
"No…M-Maybe. We'll see." Doc grudgingly conceded before pointing at the screen. "But this research, these same DNA sequences are the building blocks of every crypted on Earth, including Kur. Forget about stones, tombs, ancient artifacts. If this genetic map works, we can find Kur by its own DNA."
"All right. Scoot over." Drew said, pushing Doc to the side and sharing his seat. "You got yourself a lab assistant."
Xxx
"She's here."
Having used the transporter system, Superboy and Artemis had arrived in Louisiana, following the psychic trail left by Miss Martian.
"You sure it's here?" Artemis asked as they stepped off the pad.
Good thing they had been given clearance to use this system by Major Glory and the other Justice Friends. The transport system allowed for instant travel around the world and one just happened to be built in Louisiana.
"Positive." Superboy answered, walking out of the building. "There is something…different about it but I know it's here."
"Hold on." Artemis stopped in front of her friend. "Different? Different how?"
"I don't know…" Connor looked away. "Just…different. Like she's on some other wave length. I don't speak telepathic."
"Neither do I but if something is different how we do know it's not a trap?" Artemis asked. "We've had this before, you know."
Superboy wasn't going to argue on that. "Look, this doesn't feel like a trap. I know it's her, even if there is a slight difference. Maybe Van Kleiss ran some experiments on her or something. Messed with her telepathy."
"Or created a way to mimic it and lure us into a trap." Artemis pointed out. "And how come you were the only one to get this message and not me? Mg'ann's my friend too."
"I don't know…Maybe it's just because…" Connor shook his head. "Look, I need you to trust me on this Artemis. It's M'gann and I'm going to save her. If you think it's a trap then go back and get help from the others."
Artemis watched as Superboy walked around her and kept on going, following the trail seemingly left in his head by M'gann and sighed. "…Wait up."