The Onslaught War: StrangeFate Onslaught War Special
Disclaimer: all character are property of their respective owners.
Spoilers: general spoilers for the Amalgam Comics line
Author Note: This was originally written in 2003, and as such based on the DC and Marvel universes as they existed at the time. Also, it's written as if it was a crossover event, with every chapter being a different issue from some time wildly different comics.
A.N. 2: revised by JediKnight, from TtH.
StrangeFate Onslaught War Special
Changes
Written by Antonio Cabanas
Doctor StrangeFate Sanctum Sanctorum. Tower of StrangeFate. New Gotham
Inza and Myx were contemplating the body of Dr. StrangeFate. He looked asleep, but they both knew that his spirit was out there, trapped somewhere. They walked out of the room, toward the main room of StrangeFate sanctum-sanctorum
"Where are the objects that Doc mentioned on our mental talk, Myx?" asked Inza, "His old cape, amulet and mask?"
"In storage, if you'll wait a moment." he said, disappearing in a flash, and reappearing a moment later, carrying the three objects in his hands.
Inza took the objects from his hands, the purple cape, the golden mask and the small amulet that Dr. StrangeFate had worn long time ago. She put on the cape, clipped it with the amulet but she had her doubts about the mask. Finally, she took a deep breath and placed it on her face, and when it changed shape to fit her head, she thanked any deity which could be listening that she usually kept her long hair collected in a ponytail.
"Myx, where is the orb of Agamotto?" she said, as an idea hit her, "I think that I am going to need it."
After a quick search, the trans-dimensional imp brought an emerald orb resembling an eye, mounted on a tripod, to the meditation room. He placed it on the center of the room, as Inza sat, cross-legged, in front of it.
"All-seeing Agamotto, Vishanti Lord of Order, I am searching knowledge. Help me through this artifact that you gave to Nabu, the Ancient One and he passed to his disciple StrangeFate. I'm Inza Jeanne Strange, disciple of StrangeFate"
For a moment, nothing happened, and suddenly she was assaulted by visions, a kaleidoscope of images: a humanoid form shining like the sun was flying over the sea; a council of the Eternal Olympics was being stalked by a shadowy figure of which she was only able to glimpse a black metallic helmet; an ethereal face, made of moonbeams, laughing; the ship of Thorion the Celestial, moving through the stars, and Thorion himself fallen on the floor; and the same shadowy figure that she saw in Olympia, covered by a tattered black cape and a black metallic helmet which oddly resembled StrangeFate's own cloak and helmet, draping itself over Earth.
She stumbled back, the mask slipping of her face, and her connection with the mystical artifact broken. Her face distorted into a devilish visage briefly, quickly turning back to normal when she regained control of her demonic 'guest'.
While she recovered the mask from the stone floor, she spoke to Myx:
"Myx, I think that I saw Apollo, of the JLX, flying over the sea, maybe the Atlantic." Inza said, "Can you bring him here?"
"Should be no problem, mistress. But, may ask why?"
"I sensed a... presence inside him when I saw his image in the Orb of Agamotto." Inza said.
"I'll try to bring him, mistress Inza. I advise caution, though." Myx said, before closing his eyes, focused in finding the metamutant.
Inza created a circle of warding with her powers, just before a pool of mist appeared in front the great window, condensing quickly in a glowing humanoid form.
Without warning, Apollo shot an optic blast to Inza, who swiftly dodged the attack and used the circle's energies to neutralize Apollo, and envelop him with the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. Her reactions had been fast, way faster than before, actually.
"It's strange. I feel like my skills had grown stronger, and my reaction time is faster merely by putting on this mask." Inza commented.
"That's because the mask serves as a focus for your mystical energies." a tired StrangeFate said from the door, "It was a great help, for a young, brash apprentice like me."
"Doc! How did you escape?" a bewildered Inza asked.
"Later, child. strange events are happening all over the Universe." he said, floating to his throne-like elevated chair. "And I fear that all of them had a single cause."
Inza nodded, her face an impassible mask, because although he sounded and looked like StrangeFate, she had the gut feeling that something was wrong here. She glanced covertly to Myx, to no avail, because his expression was as unreadable as ever.
New Gotham
On Logan's flat, Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee was watching an anime marathon on TV. Logan had watch on the JLA Satellite, and last week, she was chasing Hyena, she jumped from a balcony and sprained her ankle, so Sparrow was down for the moment.
'Godammit, how does Betty make those acrobacies look so easy?' she thought as she sat down, referring to Betty Grayson, Nightshadow, one of her predecessors as Sparrow. She was sure that the older girl had never had so many bad landings like her. Maybe she should start to think about changing the uniform. Those tights were not exactly warm in winter days, and the pixie shoes didn't do anything in case of a bad landing. Hmmm..., calf-high boots would provide enough support for the ankle, and maybe pants instead of tights...
StrangeFate Sanctum Sanctorum
"You were very smart bringing Apollo here, Inza. I sense that he is mind-controlled, maybe by the same being that is the cause of the recent disturbances." StrangeFate said as he approached Apollo.
Inza didn't say anything or showed how off he was sounding, but she was readying several spells in case that her suspicions prove true. StrangeFate, oblivious to his pupil's suspicions, stood before Apollo, now unconscious, and with a movement of his hands, magically strapped him on a golden ankh.
"All-Seeing Eye of Agamotto, reveal the evil being who is controlling this noble soul." he intoned.
The magical light which emanated from the amulet on the neck of the wizard enveloped Apollo, and after enveloping Apollo for a few seconds, it shot back to StrangeFate, whose form began to shimmer, revealing a gigantic being, clad in a dark red armor, crowned by a black helmet and covered by a tattered black cape, clipped at his neck by a black amulet emblazoned with the symbol displayed on the big round window of the room where they were now.
StrangeFate seemed shocked by the revelation, but he managed to turn back into himself.
"The evil inside me... I am the cause." he turned toward her pupil and his aide, as his shape began to shimmer again, "I can't constrain it for long! Fly, you fools!"
But the being was already moving even before StrangeFate shape disappeared completely, taking Myx by surprise.
"I NEED YOUR RARE MYSTICAL ENERGIES TO FULFILL MY TASK." he said as he absorbed the extra-dimensional imp, and the he turned to Inza, "AND YOURS ALSO, CHILD."
"Over my dead body, monster!" she said, jumping through the window.
She used the old levitation cape to slow the fall from the tall tower, managing a rough landing on a dirty alley of New Gotham City. After getting up, she examined her surroundings, trying to know where she had fallen, and thinking what to do. She was quite familiar with New Gotham, but that was her home time, an alternate future when the city had grown into a megalopolis, quite different from its current incarnation of the city. She located the Arkham tower, and using a very simple illusion spell transformed her colored attire into jeans trouser and a black top, the cape into a jean jacket and her mask into dark glasses and a hair band, and the amulet was now clipped on her jacket as a pin. She began to walk to a park that was placed near the tower under the ever-present dark clouds covering the city.
The Robert Kane Park was as somber and grim as the city where it was located, but to Inza was a heaven's gift, due to the fact that was located over a hill. From there, she located the building that she was searching, every moment praying that the being that had possessed StrangeFate didn't find her.
StrangeFate Sanctum-Sanctorum
She would never know but Inza wasn't precisely the first worry of the mystical creature just now.
"Do you know what you have to do?" Onslaught said to Apollo.
"Yes, master." he said blankly.
"Go away, then." Onslaught said, sending Apollo toward an unknown destination.
He reverted to the form of StrangeFate and transported himself to another location, as some parts of his plot needed his personal attention.
New Gotham
Inza sensed the perturbation on the magic field of Earth that produced the creature when he transported himself. Now that he was too far away to detect her use of the levitation cape, she entered in a decrepit apartment building and went up to the roof. There, she disabled the illusion spell and began to levitate toward a particular building in the best part of the city.
Some time later she reached the building, and a particular floor on it. Inza opened the kitchen window and squeezed through it. She didn't want to use the window of the living room because there was light there. Inza thought that she could slip into the Barrow, without alerting whoever was watching TV in the living room, because being StrangeFate a reserve member of the JLA, she had known that Dark Claw had watch in the Satellite today.
Sparrow was watching with null interest a Dragon Saints movie that she had already seen a couple times before when she heard the kitchen window opening. She couldn't call the police, because there was Dark Claw suits still there, although Logan was moving all of the artifacts that he had in the flat to the Barrow. She thought of calling Logan at the satellite, but she dismissed it, thinking she could frighten any burglar, even with a sprained ankle. She prepared herself to use her "fireworks" when the would-to-be-burglar would appear from the kitchen.
When Inza tried to slip unnoticed, Jubilation Lee used her metamutant powers, which were deflected by a seraphim shield spell. They readied for combat, but Inza slipped her mask when she saw that her opponent was Sparrow.
"Sorry for the intrusion, kid. But I thought that you would have been on the Barrow, monitoring the situation." Inza said.
"Don't call me kid!" Sparrow exclaimed angrily, "And I sprained my ankle, a week ago, so I'm down for the moment."
"Ep, sorry."
"Okay, don't call me kid again, and accidents do happen." Jubilee said, massaging her ankle, "So, what's happening in the magic world?"
"I need help from the JLA, there is a great crisis at hand..."
More about what has happened to StrangeFate, and several loose ends are tied in The Onslaught War #2
Disclaimer: Antonio Cabanas (me) has created Inza Strange. Marvel and DC own the Amalgam Universe.
Amalgams:
*Inza Strange [Inza Nelson (Doctor Fate II) /Strange 2099]: disciple of StrangeFate
*Myx [Mr. Mxyzptlk /Nyx, Wong]
*Apollo [Ray / Cyclops]
*Doctor StrangeFate [Doctor Fate / Doctor Strange, Professor X]
*Onslaught [Doctor Fate, Doctor Chaos /Doctor Strange, Paradox, Onslaught]: the dark side of StrangeFate, empowered by several dark entities, including Hecate.
*Nightshadow [Nightwing, Flamebird/Shadowcat]: Elizabeth Katheryne "Betty" Grayson, former ward of Logan Wayne and former sidekick of Dark Claw as Sparrow II, metamutant with intangibility powers, daughter of murdered circus performers.
*Sparrow IV [Tim Drake/Jubilee]: Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee, current sidekick of Dark Claw, metamutant with "fireworks" powers,
*Dark Claw [Batman/Wolverine]: protector of New Gotham under several identities over the decades, experimented by the Weapon X project and giveen an unbreakable adamantium skeleton before coming back and settling in his current identity as Logan Wayne.
*Barrow [Batcave/Wolverine elements]: secret base of Dark Claw in the secret sub-basement of the skyscraper where Logan Wayne lives.
*StrangeFate Tower [Salem Tower/Strange SanctumSanctorum]: StrangeFate HQ.
*New Gotham [Gotham City/New York City]: